August/September
Welcome to my MVS blog! I will be writing monthly updates about my experience in Tucson.
It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Tucson for over a month now!
Here’s what I’ve been up to so far:
August 21
The train left the station (our rental van left our house) for Tucson in the afternoon of August 21. Two days later, after a couple (thousand) miles on the road, a stop at a Buc-ees gas station, and a quick detour through Dallas to visit a friend (hi Julia), we made it to the MVS house in Tucson!
August 25
Orientation week began! The week consisted of getting to know my housemates (pictured below), a scavenger hunt throughout the city, community living sessions, and starting to get a taste of the amazing restaurants Tucson has to offer (Tucson was the first US city to be named a "UNESCO City of Gastronomy").
Some fun facts about Tucson:
One of the sunniest cities in the US- 350 days of sunshine per year!
On the land of the indigenous Tohono O'odham people
A dark sky city to support nearby observatories and reduction in light pollution
Just ~60 miles north of the US-Mexico border
Although the metro area population is around 1 million people, most agree (including me) that Tucson feels much smaller due to the shorter, sprawled-out buildings and community-oriented nature
September 3
First day at my placement! This year I'll be working at Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona (CHRPA). CHRPA's mission is to provide emergency home-repair services to low-income households in Pima County (CHRPA's Website). So far, I have helped build a wheelchair ramp, repair/install water heaters, patch a roof, install skirting, replace a faucet, and repair/install many, many, many evaporative coolers. I really enjoy the work so far and have learned a lot (like what happens when you drill below the water line on a cooler (bad) and why you need to wear eye protection when using power tools (ouch)). Working in the heat was a rough adjustment, but luckily it is getting cooler out (highs in the 90s!) and I've gotten used to drinking at least a gallon of water every day.
Church Life
The church I am connected with is Shalom Mennonite Fellowship. It is on the same property as the MVS house (as well as the CHRPA office), which makes the morning commute quick (so of course we’re never late for church…).
The services at Shalom are translated into English, Spanish, and Swahili to include the wide variety of participants. I have really enjoyed getting to know the welcoming community at Shalom and look forward to helping out with music during the services!
House Life
I’ve really enjoyed getting to know my housemates (Schyler and Patrick) this past month, and we’re excited for our fourth (Zing) to arrive in just over a week!
Some things we’ve enjoyed doing together so far:
In Summary
I have really enjoyed my time in Tucson so far. It has been fun to get to know the city, the community, and the people connected with my program. I’m looking forward to a quick trip back to Indiana in a week for a wedding, our national MVS retreat in Salt Lake City in October, and a trip to the border in December.
Thanks for reading this newsletter! Stay tuned for (hopefully) monthly updates.
If you would like to financially support the MVS Tucson program, here is a link to do so: https://fundraise.givesmart.com/vf/MVSTucson/HannahLehman
All donations will help support our monthly budget, educational experiences, and the overall wellbeing of the MVS program. No pressure at all, but let me know if you have any questions!
Hannah, it's so fun to hear about what you've been doing and to see your pictures of familiar places. We're planning to be back in Tucson January-March and will look forward to seeing you at Shalom.
Gayle Gerber Koontz, Assembly
Thanks for the update, Hannah! We are excited for you and your work in Tucson. If you have prayer requests, let me know and I will share them with Mennonite Fellowship. I also noticed that Schuyler had a Nebraska sweatshirt on. What is her connection to Nebraska. I grew up in Nebraska and my wife is from Newton. Just curious. Take care and stay in touch.