Salmon, Karen - Ethiopia
December
2007 prayer letter
(for Acrobat pdf version click here)
Karen currently works on a new project at Mekelle in the north-east of Ethiopia. She teaches HIV/AIDS Awareness to young people. This involves formal certificate classes, peer education training and follow-up, anti AIDS clubs for girls, a drama group and video shows. The youth centre also offers Computer and English education, library facilities, and opportunities for recreation and sports.
More about Mekelle youth centre.
Karen is a registered general nurse, and a health visitor with a masters degree in nursing. She married Mervyn in the summer following her graduation as a nurse, after only four years together Mervyn was tragically killed in a car accident. By then Karen was working as a Health Visitor (Public Health Nurse) in Cupar Street Health Clinic in Belfast.
While helping at a children’s Scripture Union camp in 1990 Karen read an article on Mission which was to change her life. It came at a time when she felt her life didn’t need changing! She had been promoted as a Team Leader at work, working for nine months as Assistant Director of Nursing Services. She was active in her home Church at Knocknagoney and in a group seeking to work for reconciliation and fellowship with members of the Roman Catholic faith. She had a very supportive family, a large circle of friends, a lovely home, new car and enjoyed annual ski-ing holidays. Why would God ask her to give all this up?
A text which she was given at the time was from Genesis 12:1 “Leave your country and your father’s house and go to the land which I will show you”. This is a verse which was later read on her first evening at Belfast Bible College when Karen began a part-time communication course; it was preached on her first Sunday at All Nations Christian College where she took Biblical and Cross Cultural Studies, and on her first evening in Ethiopia by an Ethiopian man at a bible study group held in Colin and Hazel Maunsell’s home. God does still speak today - if we are willing to listen!
Karen has worked with Crosslinks in Ethiopia since 1993 initially at a nursing school in Gondar in the north-west of the country, then at Jimma University in the south-west.
Click
here for more information about Mekelle youth centre.
Photos
in and around Mekelle (May 2004)
Presentation
on AIDS / HIV in Ethiopia. This is based on a PowerPoint presentation
made by Karen (Note that
this may be slow on a dial-up internet connection)
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Mekelle Youth Centre PO Box 1727 Mekelle Ethiopia
telephone number (note change from that on older prayer letters) 00 251 34 441 0406
email to a mission partner may be sent to surname@crosslinks.org, replacing surname as appropriate
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We are grateful for a team of churches, individuals and trusts that support the work of Crosslinks. In 2007 we are pleased to have the support of Irish Aid for Karen.