Releases

 AJ Bush is working with Christian Senior Services in San Antonio, Texas, as a caseworker for the Meals on Wheels program.

How has your experience compared with your expectations of JVC?

When I applied to JVC, the opportunity to live in intentional community was one of the main reasons I chose this program. I wanted to be a part of a supportive group that would journey with me throughout this year of service.

Initially, my view of community was confined to the five or six people with whom I would be living. However, I quickly discovered that the JV community is much larger. As a JV, I am part of an entire network of people that extends worldwide. 

First, I am connected to all the JVs in my region through the Houston program office. I already share many experiences with these people through retreats, prayer partners, and house visits on our days off. 

In addition, there are current JVs and Former JVs all across the country. Even though I may never meet these people, I have something in common with them simply because we are all a part of JVC. 

Finally, my JVC community extends to all Jesuit priests, parishes, and universities across the globe. Needless to say, my expectations of a five to six-person community were profoundly exceeded once I entered JVC; but for this I am grateful because my experience in JVC has been deeply enriched by the presence of this supportive community.

Has JVC affected your perspective on issues of spirituality, simple living, community, and/or social justice? In what ways?

JVC has given me a new perspective on the innovativeness of simplicity. Simplicity is a value I have been passionate about for many years. I recycle, ride my bike, and choose not to eat meat because I want to live simply. However, previous to JVC I had the ability to purchase anything I needed to support this simple lifestyle. Bike pump broke? Go buy another one. Out of clothes pins? Go buy some more. But living within a hundred dollar stipend quickly put a stop to this.

Now I understand the value of simply using what you have to creatively provide what you need. For example, my roommate and I wanted to start compost in our back yard. We researched many ways to create an effective compost container using items you could easily find at any hardware store. However, we were not about to spend our stipend at a hardware store. Instead, we decided to rummage around our back yard to see what we could find. It is there that we discovered an old piece of chicken wire that we bent into a cylinder and stuck in the ground using four sticks. This inventive compost bin did not follow any of the designs found online, but it works well. Best of all, it was made out of things we already had.

This experience taught me to use my resources in new and inventive ways instead of falling into the pattern of consumerism. Now I am constantly looking for ways to reuse different items in our house. You would be amazed that with a little innovation you can make just about anything out of what you already have.

What role has faith played in your JVC experience?

Faith has been the foundation of my JVC experience. Every day I try to view my encounters through the lens of faith and have seen the presence of God countless times. This is especially true with my clients. My interactions with them have been filled with so much hope and love. Their lives demonstrate true faith because they are able to display hope and strength even in the worst of circumstances. Witnessing this has been such a powerful experience for me.

Over the past few years, words such as faith, hope, and belief had become for me just that, words. As Frederick Buechner, one of my favorite theologians put it, “Words—especially religious words, words that have to do with the depth of things—can get tired and stale.” For my entire life I have been surrounded by these words and I think they had grown tired and stale for me—especially in their religious context. But by experiencing this hope in my clients, my faith has been renewed and I am constantly affirmed in my belief that God’s presence always surrounds us.

My advice for those applying or thinking of applying for JVC

Just go for it. God is always waiting for our yes.