Remembering Libya and the Sahara is the true story of the author's move to Tripoli, Libya where he and his family lived for four years during the "pre-Gaddafi" era. From 1954 to 1958, C.M. Rhodes served as a missionary in a country that, 53 years later would incinerate into a hot bed of political and social upheaval, violence and death. Mr. Rhodes' memoir details the history of the region, customs of the Arab people, travels to explore ancient ruins and sites in surrounding cities, plus day-to-day life in a culture so different from his own it demanded a new mind-set. While living in Tripoli, Mr. Rhodes received the invitation of a lifetime - to cross the Sahara Desert by jeep as the guest of Somalia's Vice General, Dr. Gualtiero Benardelli. That 4-week trek over a 6,000-mile stretch of sand and rock was fraught with challenges, hardships and danger. Twice the author's life was threatened. The diary Mr. Rhodes kept and countless photos taken along the way capture his Sahara adventure - encounters with African natives, indigenous wildlife, and breathtaking scenery. Join him for a trip down Memory Lane in an Africa that used to be.
About the Author: C.M. Rhodes was born in Yale, Oklahoma in 1920. He attended Murray State College, Abilene Christian College and Freed-Hardeman College, and then completed resident work or extension courses at the University of Alabama, Alabama Christian College and the University of Milan (Italy). Mr. Rhodes served in the Air Corps as a flight officer and a glider pilot with the 82nd Airborne, 1st Troop Carrier Command. For thirteen years, the author of Remembering Libya and the Sahara served as minister of the Selma, Alabama Church of Christ, and for four years as a missionary in North Africa. It was during this period that he became keenly interested in the civil rights movement and the threat of communism. Extensive studies of these issues led Mr. Rhodes to the lecture circuit where he spoke to civic assemblies, ministerial associations, churches, schools and colleges throughout the South and in California. While living in North Africa, Mr. Rhodes accepted an offer to travel by jeep across the Sahara Desert as the guest of Somalia's Vice General. The diary Mr. Rhodes kept of that adventure became his memoir, Remembering Libya and the Sahara. After a twenty-seven year career in business, Mr. Rhodes retired but remains active teaching Bible classes, reading voraciously, and researching a variety of subjects.