GREATHAM NEWSLETTER, June 2005

Dear friends of English L’Abri,

Some weeks ago, I was sitting in the manor dining room eating lunch with nine of our students, when someone asked, “Is it acceptable for us just to interact with those people who we consider to be “cool”, or are we called to interact with those we find annoying as well?”  The question was really:  “What does it mean to be sincere in our love for each other?”  Many of us had moments pop up in our minds when we had wished we had been part of the “cool” group.  As such discussions go, we continued by sharing our experiences and longings for approval, and whether we had managed to achieve them.  Few of us came up with stories in which we had found that we were the centre of “coolness” … On the contrary, the stories that were shared were ones of false arrogance mixed with sadness, experiencing a lack of acceptance, rejection, and despair because of it.  Now we may just not have been a very “cool” group of people, but I think the real problem is that our society tempts us to use the wrong barometer.  As Paul reminds us, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God” (Romans 15:7).   For the “dance” to take place in our interaction with one another, the fundamental ingredient lies in grace, in His grace - not in “being cool”.

Many similar discussions were held this past spring as the summer slowly unfolded.  Many heartfelt questions were asked, interspersed with times of laughter as well as tears, as we identified with each other’s stories.  Trying to determine what the adventuresome path of such grace looks like practically, is essential to living life, and forms a significant part of our conversations, discussions, tutorials, and lectures here at L’Abri – as it has also in these past months. 

This past spring term was a short term of only nine weeks.  And yet, the term felt more intense than usual.  It seemed as if we had to fit in what usually happens over a whole term, in only two-thirds of the time.  The awareness, for us as workers, in our conversations and discussions that the time was slipping by, made it in some ways feel just as long as any other term does.  And if I think back to the moment when Andrew Fellows led our last prayer meeting of the spring term, flipping through the last pages of the guest book to mention the different people we had spent our time with, to pray for them, the collage of names and faces that flashed through my mind overwhelmed me with how packed those nine weeks had been, and how God had blessed us in them.
If I think of the spring term, one of the memories that sticks out in my mind, is little 5 year old Kevin Marbach, sitting at the breakfast table, munching on his chocolate spread toast, with a chocolate coated grin from ear to ear, never ceasing to cheerfully greet me every time he could catch my eye on the other side of the table.  But if I think about it, it was actually the whole Marbach family who, amidst their own challenges, cheerfully participated in helping us through the spring term.  Thorsten and Vera, with their 3 children, (a German family from South Africa) were a steady help.
Another image that pops up in my mind from this time, is that of another of our helpers: Martin, with his Slovak accent, carefully telling the new students where their bed was and what details he thought they needed to know to survive at L’Abri.  Martin took great pride in doing a thorough job of the laundry.  But when he held a “Shire” evening for us, with a display of the photos he’d taken of the area, we all got a new perspective of the detail that Martin’s eyes saw.  The Hampshire hills we live in developed a new dimension for us all that night!

Another thread which makes part of that tapestry of images from the spring term, is our Scottish helper, Alison.  The bright colours that adorn Alison’s wardrobe are a window into her artistic approach to all of life.  Her culinary results which we enjoyed were a growing expression of her artistry.  It’s a privilege to see people develop their gifts as they share in being a part of the L’Abri life.

And as our spring starts turning into summer, we see the fruits of our English helper, Clive.  His enthusiasm to help us with our large gardens can best be described by the words he often greeted me with, even in the cold months of January and February - notwithstanding most versions of our English weather and life’s idiosyncrasies: “What a beautiful day to be out in the garden!”  And he meant it.

But most of all, our spring term was characterized by Jim and Merran Paul officially joining us on the English L’Abri team in January, with their two boys, Jack and Sam.  It has been a delight to grow into their working alongside us – especially in their asking us questions about how and why we do things the way we do, and in the process making us more conscious of the work that our Lord has called us to!

As March arrived, and the spring term drew to an end, many of us English L’Abri workers piled in a bus - off on a journey together to Heathrow airport.  We were on our way to the L’Abri Jubilee Conference in St. Louis.  (Hence our short spring term.)  What a privilege for so many of us to have been able to be at that conference – with more than one thousand participants!  It was a delight to see so many old faces from so many different moments in our history, intertwined with many, many new faces – all together to celebrate the fiftieth year anniversary of L’Abri’s existence.  The hubbub of workers from all over the world around the L’Abri book table, interacting on so many different levels with so many different people, while also selling books (such as: Wade Bradshaw’s new book, By demonstration: God.  Fifty years and a week at L’Abri; and the cookbook with many of the favourite L’Abri recipes that Riana Reitsema had helped compile for the occasion), was typical of the weekend.   The numerous workshops held at the conference covered a multitude of topics, held by many L’Abri folk, as well as many who have been influenced by L’Abri through the years.  I found it particularly exciting to finally put a real face and personality to many authors who have been influenced by Schaeffer’s work and the larger L’Abri Fellowship, who were lecturing at the conference.  These are people whom I have often quoted while working with students here at English L’Abri.

And now, as I look back on the past months, sharing with you some of the stories of our lives together, we’re already in the full swing of our summer term – with a new group of students and helpers.  Each with their own story.  Each with their own pain that is too big to carry alone.  Each with their own longing to be accepted.  Pray for us, amidst our own brokenness, as we attempt to “dance” that dance of living out His grace together, as we attempt to share that great Story of acceptance from Christ alone with those who enter our homes.

With love in Him who accepts us as we are,

Edith Reitsema