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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 21, 2008)
Page 6 The INDEPENDENT, February 21, 2008 Self-funded CAM volunteers provide help where needed Since the Flood of 2007, Vernonia has received help from great numbers of volun- teers who have done every- thing from crawling under houses and pulling out wet in- sulation to putting up new sheetrock and more. Volunteers from Christian Aid Ministries (CAM) were here after the 1996 flood, and they are back now to help. CAM has a specific arm of their organization, Disaster Response Services, which co- ordinates volunteers to rebuild in natural disaster areas in the United States. CAM’s disaster teams helped after Hurricane Katrina, and they are helping here. Dan Hostetler, a building contractor from Missouri, is one of the volunteers who came in 1996 and is back in 2007. Hostetler says most of the CAM volunteers are using their vacations to fly here, many used their own money to buy their plane tickets, and most find it more fulfilling to help others than to take an ac- tual vacation. Hostetler started helping in 1993 and has been to a number of disasters, and has volunteered in other coun- tries, as well. The CAM volunteer servic- es are matched with needs through Columbia County Flood Relief. Hostetler says that CAM volunteers expect to remain here until May and may return in the fall if volunteer as- sistance is still needed. Ser- vices rendered by CAM volun- teers have ranged from basic cleaning tasks to skilled con- tractor services and everything else in between. Disaster Response Ser- vices are only a very small part of what CAM does. CAM start- ed in 1981 to help people in Romania. Their literature puts it this way, “Our primary pur- pose is to provide a trustwor- thy and efficient channel for Amish, Mennonite, and other conservative Anabaptist groups and individuals to min- ister to physical and spiritual needs around the world.” CAM continues to help peo- ple in Romania with a project called Family Food Parcels for Romania, Moldova, and Ukraine. There is a Haiti School Program, a Help-for- Orphans program and more than 10 additional programs to help others. All of the pro- grams are supported largely by donations from Amish and Mennonite churches and indi- viduals. Medical aid is the largest program, with over $100 million per year in sup- plies and pharmaceuticals go- ing to the needy. When asked how those who have received help from CAM volunteers can repay the help, Hostetler said CAM’s services are not provided with an ex- pectation of repayment and that the best way to repay is to “pass it on” by helping some- one else in need when the op- portunity arises. Because CAM has helped so much, many of us will be looking for “pass it on” opportunities. 10 th A NNUAL T REE S ALE ! 19 S PECIES , P RICES FROM $1.00 SATURDAY, MARCH 8 (503) 556-8800 8:00 AM – 2:00 PM Lawrence Oil Co. parking lot 845 N. Columbia River Hwy (US Hwy 30) St. Helens, OR Can You Dig It? By Schann Nelson OSU Master Gardener Alleluia! The sun re- turns! Or at least it peeks out from time to time. It can get HOT in your south facing windows, so be sure to water house plants (or plants kept in the house for the winter) or you will lose them! Disgusting as floodmud is, the yard, garden and lawn think its fertilizer. It’s filled the holes and added silt and organic matter wherever it’s on the ground. It doesn’t do the streets any good, that’s for sure. Because we live in the grass growing capital of the universe (Western Oregon) we can plant grass seed in the spring and be assured of good growth before grass goes dormant in the summer. When se- lecting seed, consider the sun exposure and amount of traffic the area get. Reserve some seed for repairs, I’ve found that raking out and immediately reseeding the mole hills it one of the best preventive measures for reducing the num- ber of dandelions and other unwanted weeds. My other favorite method is to transplant the lit- tle English daisies into new homes all over the lawn. This year I’m going to try an orchard seed blend offered by Braintree Nursery that’s de- scribed as “a mixture of dwarf perennial ryegrass and creeping fescue. Inherently low and ex- tremely dense, it recovers quickly from heavy traffic and needs mowing only 2 or 3 times a year.” Though it may be a little late, it is possible to gently pull trees and shrubs flattened by wind, snow, rain and flood back into an upright posi- tion. Even large trees can be saved if you have something you can tie-off to that is strong enough to hold the weight. After getting the dam- aged plant into the position you want, stake and tie firmly until roots have a chance to reestablish. Be sure to remove stakes and ties when no longer needed to avoid damage. Believe it or not, it’s time to think about what to order for late summer and fall blooms. Dahlias will continue to bloom until frost and can be planted as soon as the ground stops freezing. I’ve been planting summer bulbs much earlier than recommended. I’ve found that if I wait until “all danger of frost” is past in May, I barely get plants, much less bountiful blooms. So I’ve been planting bulbs (or tubers or whatever) of dahlias, lilies, hostas, begonia, and cannas in the ground early, last year in March as I recall. It seems that, as long as there is good drainage, they build roots systems and rise out of the ground when it’s warm enough. Other summer delights to try include caladiums, callas, gladiolas, and iris. I have trouble growing a lot of these because I have so much shade. It’s WAY to early to plant seeds or set out plants without fairly serious protection. If your garden has good drainage, you can think about planting peas or spinach or setting out young broccoli and cauliflower plants. These will stand a little frost and can be protected by row covers or cloches. You can make a cloche by cutting the bottom out of a plastic gallon milk or water jug. Lose the lid to allow hot air to escape and watch carefully because plants will outgrow these very quickly. If this happens before it warms up you may end up improvising row covers every night for a while. It’s so hard to predict what the weath- er will be like, I can’t believe I heard the frog cho- rus two weeks ago! Looking forward to COLOR… Church Directory N EHALEM V ALLEY B IBLE C HURCH S T . M ARY ' S C ATHOLIC C HURCH Gary Taylor, Pastor Grant & North Streets, Vernonia 503 429-5378 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator 960 Missouri Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-8841 Mass Schedule Sunday 12:00 Noon Religious Education Sunday 10:30 a.m. V ERNONIA F OURSQUARE C HURCH S EVENTH D AY A DVENTIST Carl Pense, Pastor 850 Madison Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-1103 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St., Vernonia 503 429-8301 Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Bible Study 9:15 a.m. F IRST B APTIST C HURCH V ERNONIA C OMMUNITY C HURCH Grant Williams, Pastor 957 State Avenue, Vernonia 503 429-6790 Sunday Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Morning Worship 9:45 a.m. Children and Nursery 10:00 a.m. Youth Group 6:00 p.m. Preschool Tues. & Thurs. 9:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer 7:00 p.m. Friday Adult Volleyball 7:00 p.m. 359 “A” Street, Vernonia 503 429-5190 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Sunday Worship Service 11:00 a.m. Wednesday Prayer Meeting 7:00 p.m. S T . A UGUSTINE (C ANTERBURY ) E PISCOPAL C HURCH 375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall) Vernonia, 503 705-2173 Please call for service schedule. C HURCH OF J ESUS C HRIST OF L ATTER D AY S AINTS Marc Farmer, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street, Vernonia 503 429-7151 Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m. A SSEMBLY OF G OD Wayne and Maureene Marr 662 Jefferson Ave., Vernonia, 503 429-0373 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m V ERNONIA C HRISTIAN C HURCH Sam Hough, Evangelist 410 North Street, Vernonia 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Every Wednesday: Ladies' Bible Study 9:30 a.m. Ladies’ Worship 10:00 a.m. Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m. Family Bible Study 7:00 p.m.
