Pgge 2
April 12, 2007
Spilyay Tymoo, Wdi-m Springs, Oregon
Church group helps Simnasho w ith fence project
By Leslie Mitts
S pilyay Tymoo
Though icy wind brought
back reminders of winter, it
didn’t stop students working
busily during their spring break
trip in Simnasho.
Some of the middle school
students w eren’t even much
taller than the fence they worked
to build.
The group from Oregon City
quickly learned about the de
mands of fencing, but worked
steadily through the cold as part
of their bigger mission to help
the community.
It’s not the first trip of its
kind.
The students volunteered
their time as part of a much
larger effort on behalf of the
O regon C ity E van gelical
Church.
Members of the church have
been helping local people for
several years, according to Tami
Wattenbarger.
W attenbarger said church
members first began traveling to
Warm Springs about three years
ago.
This trip is their seventeenth.
Students spent the week
building a fence near the Red
Lake Corral in Simnasho, as well
as weeding and picking up gar
bage near the Warm Springs
Baptist Church.
According to Jason Smith,
agricultural and range manager,
the fence will help the Simnasho
Grazing Group.
He explained, ‘W hat it’s go
ing to be is a holding pasture
that is hooked onto the Red
Lake Corral.”
“This will be a great benefit
to the Sim nasho G razing
Group,” Smith added. “They
will be able to work their stock
better, work their livestock more
efficiently.”
The group decided to work
on the fencing, Wattenbarger
said, because they hoped to have
Leslie Mitts/Spilyay
Youth from the Oregon City Evangelical Church worked during their spring break.
an even bigger impact than on
prior trips.
She explained, “We wanted
to do something out in the com
munity a little bit more”
As for the youth working on
the fence (which will be over a
mile long), Smith said, “It a
tough job for kids of that age,
and they’re finding out that
fencing is very physical.”
According to Katie Stag!, 12,
“Basically it’s a lot of hard work
and we just kind of stick to it.”
“It takes team w ork and
strength and patience,” Stagl
said. “We had to just kind of
realize that we were working for
God and not for other people.”
As for what motivates them,
the students agree that God is
the main factor.
Shawna Williams, 13, said,
“You ask God for strength and
he’ll give you the strength to
keep on giving.”
A cco rd in g to K enneth
Forney, 14, the w ork goes
quickly when they work as a
team.
“Every time we go here we
actually get ahead of schedule,”
he said. “Everyone just works
at their best.”
Wattenbarger said the church
members were m otivated to
come to Warm Springs instead
of leaving the country to help.
Rather than helping else
where, she said, they felt more
inclined to help those nearby—
and they do all of their own
fundraising for trips.
The work they’ve done has
varied, she said, but they are
happy to help in whatever way
possible.
“You name it, we’ll do it,”
Wattenbarger said with a laugh.
They’ve worked on various
local buildings and houses, and
the church is responsible for
completing wiring, plumbing
and more construction at the
Spechtrum Youth Center.
Wattenbarger and her hus
band are both contractors, so
that type of work comes natu
rally to them, she said—but they
aren’t willing to stop at simply
fixing up buildings.
During December the church
members throw a Christm as
party, and they’ve also painted
houses and done additional con
struction locally.
B ut, W attenb arger said,
“M ost im portant, though, is
building relationships with the
people.”
“We’re very big on going out
and encouraging people and car
ing for them,” W attenbarger
said. “That’s really the most
important thing.”
The Wattenbarger family be
lieves so strongly in helping lo
cal people that they also have a
foster son from Warm Springs.
In Wattenbarger’s opinion,
her work with the Oregon City
Evangelical Church is all part of
using her faith.
“My faith is dead if I don’t
do something with it,” she said.
Plus, W attenbarger added,
“We just love the people over
here.”
Coming from a rough child
hood of her own, Wattenbarger
is also motivated to help those
who have undergone a difficult
upbringing.
“It only takes one to break
the cycle,” she said.
The am ount o f trips has
slowly been increasing over
time. Now, Wattenbarger said,
they travel to Warm Springs
regularly.
“We’re over here almost ev
ery month,” Wattenbarger said.
In fact, the church has so
many members eager to come
to Warm Springs to help that
they had to establish a board to
manage the trips, Wattenbarger
said.
T he size o f the church
helps— the Oregon City Evan
gelical Church has over 1,000
members.
Their work locally also helps
church members back at home,
Wattenbarger said.
“It gives us a chance as a
church to learn to work to
gether,” she explained.
In the end, W attenbarger
said, they hope to be able to help
the Warm Springs community
connect with other communi
ties— “We’re trying to become
a bridge,” she said.
W attenbarger encourages
those needing help to contact
the church.
“We’re game for more,” she
added. “Work is never done,
that’s for sure.”
If anyone wishes to request
help from the O regon City
Evangelical Church, call (503)
656-8582.
Births
N akomis Wanbli Smith
Shirley Eder and Frank
“F o o ter” Sm ith are
pleased to announce the »
birth of their grandson,
Nakomis Wanbli Smith. * ►
N akom is was born to
Shasta Smith on March 24.
He weighed 7 pounds 10
ounces.
Sandra C ecile T olentino
Phil Tolentino |r. and
M aria M oroyoqui o f
Warm Springs are pleased
to announce the birth of
th eir d au gh ter Sandra
Cecile Tolentino, born on
April 6, 2007. The father’s
parents are Philemon and
Sh irley T olentino. The
mother’s mother is Sandra
Moroyoqui.
IV IO U !
Design
There will be a stone
setting and memorial for
Anna Halfmoon in May.
Stonesetting: Thurs
day, May 10 at 9 a.m. at
the Agency Cemetery.
Services to follow at
longhouse.
Memorial Service:
Saturday, May 12 at 9
a.m. at the Nez Perce
Longhouse
in
Nespelem, Wash.
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