Watch this.

I haven't updated for a minute, but I figured rather than me writing about my life, you could just watch what I've been up to. Enjoy. :]

http://blog.invisiblechildren.com/2010/03/life-as-a-roadie/

Relative reunion.

It's a beautiful Saturday in Macedonia, Ohio. The sun is shining down on us, and we're enjoying some free time this afternoon. Heard a rumor that it might snow again tomorrow, so trying to take this all in while it lasts. :]

Good week in Ohio overall, and especially fun for me. I had the opportunity to visit my Grandmother and Aunt Janet while our team made a stop in Kent. I hadn't seen either of them since October, and it was such a wonderful reunion.

We got to spend a few hours together, and it was all so surreal showing up in my Invisible Children shirt, without the rest of my family in tow. But it was so amazing nonetheless. I was really grateful for that time we had together, and even more so that my Aunt Janet was able to stick around for our screening that evening.

What a blessing to get to share with her what I'm involved with, for her to get to hear the story and meet Boni and Leo in person. I know she really appreciated the work we are doing, and I couldn't be happier that our team's schedule worked out this way. SO good.

As far as the rest of my family is concerned, Tom and Rita got to host team Middle America the past few nights. My parents getting to meet so many of my loves? Perfection.

Life continues to get better. Which I wasn't even sure was possible. Sigh. Now it's on to Michigan this Monday, and week five of tour already. I don't know where the time's going. So fast it seems...! I'll try my best to keep up.

Paul Mitchell party.

My favorite part of this past week week: Leo, Tyler and I had a chance to visit a Paul Mitchell hair school in Cincinnati last Wednesday. And it was a BLAST.

The students there, or 'future professionals' as they're called, had previewed the Rough Cut about a week before we showed up. So, they had some knowledge of what our organization does, but you could tell they were itching to know more. They were so attentive to the films we showed, and had a ton of questions to ask by the end. All of them were enthralled by Leo and his life back in Uganda, and were scrambling to pick up as much of our apparel as they could. All of these men and women were so appreciative of our mission, and wanted to know how they could become more involved.

After taking some group photos with us and the 50+ person class, it was time for us to get pampered...for FREE. Tyler got highlights, Leo got a facial, and I got my hair cut. But don't let me fail to mention that Leo and I also got manicures. :]

It was so fun hanging out with everybody, and it was very evident that the story of the invisible children had left an impact on their hearts. They were all moved by what they had seen, and I have complete faith that they will take what they've learned and act on it. Our team really enjoyed this visit, especially when all of the hairstylists broke out into an impromptu dance rendition of Cotton Eyed Joe in the middle of the salon. HA.

This is what tour is about for me. Seeing people's eyes opened. Sharing truth with others and giving them ways to get involved. Developing new friendships and creating memories. Challenging someone to experience a wider perspective. Advocating on behalf of those I may never meet, but loving them from half a world away. I have the best job. Ever.

Kentucky is for lovers.

Our team arrived in Cincinnati around 10:00 this morning after having spent the past week in the state of Kentucky. We're hanging out at Xavier University right now, swiping some free Internet. :]

I think all of us could agree that Kentucky was a blast. Last Wednesday we had the opportunity to attend the Miss University of Louisville pageant on campus at the U of L. One of the contestants, Melanie, had contacted our offices before we left for tour asking if the Great Lakes team would like to attend this event while we were in town.

Melanie is a huge supporter of Invisible Children, and has chosen our organization for her philanthropy work. Each contestant has a specific platform or issue they support as a part of the pageant, and Melanie just so happened to have been involved with IC for some time.

This night was definitely fun for everybody, but especially for Boni and Leo, who had never seen something quite like this back in Uganda. The talent portion was so great, as the ladies entertained us with batons, tap dancing, fiddling, and a few ballads. Sort of the pageant stuff you see in the movies. Haaa.

When it came time to announce the winners, Melanie won for Best Evening Gown, as well as Best Community Service [for the work she's done with IC in and around Louisville]. We were thrilled, and would have been so excited if that had been it. But wouldn't you know it - Melanie went and won the whole title. YAY!

As Miss University of Louisville, she'll spend the next year speaking and advocating on behalf of the children in Northern Uganda at different occasions in her community. Not to mention she's going on to compete in the Miss Kentucky pageant this July, and if she wins that, it's on to Miss America. Bahhh!

