No Better Place by Hannah Kunde

April 19, 2016

I remember hearing Richard Foster speak at a George Fox graduation ceremony two years ago. He spoke of his life as an author; at the beginning of the day he sits down at his computer to type and stare at the screen. By the end of the day, he gets up from his computer to go to bed and the only thing he has done is add, then delete a period.  Although humorous to the audience, his message in using this personal illustration was that we don’t really do things of much importance in our lives. BUT Christ came to Earth and used ordinary, daily elements of bread and wine and made them sacred. The ordinary, daily things we do, when done with an attitude of TRUST can be transformed into something sacred. I am a firm believer in the holiness of the ordinary and find it to be a compelling reason to move through daily life.

I would consider there to be no better place to learn about this than at L’Arche. Honoring daily life is one of the components at the heart of the community. Folding laundry, cleaning toilets, and cooking meals are done with a posture of humility. Simple conversation and laughter come easily. Friendships are established and maintained between and among folks from very different walks of life. Two years after hearing Richard Foster share, I am only beginning to understand the depth and beauty of what he said as I walk through life with the L’Arche community. For this I am incredibly grateful.

Hannah Kunde joined the L'Arche Portland community as a Quaker Voluntary Service Fellow in September 2015. A graduate of George Fox University, Hannah studied International Relations and Sociology and is passionate about learning from, and accompanying, marginalized people. She enjoys gardening, playing music, baking bread, reading, swimming, and biking.