One day we welcomed into our L'Arche home in Bangalore, India, a young lad with severe disabilities who had been living in the streets. He was hungry and covered with dirt. By the little hat he was wearing, we knew he was Muslim. Cham, one of the men with disabilities who had been living in the home for quite some time and who was from a Brahman family, offered to share his room with this newcomer. Little by little "Abdul"  - the name the community gave to him, as he was unable to communicate his real name -  opened up. He learned to walk and to do many of the same things as the other residents. One day an assistant accompanied him to a local mosque.

Suddenly a voice cried out, "Elias!" It was his cousin. The lost boy had been found.
A few days later a whole Muslim family arrived at our house. The elderly father told us, "My son is happy with you. He has made so much progress. We want him to stay with you." A friendship has grown between the L'Arche community and the family. And so sometimes it is the weakest ones, the least recognized, who can bring together people who are very different - not only in the community but also among neighbors, friends and family - and set us on the path of peace  .

Jean Vanier. Finding Peace, p.65
