Prayer for Eshelman family

December 8, 2008 – 5:14 pm

The following is a prayer request from David Hosaflook, missionary in Albania, on behalf of a fellow worker in Albania:

Please pray and consider action for the Eshelman Family

Shortly after we arrived in Albania in 1992, our friends Hugh and Deb Hoffman from Orlando Baptist Church helped establish the tiny ABC Medical Clinic in Tirana, which has literally been a life saver for Albanians and the expat community.  For years, the Clinic was served by short-term foreign physicians, until our friends Dr. Guy and Carolyn Eshelman left a successful medical career to serve in the Clinic full time and expand its vision and ministry.  They serve through the Christar missionary organization.  Dr. Eshelman is one of our prayer partners and has more than once answered our cellphone calls at inconvenient hours to help guide us through a medical crisis.

Dr. Eshelman has been charged by the Albanian government with failure to report a case of child abuse which came into his clinic.  He was in language school when the children were seen in the clinic; he never saw the children; and his staff reported the abuse to the authorities they thought responsible.  In every way Dr. Eshelman was honorable and ethical.

Prior to interviewing Eshelman, the Albanian prosecutor’s office leaked the story to a mainstream newspaper (one with the journalistic integrity of the tabloids).  The paper reported as fact Eshelman’s guilt, accomplishing two things: 1) damaging Eshelman’s reputation and 2) creating prejudice for the judge/jury.  The conduct of the prosecutor’s office is in every way unethical, causing us all to interpret this as politically motivated, intended to take an issue of high emotion (child abuse) and give the impression of the government cracking down, thus shifting attention away from other issues the government hasn’t cracked down on.

Here is what we need to do:

1. PLEASE PRAY for Dr Guy, his wife Carolyn, and their four children.

2. Please consider writing a letter complaining of the treatment of Dr. Eshelman, particularly leaking information to the newspapers before even interviewing him to find out the full facts.  Ask them to DISMISS all charges against Dr Guy and to EXONERATE him from wrongdoing.  Please be respectful and brief, and emphasize that you will be following the situation.  The addresses are below.

3. Please consider asking your congressmen and senators to write letters complaining of this shameful and unethical treatment of an American.

4. Letters should be sent to:

Ina Rama, General Prosecutor
Rr. Qemal Stafa
Tirana
Albania

And send copies to:

Prime Minister Prof. Dr. Sali Berisha
Bulevardi “Deshmoret e Kombit”
Nr. 1,100
Tirana
Albania

Ambassador John L. Withers
United States Embassy
Rruga e Elbasani No. 103
Tirana, Albania

for His increase,

David & Kristi Hosaflook

John 3:30

www.hosaflook.info