Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits

Russell Wolford

Description

In 1986, Mogadishu, Somalia, was the safest capital in Africa. In 1994 it was vastly different than our introduction to Somalia in the previous decade. A civil war had broken out, and Somalia was in chaos.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie

Informations

• Publié par: First Edition Design Publishing
• Date de parution: 10 octobre 2013
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781622873432
• Langue: English

Extrait

MISSIONARIES, MERCENARIES AND MISFITS
Russell and Patricia Wolford


First Edition Design Publishing
MISSIONARIES, MERCENARIES AND MISFITS

Russell and Patricia Wolford

An American Family Living in the Third World

It’s better to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.
President Teddy Roosevelt
Missionaries, Mercenaries and Misfits
Copyright ©2013 Russell and Patricia Wolford

ISBN 978-1622873-44-9 PRINT
ISBN 978-1622-873-43-2 EBOOK

LCCN 2013950302

September 2013

Distributed by
First Edition Design Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 20217, Sarasota, FL 34276-3217
www.firsteditiondesignpublishing.com



ALL R I G H T S R E S E R V E D. No p a r t o f t h i s b oo k pub li ca t i o n m a y b e r e p r o du ce d, s t o r e d i n a r e t r i e v a l s y s t e m , o r t r a n s mit t e d i n a ny f o r m o r by a ny m e a ns ─ e l e c t r o n i c , m e c h a n i c a l , p h o t o - c o p y , r ec o r d i n g, or a ny o t h e r ─ e x ce pt b r i e f qu ot a t i o n i n r e v i e w s , w i t h o ut t h e p r i o r p e r mi ss i on o f t h e a u t h o r or publisher .
TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOREWORD
PART I
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
1986-1988
ARRIVAL IN MOGADISHU
LIVING IN MOGADISHU
CLANS AND NOMADIC SOCIETIES
FRIENDS AND ACTIVITIES
TRIP TO LONDON
BACK IN MOGADISHU
FALL OF THE SOMALIST
PART II
PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
1990-1992
Our Assignment
LIVING IN PORT MORESBY
THE BAREFOOT DOCTOR
RASCALS, TRIBAL WARS AND HOUSES
WORK CAMP IN MOROBE PROVINCE
FIRST CHRISTMAS IN PORT MORESBY
SOMALIS IN PORT MORESBY?
EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
PART III
TURMOIL IN EAST AFRICA
1993 – 1995
RETURN TO SOMALIA
HORN OF THE HUNTER
THE BANDIT BOYS OF SAAKOW
PAT’S RETURN TO SOMALIA
SHABA SAFARI
RWANDAN REFUGEE CRISIS
HELL IN GOMA
SUMMIT MEETING IN LIBOI
FOOD AND GUNS IN SAAKOW
GUESS WHO’S COMING ON SAFARI
STREET CHILDREN IN NAIROBI, KENYA
POLICE IN NAIROBI
NEW LIFE OFF THE STREETS
VERANDA OF THE NORFOLK
APPENDIX
SOMALI CLANS
PERFECTING THE MOGADISHU SAUNTER
SUMMARY OF HISTORY
Political Map of Somalia
CLAN MAP OF THE ETHNIC GROUPS OF SOMALIA
STREET MAP OF MOGADISHU WITH U.S. EMBASSY BUILDINGS
MAP OF PAPUA NEW GUINEA
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A few years before my mother died, she asked me to sit with her and talk. There was a lull in the conversation, so I said, “I want to write a book.” At the time, I had no idea of writing a book or even what I would write about. So, this book is in honor of Virginia Feustel Linthicum.
We want to thank the people, friends and strangers, who have helped and believed in us. Many years ago, before we wrote this book, Beatty Lightle met with us in cafes and discussed our “writings” as well as encouraged each other. Then Kendra Griffin, a friend of Laura, our oldest daughter, took the time and patience to draw us out a little more in our story telling of our first attempts. Thank you to Ned Johnston for offering to read the book through and give us his thoughts. Sharon Roberts, a published Christian author, also believed in us and said we would get our book published. She had been praying about it, along with our Ladies Bible Study group.
And then there were strangers who encouraged us without knowing it. The lady at the book fair who was selling her book and said she simply sent a letter to a publisher and they picked it up. So Russ sent a letter to Father’s Press and they picked it up. Lastly, while talking Conversational English with one of my students at a French Café, a lady sitting nearby overheard Russ tell one of his African stories. She moved her chair closer and wanted to hear the ending of the story, and said, “You should write a book!”
We want to thank our children who shared the adventures and caught the spirit of living in the Third World.

