Interview with Drew Logsdon
Age: 21
Hometown: Douglass, KS
School: Southwestern College, Kansas
Major/Minor: Communicaion/“Music In Worship”
Site where you have served: Elmwood
Q: What made you want to apply for an internship with Project Transformation?
A: Eric Lindh has come to Southwestern year after year, bringing the PT video and recruitment speech with him each time. I had some other things God had for me in previous summers, but other internships just weren’t working out to be a very good fit for my summer of 2007. After Eric came to present at Southwestern last April, a few friends were talking about applying for the summer, so I decided to listen and seek out what God might have for me in ministry in Dallas.
Q: What is your favorite part of the PT experience?
A: Aa an intern you have the opportunity to be an outstanding and Godly example to young children in the Dallas area. Hopefully we left a lasting impact in our communities. But on a different level, I think we as interns have long lasting impacts on each other. I’m a pretty outgoing person, so one of the highlights for me was making some great friends within my Elmwood site team. I’m not sure about how cohesive other teams were, but we considered ourselves the “crunkest” team, and through our team bonding activities and just being at the site daily, we became a pretty tight knit team in a pretty short time. We worked hard when the kids were at the church, and enjoyed de-stressing afterwards by making what we called “Elmwood music videos” before cleaning up for the day. Funny and creativity has a play and record button with the Elmwood PT 2007 team. The 10 of us made each other laugh all day, everyday, and within each team there is a possibility of a bond that can be as strong as family.
Q: How did your summer of ministry help you to better understand your gifts and your calling?
A: The summer stretched me, for sure. I had expected to work with junior high aged kids, but was assigned to Elementary children. I didn’t know if I could do it! But working with my team of Marlin, Liz, Amanda and Ashley, we pulled it together and made it through, with some successes along the way! I understand better now being given a seemingly “impossible” task, and coming together as a team to get it done! I have some leadership and just some can-work-with-kids in me that I didn’t know I had; I think that I was originally afraid to find out if I had it in me! I work with a youth group in Winfield, where I go to school, and now I have a better understanding of how the younger, first through fifth grade ages work. I also understand how they grow up much better after doing Project Transformation. My eyes have been opened to see that the universal “need” that all young people have is to be loved, regardless of whether they are a second grader in Dallas or a high school senior in Kansas.
Q: What was the most rewarding thing about being a counselor at Urban Camp?
A: Urban camp was a pretty sweet package deal. Getting to “coach” the campers during the day in different activities, then make them laugh with skits before worship time, getting to sing songs of praise with them in the evening and just hang out and have fun with them at all times was really great for both counselors and campers. I think the most rewarding thing though, was after being real with them each day, we had devotional cabin-time in the mornings and got to talk-God with them. And I hope and pray those times are fruitful and long-lasting in their hearts. That’s what, to me, was the most important thing about the week.
Q: What advice would you give someone who is interested in serving with PT?
A: The Project Transformation experience is pretty extensive. You don’t really have official “hours”; you’re sort of “on call” for meetings and activities Sunday morning service through Friday experience when it ends in the afternoon. But you’re giving of yourself to a people and communities in great need. If you want to be stretched in new ways, and be looked up to by young lives in the Dallas area, don’t miss your chance. Although it may be corny to say, you really can make a difference. At first, we all think, “What in the world have I gotten myself into?” But by the end of the 8-week program, the weeks seem to have flown by and the kids have griped onto your heart pretty tightly, and you wonder if you’ve done everything you could have done for them during your short time with them. Then, you realize you’re going to miss these people you’ve called “teammates” that you now know as friends. It’s an eye-opening, sometimes long and hard road, but it’s a daily blast of a way to spend your summer. Willing-to-serve people with big hearts should apply!