In Ecclesiastes 3 we read that there is a time for everything and a season for every activity. This past year has definitely brought each of us into a new season - a season of wearing masks every day, a season of physical distancing, and expecting the unexpected.
This week we face yet another change. After years of working alongside our vibrant, dynamic, and beautiful staff member, Bonnie, we have to say good-bye. Bonnie first came on as a volunteer on street outreach and as an adult mentor in the youth art program in 2013. Later, she joined our team at the drop-in, where you could always find her greeting our guests, distributing toiletries, and just sitting down to talk with people, one-on-one. Through the years, we have seen her influence grow, especially among the youth where she has had a lasting impact. Whether she was facilitating the Freedom Group (youth support group) or mentoring the youth in the art program or coordinating the Youth Internship pilot program, Bonnie poured herself into each youth, helping them understand just how much God loved them, valued them, and counted them as unique and special.
Bonnie is a ‘rare bird’ in many respects, and yet she is also emblematic of who and what our community has come to expect from OIM: staff and volunteers who care deeply, who value relationships, who uphold the value of each person, and who manage to help each ‘client’ feel like family.
Bonnie’s shoes will be hard to fill, but we look forward to when her schedule will allow her to come back to volunteer with us, once again. Bonnie, we will hold you in our hearts and in our prayers as you embark upon a new endeavor. Godspeed, my friend!
~Beth, Administrative Assistant