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