Learning continues for students serving in Denare Beach

While many Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS) volunteers in Denare Beach, Saskatchewan are retired, or in the later stages of their careers, some young adults are also pounding nails, building concrete forms, and sawing wood to build houses.

That includes Larry Ruffin lll, 22, from Choctaw, Oklahoma. A student at Canadian Mennonite University (CMU) in Winnipeg, Larry was in the remote northern community for four weeks to help those who lost their homes to the 2025 Wolf fire.

“I’d never done construction before,” he said of his first time with MDS. “It was intense, but good.”

Larry, who is a biblical and theological studies and music student at CMU, was serving with MDS as part of the scholarship program—for his service, MDS will cover the costs of a semester of studies at the university.

“It’s great to be able to help someone in this way,” said Larry.

Larry Ruffin III volunteers on site at the MDS Denare Beach response. MDS photo/John Longhurst

Joshua Harder of Winkler, Man., is also a scholarship student. The 22-year-old, who is studying at Steinbach Bible College, spent five weeks with MDS in Denare Beach.

Since he had construction experience, Joshua was asked to be a crew leader. “I was young for a crew leader, but everyone was willing to listen and learn,” he said.

Of his time with MDS, he liked the collegial and friendly atmosphere at the work sites and the flow of the work—things got done, but there wasn’t a heavy sense of urgency.

“It was easy going, and everyone got along,” he said, adding he enjoyed learning about the area as well.

It was also good to get to know homeowners, Joshua said. “It opened my eyes to how some people struggle in life,” he said of his work at the home of a senior who deals with various challenges.

“They didn’t only lose their homes, they also lost their community,” he said. “For many, their friends aren’t coming back. The whole experience is traumatizing for them.”

While the goal of MDS is to help others, “it’s truly a gift for me to be here,” he said, adding “I want to use my skills for the Kingdom of God.”

Joshua Harder at the MDS Denare Beach home base. MDS photo/John Longhurst

Simon Enns, 22, heard about MDS from others who had served.

“I felt called to do it,” he said, having recently graduated from the University of Guelph with a degree in horticulture.

Having grown up on a farm in Leamington, Ont., Simon likes doing construction and “working with my hands.”

MDS, he added, “brings people together in a neat way, pulling together to help others.”

Simon Enns at the MDS Denare Beach response. MDS photo/John Longhurst

Katee Belisle, 21, is a student at the University of Guelph. From Thunder Bay, Ont., she was in Denare Beach because her friend Simon Enns asked her to come with him.

“It sounded like it would be a good experience,” she said.

Working with the other volunteers “was amazing,” she said, adding she “felt accepted right away.”

Katee Belisle volunteers on an MDS Denare Beach project site. MDS photo/John Longhurst

Katee grew up Catholic but acknowledged she wasn’t “super religious.” Her time with MDS showed her that “we are called to represent God to others.”

Time spent talking with other volunteers caused her to want to “connect more strongly with God,” she said.

It also helped change her view of the church in North America.

“I had a negative view before this, from hearing about all the scandals,” Katee said. “But now I see how the church can be a positive force in the world, how we can be the hands and feet of Jesus… it feels like I found a purpose in life.”

John Longhurst, MDS Canada writer