By Ben Gonzalez

This summer, I am working as the Media Intern for PT Rio Texas. This means I spend most of my time producing communications for PT families and creating social media content, newsletters, or posts. However, every morning Monday through Thursday, I also get to serve at Westlawn United Methodist Church for daily distribution of books, craft supplies and food to families in the area.

When I walk into Westlawn UMC to set up distribution, I get to see firsthand what it means to build a strong community. The church, which also serves the local area with a free food pantry Tuesday through Thursday, is supported by a reliable team of volunteers and Pastor Liliana Padilla, whom I see on a regular basis.

Pastor Liliana is a rock for the church and its surrounding community; she works hard to keep all its programs running smoothly and to help anyone who comes by. Many times, local passersby will enter the church looking for assistance with food, classes, or looking for a place to worship, and the Pastor will assist with a smile, welcoming them into the community with open arms.

Pastor Liliana also greets me every morning and often asks about distribution (How many families came yesterday? Do we need more gloves? More grocery bags?). She is always happy to provide the resources needed to make distribution a success, and is committed to increasing family turnout. One morning before distribution began, I found her in the church cafeteria painting on the back of an old banner to advertise Project Transformation. After consulting me about the wording of the banner, she worked with her son Marcos to tie it to the outside of the fence surrounding the church, so that passing cars would see information about our summer food and supply distribution.

When the Pastor is busy with running the food pantry, I also receive help from Moises, a volunteer who runs a virtual Sunday School with members of the church’s youth group. He has close ties with many of the families who participate in Project Transformation’s summer program, so he often calls them to remind them about food and supply pickup. His close web of community members, whom he calls “his people,” are largely made up of his Sunday School students and their families, and have become some of PT’s most active families. Even when these families don’t arrive at Westlawn to pick up their Summer Fun supplies, Moises makes it a point to pick out books meant for “his people,” making sure to grab subjects he knows they would be interested in. He then delivers the books and supplies to families later that night, making sure they’re enjoying the many online programs and videos PT is offering. With his help, Westlawn has become a thriving site for PT, and every week more families come to register for PT’s summer distribution program.

Though this is my second summer at PT, I’m learning completely new things about the way relationships are formed between people whom I have only just met. I love walking into Westlawn every week and getting to see how our circle grows as more families want to participate in PT’s summer programs. Because I am managing a lot of Project Transformation’s media, I often emphasize the importance of PT’s efforts to build communities between college students, children, and churches. Through my time working onsite at Westlawn, I get to watch these relationships grow right in front of my eyes!