Tears of Fear, Dreams for My Country: Based on the True Life Story of a Long Time Refugee

By Francis L. Gbee

Francis Gbees dream for his country is thus, [for] our motherland, for us to rise and raise our flag with the guiding star while singing songs of freedom with joy, for justice, liberty and prosperity shall forever more reign. But he realizes that the price of many lives will have to be paid to achieve this vision. This can be realized through this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 11, 2015
• ISBN: 9781514420362

Francis L. Gbee

Francis Leon Gbee was born on April 6, 1947. He is now working with the Department of Children Services (DCS) at Somerville, Tennessee. He left his country, South Sudan, during the Juba massacre of 1964. He took refuge first in the Central African Republic (CAR), from where he earned a United Nations (UN) scholarship to further his studies in Liberia/West Africa. He has a BA degree in history from Liberia University (LU). He left Liberia in 1989 during its civil war and crossed to the Ivory Coast. He and his family left the Ivory Coast in 1997 for the United States as resettled refugees in Memphis, Tennessee. Mr. Gbee is a father and a grandfather. He holds a master’s degree in rducation from Christian Brother’s University (CBU) in Memphis. He was a founder and first principal of BWI Comprehensive in Liberia, an adult trade school. He was also a founder and first director of African Professional Institute (API) that taught accounting, bookkeeping, and French to Liberian Refugees in Danané, Ivory Coast. Mr. Gbee is a people’s person and likes to work for the good of all humanity. He is always laughing and jokes most of the time that one can mistakenly take him for not being serious. It is always his desire to be a writer and give educational opportunity to others. But above all, Mr. Gbee is a God-fearing family man.

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Copyright © 2015 by Francis L. Gbee.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Rev. date: 11/23/2015

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CONTENTS

Foreword

Preface

Chapter One: A Typical African Village

Chapter Two: My Father’s Story

Chapter Three: City Life

Chapter Four: Tragic Day

Chapter Five: Escape from Juba

Chapter Six: Bor

Chapter Seven: Habakkuk Camp

Chapter Eight: Becoming a Refugee

Chapter Nine: Pauline

Chapter Ten: Life as a Refugee

Chapter Eleven: Second-time Refugee

Chapter Twelve: Resettled Refugee

Chapter Thirteen: When the Heart Desires

Chapter Fourteen: Freedom in the Horizon

Chapter Fifteen: What a Diverse Country

Chapter Sixteen: Shattered Dream

Chapter Seventeen: Fear of War

Poem

Acknowledgments

Synopsis

Endnotes

To my late parents, Leon and Medina Gbee for bringing me up to be the man I am today, my beautiful wife Pauline Morris Gbee, for her unconditional love and support during my struggle in Africa and here in America to come up with this novel.

My children: Felix, Elvina, Leon, Morris, Noah, Assunta, Philip and Angelina for all their understanding and selfless love you gave me. To you I commit and give you my unconditional love.

To my late brother Franco Zegino, he always wanted me to tell this story. Let his soul rest in peace and not forgetting his wife Rose Bashir and 4 children – Tidy, Xavier, Venus and Habibie. I love you all.

And to my grandchildren – Francis, Jiovanni Allen, Kashmir, Daviana, Minisare, Aden, Micah, Zereda, Wreh, Noah, Angelia, Amirrah and Lilly- for giving me a new life, love, and inspiration. You make my life complete.

From me with love - to the citizens of South Sudan both at home and all over the world and to the people of the great United State of America.

And finally to all my wonderful colleges, the counselors at Wilder Youth Development Center (WYDC) where I presently work for their persistence and encouragement wanting to hear my story and that I write this novel, I will have a profound memory of them all thank you. Most specially these counselors: Augustine Anderson, Anita Cobb, Dina Rivers, Elizabeth Ray Bufford, Kathy King, Monique Simmons, Regina Cox, Sharon Ragland, Kenneth Thunderbird who kept on asking when the book will be ready. They will love to read it.

Foreword

Typically when two paths cross, it seems to be just an ordinary occurrence. Sometimes, however, this seemingly ordinary occurrence proves to be much more. Such is the case with Francis Gbee and me. Our paths crossed while we worked at the same facility with troubled youth. I immediately recognized something different about him – beyond his dialect and background – a wisdom and perspective that was both interesting and inspiring. It was obvious that he was different – in a good way. For several years, our interaction was limited to brief conversations here and there. Later, however, we began restorative work with the youth through a Balanced and Restorative Justice initiative. This work helped the youth understand their own trauma and focused on helping them understand how their actions harmed other, and how they could, to the extent possible, right the wrong or bring restoration to the person or persons their actions harmed. It was through our partnership in this work that I began to know Francis Gbee much better and was able to experience the wisdom he gained from his life experiences.

