To start off our beautiful, snowy, Thursday morning, we started by getting ready and heading over to the L’Arche Hamilton Day program. We got a tour of the facility and got a run-down of our day while meeting some of the lovely assistants who are present at the day program! Core members started to arrive, and we wished them a good morning and hyped them up for the exciting day ahead. Our group was able to split up on this day so half of us went to the gym and got a quick workout in with a couple of core members while the other half got their steps in and did some mall walking and people watching with core members. This was such a fun and casual way to get to know the core members while doing something interactive.

After returning back to the day program, we had lunch with the core members and some fun conversation. We then had band practice where we all sat around and sang songs with the core members as well as some local musicians who came in to play music with us. We sang many songs, some including “American Pie,” “Leaving, on a Jet Plane,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” This was such a fun and interactive activity we were all able to participate in and contribute to! After band practice we played an intense game of Uno and were able to bond over some friendly competitiveness.

We then were able to participate in L’Arche Hamilton’s weekly prayer gathering, where core members, assistants, and staff gather to reflect on the week and send up prayers. We were able to participate by sending up our own prayers, sharing what we have learned, and sharing what our week has been like. Everyone was open to hearing what our experience has been like, and it was amazing to be a part of a community where they accept you like you are family.

We had a tiny break after the prayer service before heading to different L’Arche homes in the area for dinner. The assistants and core members prepared a beautiful, nutritious, and delicious meal for us all which we were blessed to have shared with them. We spent some time in the homes getting tours, bonding over movies and pictures, playing video games, and having good fun! After a long night we had a reflection on our uniqueness as humans and how each of our differences makes us unique and special. As John, the Spiritual and Community Life Coordinator, would say, “We are all just a bunch of unicorns! There is no one who has ever been us, and there will never be anyone like us!” Now it’s off to sleep early before our last jam-packed day before heading home!