Each day, a person is touched and helped at SonBridge Center for Better Living in College Place, Washington. Whether it’s through the Thrift and Gift Store, the Helpline@Sonbridge resource assistance office or the dental clinic, SonBridge is impacting lives. Currently, it seems the importance of the service at SonBridge has been highlighted by the word "touch."
Samuel, a recent patient of the dental clinic, arrived for his appointment visibly nervous. In the dental chair, he couldn’t calm down enough to stop shaking and sweating. The dental manager sat with him and held his hand, promising to be patient and gentle with him and to work at his pace.
When Samuel left, the dental manager doubted he would ever return. However, a week later, the clinic received a call from him to set up another appointment. Samuel was still comforted by the gentle hand of the dental manager during his second and third appointments.
By his fourth visit a month later, he fell asleep in the chair for two and a half hours! When the dental manager asked him how he could sleep through a full dental procedure, Samuel simply said, “I felt safe.”
Mara, Thrift and Gift Store employee, has been working at the store for seven years. She came broken after several terrible life experiences and needed healing. Although she first arrived at SonBridge needing help, she now extends the touch of healing to others.
“I’ve learned so much at SonBridge,” Mara said. “I’ve grown into who I am today because of the people I’ve met and the work I’ve done here. It has touched me in unbelievable ways.”
In late February 2024, SonBridge held its annual constituency meeting, where members of eight constituent churches gathered to learn about and vote on decisions for the year to come. David Jamieson, Upper Columbia Conference president, opened the meeting with a devotional thought.
Jamieson shared how Jesus never let go of those who needed Him. He reached out to those whom society had marginalized, like lepers and tax collectors, and reawakened their humanity by touching them — both physically and spiritually. Jesus was even aware of the financial state of those He served, by healing those who were sick and allowing them to provide for themselves and their families once again.
In continuing to illustrate this message, Jamieson took the hand of Kitty Haney, SonBridge executive assistant, to show how tenaciously Jesus holds on to us, His sinners in need of healing and His sheep in need of finding.
Every day, people walk into SonBridge in need of restoration — sometimes financial, sometimes material, sometimes physical, but always spiritual. The mission of SonBridge is to restore hope and wholeness, while sharing God’s love, to all who are broken.
Whether it’s through the calming, appropriate touch of a hand, a hug between friends, the touch of hope for a struggling family or a spiritual touch through prayer, SonBridge is daily touching the hearts, hands and lives of those they serve.