We were so proud of our girl, and definitely cheered louder than anyone in that room. Our team went up to meet Melanie after they announced her as the winner, and she was so gracious when we introduced ourselves. She began to cry and explain how much she admired what we are doing, and how she wants to 'be like us.' It was so sweet, and definitely an encouragement to continue on with what we've started, to remember how lives can change when challenged to serve and step out in faith.

Overall, we had a wonderful time in the land of the Derby. The landscape was beautiful, with all the tree-lined highways and broad pastures. I loved the hospitality we were met with - not to mention the sweet tea. Mmm...! Visiting Kentucky made me miss living in the South for sure, and I was so grateful that these stops had been placed on the tour. The warm weather and the charming accents will surely be missed, but I am glad to have had a week there. Now it's time to hit Ohio with some TRUTH. Yes, please.

Week one done.

*** I wrote this bit on Sunday, but didn't have Internet access readily available to post it until now. So, there's that.

Alright. The first week of tour is officially under my belt. And I can honestly say I’ve had a pretty wide range of experiences just in the past few days. We visited one high school where more than 900 people turned out to hear from Boni and the rest of our team, and two days later we had another function where less than 40 showed up. We stayed with a great farming family who introduced us to their cows and machinery, and then also spent the night in a home that boasted an elevator and a personal movie theater.

It's been fun traveling around Indiana and meeting countless people who are so supportive of what Invisible Children does. It reminds me of why I signed up to be a part of this. It’s encouraging to hear how lives are changing and schools are transforming by becoming involved with our organization, serving a need greater than their own. The contacts in this area have certainly done well to spur us on as we continue throughout the next few weeks.

Outside of our screenings, we have had some time to relax and explore. We caught some of the Olympic games this week, and had a free afternoon to visit the Indianapolis Museum of Art. The museum had four floors, and it was SO beautiful. I especially loved the level that housed the modern art – I could’ve spent hours getting lost in there. But probably the best part of that whole adventure was that admittance was free…! That’s what I’m talking about.

Another highlight of the week came last Tuesday, while we were in Fort Wayne. We woke up that morning to find snow falling all around us. I wasn’t too impressed, considering I’ve seen this same thing thousands of times before. But for Boni and Leo, it was the first time they’d watched flakes fall to the ground. So, it was definitely cause for a celebration. We laughed and danced around and took pictures in the beauty.

It’s so incredible to be traveling with these Ugandan friends. They help me to keep everything in perspective, and remind me that there is so much in my everyday that I take for granted. I am learning to appreciate even the most ‘ordinary’ things, because I am realizing that not everyone around the world can share in those. I am beginning to understand how small I am in comparison to the bigger picture, but I am so glad that this is the story I get to live out.

Let the tour begin.

The Legacy Tour is officially underway. [YES!] We had a beautiful launch dinner last Monday night with great food, a preview of our advocates' update videos, and an incredible Acholi dance from all of our Ugandan friends to top it off. The night was magical, a way to reflect on the weeks previous and look forward to what is to come.

Tuesday was a crazybusy day in the office marked by organizing all of our merchandise and packing everything into our two vans. Luckily we fit it all in quite nicely, with room to spare for our personal luggage. :]

Wednesday morning all ten teams and Invisible Children staff persons met at Mount Soledad in San Diego as a final send off. I've been told this is the highest point in the city, and it has such an amazing view overlooking the water and the residential areas below. We heard from two American and two Ugandan roadies, each with their own special words to share about embarking on this journey. Jason, one of the co-founders of IC, spoke last. He shared the famous words of Nelson Mandela with us all before we departed:

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."

After some tearful good-byes, each team packed in their respective vehicles and began the long trek ahead. My team, Great Lakes, had the opportunity to caravan with three other teams along the way - Mountain West, Middle America, and New England. We had SUCH a great time driving across the country together, sightseeing and swapping vans. I wish we could all do a HUGE national tour, going from city to city with 20+ people in tow. It would be ridiculous. And amazing.

Our route looked something like this: San Diego on Wednesday morning to Flagstaff, Arizona Wednesday night. Flagstaff to Amarillo, Texas Thursday night. Amarillo to St. Louis Friday night. And St. Louis to Rockford, Ohio Saturday night. As my dad pointed out, 4 time zones in 4 days. BAH! It was a whole lotta driving, but we made it and definitely enjoyed ourselves in the process.

