Ally Weaver, a member of the 2023-2024 Tucson (Arizona) Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) unit, shares insights into her motivation for joining MVS and the blessings that came with that decision.

For me, the decision to participate in Mennonite Voluntary Service (MVS) was a practice in deep listening.

As I went about my senior year of college, I tried to find an answer to the elusive question of what I was going to do after college. I spent time frantically applying to graduate schools, educational programs, various jobs and all other manners of occupation. My mind was noisy and cluttered with deadlines, assignments, grading and the chatter that came with soaking up every minute I had left with my friends and roommates at Bethel College in Newton, Kansas.

But in the back of my mind, underneath all the other hubbub, I heard a quiet, but persistent, heartbeat sound: Arizona, Arizona, Arizona. This was puzzling; I knew next to nothing about this southern state, other than it was hot and had a lot of scary desert creatures. What could possibly be there for me? Sunburns? Rattlesnakes? Very enticing.

I did a good job of ignoring it, while jumping through the hoops of graduate interviews, submitting essays and getting letters of acceptance — and rejection! — from various programs, but things didn't feel right. Although I'd been excited when I had applied for these opportunities, when I pictured my next year, I couldn't see myself in Boston, Massachusetts, or Seattle, Washington, or Eugene, Oregon — no matter how awesome their graduate programs were. It all felt hollow and gray, like I would be a version of me that I didn't know and didn't want to know.

In contrast, my heart whispered. Arizona loomed large, dusty, sunnily vibrant and with a landscape like an alien planet. Who was the Ally who lived there?

I wanted to find her, and find out, so I applied to MVS Tucson, which is something I never thought I'd do.

A year later, now that I am on the other side my MVS experience, this is what I found in Arizona that makes my heart sing:

• A meaningful, worthwhile, eye-opening job at a nonprofit that is dedicated to fostering literacy in Tucson, which provides a truly unique work environment with coworkers I adore.
• Four amazing, strong, caring roommates that I have gotten the honor of  traveling, dancing, laughing and eating with, and who I know are going to be lifelong friends.
• Shalom Mennonite Church, which provided a community that welcomed, supported and rejoiced in us every step of the way.
• The opportunity to learn about the world in new ways and to travel all over the U.S. and Mexico to meet people with incredible stories and see awe-inspiring places.
• Workshops, led by our committee, on vocational discernment, migration stories, borderlands life and training on how to run a household.
• A vibrant, colorful city full of things I'd never expected: steadfast mountains, palm trees, wild and weird creatures, rhythms and seasons that were totally new to me, with wash-clean monsoons and a baking sun in the same day — and people from every background imaginable.
• A stronger, more capable self — somebody who has grown through the challenges of moving to a new city, living with four complete strangers and navigating cultural differences.
  
  

Now, as I reflect on that heartbeat sound, I am in awe.

Was it a call from an all-knowing creator, showing me the best path forward? Was it a magnetic pull from my inner compass? Or was it as simple as finally being ready to stretch my wings after spending the first 22 years of my life within a 15-mile radius?

Whatever it was, I am endlessly grateful for the path that led me here and the life I've built because of it.

The 2023-2024 Tucson, Arizona MVS unit at the beach. From left to right: Hannah Neust, Deborah Yoder, Nely Cotuc, Magdalena Wenger, Ally Weaver. Photo by Lisa Schowalter.

Now, as my time wraps up, I'm busy with work and one last beach retreat to Mexico and goodbyes. And, of course, listening for the whisper, the heartbeat, the sound to direct me into the next exciting step of my future.

MVS is a one-year volunteer service experience in the United States for individuals age 20+. For more information, visit MennoniteMission.net/MVS.