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W E D N E S D A Y
December 20, 2023 Vol. 44, No. 25
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JOURNAL @oakpark
of Oak Park and River Forest
Church Guide Page 13
Oak Park church funds wells in Gambia Fair Oaks backs West African project By JESSICA MACKINNON Contributing Reporter
Purr-fect Holidays Readers share furbaby photos with us, such as Juice above SEE PHOTOS, PAGE 12 SUBMITTED BY BARBARA & RON MOLINE
From the
Forest Insurance family to yours
The holidays will be brighter this year for residents of a remote rural village in Gambia, due to the generosity of Fair Oaks Presbyterian Church in Oak Park. Under the leadership of Mark Wilson, who has longterm ties to the country, and Meghan Strubel, former chair of the church’s mission committee, the congregation funded the construction of a solar-powered well in Gui Jahanka, about 200 miles from the Atlantic coast. The well, which is the second to be funded by the church and led by Wilson in Gambia, was completed last month. Located in West Africa, Gambia is a long, narrow strip of land surrounding the Gambia River. One of the poorest countries in the world, Gambia was a British colony until it won independence in 1965. The country, which is completely absorbed within Senegal, suffers from an underdeveloped infrastructure lacking major highways and freeways. See GAMBIA WELLS on page 11
Happy Holidays!
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