During this time, several characteristics stood out about Francis Gbee: 1) He is a Christian man who understands with whom true life is found and from whom all good things flow; 2) He possesses great wisdom; 3) He values knowledge/education and believes in the positive impact it can have on one’s mind and life; 4) He cares about others and has a heart that wants to help the troubled youth he works with find a better path; 5) He is multi-lingual, aware of different cultures, and appreciates diversity; 6) He is humble; 7)He see opportunity and strives to unite people and find solutions and 8) He has a great love for the country that is now his home as well as the country from whence he came. As we worked together with the youth, I saw all of these characteristics manifested in his work, his words, and his daily interactions with others.

I often admired how Francis would share just the right story with the youth to illustrate a point, or share a personal trial he endured that would provide encouragement, or even disclose mistakes he’d made in order to share a lesson learned. Likewise, he would offer enlightening and sometimes funny stories or parables to illustrate a life lesson. Francis always treated the youth with respect and strived to lift their thinking, their spirits, their self-esteem, and their personal goals for their future to a higher place.

In the pages of his book, Francis describes a work that is foreign to me and many who will read it. Though we certainly have domestic problems within our country that threaten our safety and well-being, it is hard to imagine the type of violence, evil, and instability that Francis lived in and that is still occurring daily for so many people in our world. But rather than be defeated by all of this, Francis rose to the challenge and fought to better himself, his family, and his country. His determination, optimism, and resilience have made him more than a survivor - it has made him a man of peace with dreams and high ideals. While Francis’ life story is full of hardship, uncertainty, closed doors, and disappointments, and at times, seemingly insurmountable challenges, you will see a man of courage, resilience, determination, persistence, optimism, and gratitude. You will see how he accepts the bad with the good, seizes new opportunities when doors unexpectedly close, how he strives for betterment, shares with others, and continues to pursue his dreams; all with a spirit of gratitude. Additionally, his life gives witness to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit who was and is always guiding, providing protection and a way, whether through chance meetings, the kindness of strangers, opportunity, courage, or the strength to just get through the day.

Walking with Francis Gbee through the harrowing experience he details brings awareness and concern for the many for whom it is still a daily reality. Reading about such fear, chaos, and instability highlights how greatly blessed we are in the United States of America. Through the providence of God, our forefathers drafted a great form and structure of government that we must strive to keep. I thank God for his blessings on the United States of America and I thank Him for making a way for Francis and his family to come here. I pray that in the yet unwritten pages of his life story, Francis will be able to fulfill his life’s dream for his country and in the process he will also provide a legacy for ours.

By Amy Barcraft

Former Superintendent

Wilder Youth Development Center (WYDC)

Somerville, TN. 38068

1. If there’s a book you really want to read but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.

By: Toni Morrison, American novelist, editor, and professor

2. The world will not be destroyed by those who do evil, but by those who watch them without doing anything.

By: Albert Einstein

3. If you are neutral on situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

By: Desmond Tutu

Preface

This book is not intended in any shape or form to serve as an autobiography, rather as a means to bring to the attention of the readers and the world about the sole truth of the different faces of life that men go through and to bring to attention what others do to survive when faced with obstacles and the demand of life to make ends meet. It is based on true life experience and event that actually took place. Most of the names are true names of those who took part in the various events with the exception of few who are deliberately left out in the book to protect their identity and to avoid conflict. Hence, all their names are replaced with fictitious names and only those who know these various events or heard about it will be able to tell/identify these people with fictitious names.

I want the reader to picture how life could be different and better if those leaders in South Sudan are to foresee and forecast as patriots to vigilantly serve their country and the people who elected them into the leadership position. It goes on to caution prospective leaders not to make the same mistakes of those heartless leaders now in power they.

For people to have a profound nostalgia about all their heroes who fought to bring about independent for its people, the book is encouraging those Generals to step back and let those who know the art of politics, and government, democracy and the rule of law to take over leadership and history will speak of them as great Generals and not murderers. The book also encourages each and every one who could or is in