First Days in Tucson

Tucson is a sprawling and vibrant city of a half million people in southeastern Arizona.  June is a hot month in this part of the world, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons.  But “it’s a dry heat,” as people often say, with low humidity and cooler temperatures in the mornings.  Running in this climate means waking up with the sun and heading out to the local trails at 6 am each day.

Our hosts here in Tucson are the leaders of Shalom Mennonite Fellowship, a diverse, multicultural congregation that worships in three languages:  English, Spanish and Swahili.  The sign in front of the sanctuary says:  “Welcome all.  Nurture justice.  Practice love.”

The students have spent the past few days learning from a variety of people and places:

• Katherine Smith of Mennonite Central Committee organized an Immigration Day of Learning for us, including a visit to Casa Alitas (Spanish for “House of Little Wings”), a welcome center for migrants recently apprehended by the Border Patrol who have been released to seek refuge or asylum in the United States.
• Duane Ediger of Sustainable Tucson gave us a tour of the solar panel installation here at Shalom Mennonite Church and discussed the potential for solar energy as a clean and renewable alternative to fossil fuels.
• Lisa Showalter and Mandy Schlabach of MVS Tucson introduced us to the Mennonite Voluntary Service program, a one-year service opportunity for young people at least 20 years of age that arranges meaningful work at nonprofit organizations in the Tucson area and a chance to live in community in the VS house here on the church grounds.
• Mt. Wrightson gave us the opportunity to stretch our legs and work our lungs in a challenge that was new to most of the students in our group:  An 11.6 mile hike that features a 4,000 foot climb to the top of a 9,456 foot summit with a 360-degree view extending all the way to Mexico.

• Father William Minkel presided over the mass we attended at San Xavier Mission del Bac, located within Tohono O’odham tribal lands just south of Tucson.  The church, founded in 1692, is the only surviving Spanish mission in Arizona and is considered the finest example of Mexican baroque architecture in the United States.

We have asked the students to reflect on these and other learning experiences during the term and we’ll  their thoughts and perceptions over the next several weeks.