We took Sunday to rest, and had our first official screening at Parkway High School this morning. It went pretty well, and makes me excited for all the other places we get to go and the faces we get to meet. I can already see how busy tour is going to be, but as I have been reminded so many times: This is what I signed up for. I think I am up for the challenge, and I know I am ready to grow. Here goes nothing...!

Valentine's Day. Best yet.

LOVE. My day was filled with it. As it should be, since this is a national holiday devoted to that very idea.

I walked to church this morning with my darling friend Shannon, who hails from New Zealand. The sun was shining bright as we headed over to Crosspointe, and it was quite warm at that time already. I'd say it was around 80 degrees, which is so much nicer than the 18 degree weather back in Iowa. :]

The service was really great. Neither of us had tried out this church before, but I'm SO glad that we did. It was such an incredibly honest time of worship, and exactly what I needed to begin this crazy week I have ahead of me. [Legacy Tour launches on Wednesday...! BAH.]

Shannon and I grabbed some lunch together, too, at this local coffee shop in a fun district of La Mesa. A lot of roadies had the exact same idea, apparently, as we bumped into a bunch of teammates while were there. YAY!

After that, our Ugandan friends joined a huge group of us at a soccer field near our house. A game broke out pretty quickly, as did a whole lotta dancing. [!!!!!!] Someone had driven a few of the IC vans over to the field, so we opened up the doors and cranked up the jams. We all danced together to the likes of Jay.Z and Lady Gaga, and a few Acholi artists, also.

It was maybe the most fun I've had since I got here, and I don't say that lightly. It felt SO good to let loose and laugh and have a good time with our new friends. The Ugandans have been in San Diego for just over a week now, and it's amazing to see how they've opened up in that short time. Friendships are forming, teams are growing closer, and stories are being shared. I am so blessed by their insight and perspective on life, and grateful to learn from their experiences [which are far removed from my own]. This tour is going to be phenomenal. Obviously. HA!

I don't think anybody wanted to break up the party, but everything died down after a while, and a van of Western roadies took off chasing the sun. We wanted to make it to the beach in time to see the sunset. Sigh. So a dozen of us headed out to Sunset Cliffs, which is exactly what it sounds like. An incredible lookout spot on some sharp cliffs over the ocean. Wonderful.

We made it in time to watch the sun go down, and took a thousand pictures in the process. I am going to miss so many of them when we travel to our separate regions in a few days, so it was beyond special to share in that moment with all of them. Not to mention we ruined many a romantic couple's evening on the cliffs by being loud and generally obnoxious. Oops.

I am in LOVE with reality. And it keeps getting better. Happy Valentine's Day!

On things that are good. As in, Ugandan friends.

It's been two weeks since I last had an entry. Not sure how time has slipped by like that, but I suppose that's not a bad thing. I definitely know it's not for lack of life to write about, but I suppose nothing is QUITE as exciting as winning one million dollars. :]

No, a lot has happened here. I've gotten to do some of my favorite things, in fact. Think:

Trader Joe's. Jamba Juice. Target. Trolley downtown. Urban Outfitters. Chick sweet tea. In-N-Out. Ocean Beach. Sunset. Worship on the back porch. Journey Church. Community. Forrest Gump. Target. Tattoo. Space Jam. Laughter. First screening. P.O.D. party. Spontaneous dancing. Hook. Hugs. Kickball. Thai food. Thrifting. Honest prayer. Birthday celebrations. House donations. Sleeping in. Jamming in the van. Being challenged. Being comforted. Coffee shops. New friendships. Long walks.

[I realize many of these items revolve around eating. They don't call it the Roadie 15 for nothing. BAH.]

But the best thing of all happened last night. All 50+ of us roadies and interns and some staff persons from Invisible Children went to the airport to greet our friends from Uganda. After more than 26 hours of travel time, they touched down in San Diego on Saturday evening. Our crew was there to welcome them with large signs and loud cheers. As soon as we spotted their group of 16, everything erupted.

There were shouts and waves and smiles, and even a few tears on my part. I couldn't help myself. I was so overwhelmed with joy, and with LOVE. For the majority of the Ugandans, this was their first time to America. They came all this way to share their story, to have their voices be heard, to advocate on their own behalf.

