Book Review: Edith Schaffer's "L'Abri"

By Eunice Kua

Ever read those school girl tales, the Chalet School series? During my school days, I collected quite a number of these books, about an English boarding school in the Swiss Alps, where the girls learned French, Italian and German, invented pranks, reformed troublemakers, and got an education and later, husbands and children, in the course of the many years of the school’s history.

L’Abri is also about the daily ins and outs of an institution that started in a chalet in Switzerland, but this is a true story, and very inspirational in terms of praying specifically and waiting on God to provide - giving concrete steps and snapshots of the journey that led to and guided the growth of an international community of seekers and believers.

In September 1948, Dr. Francis Schaffer and his wife Edith, and their 3 young children Priscilla, Susan, and Debby arrived in Switzerland, an American family sent as workers to an atheistic Europe. They were living by a very practical faith, both by necessity and by conscious choice. They were there “to show forth, by demonstration, in our life and work, the existence of God.”

The family ran services and discussions, hosted young people from all over the world, provided free meals and board and, most importantly, thoughtful intellectual and spiritual discourse for students, travelers, nurses, violinists, opera singers, doctors, engineers—anyone of any faith (and they had people of many faiths) who came seriously seeking answers, whether they knew it or not, to “the basic questions which bother any thinking person.”

The book, written by Edith, first published in 1969, is a remarkable tale of how L’Abri (which is a French word meaning shelter), began and developed, including the trials of finding a place to stay, being forced out of their village, having to relocate, dealing with busy schedules and the children’s health problems.

Mrs. Schaffer writes in a clear, precise, “just the facts” style that is compelling and fast-paced. I was struck by the nature and clear-mindedness of the prayers made—e.g. for the work of L’Abri, established in 1955, they prayed “that God will bring the people of His choice to us, and keep all others away.” Indeed, at the time the book was written, only those who would truly benefit had visited, and limited resources were being well spent.

Also striking was the active faith and involvement of the whole family—not just the adults, but also the teenage and school-age daughters—a testament to how seeking and sharing truth is and can really be a lifestyle, not a job or a ‘ministry’ for designated ‘volunteers’ or ‘professionals.’

Today, L’Abri (officially called L’Abri Fellowship International) has “study centres” in Switzerland, England, Holland, Sweden, Canada, USA, and Korea and “resource centres” in Australia and Germany. Interested people can still go for a weekend or a week or more. Accommodation is no longer free of charge, but costs are kept minimal. Individualized study plans and helping with the household chores is still a feature, as it was in the early days.


More information L'Abri is available at http://www.labri.org