When Matthew Janzen first moved into Annapurna, a L’Arche Calgary home, nearly three years ago, he knew exactly where “home” was.
Home was where his mom Wendy reminded him to trim his beard. Home was where his dad Doug made sure everything was in order. Home was where his schedule was carefully managed and his bed was changed without him asking.
Annapurna, at least at first, was simply a place he was staying, a “guest residence.” When Matthew talked about going “home” for the weekend, he meant his parents’ house. That was where he belonged, however, something began to change.
Before L’Arche, Wendy carried a quiet but persistent worry. In a speech she gave at a L’Arche Calgary event in October 2025, she described the moment that set everything in motion.
“I had just been diagnosed with a heart issue,” she shared. “One of my first thoughts, of course, was if I leave this earth unexpectedly early, what happens to Matthew?”
Wendy and Doug began to pray. Then, in the middle of a chaotic party game, a man Wendy barely knew sat down beside her and asked, “Wendy, have you thought about L’Arche for Matthew?”
“What?” she remembers thinking. “Where did this come from?”
She hadn’t heard of L’Arche, but she says, “Sometimes we pray about a solution to something, but I don’t think we actually believe that God will answer, right? Well, here it was, being served to us on a silver platter: L’Arche.”
There were no openings at first, but after two weeks, the call came. A spot had opened and Matthew was a perfect fit. There were other options that Wendy and Doug explored, but something about L’Arche was different.
“It has taken me a while,” Wendy said, “but I now understand why they call them Core Members, not clients.”
At L’Arche, Matthew is not a case file or a service recipient. He is a Core Member, an essential part of the household.
“He has come to understand that he is an important member of this group,” Wendy explained. “He has a voice, even though his speech may be difficult to understand. He has a vote in the household agenda, even though he may not be able to understand all the angles of things.”
Matthew does not simply receive care. He contributes by helping in the kitchen, doing laundry, and cleaning. When the House Leader is overwhelmed preparing for guests, she asks for his help, and he rises to the occasion.
“He sees himself as an important member of this group,” Wendy said. “They have called out the leader in him. They have called out the helper in him.”
Doug and Wendy have watched as their son matured in ways they hadn’t anticipated. “I am amazed and pleased at the maturity I see in such a short time from his involvement at L’Arche,” Wendy shared.
Matthew, who is affectionately known as “Chef Matthew,” has found not just responsibility but joy in shared meals, late-night conversations, birthday celebrations, and laughter around the table.
“Matthew does not just want to be cared for,” Wendy said. “He does not just want to have his nails cut and his food served warm. He wants to belong and to have a sense of purpose.”
She believes that is exactly what L’Arche gives.
“Belonging and sense of purpose. This is what L’Arche gives as a special gift to their Core Members. You can’t beat this.”
A Friend’s Perspective
Sue Nickerson saw this transformation up close. She first met Wendy years ago at Pilgrim Books. Back then, she knew almost nothing about L’Arche, but she did know Matthew.
“I had the privilege of helping Wendy prepare his room for the big day of Matthew’s move in to Annapurna,” Sue recalls. Together they painted, added decals, laid carpet tile, hung artwork, not just in Matthew’s room, but in the basement as well. Annapurna’s house leader loved the design of Matthew’s Spider-Man room so much she asked for their help in the basement too.
“God gave Wendy the vision for the basement, and I had the joy of helping her fulfill it!”
Before Matthew even moved in, he had already touched Sue’s life in a profound way. During a time of serious health challenges and deep anxiety, something Matthew did not know about, he paused during a game of pool, looked directly at her, and said clearly, “Sue, you will live.”
Then he returned to his usual speech patterns.
He did it twice, and Sue clung to those words as a promise, and still does. Now, having seen Annapurna firsthand, she understands more fully what L’Arche is.
“I have seen firsthand the care and respect the workers have for the Core Members,” she says. “What a wonderful home Matthew has!”
Young chefs and prophets, she jokes, and the Assistants who walk daily life alongside them.
From “Guest Residence” to “Forever Home”
Over time, something subtle but profound shifted in Matthew’s language. At first, Wendy and Doug’s house was “home”, and Annapurna was temporary.
However, as Matthew bonded with other Core Members and Assistants, as he found his rhythm in shared chores and celebrations, as he experienced being listened to, needed, and valued, Annapurna stopped being a place he stayed. It became the place he belonged.
Now when Matthew says he is going “home,” he means Annapurna.
He still visits Wendy and Doug, but according to his parents, those visits have changed. He enjoys them, and then he starts watching the clock, eager to return home.
Home, now, is the house where he is not just cared for but counted on. Home is where birthdays are celebrated by going around the table and naming the gifts each person brings.
“Does everyone here know that at every birthday party at L’Arche, they go around the table and tell the birthday person what they think their gifts are and how much they are appreciated as a member of the household?” Wendy asked her audience. “Every birthday.”
It is a simple ritual, but it reinforces something essential: you are needed here. You are valued. You belong. For Wendy and Doug, L’Arche has brought something else as well: peace.
“Needless to say, we feel at peace now that if something unexpected happens to us, Matthew is okay, cared for and respected,” Wendy said.
She describes L’Arche as more than a well-run organization and quality care. At its heart is something deeper.
“Like a cake with no icing, this would all be pretty generic if their commitment to God were not there,” she said. “God is the icing on the cake, so to speak.”
“Plus, let’s remember that it was really God who chose this for us. And I’ve learned not to argue with him.”
L’Arche Calgary did not simply provide Matthew with a house, meals, and support. It gave him a home, a place where he is a chef, prophet, helper, and a friend. A place where he belongs.
Now, when he says he’s going home, everyone knows exactly where he means.
