By 8:30, we were back in Reading (a 30-minute drive from our base) and went to the Fairview Christian School gym to take down the stage, chairs, and decorations from last night’s Christmas program.
After everything was cleaned up, we drove to the church and met Marcus Fox, pastor at Fairview Mennonite Church. He oriented us for the project of picking up trash. He explained that over the years, picking up trash has helped them stay connected to the townspeople and its leaders.
We broke into groups of four and Marcus told us which streets each group is responsible for. The morning was foggy and pleasant to be walking up and down the sidewalks. Not many people were out, but several stuck their heads out of their doors and thanked us for picking up trash.
We finished soon after 12 and headed to the school. We walked up the street to the corner store where Arlan is friends with the Dominican proprietor. We had fun finding ethnic drinks, snacks, and empanadas with various fillings, and took our food to the school to eat. Anyone for soursop juice? Aloe vera drink? Plantain chips? Giant avocadoes? Fresh mango? It was a great quick trip into the Dominican Republic!
We came back to our house by 2:00 and people took naps, walked, played with children, and did laundry.
By 6:00, six former FB students arrived with food for supper. We had a lovely evening of good food and conversation.
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