MVS participant Jason Schmidt helps farm in LaJara, Colorado. Photo: Mark Wasser.

La Jara, CO

(719) 274-0432

Service
The work in which La Jara MVSers have been involved includes: daycare teacher in a local center and in the summer for migrant workers' children; county hospital nurse; public health nurse; senior home health case manager; homeless shelter staff; advocate for Guatemalan refugees; battered women's counselor; community development agency program staff; mediation.

MVS Application To apply for one of the service opportunities below, complete an online application, or print and mail a PDF application (Adobe Reader required) and send it to: Mennonite Mission Network ATTN: Human Resources 500 S. Main P.O. Box 370 Elkhart, IN 46515-0370

Location
La Jara is a town of about 1,000 at an elevation of 7,600 feet. About half the unit assignments have tended to be in La Jara and vicinity, and half based in Alamosa, a larger town of 12,000. Alamosa is about 15 miles from La Jara and is the commercial center of the area. The towns are located in the San Luis Valley of south-central Colorado. It is classified as high-altitude desert and receives an average of 8 inches of rainfall a year. Summers are mild (average temperatures mid-60s to low 70s) and winters cold and clear. The population of the San Luis Valley is about 40,000, half Hispanic, half Anglo. The economy is chronically depressed, with high rates of unemployment, alcoholism and families living below poverty level. Agriculture and some tourism are the primary economic activities.

Unit
The unit house is a single-family dwelling on a quiet street on the edge of La Jara. The house has five bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living rooms and a generous yard with a garden and recreation area. The unit averages four to six MVSers, including singles and at times a couple. The unit has a local program coordinator (LPC).

Southern Colorado lifestyle is "informal" and economic consumption tends to be low. This relates in part to a traditional rural lifestyle with an emphasis on gardening, hunting, cutting firewood and trading or sharing resources, and is also indicative of a poor economy overall, with people making do with less. The MVS lifestyle and values are very compatible in these respects.

Clothing also tends to be informal. Shorts, slacks, T-shirts and skirts are comfortable during the late spring through early fall. Winter weather usually calls for layers of sweaters, jackets and boots. Winter evenings can often dip below 0 degrees F., so sturdy coats, boots and shoes are necessary. Some MVSers like to bring along special clothing and/or equipment for outdoor sports such as hiking, skiing or mountain biking.

Recreation
There are not many organized recreational activities in La Jara. However, there are many informal opportunities for hiking, camping, cross-country skiing and other activities in the nearby mountains. Many people also enjoy biking. Alamosa offers two movie theaters, a good selection of restaurants and a variety of college-sponsored lectures, films, athletic events and other cultural activities.

The San Luis Valley offers various avenues of non-traditional and cross-cultural enrichment--e.g., the rich ethnic history and culture of the local Hispanics through language, art, crafts, cuisine and historic sites. Northern New Mexico is not far away. MVSers also enjoy the support and companionship of another volunteer household, in Alamosa. The VIDA household, originally sponsored by the area Catholic diocese, operates on values and goals similar to MVS. Joint recreation and social times are common, as well as shared job sites. There are many grassroots service and action groups in the Valley, working to empower people on a wide variety of community issues.

Church
The sponsoring congregation for La Jara MVS is the United Church of La Jara. It is an interdenominational congregation, originally Presbyterian, which Mennonites and other Protestants have joined over the past 25 years. The current pastor is Presbyterian and the average attendance is 50. Membership consists primarily of couples with older school age children, along with older couples and singles. Younger couples and singles are fewer. It is a friendly and generous church, eager for new members. However, the wide range of backgrounds and beliefs can at times require patience and tolerance. The Mennonite/MVS perspective is an on-going challenge to some more conservative or fundamentalist believers.

There is an MVS support committee made of up church members that meets periodically with the unit. MVSers also have the option of being matched with a church family as "extended family" during their term. To supplement their experience in the United Church, some MVSers have formed or joined religious study groups of various kinds, or become involved in campus ministry activities at the local college.