Twenty years ago today an unusual group set off for a meeting in Albania which was to have a surprising outcome.
Dr Janet Goodall had just retired after a successful career as consultant paediatrician in North Staffordshire when she was invited by Ron Newby, of the international charity Global Care, to give medical advice as he had been invited to see the Albanian orphanages.
Although Janet had agreed to accompany Ron the following week, she was slightly concerned by the lack of planning as they had no visas, no local currency, no knowledge of the language and he hadn’t received any answers to his faxes explaining their intentions to some of the government ministries.”
However, she was relieved when just a few days before they were due to fly on Thursday, September 26, 1991, Ron told her that he had stumbled across an Albanian-speaking Christian, Sali Rahmani, pictured below today, who had agreed to accompany them.
Midway through the flight Janet’s heart sank when she learned that her interpreter was on the Albanian Government’s blacklist because of his Christian activities.
“We therefore set off without visas and a ‘suspicious character’ not knowing whether we would all three be clapped into jail on arrival,” said Janet.
However, there was no chance of Sali slipping unnoticed into the country. As he left the plane and walked over to the terminal he was so emotional at being back in Albania that, in Papal fashion, he fell on his knees, kissed the tarmac, and shouted ‘Hallelujah’ in front of bemused passengers and airline staff.
The next day, Janet, Sali and Ron were invited into the Foreign Affairs office of Dr Maksim Bozo, who fished Ron’s faxes out of his shirt pocket and said that he had been expecting them, even though he had never replied to them.
Dr Bozo, whom Janet was delighted to learn was a paediatrician like herself, introduced them to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. The room was full of about a dozen people, the equivalent of Britain’s senior civil servants, as Sali began translating for Ron and Janet and explaining why they had come.
Sali was slightly unnerved by a very senior person sitting opposite to him, who kept looking at him and smiling while he was talking.
When there was a break in the meeting the civil servant sidled up to Sali and asked him: “What is your job?”
“I am a missionary, I preach the gospel,” replied Sali.
“Have you spoken on the radio, I think I recognise your voice,” he continued, to which Sali admitted he did.
“Is your name Luan Mateu?” he asked again. When Sali replied it was his radio name, the civil servant embraced him.
“I am so glad to see you,” he said. The official told how he had been ordered by the Albanian Government to monitor the radio programmes, which he did. He later told his bosses that there was nothing to worry about from the broadcasts, but he continued to listen.
“Something has happened to me, thanks to your radio programme,” he said.
When they reassembled after coffee, the minister said to Sali in front of everyone: “I gather you have a radio name and a real name, but that doesn’t matter. We are glad you have a heart for your country and we welcome you and thank you for your visit, even though I gather you have already been visiting us for a long time, in fact every night.”
The meeting was such a success that Dr Bozo took Janet, Sali and Ron in his ministry car, plus chauffeur, on a tour to visit paediatric institutions around the country.
To find out more about their trip email John@jbutterworth.plus.com to buy a signed copy of God’s Secret Listener for the special price of £6 plus postage.
No comments:
Post a Comment