Yaay for Year 3!
Year Three. That is what keeps on running in my mind. I was not suppose to be back this year. That is how I left last summer and then sitting at the door about to welcome 85 campers into PT Trinity on the first day of camp knowing a good amount of the faces feeling so much joy that I just had to go to the back and cry, proved to me that Gods plan is bigger than mine.
Returning this year as reading coordinator has been such an exciting experience. Having some of the children run in and the first thing they wanted to tell me was about how well they read this past year because of reading last year at PT Trinity. When looking at just the results of these last few weeks at PT Trinity and seeing the camper’s scores already rising, it makes my heart happy. This is something that a lot of the children would not be able to have happen for them if it wasn’t for the fact that this year at PT Trinity, we have had so many volunteers that the campers get to have that one on one reading attention that they need. It is because of the amazing volunteers that I, as well as the other interns on the reading team have been able to really work with some of the campers on regular basis. With the help of the volunteers and the hard work of the reading team, some of our campers who were reading at the very lowest level just three weeks ago, are now reading at the level they should be at for the fall.
It is because of things like this I see the term community really come into action. If it was not for Trinity United Methodist Church opening their doors to these campers and these volunteers seeing that what is going on within the doors of Trinity is so important, that it leads them to give their time to sit and read with children that they normally would not come into contact with, these children would not have had the experiences they have had. Some of them would not get to hear everyday how beautiful and special they are or even, that someone loves them. It is because of all the love that is shared within the community of PT, that these children really get to see what Christ’s love really means and with that I am forever grateful.
Christina Hannan
PT Intern 2011
Tarleton State University
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Pure Joy
For our first week at PT Trinity, our theme was “All aboard the PT Cruise.” I knew we had planned several fun activities the kids would love as a team, but I was nervous that the kids would grow bored after a few minutes or would be impossible to entertain. I spent much of my time the first few days trying to make sure the kids at site had something to do every minute.
At the end of Wednesday, however, I was exhausted, so instead of trying to start putting away the arts and crafts table while the kids ate their snacks, I sat down on the floor with them a for a few minutes, and tried to just enjoy watching them. After there were only about five waiting to be picked up, a fellow intern picked up the large broom and started sweeping right where the kid’s feet were. They jumped over the broom and laughed, and just made a game out of it.
Before the summer started, I had made a personal motto for myself this summer, which was “Spread love, learn love. Spread joy, learn joy.” The kids were radiating pure joy while jumping over a broom just by being totally immersed in what they were doing at the moment, and I was getting to share in it just by watching.
Stormy Campbell
PT Intern 2011
Baylor University
A Beary Good Night
This past week has been full of excitement and lots of activities at my site in Denison. There are so many things I want to share with you all I’m not sure I can pick just one. Pastor Judi did her first bible study with our kids on Tuesday June 13th, we also had our first field trip on Tuesday, the interns attended an amazing worship service in Dallas with the rest of the Project Transformation interns, we were visited by the Eight Flaming Fingers Puppeteer group from Jefferson City, Missouri on Thursday, we met with our small groups for our talent show on Thursday, and we had our second family fun night on Thursday.
The memory I have decided to share with you is that of our second family fun night. This family fun night was hosted by First United Methodist Church of Howe and our theme was Fiesta. We were so blessed to have them do our family fun night for us. They brought all of the decorations, provided dinner for everyone, and brought activities for the kids and their families. For activities they brought limbo, piñatas, pin the tail on the donkey, and build a bear. The kids loved it all but they really loved the piñatas and build a bear. In the build a bear room they each got to pick out their animal, stuff their animal, and dress their animal. The kids absolutely loved it and that room was completely packed from after dinner until family fun night was over. One of the moments that will always stick out about this night is when I was taking the trash out to the dumpster. I saw that one of our girls was leaving and I waved goodbye to her. She ran up to me with two build a bears under her arm (she had made one and her father had made one) and she gave me a hug, told me bye, and then handed me one of her build a bears and told me that it was for me. I was close to tears when she said this. After many times of asking if she was sure I allowed her to hand me the build a bear. After which I gave her a huge hug and thanked her several times. That was one of the sweetest things anyone has ever done for me and I know that I will never forget that moment. I didn’t want to take it because I knew that she had worked hard on it which is why I kept asking her if she was sure and she kept saying yes. Being the type of person that I am I am going to ask her again on Monday if she really wants me to have it because I want to make sure that she was really okay with giving me her build a bear.
