A Text Message from Adam
Yesterday, I received this text message from my friend Adam:
Dear Gabriel, I believe that to be hopeful is something great and encouraging. But to wait for something in the hands of others for unlimited time is an irresponsibility. So I decided to leave the camps and look for the future again in my village. Although there are everyday troubles that we face here, I feel more hopeful. Thank you. Adam
Photo by: i-ACT
Adam and his family have been very hopeful, and they have waited for ten years. Last year, Adam decided that they had waited too long, and that it was irresponsible for him to keep his children in a refugee camp that offered little hope and no connection to their past or their future. He packed up and went back to Darfur—at exactly the time that Darfur again exploded with violence.
Video of the first time I met Adam
It can be hard to understand why Adam would make that decision and endanger his family by going back to his chaotic and dangerous homeland. But it is also impossible for us to understand what ten years of hopelessness does to the human spirit.
Adam also texted me this yesterday, from somewhere inside Darfur:
Dear Gabriel, Believe me, when I write to you I feel that I have someone that loves us. My love to all in your family. Adam.