Coming Generation

One of my favorite quotes is “The ultimate question for a responsible man to ask is not how he is to extricate himself heroically from the affair, but how the coming generation is to live” spoken by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. A couple weeks ago we had a great adventure showing our families around Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. One of the best parts was visiting three kids that live in and around Kampala whose lives are being cared for by our parents.

Prior to this visit, both of our families had already committed to sponsoring a child here because education is far beyond so many people’s means. We hear many stories; both great stories that are inspiring and terrible ones that make us feel hopeless. These are three that are inspiring. Robert is a seven-year-old who is really shy and seemed a little surprised by all the attention that was given to him a couple of weeks ago. He loved the racecar backpack with school supplies that my mom had bought him and the card that played “Life is a Highway” every time he opened it (which was often).

The other child that my parents sponsor is a brilliant, 18 year old girl who is an IJM client. She had her land stolen by a relative and IJM is still in the process of restoring to her what is rightfully hers. Sara’s parents also got to meet their child on their visit to Uganda. He is six years old and lives in a rural area outside of Kampala. His mother is an IJM client with a similar story of suffering under injustice. I can’t write about either of their stories yet without permission from IJM because their cases are still ongoing, but I look forward to sharing them.