When I sat down to write this blog I was bombarded with things that I could write about because this past week has been so truly amazing. Now my hope is that the last couple of weeks with our kids will go by slowly and that they enjoy every moment of it. This opportunity with Project Transformation has been truly amazing and I will never forget the things that I have learned, the children I have worked with, or the moments that have touched my heart immensely. I hope that everyone involved with Project Transformation has had such a great experience as I have had.
Felicial Lasso
PT Intern 2010
Midwestern State
If these Walls Could Talk…
If the walls of Trinity United Methodist could talk, they would tell you a pretty wild story. With four weeks of a Project Transformation summer under our belt, the once calm rooms and hallways have traveled through Asia, Africa, and South American during International Week. They have experienced the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s in just three days, and they have watched us celebrate a whole year’s worth of holidays in a matter of hours.
The hallways aren’t the only ones adjusting to all the action. One afternoon last week I encountered an intern trying to persuade one of our 3rd grade kids to participate in an activity. Clearly flustered, the child resisted. I took the child aside and with all the sincerity in the world, he spoke his concerns. “Miss Erin,” he said, “please don’t make me go in there. If I try to learn anything else here my brain is going to explode!” Delighted by his concern, I explained that no brain I had ever known had exploded from too much learning. He is still at camp, still participating, and his brain is still intact. I think this is a victory for us all.
Erin Medin
PT Site Coordinator 2010
Truman State
Imagination Station
This past week at Trinity was Culture week, and it was an amazing! We had a princess and a queen come visit, as well as a lady from china. We had sushi and biscuits and tea. We traveled to Ireland to see a group of violinist and learn about the violin. The week ended with a plane ride that took us back to Asia, Africa, Europe and South America. The amazing thing is that we did all of this sitting in Trinity United Methodist Church. The children used their imagination and went to all of these places. It made me think of how when we are children, anything can happen. Instead of having Miss. Christina serving peanut butter and jelly rolled up all while sitting on the floor, it was Mrs. Yang, serving sushi that she spent all day preparing for her guest while sitting in her small house in Asia. It is just so great to see how the children are so trusting and willing to go with us on these great adventures. It is moments like this that make me love PT. Most of these children have so much going on in their life, yet they still love being kids. This is something many of us forget. I feel that we do not allow ourselves time to pause and enjoy the little things that we have in this life. That is something I plan on doing even more after this summer- just enjoying the small, happy things in my life and not letting the bad things weigh me down.
Culture week was great, and I just can’t wait to see what else I learn from my kids this summer!
Christina Hannan
PT Intern 2010
Tarleton State University
The Run
For our Friday Experience, the Trinity team was given the opportunity to go to a runaway shelter for kids 10-17 yrs old. The shelter is a place, mostly for Child Protective Services, to bring kids from abusive or neglectful homes, but they also save beds for kids who are just running away from their homes and who are homeless themselves. We were able to talk to many employees and interns in different positions at the shelter, hearing a lot of different perspectives and gaining an even closer look at the shelters opperations.
Our project that was given to us by the Executive Director of the shelter was to make a 5 minute PSA that they could use for grants and special meetings to market the shelter. It was so much fun to make our own video and get to be part of something that would be so impactful for the shelter. After the edits are made, it will be posted on youtube. So not only did we have a great experience, but many of us got our first acting gig!
Most of the youth from the shelter were gone on a field trip. However, there were two girls that did not go, so it was great getting to interact with them. The most time we had with them was during lunch. The discussion over lunch ranged from the normal where are you from to what do you want to do when you grow up questions. At the table I was eating at, the staff all asked us, and then we all waited patiently for one of the residents to share her answer. She knew exactly what college she wanted to attend and the job she wanted: a pediatrician. I really admired her to put her past behind her and make goals for here future. I guess I imagined people who were on the run would always be running, but sometimes, we just have to get where we are running to.
