48 hours

I've been in Tucson for over 48 hours now, so I wanted to give a quick outline of some of the things I've done since arriving.

• After being picked up from the airport, I went with my supervisors to Pasco, a local restaurant near the university here. They try to serve healthy, fresh, and locally grown foods. I had a grass-fed burger and it was delicious! 
• Once we finished eating, we walked over to First United Methodist Church, where I met the pastor and several other women. This was an encouragement to me because they were all so friendly and welcoming. 
• For the rest of the day, I unpacked, showered, picked up some minimal groceries, and tried to start settling in. 
• In the evening I met the person I am living with and her dog, Donald. She is friendly, hospitable, and helpful, so I feel comfortable and welcomed here! 

• On Tuesday, Natalie took me into town so I could get my bus pass and my library card. The office to get the bus pass was much more crowded than I expected it to be! It was like going to the Secretary of State in Michigan--drawing a number and waiting a long time. My SunGo card has a picture of me on it, and sadly it is like a return to school pictures. (AKA, it is not flattering.) 
• The library has 20 different branches, and I could pick from several different designs on the cards! I am pretty excited about this. I love Willard Library in Battle Creek, but my library card has been the same gray one since I was about 5 years old. This one has a Tucson sunset and a saguaro on it! In addition, the librarian who registered me grew up in Kalamazoo! 
• In the evening, I walked down to First United Methodist Church to attend the Wesley Foundation worship and dinner. It took me a while to walk there, but it was nice to see the campus and to get out of the house for a while. It was also wonderful to be able to meet students and see a campus ministry in action--nearly 100 people turned up for their event! I met someone who knows Diamond, a fellow US-2 serving in New Jersey, and it was great to make that connection. I also met two Indian international graduate students, so it was nice to be able to welcome them to the US, if briefly. 
• I have also been given the chance to go to La Jolla this weekend with the Wesley Foundation as a chaperon. I'm excited to go to California for the first time and to see a west coast beach! 

• Today, my main excitement was receiving the part to my phone in the mail, which means two things: 
• I can go to the library and get a full access card because now I have a proof of my Tucson address. (Right now I can only check out 2 items at a time. If you have ever come to the library with me, you know this is not my style.) 
• My phone works again! 

• Tomorrow morning I will start my training at Iskashitaa, then in the afternoon I will be heading to La Jolla! Please pray for the beginning of my training, for my weekend away, and for me to have transportation (via bike) soon! 

Initial Culture Shock

Yesterday I arrived in Tucson after 2 flights and a little less than 12 hours of travel. I have been warmly received (by both the people and the weather) and I'm settling in here. I haven't been able to come up with a coherent, well-thought out post, but I am making a list of things I have noticed about Tucson so far that are my initial, surface-level "culture shock" experiences:

• Saguaros! Other cacti! Palm trees! Basically, all the vegetation here is drastically different. I'm seeing all kinds of plants that at home I would only see in fancy greenhouses. 
• Mountains and desert! Tucson is surrounded by mountain ranges, and it's nice to be able to have these as a reference. I always know which way is north! Also, there is very little grass here. 
• Weather-- obviously, it is hot here! I haven't had too much experience with the weather yet, but it is monsoon season and it did rain this afternoon. 
• Sports experiences. 
• I was looking at the baseball section of the paper today, and the team standings are listed differently than I've seen before. At home, the American League is listed above the National League, and the divisions are listed in the order of east, central, and west. Here, National League is on top, and divisions are listed west, central, east. Given where we are and the fact that the Arizona Diamondbacks are NL, it makes sense. It just wasn't what I was expecting when I thought about differences! 
• Simply the times of the baseball games are different. I'm so used to seeing 7:05, 10:05 for weekday games and 1-4pm games for Sundays. Here, lots of Sunday games start before noon, and weeknight games start at either 4 or 7. This will carry over to when college football starts.
• Time difference. I know I will adapt to this, but right now it's quite noticeable. I went to bed at 9pm last night, and I woke up at 4, 5, 6, and 7! It felt so much later to me at all those times. At 9am I was hungry for lunch, and at 3pm I was hungry for dinner. Also, daylight savings time is not observed here. 
• Building materials. A lot of the buildings and houses here are made from very different materials rarely seen at home. 
• Different businesses. People list out names of grocery stores and restaurants that seem commonplace to them but which I've never heard of before. (What? Fry's is a grocery store?) 

I'm sure more will come, especially on a deeper/more cultural level, but that's what I'm starting with having been here a little over 24 hours! 

Pronunciation Guide

Several of my friends and family members have been greatly dismayed and embarrassed to find that they have been mispronouncing the name of the city I will be living in! I am providing this video to help others avoid this situation.

