November.

It is November. How can it already be November? I truly believe that once you have worked at Project Transformation, you always measure time by how long ago Project Transformation was, and how long from now it may be...3 months and 4 days ago...6 months and 2 weeks from now...

November is an interesting month. For me, it has always been when everything falls apart, and then when everything comes back together. In college, this has always been the month that brings endless assignments, deadlines, projects, and so on, all due before Thanksgiving break. Procrastination finally catches up from the rest of the semester, and piles on the workload, keeps piling it on! Then work and school, work and school, oh, and don't forget to find a spring internship. Not just any internship, but an internship that matters. As if that's not stressful enough, an unpaid internship, on top of a paid job and classes. It's all really too much for one person, isn't it?

But then....after Thanksgiving....everything comes to a halt. Nothing is due until finals week, and the only thing that's left is waiting.

Waiting, waiting waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come....

Okay, but this is really what it feels like to me. I realize it's all pretty standard, but the 16th year of school gets kind of monotonous! I wish that I wasn't just "waiting" because once it's over, it's over. Maybe I will be sad, maybe I will be happy, but either way, the end is near and I will never be going back to college. And you can't make me.

(disclaimer - not that I didn't like it, etc, waste my money, etc, jumping the gun on life, etc, I get it I'm very fortunate, it's just time!!)

We Will Be Joy

I will sing a song to you, and you will shake the ground for me


There is no one like God who shakes the ground before us. He is brave, and kind, and wondrous, and careful. He is everything we are, and everything we're not. He is the part of us that we can't be by ourselves. 

There is a verse that Project Transformation presented to interns during training week, a verse to "live by" throughout the summer: 

May the God who makes everything holy and whole, make you holy and whole, put you together–spirit, soul, and body. Thessalonians 5:23 

This summer, I am finding pieces of myself here and there - not to say I am falling apart, but rather, I am all over the place. I am excited to get to site every day, but also tired by the time we return...I am confident in all I do, but unsure of plenty too...I love the new group of interns, but miss the old, familiar faces of last summer...I'm at peace in Dallas, but I'm homesick at the same time. At PT, there is always SO much going on - at site with the kids, before they get there, while they're there, after they leave, back at campus there's dinner, and events, and of course late night preparation for the next day, and late night talks and games with new friends. With my time here, I've realized how hard it is to set your sights on a goal, and leave your sights on that one, solitary goal until it's complete. My goal at the beginning of the summer was simple - to be more vulnerable. To what? Nothing in particular, just generally more vulnerable. Well, that's easy enough.

Maybe not, because I have yet to meet my goal. Along the way, though, I have developed countless more goals, including the whole "being whole" thing : ). I have come to find out that sometimes it is just as important to be always trying to reach my goals as it is to succeeding and moving on from them. I am a better person attempting to better myself, and if I had no goals to work up to, I wouldn't have that. Maybe who I am is not "vulnerable," and it's important to know that you can't be everything. That is part of how God makes us whole - we don't have to be what we aren't because he can step in and be that for us. Even when I think I can't be vulnerable - God is there and he tells me I can do it through him. He shakes the very ground before me and makes it possible. 

The interns here are very much working together through God. He takes parts of each of us, and shows us how we can be whole with one another. He lets us know that it's okay we can't be everything - we can't be Superman - but together, we can complete one another and accomplish all that needs to be done in a beautiful way. We can return the blessing and shake the ground for him.

Family Fun Night

It has been a busy couple of weeks here in Dallas with day camp kicking off. St. Mark's United Methodist Church is a wonderful place to be. Our first two weeks were awesome - Welcome to the Jungle & Superhero week! I am by far most excited about next week, though. We have the incredible opportunity to host a Family Fun Night where all of the kids can bring their whole family to the church for a free night of dinner and games! The kids will be diving into the Caribbean for Pirate Week with lots of activities to help them learn about the tropics that will lead up to our Family Fun Night: X "Marks" the Spot!

