On this long-awaited walk, L’Arche community members and their friends in Germany, Austria and Switzerland covered 140 km in total, overnighting at 8 different places between Basle in Switzerland and Ravensburg in Germany. Donors willingly sponsored each kilometre by each person, helping to raise 25,000€ towards the cost of renovating the roof of the community house in Ravensburg, as part of a bigger development plan.

The path led through the calm- if sometimes rainy- beauty of nature, including a boat trip across Lake Constance. A great opportunity… to meet people… to make new friends and… to get to know other German-speaking communities better, including Arche Im Nauen, in Switzerland. Take a moment to relax with their blog (in German) and their pictures here.

Diversity was built into the group of 130: young and old, women and men, some without an intellectual disability and around 50 with one… but each person was drawn to the common goal: raising money for the roof is one thing. But the vision for this sponsored walk was much bigger! To live this challenging experience as a community of diverse people, united in the belief that life goes better when we help each other each step of the way, giving each person space to express their gifts. And each day’s walk showed that hopeful and inclusive message in action.