I watched the Rough Cut documentary more than four years ago, when I was a freshman in college. At that time I was struck by the atrocities saw, appalled at the injustice we were allowing to happen, and questioning what I was going to do about it. And now here I was, hugging Boni, the boy I had first seen on a screen in a chapel in Orange City, Iowa. I couldn't even believe what was happening. It was so surreal, and I was struck with how incredible our God is. Who knew my life would take this route? I am in complete awe.

Boni and Leo were so thrilled to see us. They spotted our welcome sign right away, and said that all of their traveling fatigue was forgotten when they saw they crowd of people waiting to greet them. It's going to be SUCH an incredible ten weeks on the road with them, I almost can't stand my excitement...! I am blessed beyond words for this opportunity, and I am definitely going to make the most of every moment.

But the best part of last night came when my teammate Cathleen asked Boni what he was excited about in coming to the United States. His response: "I was most excited to meet all of you. I have been looking at your pictures and dreaming about the day I would get to meet you." My heart melted. This is the who I get to spend the next three months of my life with. Thanks, Jesus.

What a WEEK. Millionaires much?

Here's a breakdown of my time spent in San Diego thus far:

Arrived at the house late on Thursday night the 14th.

Started work at 8 o'clock in the morning on Friday. Trained all day until 6:00 p.m., getting a crash course introduction to our organization.

Saturday morning we were back in the office at 8:00 a.m. And thus began the Chase Giveaway extravaganzaaaaa. This past week, Chase Bank held a competition wherein the non-profit organization with the most votes on their Facebook page by Friday the 22nd would win ONE MILLION DOLLARS. Invisible Children was competing against 99 other non-profits for the prize, what would be the largest grant we've ever received, and potentially the largest online giveaway yet.

Additionally, Invisible Children had committed to donating $100,000 to Haiti relief efforts if we won. We definitely want to finish what we've started in Northern Uganda, but we also recognized an incredible need in Haiti, and wanted to step in to that situation and assist as best as we could. So if we nabbed the first place spot, we would be able to help our friends in Uganda as well as our neighbors in Haiti.

Our game plan was to get in touch with EVERYONE on our contact list - essentially anyone who had ever watched a screening, purchased a T-shirt, donated a few dollars, or ordered one of our products online. This entire last week was spent calling THOUSANDS of IC supporters all over the world [New Zealand, Australia, Scotland, England], sending out mass e.mails, texting our entire phonebook, and advertising ALL over Facebook through our profile pictures and status updates. We went full out, and we worked HARD.

Saturday: 8 to 6
Sunday: OFF
Monday: 8 to 7
Tuesday: 8 to 9
Wednesday: 6 to 7
Thursday: 7 to 9
Friday: 5 to 9

[I joked that most people work a 9:00 to 5:00 job everyday. But those of us who work for IC get to be in the office from 5:00 to 9:00. BAH.]

It was a week of ups and downs. We were in second place by 11,000 votes at one point. And then we were up by 22,000. Just when we got comfortable, an unsuspected organization started creeping in on us. The competitor in second place started increasing in votes exponentially, vastly decreasing the margin between first and second place. By Thursday, it became apparent it would be a race to finish, and every vote would count.

GOOD NEWS IS::: WE WON! [!!!!!!!!!!!!] We worked so fervently, and by only 1,300 votes, we were able to pull it off. There was serious speculation of poor behavior by the second place contestant: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/22/fraud-in-facebookchase-co_n_433928.html

But we STILL WON: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/01/22/chase-community-giving-co_n_433689.html

We had tons of celebrity support through Twitter and Facebook: Jessica Simpson, Katy Perry, Jeremy Cowart, Rainn Wilson, David Archuleta, Demi Lovato, To Write Love on Her Arms, Pete Wentz, RELEVANT Magazine, Ashlee Simpson, Kristin Chenoweth, and MORE.

But these people aren't the reason we won. It's because Invisible Children is based on grassroots efforts, on relationship building and being intentional with our supporters. These are the people who were still voting and rooting us on at 8:57 p.m. Friday night.

There was an incredible celebration after we won. A dance party broke out initially, with all 100+ some people who showed up in the office that night to volunteer their time. It was craaaazy. After the dancing subsided a bit, we said a prayer of blessing over the money. A minister involved with our organization came in and prayed that we would be good stewards of the winnings, and that we would remember that this isn't our money, but God's.

