Translator Sali's amazing story

The other translator who came to my rescue at the Keswick Convention was Sali Rahmani, a Kosovo Albanian who now lives in Northamptonshire and works for the police and the NHS helping translate for his countrymen who need help and don’t speak much English.

Sali Rahmani has an amazing life story, having been healed of blindness as a baby, became a Christian by attending an open air meeting in Vienna, was interrogated by the Yugoslav police as they believed he was a CIA agent, and was one of the first missionaries in Albania after it opened its borders in 1991.

Although he hadn’t seen Berti for more than ten years, Sali had played a vital part in establishing the church in Lushnje, which Berti now leads.

But his most important role had been as the radio presenter of the European Christian Mission programme which was sent every week from the UK to Monte Carlo for Trans World Radio to beam into Albania. Sali, who used the nom de plume Luan Matteu to protect his identity, transmitted a gospel message into Albania for 24 years not knowing if anyone was listening.

It was many more years later before Sali found out he had had many secret listeners, including Berti, who as an army officer put himself at great risk by listening in secret.

It was probably the first time the two of them had ever told their story in public in England when they were interviewed at Keswick in front of 3,500 last Sunday.

Because time is of the essence in such a big convention Jo Jowett, Keswick and ECM trustee, pictured below with Berti and Sali (right), had a practice session to keep them to their allotted time of seven minutes, which they passed with flying colours.

But you can't stop Sali once he gets going, and in front of a large crowd and the bright lights of Keswick he was in his element. They made an absolute brilliant double act, but with Sali’s passion and emotion the timing went out of the window.

The interview lasted 15 minutes, but the audience absolutely loved it and gave three rounds of applause, which I am told, is unheard of at Keswick.

Berti and Sali thoroughly enjoyed speaking Albanian, reliving their memories and catching up with news from the last ten years. Sali drove Berti from Keswick to Heathrow so he could get his plane home and I am told the Albanian conversation didn’t stop all the way down the M6 and the M1.

If you would like to read Sali’s amazing story in God’s Secret Listener email me at John@jbutterworth.plus.com to buy a copy.