Email: Steve Gillard

Dearest Friends and Family,

I am currently doing a year of service in Tucson, Arizona, with the PC(USA)’s Young Adult Volunteer program.

We have made it past the first month of living in the Tucson YAV house, and it’s finally consistently below 100º F. It has been an intense month of transition into a new reality, and it would be easy for me to go on and on about the quirks and small things about our house (the physical building and my YAV family) that give it a unique personality. However, there has been one theme recently that has dominated my thoughts that I think is more worthy of sharing.

Something that was very attractive to me when looking into doing a year with the YAV program was the emphasis on simple living. We have a small stipend each month and a large portion of that goes into a communal pot in the house for the cost of food and utilities. Needless to say, there isn’t a ton of money for going out to eat, catching movies, or buying a bunch of extra things. We also don’t have a car and have been exploring the challenges and blessings of trying to get around town and running errands on bikes alone. All this, along with not seeing any television for the past month, has been a great way to facilitate reflection without outside distractions. Coming into this year, I believed that this was a simple lifestyle, but I’ve recently been shown that I’m wrong.

Ours may be a lifestyle that is much simpler than the one I’m used to, but there have been interactions with people in Tucson that make me feel uneasy about describing our living as simple. Our house is not in the wealthiest part of town. The Santa Cruz “river” is directly behind our house, and a bike path runs along this river for about ten miles. Along this stretch of bike path I have seen many people in painful situations. Without fail, I see several homeless people sleeping along the trail at any given point. I have gotten the chance to have conversations with a few of these people during which they have explained the troubles and hardships that led them to the street and that keep them there.

We took a trip south to Nogales, Mexico, in which we witnessed firsthand some of the conditions of those who are considering crossing the border. Blanca, the woman that hosted our group the first night, lives with her family in a house with cinderblock walls, a beat-up piece of tin for a roof, and no front door. They are more exposed to the elements than any family should be, yet their sons gave up their bedroom so that we would have beds, and they prepared two wonderful meals for us. Despite these conditions they did not show signs of anxiety about the future and seemed generally happy. Working with the Community Home Repair Projects of Arizona exposes me to people every day whose monthly incomes fall well short of basic needs. Would I dare tell these people that I’ve come to Tucson to live a simple lifestyle? Many folks would probably take it as an insult that we are choosing to have less than we could when they struggle to get by and would love to have more.

My realization is that despite the relative simplicity of our lifestyle in Tucson, we are blessed with overflowing abundance. We have a wonderful, functional home, good food to eat, a church support community, transportation that also gives us exercise, and no medical bills or debt to weigh constantly on our minds. This is abundance. A better word to describe the lifestyle here is “intentional.” We try to be intentional about living in way that will minimize distractions so that we can focus on seeing God in the everyday events of life. My hope is that our intentional lifestyle will help us to hear God more clearly and give us the opportunity to react to His calling. Throughout the rest of the year I hope to have plenty of stories of what it’s like to be intentional about listening to God.

Thanks to the wonderful community of people who have encouraged and supported me before and during my time in Tucson. It’s such a blessing to feel that support.

Please keep the young adult volunteers and the communities they serve around the world in your prayers.  If you’re interested in serving as a young adult volunteer or know some one who is please visit the PC(USA)'s special YAV Web site. If you’d like to support young adult volunteers with financial gift please make tax deductible checks out to:

St Mark's Presbyterian Church
("YAV support" in memo line)
3809 E. 3rd Street
Tucson AZ, 85716

If you want to see a more consistent journal you can look at my blog.

Blessings on you!

Steve Gillard