Harbel, Hearts and Homecomings

While in Liberia, we attended Harbel Branch which is about an hour from Monrovia.  It is a Mission Branch located on the Firestone rubber tree plantation.  This is the school room used for Sunday meetings.  With charcoal smoke, roosters crowing, homemade school chairs of various sizes and sunshine streaming through the cement slats, we had our Sacrament Meeting, Gospel Doctrine and Combined Priesthood and Relief Society meetings with faithful Saints.  It is a big step-up from the previous meeting place and an appreciated blessing.

We love the Youth! After the Sunday meetings are over, these deacons and teachers carry the plastic chairs and sacrament table to a secure location for the week.  Then, carry them back to the school room the next Sunday.

Corn field and well next to the school room.  The Harmattan season is still here with sand laden skies.

Elder Kirkham with previous branch president and wife.

These are the rubber trees at the Harbel Firestone plantation.  The little red cups catch the  drops of  white latex sap for making tires, etc.  There are acres and acres of rows of trees like this on the plantation. It is the largest rubber-tree farm in the world started in 1926.  

The LDS Charities, along with the Humanitarian Couple, (Sister Miles on right), taught neonatal resuscitation classes in Monrovia. Each trainee received their own 'baby' to demonstrate to other midwives how to help newborn babies have a heart beat and breathe.  The class was well received and participation was excellent.  Thank you Dr. Lind and Dr. Jensen!

Sitting in the airport in Liberia.  We were on the same flight from Monrovia to Ghana with the returning sister missionaries.

Sister Asmah-Davies, in pink dress, was met at the airport by her mother, sister and two brothers.  All of her siblings have served missions!  It was a joy to see a family welcoming home their missionary at the Ghana Accra Airport. We rarely  witness such homecomings in Africa. It was so satisfying and wonderful to see! To hug her mother and thank her was a delight for me.  The other three returning sisters spent the night at the Alma House and were on the morning flights to Nigeria and Uganda.