This link will provide a brief explanation of how Tucson got its name.

Carried to Completion

Today I visited Faith UMC, the third church that I have visited in the last three weeks. I am so thankful for how these churches have welcomed me and allowed me to share about my program, my placement, and my calling. Preparing what to say has also given me a chance to do some reflection on ideas I might not have thought about otherwise. 

Today I talked a little about the mission and service trips I participated in during high school and college, and I talked about a few of the things these trips taught me: 

I learned that I have a lot to learn. Even though I knew about the existence of some of the justice issues in our world, I didn't necessarily know what these issues entailed. I knew poverty existed, but I don't know what it is like to be personally affected by poverty. I didn't know about cycles of poverty or about broken systems that perpetuate it. This is true in nearly every issue of social justice. Ignorance abounds, and I feel that part of being in mission is recognizing this ignorance and working to change it. I go into communities hoping that they will invite me in and allow me to experience their joy, their pain, their laughter, their struggles. I hope that I can come to know the culture of the community and the injustices they face. I hope that learning will allow me to join in with efforts to address these systemic injustices. 

I also learned that I can't do it alone. I am not strong enough. I am not smart enough. I am not patient enough. I am not wise enough, faithful enough, just enough, or loving enough. The good news here is that God is strong enough, smart enough, patient enough, wise enough, faithful enough, just enough, and loving enough. He is more than enough.

This recognition of my dependence on God is so important for me. Being a follower of Christ is not about pursuing my own glory, but about pursuing the glory of God. When I share my life with others, I want them to see God and to come away with evidence of His work in the world. Any admirable qualities that I have are results of God's presence in my life and Him changing my heart and forming my character. And when my negative qualities are apparent, I have hope in knowing that God is faithful and He has not given up on me, but is working in my life and my heart constantly.

Some Scripture that came to mind while writing this:

"In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. " 

-Philippians 1:5-6  (NIV) 

"He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." 

-Micah 6:8 (NIV)  

Finding my Voice

As our training progressed, it became clear to me that I need to focus on growth in certain areas of my life. One of these areas is sharing my viewpoints. I am a naturally quiet person, and I prefer to think ideas through carefully before I voice them. When conversations move rapidly, I am sometimes unable to think quickly enough to share my thoughts. This is intensified when the subject is potentially controversial, or when I disagree. I try to avoid uncomfortable situations or instances where my words could offend. As a result, I rarely voice my opinions when I know someone might disagree with me--even if my feelings on the subject are strong.

This approach is not helpful to anyone. How can we have discussions and learn from one another if we never voice differing points of view? How am I being true to myself if I never share my beliefs and simply let others think I have the same opinions as they do? My fear of being disagreeable prevents me from disagreeing--but it is possible to disagree without being disagreeable. In addition, if I fail to share my contrasting ideas, the other person does not have a chance to explain their viewpoint in greater detail. We lose the opportunity to look at the issue from different perspectives and to think about the challenges to our viewpoint.

My fear of speaking up can also open up the door to judgment. If I do not talk about my feelings when I am hurt or offended, I never give the other person a chance to explain or apologize. This does a disservice to both of us and can damage a relationship without the other person ever knowing why.

I need to learn to speak out, even if I am afraid of what the response might be. I need to learn how to dialogue with others when my opinions differ. I need to learn to speak truth in love. Even if the truth may seem unpleasant, it is more loving to share truth than to keep silent due to fears of conflict or hurt feelings.
I need to find my voice.

Destination: Tucson

The wait has ended--I have an official placement! I am moving to Tucson, Arizona in 3 weeks to work with Iskashitaa Refugee Network. Iskashitaa works with refugees from 20 different countries who have been relocated to Tucson. Iskashitaa is a Somali Bantu word for working cooperatively together. (Find out more about the origins of Iskashitaa here.)

Iskashitaa's programs are primarily food-based and aim to assist refugees in becoming self-sufficient following their move to the US. One of their primary programs is harvesting, in which they glean food from crops to prevent food waste and redistribute it to refugees and non-profit organizations. Both refugees and community members are involved in the harvests. My role will be to work to help expand the harvesting, food preservation workshops, and community events. I will also be involved in presentations to educate the public about food justice and refugee resettlement. I know that my understanding of my role and of Iskashitaa itself will become clearer after I arrive and begin working.

Many people have told me I will love Tucson, and I hope that will be true! It looks like a beautiful place to live with a notably different climate and overall environment compared to Michigan. I am excited to be able to experience a new part of the country and to learn from people with diverse backgrounds. Many details still need to be figured out, and I know the transition will not be easy. My hope is that these challenges will help me grow as a person and as a follower of Christ, and that they will also increase my reliance on God and my trust in His faithfulness.