Thoughts on our last day, from Bethany and Beth

Thank you, Andrew, for creating such a positive environment in which we could grow, develop and learn.  You were a wonderful boss exhibiting much patience with our often boisterous behavior, particularly after a Monday morning Starbucks staff meeting :)  We all gained much from your expertise in running a grassroots nonprofit, planning events, organizing projects, working with our neighbors in need, marketing, and even from your dabble in graphic design.  None of us leave this experience without growth in some area. Thank you also for the meals, doughnuts, and willingness to meet at Starbucks, but most importantly for your investment in both our spiritual and professional well-being this summer!  It has gone by quickly and you will be missed!

~ Bethany Stettenbenz, Youth Development Coordinator

I can’t believe today is the last day for us interns at NeighborLink! It’s been a wonderful experience, and I know we’ll all miss it here! I had only a little background on NL coming in to the summer, but I’ve learned so much about the organization through talking with homeowners on the phone, meeting coaches and volunteers, coordinating events, and working under Andrew.

While I’ve learned a lot about what it looks like to run this organization, I’ve also learned a lot about service in general this summer. I’m a student at Taylor University, and there, we focus on servant leadership as discussed in John 13. I’ve been able to continue thinking through what exactly servant leadership is this summer as I observe volunteers and coaches going out of their way to help their neighbors through NL projects. I’ve also been encouraged to consider what attitude we should have toward service this summer. It’s been a blessing to learn not only about business this summer, but to learn about service and draw closer to the Lord as well. 

A big thanks to everyone in the NeighborLink community that we’ve been able to interact with this summer! We were blessed to talk to and meet homeowners, volunteers, coaches, advisory group and board members, and everyone else. You each impacted our NeighborLink experience in some way, and we are grateful that many of you took the time to get to know us! And thanks especially to Andrew, for your support, patience, wisdom, willingness to answer to our questions, encouragement to take charge of our projects, and your positive attitude. We were all blessed to work with you this summer; thanks for an amazing internship!

Praise the Lord for blessing us with a wonderful summer at a God-honoring organization, surrounded by an amazing team!

 ~ Beth Hicks, Operations Intern