A Beloved’s reflection
EDITOR’S NOTE: Beloved in the Desert is a ministry that invites young adults between ages 21-29 to to volunteer in the nationwide network known as the Episcopal Service Corps. The members intern with local non-profits to end homelessness, hunger, and poverty in Tucson, live together in intentional community, and follow daily offices of prayer.
Marcus Maltby is one of this year’s corps members. What follows is a reflection on his internship with Habitat for Humanity Tucson.
When I first learned I was selected to be the Beloved member who would work at Habitat for Humanity I was initially disappointed as I did not see myself learning many skills that would be relevant to someone who is pursuing a career in ministry. In retrospect, Habitat Tucson is easily the best possible worksite that I could have been assigned to.
My responsibilities at Habitat Tucson are: recruiting, training, and reaching out to the community. My days are mostly spent at three locations: the Habitat for Humanity Tucson offices, the Habitat Resale Store, and a construction site (which at the time of writing this article is located in Marana).
While at the offices, I contact new and potential volunteers, as well as organizations and groups who are interested in partnering with Habitat. It is general office work and typically low stress and impact. In contrast, my time at the HabiStore is spent training new groups of volunteers, assisting customers, and helping to maintain the store. While more engaging, it comes with the challenge of interacting with the public. The construction site is the most demanding location as I have to arrive at the site quite early on Saturday mornings. I greet incoming volunteers and groups from partnering organizations and I gather volunteers together for a circle-up talk where I thank them for their service and inform them about the other volunteer opportunities Habitat offers.
Overall, I greatly enjoy working for Habitat for Humanity Tucson, and I would recommend working for this organization as an intern to anyone who is interested in having a variety of experiences and learning something new each day. The biggest challenge I have faced is that there is a big learning curve for newcomers. If one has no experience working in an office, a retail store, or at a construction site, then they are going to have to learn the basic skills of each work site very quickly. I had to learn numerous things such as networking, leading volunteers, and getting people involved with Habitat for Humanity.
Everything I have learned and the experience I am gaining will be helpful for me one day, wherever God leads me. I thank Saint Philips, the Beloved in the Desert program, and Habitat for Humanity Tucson for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve the Tucson community and to grow as a human being.