Karen Salmon - Ethiopia |
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Prayer Letter August 2008
Dear friends,
I trust you are enjoying a blessed summer. I have so enjoyed having Mike, Kenny, Jill and Paul here and now the Ballinderry team are blessing the boots off us all. Mike and Kenny have been working with an American Presbyterian team for the past 6 weeks to lead English, recreation/sport and Bible clubs for loads of children and youth at the youth centre. Jill and Paul had a busy two weeks repainting the youth centre walls; the place looks amazing. Pray this new team will integrate well and lead a fruitful Holiday Bible Club at Operation Rescue.
Peer Educator Training
HIV work at Mekelle Youth Centre continues to keep us busy. The older boys and junior and senior girls from the Anti AIDS clubs continue to show lots of initiative in running their own outreach programmes on Saturdays and using music and sport to reach young people with ‘abstinence’ and ‘wait’ messages. Also, Peer Education Courses have been a great success through July with the children off school; last month we graduated 62 children/youth. Please pray for wisdom for Rufael and I as we lead the HIV work and for the many youth now involved in teaching their peers.
Our Girls' Anti AIDS Club members continue their community service on Friday mornings at the Boarding School for Blind children to play games. Around 57 children have returned to their families for the summer, so we only have 40 left who live in remote areas, or whose families are too poor to come and get them. The children love these times playing and having fun, then receiving a banana! Please continue to pray for us as we work with the blind children in games (7-15s) and Bible studies (16+) that God would encourage and bless them with His love.
The Bible study groups for youth centre girls (13-14 and 15 years +) are going well on Saturday afternoons. In June Jon and I began two Bible Clubs for 7-12 year olds, one for boys and one for girls. So praise God for opening doors. Continue to ask Him to speak to these young people as they grow in their understanding and knowledge of Him through Bible stories, memory verses and choruses.
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Heiwan and rural church leaders from the Word of Life Church who graduated in HIV education and teaching methodology. |
In June we had another great graduation for the fourth group of rural schoolteachers and pupils in Faith-Based HIV/AIDS Awareness at Chelekot south of Mekelle. Jon gave leadership training in these rural schools and our sports coach, Estefanos, gave football training. We are praying about revisiting these four rural schools to run ethical and/or Peer Education. We would love others to join us in the work here. Please continue to ask God to send us Computer, English and Sports teachers/programme leaders.
In July Heiwan, our church intern, completed her time with us. We are now in the process of recruiting an intern from the Orthodox Church. Please pray we’ll select the right person to begin in September; and for Heiwan as she moves forward leading the HIV work at the Word of Life Church.
The prisoners with their new Bibles
The Prison Living Positively Group for those living with HIV has grown to 40, but only around 23 attend our group each week. We are continuing to study the Lord’s Prayer with each prisoner having his own Bible now. Many are seriously ill and most are on Anti Retroviral Treatment, so pray they’ll know God’s deep love for them.
On Monday mornings I’m still leading a Bible Study on the life of Joseph at the Girls’ Orthodox Orphanage near the Seminary. Only 11 girls are there for the summer, as the others are holidaying with extended family members. Do pray for us as we build relationships.
Our drought seems to have ended with several weeks of good rain, but not as heavy as farmers need. Do pray for the poor here especially as the drought will impact food availability alongside huge price increases.
Let me finish by saying “A BIG THANK YOU” to all of you for your faithfulness in prayer, which is essential to my continuing to be here. Also, very special thanks go to those of you who financially support my work. If any of you are interested in helping in this way, please contact the local Crosslinks office where the staff can give you details of the various ways this may be done.
This comes with much love in Christ,
Karen