Missionaries Mercenaries And Misfits

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. Author Bio: Russell Wolford was born in Ohio and graduated from Ohio State University. He worked as a government bureaucrat in pre-war Somalia, a project director building low cost houses in the South Pacific and a country director managing a relief project in war-torn Somalia. He founded a refugee resettlement organization in Ohio during the time of a large influx of refugees from East Africa. He has been in the middle of some tumultuous events and offers honest, first-hand accounts. Patricia Wolford was born in China to a Foreign Service family. She lived in many places and was familiar with the comfortable lifestyle of embassy personnel. She graduated from UCLA. After marrying Russell and joining him on Third World adventures, she showed that she was a rebel and willing to do the hard work necessary to help the downtrodden and to be an advocate for the underdog. She raised a family, helped juvenile delinquents in a Port Moresby slum and fed street children in Nairobi, Kenya. Her heart for the needy truly shows in her narratives. keywords: Religion, Missionaries, Mercenaries, Christian, Somalia, Civil War, Africa, Kenya, Genocide, Missionary