Why is Family Fun Night so near and dear to my heart? Growing up, my parents spent a lot of time with my brother and me. We ate dinner together every night, went on vacation together, and even had Family Game Nights. I know that not all of our kids at camp have the same experience with their parents - whether it's because their lives are busier, or just more stressful, it can be hard to incorporate family time when there is so much going on under the surface. 

Family time at Grandma's house, it seemed like this was every week

Family Fun Night with Project Transformation is a really great time for the parents and siblings to hang out with their family and have some stress-free fun! They will get to see what their kids have been doing at camp, and even get their feet wet with some of the activities that their kids have been doing, too.

So Arrrrrrrrrrrrr we ready to set sail?! 

AY AY CAPTAIN!

Training Week!

Hannah (a great friend & teammate from last year) & me at the North Texas Annual Conference

             Despite the name, intern training week at Project Transformation is full of fun and surprises! Yesterday concluded our week of preparation through sessions, team meetings, and (oh yeah) high ropes courses! The week is unique to the rest of the summer, as it is the most time we will spend "together" with the other 90 interns rather than apart in our separate teams at our sites. It's also a time that we have the opportunity to get to know the full-time staff of Project Transformation. It truly is a welcoming week into the rest of our summer.

I am full of spirit coming into the first week of camp with our kids. This year, I'm on a whole new team at a whole new site church! The St. Mark's team is a goofy bunch of interns, and we are loving it.

Lindsay is the sweet one, Rachel is the extroverted "introvert," LaShanta is the talent, Phil is the friendliest, Timmy is our comic relief, Amanda is the baby (our only team member not born in 1991!), Cole is the meanie pants, Crystal LOVES Dr. Pepper, Hannah has California swag, and Tess is the ever-happy teammate. Needless to say, we're already getting to know and love each other, even in this short past week.

About our site - we have 80 elementary kids and about 40 middle-schoolers at camp this summer, and the help of 4 high school volunteers. Unfortunately, I am not allowed to post pictures of the children online. However, PLEASE feel free to email or text me and I will happily send you pictures (in a text, email, or snail mail!)

How do the kids get selected to come to PT? Well, all kids in the program qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. From there, we have a waiting list of other children who usually have some kind of financial need. The families pay $5 to register their children. PT programming finances come from donation. (P.S. - if you're interested in donating - click this "Donate Now" button!)

Thanks for reading! I'll keep ya updated about our first week at site!

Shelley

St. Mark's SHARKS!

"Returner"

               Summer is finally here, and I’m happy to share that I will be returning to Dallas, Texas, to serve as an intern with Project Transformation again. My experience last year was absolutely incredible and shaped my character immensely. I learned a lot about myself, but also realized how much hurt there is in Dallas, and cities like it. The children we see every day are high-spirited youth with amazing life goals, even at the tender age of six. However, working at a day care throughout the year in Bowling Green, Ohio, with children of the same ages as those at Project Transformation, allowed me to acknowledge the real differences in child literacy that exists across the country.

During the summer at PT, children are given the opportunity to enrich their reading skills daily, and are exceedingly grateful for it. One child at my own site last summer could not read in the fall, and through participating in Project Transformation’s after-school program was able to read books by summer. The children learn to love reading, and are excited to read with our volunteers. Through PT’s reading program, 97% of children who participate will maintain or improve their reading ability!

                Throughout my internship last summer, I learned that these children need positive adult influences in their lives more than anything. As interns, we try to be role models to these children more than their “friends.” They look up to us, and know that we are doing something positive by working with Project Transformation. They know that we are all attending college, and want to follow in our footsteps and do the same. Some PT kids even talk about working for the program once they get to college, too. Last summer was the first time that a child who participated in PT became an intern with the program!

As Project Transformation is funded by donations, I hope you’ll consider making a contribution to the program. Online donations can be made at www.projecttransformation.org, and check donations can be mailed to Project Transformation at 547 E. Jefferson Blvd, Dallas, TX 75203. If you do decide to donate, please include my name for reference. (You will receive a receipt and tax deduction for either method.) All donations sustain the summer program that I am involved in! Prayers for the program throughout the summer would be greatly appreciated!

More to come -

Shelley   : )