Generations

Like his siblings, Rado’s first experiences at Luther House began in childhood. He grew up attending dinners with his mother, Rijasoa, and visiting his older sister, Ranja, during their time at Luther House.

“Before I started college, it wasn’t really my choice to go to Luther House. It was just a place that we went to eat and hang out,” Rado recalls. “After I moved in for college, though, it became my choice. I liked living at Luther House because I couldn’t drift too far away from my church. It matured my faith and kept me grounded. I basically came home to church.”

Rado is now an alumni member of Luther House/The Open Table Connection, and he and his family are part of a generational legacy in the campus ministry. Their love and welcoming spirit have helped shape its culture.

He remembers the radical hospitality he practiced as a student resident. “We would have all kinds of conversations about religion, sometimes late into the night,” he says. He laughs as he recalls one long, friendly conversation with other students who were evangelizing in the neighborhood. They ended up talking until around midnight and becoming friends. “I’m not sure where else that would happen,” he adds with a smile.

Today, Rado carries that same radical hospitality into his work and everyday life. He remains committed to his lifelong home church and credits the experience of living in community at Luther House with shaping and strengthening his faith journey.

As a young child, Rindra sometimes faced challenges. “I think I was mostly misunderstood,” he shared. As a middle child, he laughingly attributes some of those struggles to what he calls "middle child syndrome." “It was more than that, though,” Rindra explained, “It's hard when you don’t understand people. There was a language barrier for me as a child.”

Originally from Madagascar, Rindra grew up near Luther House in Albuquerque. His mother and siblings attended the University of New Mexico (UNM) and were active members of the Luther House community. Some of Rindra’s earliest memories, around the age of seven, involve large dinners in the chapel at Luther House. “It was a great place to sit down and have a meal together,” he recalls. As he got older, Rindra would visit his sister Ranja and brother Rado while they were living at Luther House. “I thought Luther House was a place for International Students, and in a way, it was. I didn’t know it went beyond housing and food for International Students."

Click through to read more about Rindra.

Stories from The Open Table Connection: Building Relationships

"Our Journey: Stories From The Open Table Connection" Campus Ministry at the University of New Mexico