Visitors to the Youth Farm Corn Maze near Rosthern this fall were met with a striking image woven into the maze — a man turning back to help someone who moments earlier had been chasing him.
The image tells the story of Dirk Willems, a 16th-century Anabaptist who escaped from prison in the Netherlands but stopped to rescue his pursuer when the man fell through thin ice. Willems was recaptured and later executed for his faith. His story has endured for 500 years as a powerful example of conviction — choosing love of enemy over personal freedom.
On the Canadian Prairies, Anabaptists are more commonly known as Mennonites, and Willems’ story remains deeply embedded in Mennonite history and identity. This year marks 500 years since the beginning of Anabaptism, and Youth Farm chose to highlight that legacy through the Corn Maze, connecting a global faith story to the local Saskatchewan landscape.
The Corn Maze had a strong season, welcoming close to 30,000 visitors, many of whom paused to ask about the meaning behind the image.
“People were curious,” said Mark Wurtz, Executive Director of Youth Farm. “Dirk Willems’ story opens the door to conversations about faith that is lived out — faith that chooses compassion, courage, and integrity even when it comes at a cost.”
After the Corn Maze season wrapped up, a group of staff and interns continued that journey in a very tangible way. In November, they travelled to Europe and Greece as part of Youth Farm’s 3E Internship Program, visiting many of the places where Anabaptism and the broader Reformation first took shape.
“This year the interns and I went on a trip exploring the Reformation and walking the path that Paul walked in Greece,” said Sophia Irodenko, one of the interns on the trip. “We visited six different countries in the span of two weeks. There was so much to take in — the beauty, the history, the people.”
The group travelled through Frankfurt, Worms, Strasbourg, Basel, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Austria, visiting historic monuments, medieval cities, and gothic cathedrals that told stories through architecture, art, and even buried remains.
“We visited places where Anabaptism first took shape and where believers hid to talk about their faith,” Irodenko said. “We learned that the Reformation wasn’t just about change, but about growth, hospitality, love, and courage.”
Along the way, interns learned about figures such as Martin Bucer and Matthias and Katharina Zell, who sheltered hundreds of refugees during times of religious upheaval. In Austria, the group also stood in places where Christians later resisted Hitler, seeing how conviction carried forward into more recent history.
The journey then shifted south to Greece, following the footsteps of the Apostle Paul through ancient cities such as Philippi, Thessaloniki, Corinth, and Athens.
“The beauty of Greece was on another level,” Irodenko said. “We saw Meteora, which looked like monasteries floating on top of giant rock pillars. We explored fortresses, temples, and ancient cities.”
One of the most meaningful moments came in Athens.
“I even got to share a devotional on Mars Hill about the same message Paul gave in Athens, explaining how the ‘unknown god’ they worshipped is the true God. That was such an amazing experience.”
The European trip is one part of a much broader year-long experience. Youth Farm’s 3E Internship Program, which stands for Equip, Empower, and Extend, combines hands-on work, learning, spiritual formation, and mission.
Interns spend a month in Central America, serving through Youth Farm’s homegrown Finca de Esperanza ministry in Nicaragua. They also spend a week in Tijuana, building a home for a family in need through long-standing local partnerships. Closer to home, interns participate in two extended canoe trips, using wilderness travel as a setting for leadership development, reflection, and community building.
Throughout the year, interns read ten books together, attend classes in Spanish, Old Testament, and New Testament, and work side-by-side in Youth Farm’s various ministries, including the Corn Maze and summer camp.
“For us, this is about formation, not just information,” Wurtz said. “We want young adults to understand where their faith comes from, and how it can be lived out with humility, courage, and service in today’s world.”
As families walked the Corn Maze paths this fall, they encountered a 500-year-old story that still speaks today — a story of Mennonite roots on the Prairies, shaped by sacrifice, compassion, and a commitment to live out faith in everyday choices.