10th of May: this morning's terrorist attack in Damascus was monstrous and without a grain of humanity. Fortunately the community of Al-Safina and their friends are doing well, despite the daily anxiety in which we live. Your prayers are vital to us.

With enormous sadness I write to tell you of the tragic death of Petra Riedel, who came from Germany to our Community as an Assistant in January of this year. It is hard to describe the depth of shock, and of terrible loss and grief which all of us have lived through, not to mention what her husband Thomas and daughter Anne have had to live.

Dear Friends, I am in a small monastery of the Greek Catholic rite here in Bethlehem, where there are just 7 contemplative sisters, two of whom used to be at L’Arche. The wall which separates Palestine and Israel crosses through the monastery garden; it is the wall of fear, the wall of hate, a symbol of all the walls which surround our own hearts. Even if I no longer travel, I did want to make this journey with Odile, for two reasons.

On Easter Monday, the community of Tegucigalpa began their day with the terrible news of the death of Bertha, a person with a disability at Casa Isabel. While the small group of Casa Isabel were underway to the workshop, a truck loaded with waste bricks collided with them, its load falling upon them. Bertha died immediately and three others in the group are seriously injured and in hospital.

In November, last year, the first L’Arche house opened in Ukraine. However, it is not a traditional L’Arche house, but more like a respite care house where core members can spend some time as the need or desire arises. It is also a place of friendship where community members can come together to share a meal and celebrate in a warm homely atmosphere.

Dear friends, The community of Al-Safina in Damascus is doing well despite the painful events that Syria is living.

We are happy to now publish Jean Vanier’s daily thoughts in both English and French since October 9th.

Outreach or in-reach? We sometimes think of outreach as taking the message of L’Arche beyond the community. But that is only half the story! For the reality is that the community itself grows wider. This is clear in Tina Kramp’s story about her service in her local hospital in Spokane, USA.

It’s hard to believe that Ma’an lil-Hayat is already over two years old! For such a long time we had been dreaming of creating a community of L’Arche in Bethlehem, and finally, here we are, with 15 core members, a team of five assistants, and numerous volunteers and friends.

The mission of L’Arche is geared to society. In November 2011, 35 people came together from all parts of Egypt for three days, Christians and Muslims alike. They all shared the same commitment, whether through their work or otherwise, to vulnerable people in their society: people with a disability, the elderly, people lacking sight, street children, etc.