Heather Wikowsky
PT Intern 2010
Truman State University
Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
JOY
Joy. Utter joy. It’s taking 96 people on a field trip to the zoo and having an absolutely wonderful day. It’s celebrating the talent of all our PT kids at a Family Fun Night talent show. It’s leading a worship service at our site church and feeling the presence of Christ everywhere. It’s laughing until my stomach hurts with my fellow interns. It’s crying as worries, fear, and anxieties are shared with the interns. It’s being invited into the homes of members of Trinity UMC and sharing a meal around their table. It’s hearing Bro. Dan say , “You’re called into ministry. You know that right?” It’s receiving encouragement from the PT staff. It’s bursting into uncontrollable giggles with Esther, your house pastor. It’s listening to Thadeus’s jokes that make absolutely now sense. It’s talking with Cass while making copies in the office. It’s sharing the fun of our program with the Trinity UMC members that stop by throughout the day. It’s talking with parents about how they are trying to go back to school. It’s looking about our overflowing Urban Camp registration roster. It’s steak fingers with carrot stick and pineapple. It’s the radio to and from site. It’s the Texas sunset which hits Sherman right at 8:30. It’s our amazing volunteers. It’s the surprise visits, texts, and phone calls from my team from last year. It’s feeling like God is calling me to go to seminary. It’s Saturday morning- sleep in, but kind of wishing you were with the kids. It’s the beautiful memories of my first summer at PT and the just as beautiful memories of my second. It’s seeing my team do an awesome job at planning their activities. It’s celebrating with my team over all their accomplishments. It’s beginning to understand why I was called back to PT for a second summer. It’s welling up with emotion as I begin to think about leaving. It’s Luz, Karina, Antonio, Matthew, Gaby Ann, Alexis, Chastity, Garrett, Madison, Kali, DJ, Dalton, Bryon and Treyvin. It’s 6:30 am alarms and 7:30 am devos. It’s Route 44 Diet Cokes at Sonic after a long day. It’s singing Deep & Wide with the kids. It’s this. It’s all this. Yes this summer has been joy. Utter joy.
Courtney Aldrich
PT Intern 2009
Western Kentucky University
Rewind week at Trinity
Rewind through the Decades Week
Every Wednesday night our team has a planning meeting for the next week’s theme. We sat down to have the meeting and within five minutes we had the theme picked out. “Rewind through the Decades”. We started in the 80’s and worked our way down to the 50’s for our 50’s sock hop we would have that night for family fun.
Monday morning came and, after putting together our lovely 80’s attire, we went to site ready to start the week. The first thing the kids said when they walked through the doors was “Why are you wearing those funny clothes?” Once we explained what was going on the kids got ecstatic. We had activities and music based on the decades. When we started the week we didn’t know how into it the campers would get but when they showed up wearing afros and tye-dye on 60’s day we knew the kids loved it. We made homemade lava lamps, love beads, tye-dye wash cloths, and busted out some 60’s dance moves. It was awesome. This was an exciting week and one that the kids are still talking about. After “Rewind through the Decades” we have a lot to live up to!
Christina Hannan
PT Intern 2009
Tarleton State University
A Sticky Situation
Over the past few weeks, all the teams have come head to head with some sticky situations, inside and outside of daily programming. With confidence, I proclaim my situation the stickiest.
It all started on move in day at Austin College. The four residents of our humble apartment unloaded their cars, organized their closets, and filled the refrigerator. Immediately, we were joined by some unwanted guests. Yes, several dozen pesky gnats quickly made themselves at home. We, being an acceptably to exceptionally sanitary group of girls, tried everything to ensure the pest’s demise. When banana bags and apple cider vinegar did nothing but make our apartment smell weird, we resorted to fly strips. They aren’t pretty, but these things work. The population of our flying friends plummeted immediately. Victory was ours.
Several days after the implementation of our fly strip campaign, we returned from site and I settled in for my afternoon nap. My alarm went off at 5:50, giving me just enough time to wake up and run to dinner. I was still especially sleepy after a demanding day, but I rolled out of bed and stumbled to the kitchen to grab a post-nap chocolate muffin. I got the muffin, delicately unwrapped it, and, enthralled by how delicious the chocolate delicacy was going to be, turned and walked straight into the fly strip. From the crown of my head to my chin, my hair, face, and chocolate muffin were plastered with gnat-filled goo. I guess the gnats had the last word after all.
I am happy to report that this was my lowest point of the week. Our team is doing well and God reveals Himself through our kids more every day. Confronting obstacles in all their forms has been a challenge and a blessing. Well, no blessings from the fly strip, but certainly a lot of laughs.
Erin Medin
PT Intern 2009
Truman State University
Shout out to the Shermanators!
