Bridget Yoder has resided in Henderson since 1988. For all those years, however, she has not been able to claim citizenship here. Yoder first stepped foot in the United States in 1986 when she moved to Florida from England. A quest to meet her biological father, who lived in Nebraska, landed her in this area.
After moving to Henderson, Yoder worked at the nursing home for three years. Through this job, she was taken under the wing of two of her co-workers who helped Bridget and also gave her a Bible. In 1991, she met and married her husband, Mike Yoder. After marrying Mike, Bridget thought about gaining citizenship, but the tedious process was too costly and too difficult to do while caring for her young children. Instead, Bridget had a green card that had to be renewed every ten years. After taking some years off to raise her children, Bridget returned to work at the hospital and spent 10 years there before beginning work at Dutch Kitchen where she is currently employed.
In a recent conversation with a customer, Yoder had mentioned that her green card would have to be renewed in a few years and that she should really just apply for citizenship. The journey to citizenship in the United States is not an easy one though. It involves costly fees to apply, and then if selected, applicants must study for and pass a difficult test about US history and government. The mention of citizenship was all it took to get the ball rolling, however, as the gentleman she was discussing it with set up a jar at Dutch Kitchen for people to contribute money to enable Bridget to apply for citizenship.
For a few weeks, people contributed money to the jar, and soon enough Bridget had over $600 dollars raised for her to apply for citizenship. After her application was submitted, she was given a book to study and didn’t know when her test would be until she received a letter in the mail with the date. Those who came for coffee at Dutch Kitchen in the mornings would pass around her study book and quiz her. Yoder studied for six weeks before she took her test on October 12 at the Homeland Security Office in Omaha.
Although Yoder was expecting a grueling test of many questions, the interviewer noticed how long she had been living in the U.S. and said he would ask her ten questions, and she must get six correct to pass. Six questions later, Yoder had passed the test. Her oath ceremony will take place on November 20, 2012.
When reflecting on what it means to become a citizen, Yoder said she feels like she will finally belong. She didn’t completely have that feeling when she would travel back to England or when she was here. Yoder commented that this is the place she came to know Jesus and that makes it very meaningful for her. At a recent playing of the national anthem at a sporting event, Bridget said she teared up at the thought that it was her flag now. While she was disappointed she couldn’t vote in this election, she soon will gain many rights such as that.
With the support of the Henderson community, the encouragement of her family, and her hard work, Bridget Yoder will become an official United States citizen next week. Congratulations to Bridget, and we are excited to celebrate her new citizenship with her!
