“5 BIG things Project Transformation taught me:
1. DIVERSITY MATTERS; of race, religion, economic standing, mindset, every type of diversity.
2. HOW TO BE INNOVATIVE; when you’re supposed to have a fun water day for 40+ kids, and you only have one outside hose hookup, you do what’s necessary to give your kids the time of their lives.
3. COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING; never have I lived in a community quite like PT, where you have almost no moments to yourself, and spend every other moment building something big with people who have the same goal as you.
4. PRAYER IS POWERFUL; whether it’s because you have to teach 20 1st graders at a time and your team needs patience, or some of your fellow corps members are stuck in a tragedy downtown, prayer truly makes a difference.
5. #FTK IS NOT JUST A HASHTAG; everyday, for the kids. Everything, for the kids. PT Never stops waking up on time, never stops smiling, never stops doing our absolute best, because when you have hundreds of children depending on you for a safe place to stay, food to eat, and unconditional love? You don’t have an option but to be for the kids.

Thank you, Project Transformation, for changing my life.
*bonus
6. YOU CAN’T TRANSFORM SOMEONE ELSE WITHOUT LETTING YOURSELF BE TRANSFORMED, AS WELL.”

I posted this list to Facebook on August 5th, 2016. I had just finished my first summer as an intern at PT North Texas, and was reeling from the love, lessons, and fulfillment of summer 2016. As I was thinking of what to write about in this post, I wondered if there was any chance this list stood the test of both time and transfer to another chapter. Despite the specifics of my crazy first summer, these truths are still exactly how I feel about this incredible organization. So, here’s the list again, but with a spin of 3 years later…

1. DIVERSITY MATTERS; yes, every type. However, what matters the most is that this diversity is not only recognized, but REALIZED. To realize a truth is to fully understand that truth, and I truly believe PT offers the exact environment needed to fully understand those around you who are different than what you know.
2. HOW TO BE INNOVATIVE; on every level, PT requires all parties to be innovative, not only materially, but mentally. Innovation requires an openness to possibility, and a willingness to do something wild in order to achieve a goal.
3. COMMUNITY IS EVERYTHING; my last summer as an intern, I was married and living with my husband, as opposed to in the dorms with my fellow young adults. Despite this, I knew I was a part of this community. “Community” sounds like something that must be contained within 4 walls, something that needs regulation. But, in reality, community is something that comes when two or more people meet together, in any capacity (sound familiar?).
4. PRAYER IS POWERFUL; it’s so powerful. We pray, every day, for God to empower our kids, interns, staff, and volunteers. We pray that God empowers us in our gifts, programs, finances, and everything else. He believes in this program, and so WE believe in this program.
5. #FTK IS NOT JUST A HASHTAG; this will forever ring true. For the kids, in every way. Whether that be the kiddos who attend our camp, this kids who grow up to be interns, or the kids we never have the opportunity to get to know. But, we do pray that our impact reaches them, someday.
6. YOU CAN’T TRANSFORM SOMEONE ELSE, WITHOUT LETTING YOURSELF BE TRANSFORMED, AS WELL; I think we’ll just leave that as is.

With love,
Cassie Samuelson