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About Vernonia's voice. (Vernonia, OR) 2007-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 2, 2018)
community august2 2018 Missionaries Serving in Vernonia efforts. “They are here to help people who are interested in learning more about the Mormon Church, and also to assist people who might need help in the community, because we do both things,” explains Nebergall about the project. “The sisters are the ones on the ground talking to people. My job is to support them in that role.” The sister missionaries have generally been serving in Vernonia for 12 week assignments and then rotating to a new community, so every six weeks one of the sisters could change; Sister Bonzo has been called to stay in Verno- nia for longer. “Missionary work is an integral part of the Church of Latter Day Saints,” says Nebergall. He says Mormon mis- sionaries have several responsibilities when they are placed in a community: help the members of the church be better members, introduce the principles and doctrines of the Mormon faith to other people who might be interested, and to help everyone they meet. “We take that last part very literally.” The sister missionaries do want to help local Vernonians who can use their service. Sister Bonzo and Sister Alvey say they have done some paint- ing, some yard work, helped with farm animals, and helped with moving while in Vernonia, and are always looking for other ways to serve in the community. “Our mission is definitely a learning ex- perience,” says Sister Alvey. “We get to learn from all the different people we meet and from the different places we go to serve. Sometimes the people we meet are what we need to grow, spiritu- ally and as people. I’ve definitely seen that during my mission – growing from different trials, but they’ve helped me.” “We serve other people spiritu- ally but we also help ourselves as well, to learn and grow as people and as chil- dren of God,” says Sister Bonzo. “It’s a great experience and I really enjoy serv- ing on a mission.” There are some restrictions on what the sister missionaries can and can’t do: they can do basic yard work, gardening and weeding, stacking fire wood, raking and clearing brush, and cleaning or helping organize. They can- not use any type of power tools, includ- ing lawn mowers or weed wackers, or work on ladders or roofs. “Their safety is always of primary concern for us,” says Nebergall. He adds that they also cannot watch children. Anyone looking for assistance from the sister missionaries should con- tact them directly to schedule service. Nebergall says if someone needs help with a larger project beyond the scope and restrictions of the sisters, the Mor- mon Church is always willing to try and help. “They can contact me and I can get help from other resources in our branch,” says Nebergall. “We can’t do structural things or things that would need to be inspected. But if there is an older person or a disabled person in the community that needs some help with a project – mowing their lawn, cleaning out their gutters – as a branch we’re here to help. It’s not an inexhaustible supply of yard maintenance, but we can help.” Nebergall explained how Mor- mon missionaries are selected and placed in communities. Young men who are 18 or older, and young women who are at least 19, can express interest and apply to be sent on a mission. A leader in the church then reviews each individual ap- plication and makes an assignment to a mission area; Vernonia is located in the Oregon Salem Mission. Nebergall says Mormon missionaries can be called to almost anywhere in the world; a young man from Vernonia just returned from a mission in Thailand, Sister Alvey has friends serving in Argentina and Italy, and Sister Bonzo has friends who have served in Russia, South America, and Canada. Once a missionary has received their assignment they are sent for two weeks of training, to either Provo, Utah if they are being sent somewhere Eng- lish speaking, or to a training center in the part of the world where they have been assigned. “At the training center they receive basic instruction about how to be a missionary where they are going, and then they are sent to their mission home, which for us is Salem,” explains Nebergall. “From there they are given a specific as- signment of where they are going to serve.” “There’s always a reason why we are placed where we are,” says Sister Bonzo. “That’s been a re- ally great thing to see as we’ve been serving. We might think, ‘Why am I in this area to serve? Who am I sup- pose to help? What does the Lord want me to do here?’ And then the longer we’re here and as we help people do things, we see what it was we were suppose to do. These people FULL SPORTS PACKAGE! Happy Hour Mon-Fri 4-7 LIVE MUSIC • Specialty hamburgers • 8 Draft beers & mixed drinks • 5 Craft beers on tap • Pool tables & satelite TV Jamboree Weekend Fri & Sat, Aug 3 & 4 DDT band Sat, Sept 15 Thrillride • Free Wi-fi • Beer & Kegs to go Sun - Thurs 11 AM - Midnight • 733 Bridge St, Vernonia “BIKER FRIENDLY” Fri - Sat 11 AM - 2:30 AM • 503-429-9999 3 continued from front page needed us, or maybe I needed these ex- periences.” Nebergall says specific assign- ments can last anywhere from six weeks up to 36 weeks, sometimes even longer. There are also senior missionar- ies, usually older married couples, who also serve, but for longer periods of time in one location. Their assignments can last from 18 months to two years. Ver- nonia had a missionary couple serving here several years ago, the Levesques, who stayed in the community for two years. Nebergall says that if a commu- nity member wants to know more about the history of the Mormon Church or about their own family history, (because the Mormon Church as an organization has access to a lot of genealogy records) the local church branch can help with that. “That’s not really what the sisters are here for,” explains Nebergall. “If people have more in depth questions, we’re always happy to talk with them. The sister missionaries are here to an- swer simple questions about what we believe.” “We love helping others through service, because that’s what Christ would do – he would help others,” says Sister Bonzo. “We try to help those that need it most, but we will help everyone, because we love everyone.” Publisher and Managing Editor Scott Laird 503-367-0098 scott@vernoniasvoice.com Photography Scott Laird Want to advertise? Have an article? Contact: scott@vernoniasvoice.com One year subscriptions (24 issues) $35 Vernonia’s Voice is published on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. Vernonia’s Voice, LLC PO Box 55 Vernonia, OR 97064 503-367-0098 www.VernoniasVoice.com CLASSIFIED ADS HELP WANTED You can reach the sister missionaries serving Vernonia at (503) 990-0512. For more information about the Verno- nia Branch of the LDS Church and their mission program contact Tim Nebergall at (971) 248-6585. 9-1-1 COMMUNICATIONS SPE- CIALIST Columbia 9-1-1 Com- munications District (C911CD) is conducting a hiring process for full- time Dispatchers (Communications Specialists). Log on to www.colum- bia911.com and click on ‘Careers’. For any questions call (503) 366- 6976. Vernonia City Council Meetings and Closures SERVICES Now Open! AV Automotive Repair (formerly Ward Mobile Shop & Service). Auto Repair, propane, self serve car wash & vacuum, detail services. 745 Adams Ave. Please call for appointment (503) 454-6967 City Council Meetings are scheduled for 7:00 pm: Monday, August 6, 2018 Monday, August 20, 2018 St Pierre Graphics & Photo Restoration Restore-Brighten- Retouch old photography, copy and enlarge negative plates. Free est. Local pickup and delivery Vernonia, Clatskanie area. Please call Terry at (971) 813-9560 City Closures are scheduled for: Noon on Friday, August 3, 2018 Vernonia Friendship Jamboree Monday, September 3, 2018 Labor Day Holiday Clean - Organize - Paint - House Keeping offered in Vernonia, Fishhawk, Clatskanie area. Great local references. Weekly, monthly. Give me a ring, Terry St Pierre (971) 813-9560 Dates and times subject to change Cedar Side Inn Jamboree Weekend Friday, August 3 - 9 pm Karaoke Saturday, August 4 - 9 pm Freedom Street Taco Tuesday from opening until 9pm 3 hardshell or 1 softshell $4.25 Ladies’ Night every Thursday 6pm-close • Free Pool • Free WiFi • Specialty Pizzas iheck our Facebook page for daily specials and upcoming events 756 Bridge Street, Vernonia 503-429-5841