Patricia Linthicum Wolford
FOREWORD

In 1986, Mogadishu, Somalia, was the safest capital in Africa. The people were nomads and their world view was different than that of Westerners. Somalia was an isolated and unique place. It was partitioned by the colonial powers of England, Italy and France. This partition remains a sore spot with Somalis. Many pan-Somalists want to unify Southern Somalia, Somaliland in the north, Djibouti, northeastern Kenya and the Ogaden region of Ethiopia. Mogadishu was where we were introduced to the Third World and where our adventure began. Mogadishu was peaceful, so we didn’t worry about crime and the usual petty thievery of most African cities. Our biggest concerns centered on not getting sick, how to beat the heat and where to get a good meal. We learned to cope in an alien environment, and it was exciting.
The motto of Papua New Guinea was “Expect the Unexpected”. Beauty and danger existed in a strange harmony like nowhere else. The rugged terrain was punctuated by rushing rivers and plunging ravines. Some of the tribes remained isolated and primitive. Offshore, the waters of the Pacific Ocean varied in beautiful shades of green and aquamarine. There were many idyllic places to visit, but Port Moresby, the capital, was one of the most dangerous places on earth. Building houses in a squatter settlement among rascals, thieves and tribal wars was exciting, scary and fulfilling. The lessons learned in Port Moresby were helpful in our return to East Africa.
A return to Somalia in 1994 was vastly different than our introduction to Somalia in the previous decade. A civil war had broken out, and Somalia was in chaos. Much of the time on a project site in southern Somalia was filled with routine relief work, but an ominous feeling always filled the air. The quiet could easily be broken and a crisis could quickly arise at any moment. This was necessarily a time of negotiating with clan leaders and dealing with clan militia. In addition, living in Nairobi, Kenya and working with street kids and dealing with the dangers they faced was an occupation in itself.
The authors, Russell and Patricia, had different experiences and individually they participated in different events. Furthermore, when they experienced the same thing, they often viewed it differently. As a result this story is told in two voices.
PART I
MOGADISHU, SOMALIA
1986-1988
ARRIVAL IN MOGADISHU
Russ

As the Somali Airways 707 circled on its approach to Mogadishu International, we had a bird’s eye view of Mogadishu. Mogadishu was a city of Arab and Italian influence, with whitewashed and pastel walls, ancient mosques, statues of heroes on horses, and a statue of a boy throwing a stone. From the air it looked like a movie set or even a caricature of an ancient, exotic, remote city of lore. The pale walls and minarets set like citadels on the Indian Ocean. Other expatriates had their own way of describing Mogadishu; our neighbor said it was like going to the moon.
When the time came for an overseas assignment with USAID (United States Agency for International Development), Somalia was one of the available posts. It was about this time that I read a travel article, Perfecting the Mogadishu Saunter, by Blaine Harden of the Washington Post, which highlighted the pleasures and intrigue of Somalia’s capital city. This heightened my interest in the exotic country on the Horn of Africa, so I lobbied for the posting to Somalia. It was also a “make or break” situation with regard to the bureaucratic pitfalls that were awaiting me.
I would be the first full-time Contracting Officer and thought it would be a great opportunity. Most of the work at this time was economic development centered around making hard currency available in the country for businessmen, as well as military assistance to America’s new allies on the Horn of Africa.
Pat, my wife, who was six months pregnant, was very excited to be going overseas again. She hoped to get to know the people and experience a different culture. Pat wanted to be around people from different countries. At this time Somalia was a quiet country that few people knew about, and family and friends had to look at a map to see where it was. Some even had a hard time pronouncing Mogadishu.
En route to Somalia, I was able to show Paris, France to the family that included Laura, age 8 and Katie, age 2. On a previous visit to the most romantic city in the world, I remembered sitting at a quaint sidewalk café. Street lights framed the wide boulevards and the arching bridges. The silhouette of the illuminated Eiffel Tower reflected off the Seine River. I thought that Pat and the kids would certainly like to see this place.
Their impression of the city, however, wasn’t quite what I expected. Their remembrance of Paris was me saying, “It’s just one more bridge, just one more bridge to go.” I had a hard time finding the places that I wanted to show the family. We did find the souvenir stands. Pat wanted to buy a trinket for Laura. She found a pen with a picture of the Eiffel Tower on one side. Laura was very pleased. Pat was too, until she turned the pen around and there was a picture of a woman with her bosoms showing. We kept it for many years. Our second daughter, Katie, was young and hard to handle on the long walks on the city streets. Also, Pat was pregnant. We stayed at Hotel Brighton across from The Tuileries Garden. The hotel had French doors from floor to ceiling and a deep bathtub. What to eat was the challenge every day. Not knowing French, we weren’t sure of what we were ordering or how much it cost, so we drank hot chocolate and ate baguettes. To my surprise everyone was anxious to get going and move on to our next stop, Nairobi, Kenya.
In Nairobi we stayed at the Jacaranda Hotel, a mid-range, locally owned hotel that was very comfortable. It had a swimming pool, beaut