11 Years today!

June 4th, 2015, 11 years today!

Nothing that lasts grows fast. There must be roots that form downwards first, the foundation must be solid and even if it looks like there aren’t fruits at first, we must not forget the law of growth and process. That is something we emphasize so much in TOB. The leaves will come out eventually, then flowers, then seed and then fruit. We started this brand with a blog and now it has grown into something far greater than we imagined.

We are three individuals, all medical doctors in different parts of the world, different time zones, living separate lives and in these individual lives there have been many changes and transitions. Sometimes the olive branch has transitioned as well, bending and stretching, but always growing. We have been on the precipice of giving up many times but through your prayers, your love and by the help of God, we are still standing today, still rooted, still reaching.

You have seen some of our fruits and you have seen some of our leaves. Many of you have been there through every single season and we see you, we truly do. With a community now, a foundation and so much more still unfolding, we are deeply thankful for those who were with us in the very beginning, for those who found us along the way and for those who are still here. We are equally grateful to our volunteers, our web and design team, our families, and our friends. Every soul who has ever engaged with us, thank you. You believed in something that was still becoming and that is a gift we do not take lightly. Thank you for your support and your ideas. Thank you for seeing us. Even in the moments we struggled to see ourselves, you were there.

We also recently did an impact survey and we were so moved and honored by the responses. We would love to hear even more from you, so please take a moment to fill it out here (Google form)

Also, our Foundation, The Olive Network for Empowerment otherwise known as TONE, will be embarking on our inaugural project very soon and we cannot wait to share more with you. For now, please follow us on Instagram @theoliveempowerment and keep an eye out for our next cohort of volunteers for the Olive Community later this year!

To anyone reading this today, wherever in the world you are, this part is for you. The world may feel heavy right now. There may be uncertainty pressing in from every side, clouds of sadness gathered and for some, you may be in a wilderness season, waiting and wondering. Some of you may be welcoming new life into the world and some may be in the process of saying goodbye. You may be surrounded by so much noise and fear that silence has started to feel like the only safe place left.
But please, do not stay there. Step out and feel again. There is still hope as long as there is breath in you, there is still so much waiting for you on the other side of this moment. There are still territories to conquer, mountains to overcome and a version of yourself you have not yet met. You are still wanted, still needed, still so deeply significant. Do not give up. Life will not always feel this way. Good people still exist and good things are still making their way to you. Some may even be happening right now.

As we mark eleven years, we send our love across every time zone represented in this community. We hope we have touched you in ways that words cannot fully capture and we hope that what you have received here has stirred something in you that reaches beyond these walls. Because the world is hurting and it needs people like you, people who have known tenderness, to carry it forward. Let the love you have received become the love you give away, in the way you speak, in the way you show up, in the quiet moments where a kind word or a warm presence can completely change someone’s day both online and offline. Do not get lost in the cruelty that the world sometimes shows. Hold on to your joy and choose, again and again, to be the kind of person someone else needed and found. Spread love today.

By Ayokunle for The Olive Branch.