anyone who knows me, knows i love meeting people.
so... on top of all the great study time at l'abri... i knew i'd be "kaleiding" with new faces. i think i love it because it's often where i see G*D move most in my life. and as i rode the train from the airport to southborough... i wondered how G*D would impact me and use me in this house full of students and staff.
four family groups inhabit the 2 houses... but the "students" all live in the center section of the main building was built in the 1800's. it's hard to describe what goes on between and in the work... the study... the meals... the tea times... the lectures... the prayer times... the free times... the games.
but i guess a lot like life... it's not the activities that build community so much as it is the choices we make in the activities. certainly the close proximity... and daily routine helped lean people into one another. but ultimately... people will only bend as far as they want.
as an outsider coming in for the last week...i was pretty amazed at what i saw. i didn't pick up on any animosity or cliques. everyone seemed welcoming, respectful and sensitive to others. maybe because they were in shock that in one week their l'abri friends would likely be states apart. but for whatever reason... it was a beautiful thing to watch and experience.
the most wonderful thing of all was the sense that people were free to be themselves. free not to have to shower for the last seven days of the term... free to be girls who talk about farting... even if it disgusted the guys. and free to be who G*D had made them to be. i didn't sense the games... the competition. close quarters can be a gift in that way.
i loved every person i met at l'abri... from barefoot "tor"... to sausage factory "missy"... and on and on and on. these new personalities gave me a sense of hope for the future... and definitely a smile. so if any of them ever read this... thanks!
i think G*D has fun watching them/us live in the bottom half of the glass...
...even if we don't live it perfectly.
if you want to see more pics... look at the l'abri albums on the sidebar.