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Wednesday, November 10th
Dear friends,
Leaving Kaunas for Moià , driving from Lithuania to Spain, is both the longest journey and the route to the last stage of our initiatory journey. It is to advance towards the end, to begin the rereading of our whole journey, and to give the children the prospect of meeting their friends.
Catalonia, the sun and the Sagrada Familia seemed to be good arguments to motivate everyone to make this long journey. Just in case. The plan was simple. Get in touch with the Community of Els Avets in September and see together what could be done. September, Ukraine, Covid. We started the search for an accommodation near Moià in October. 3 weeks in advance. As usual in fact. Relaxed.
Not so relaxed. The sun and the sea got further away as the departure from Lithuania approached. The reason was a long weekend holiday in Spain for the Castanyada festival. In short, no accommodation available in our budget within an hour's drive of the community. Nothing. No more Parc Guell, no more L’Arche in Spain. Where were we going to drive to? Another community in Europe? Back to Le Mans?
Trust. Always. We left Le Mans and placed everything in His hands. What was going to happen this time? Where would He take us? To Miquel and Victorià . To La Bufa, in the village of Collsuspina. The news came on October 15. Laura told us to call them. On the 16th, the day of departure from Kaunas, we know that rooms are waiting for us there. The road ahead of us was clear, like an invitation to go beyond our mental limits, to dare to meet one more time.
We drove towards the southwest. The descent of Europe required a lot of resources. Prague, the Saint Charles bridge, the Castle, the sunrises and sunsets, the museum of communism. Everything is beautiful. Except the too short nights. A habit now. Offenburg and an evening with scout friends. Lyon, at Daphne's godmother's house. We took the opportunity to go to Katimavik of L'Arche at Lyon, and to see our cousin and her children. Last stretch to Spain, the passage of the Pyrenees is magical and still resounds in our ears as Spanish songs invade the minibus. Joyfully, the road ends in La Bufa.
La Bufa, rural inn. Miquel and Victorià do their best to make us feel comfortable. This is the first time we stay with a family. We have to invent a new way of being. As we go along, we discover their family, their passion for music, their crazy project of restoring La Bufa to live there, the hunters who come to have their snack every Sunday at 7am, the hidden corners of the surrounding mountains, and above all, the bond that unites Miquel and the Community Els Avets. We understand that we were not brought here by chance. Once again, we have learned to overcome our apprehensions, our questions and all the "what ifs". The generous welcome of Laura, Ramón and the whole community blew away our worries and made them disappear in no time.
L'Arche is a huge family. There are many signs of this. Flashback to Prague. In front of a stele, just after the visit to the Museum of Communism. A man accosts us, tells us his story, his presence on Wenceslas Square during the Prague Spring, his exile, his return 40 years later, the duty to remember, before concluding with "There are two important things, Freedom and Family".
L'Arche is a gigantic, traveling family. This family is Joana, a volunteer in Poznań and whom we meet during her civic service in Moià . It is Ugnė who organizes our stay in Kaunas and whom Bernard from Namur remembers very well. It is Colette from Brussels that we also meet in Poznań. It is Noémi from Śledziejowice who blesses us and sends us in perfect French. It is Kamilė and Emile, former assistants of La Ruisselée who welcomes us to Vilnius. It is Hania and Iwona who radiate with their joy and love for Poland. It is Marcin, a volunteer in Italy, Brussels, Cork and then Wrocław before joining Gdynia. It is Ramon, who visits a community every year to support his mission as Community Leader of Els Avets.
Els Avets, the fir trees, is a beautiful community full of Love, in Laura's words. A community that will soon celebrate its 40th anniversary. Its links with the Community of El Rusc, the other community in Catalonia, are very strong because of their history. The second one was born from the first one. Lluisà and Jordi, tell us about their installation in the first home of the community after their marriage. Their commitment as a couple and their attachment to the community, beyond the years. Because L'Arche takes care of whole lives. What you do today has an impact for the next 15 years. Whether you are a leader, administrator, helper or volunteer. We have come across so many lives given, so many lives entrusted to L'Arche. Ala, Gertrud, Laura, Véronique, Myrèse, Denis and Elena. What have they discovered in the secret of their hearts?
Els Avets is a community that is beautiful because of the Love that is lived there, where core-members and assistants share good and bad news, where the rhythmic work in the workshop is a source of pride. Maria del Mar and Jordi contribute twice a week to a shared garden in the nearby village. Roisa leads theatre workshops with immense emotional talent. And always 'doing with' and not 'doing for'. If you ask if you can help with the washing up, you will be told to ask Albert, because it's his shift today. Gemma will also probably ruin your game of dominoes with Mariona and Alipio, because she much prefers to tell jokes. But then you'll find out that she's an accomplished writer. Jordi will clown around with Themy, the other Jordi will try to get you to finish the dishes by yourself. And Antonio will greet you in French, every day. We were their guests. Teresa and Albert showed us their Coves del Toll, Carmen and Montserrat opened their Abbey of Montserrat to us. You can feel the Catalan warmth just by listening to Mercè, Sonia and Aitor, just by looking at the colourful ceramic flower pots of the Community, the balms, soaps and flowers for Sant Jordi.
The Sagrada Familia and Parc Güell in Barcelona are exceptionally beautiful. Staying in the mountains of Catalonia with the Community is even more beautiful. Like a warm embrace. The gifts we have received on this journey give us a glimpse of a priceless treasure, the full extent of which we have yet to perceive. On the last day, Ramon suggested that we tell the story of our journey and what we had learned about L'Arche. Going back through our 4 months of photos brought back so many memories. Selecting 4-5 photos per stage was a challenge. Gradually, the answers to our questions, the ones that had set us on our way, began to appear. Like a mystery revealed.
What is L’Arche? It is a huge family, an unconditional welcome, and the care given in community to entire lives. The words that come back to us so often are those of Adam of Poznań: "It is good that you are!"
It’s good that you are, all the volunteers, helpers and friends!
It's good that you are, all of you core-members!
It's good that you are, you, L'Arche!
Un fuerte abrazo, amigos
🇬🇧 un fuerte abrazo / a strong hug