It was a powerful moment, and I felt so blessed to be a part of it. Friday night was euphoric, and I want to remember that feeling forever. I want to bottle up all of those emotions and treasure them forever. It was so incredible to have played a part in this achievement, but what an intense first week to have here...!

This is a long post, and it's been a long past few days. Thanks for reading. :]

Here's a link to a local San Diego morning show we were featured on. Yiiiip! See if you can spot me: http://www.kusi.com/news/goodmorning/82187387.html

Hey, Sabbath.

First Sunday in San Diego. Definitely a solid day all around.

Hopped in the van this morning with several roadie friends and headed over to the Harbor, a church that meets in this precious elementary school near Ocean Beach. It's a pretty close-knit community - us IC folks nearly doubled their congregation size - but it was obvious their hearts were in the right place.

We had a time of prayer where we focused our attention on the situation in Haiti. The pastor mentioned that the response of the Haitian people need not be to work more and rebuild what has been ruined. Instead, their response to this disaster should simply be to worship. I liked that suggestion. Such truth.

After church our group walked over to Ocean Beach. I haven't seen the Pacific Ocean for about seven years now, so it was a special moment. So nice to feel the sand on my toes and hear the waves crashing again. Mmm.

For the next few hours we hung out with the homeless crowd that collects there at OB. They do lunch together every week at the same time, while other people come to hang out - people from the Harbor, roadies, and others. The point isn't to serve the men a meal. It's more about spending the time together and being intentionally relational.

This man Larry entertained us for a bit while he sang and played guitar. Most of his songs were those he'd written, and each was based on a certain passage from the Bible. He was quite modest, but also rather talented. While Larry strummed his acoustic, other people were flying kites and playing Frisbee near the shore.

I met a young guy named Kenny while we were out there. We struck up an easy conversation, and before I knew it we were talking about all the places he'd lived and how he likes to drive 125 miles per hour on the interstate. [CRAZY.] A few of us talked to him for a while, asking questions and laughing as he described his adventures jumping off of the pier at OB. Before we left, I told Kenny how nice it was to have met him, and he said the same and gave me a hug. I made sure it was a side-hug, though. I still wanted to abide by IC policies even if I was at the beach. HAA.

Since last semester, Sunday dinners in the roadie house have been reserved for soul food. Mmmboy. Tonight, about sixty of us volunteers and employees from IC gathered in our garage to enjoy a fine meal of fried chicken, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, okra, and sweet tea. YUM. It was a frenzy to get everyone their food, but then within ten minutes everything on the table had devoured. Such a fun time, though. And hoping that this continues to be a weekly tradition...!

Other than that, I've been studying a lot today and brushing up on my knowledge of the organization. There's so much I have to learn, but I am ready to do it. I wanna be as prepared as possible for when we hit the road. About one month to go until we all pack up and head our separate ways. It's gonna be ridiculous. In the best possible way.

I am incredibly grateful for this opportunity. And my life has already been so enriched in a few short days. Can't wait to see what else is in store. YAYYYY!

Life is beautiful.

I have been in San Diego just shy of 48 hours now. But it has been such a packed two days. Nearly 20 of those hours were spent in the office, getting schooled in the values of the organization and attempting to win one million dollars through Chase Community Bank.

Everyone is just as wonderful as I could've hoped for them to be. And the schedule is already as packed as I had anticipated it would be.

I love that it is 75 degrees outdoors. I love that our house is always buzzing. I love doing work that means something. I love knowing people who want the same things I do. I love meeting friends from all over the world. Most of all, I love getting to live what I have been talking about for so long.

My heart is full. Thank you, Jesus.

The EXCITEMENT has set in.

Only five days to go. Five days until the adventure of a lifetime. Until I get to help make history.

I am going to San Diego with a great sense of anticipation. I know beautiful things are on the horizon. And I am stepping into this journey with open arms, an open mind, and an open heart.

I am prepared to work hard and commit myself fully. But I am also ready to love well and grow my spirit. I want to soak up every inch of this experience. It's gonna be GOOD.

Jump first. Fear later. Let's do this.

"I'm not too concerned with what I am going to do. I am more interested in who I am becoming. I want to be a lover of God and people." - Shane Claiborne