Hi! My name is Margot May. I am a rising junior at Harpeth Hall. In January, I wasn’t doing a sport and I wanted to do more with community service so I started volunteering at the Mt. Nebo site and helping with PTM Life on Fridays. Immediately a simple way of getting involved in the community turned into much more. As so many volunteers do, I got hooked on PTM. I fell in love with the kids and the PTM community so I decided to continue volunteering after school in the spring instead of doing track. I had been reaching out to different organizations about a service related internship for the summer this March when Abbie, the leap year intern, reached out to offer the summer internship. The timing could not have been more perfect. I knew the minute I opened Abbie’s email that I was going to spend my summer at Preston Taylor. I just felt it was where I was supposed to be.
Whenever I talk about PTM I always say that the kids are making a bigger impact on me then I am on them. These kids deal with some hard issues; much harder issues then I ever had to deal with when I was a kid. Yet despite their struggles, the majority of kids come to PTM with joy and a childlike happiness. They have taught me a lesson in perseverance. Going to a private school in Nashville it is pretty easy to create a bubble around yourself and to forget how blessed you truly are. To hear the children’s stories is really eye opening. Volunteering at PTM has instilled an immense amount of gratitude in me. Also, I have to mention the PTM staff. The staff here is compiled of some of the most loving, hardworking, and strong people I know. They remind me of the Christian that is described in Proverbs 31:25, “She is clothed in strength and dignity and she laughs without fear of the future”. The staff shows an unending amount of faith in God’s plan and provisions. The environment at Preston Taylor is positive and happy. The staff never seems to stress, instead they put all their faith in Him and watch as He provides. Being surrounded by people who are so rooted in Christ has really helped me to grow in my faith. The staff has done so much for me by just being strong role models and I owe them and the PTM community all my gratitude.
The highlight of my day is prayer time. To watch as a student leads his or her friends in prayer is extremely humbling. I love to see the difference in how each kid talks to God. Most of the children have a genuine interest in learning about Christ and to watch the growth in their relationship with Him is really rewarding. My favorite memory from PTM was at the end of the school year. Amariez ran up to me with a huge smile on his face and exclaimed, “Miss Margot! Did Miss Katelyn tell you what I told her?” Amariez had told Katelyn that he wanted to devote his life to Jesus and affirm his faith. Hearing these words from a second grader made me so thankful for the work that PTM is doing.
If you could travel anywhere, where would it be and why?: I would love to travel to Thailand. Southeastern Asia is rich in culture and life and I want to go experience that first hand. World travel is an amazing gift that grants us the opportunity of seeing a different side of God’s creations. Experiencing others lifestyles causes deeper understanding which creates bonds of respect and love. I would love to experience that in an area of the world that is so unfamiliar to me.