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...!
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