Creative extremists are we
“The question is not if we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. The nation and the world are in dire need of creative extremists.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.
I am somewhat of a wide-eyed individual. I am startled by many things and easily made to gasp. It isn’t so much that I’m easily impressed as I am easily fascinated. But I feel the need to say something about the people I work with. They may be the eighth wonder. The long hours. The big ideas. The sacrifice of these roadies and interns… though, as one roadie told me, ‘it is no sacrifice to exchange what is acceptable, expected, and planned for what is best: the living pursuit of a better world’.
My parents spent a while asking me when my ’season’ at Invisible Children would end. They don’t ask me that any more. The foundation in my voice when I say I am living my strengths, waking up with resolve, and working with people that I respect, even more, want to be… it is impossible to argue with that. My parents have realized that they couldn’t wish a better place for a child than that which makes them fully alive.
It is human nature to want to work hard, contribute to something important, and live deliberately. And to the degree that we forget this, or exchange it for comfort and safety, is the degree to which we live with a swelling bitter discontent that will one day manifest itself in broken relationships and lonely spirits. I, in my twenties, have been so lucky to learn this. Not so much my revelation as it is a muse that visited me in the form of IC. I commit to never forgetting it, and doing my part to keep those around me awake to it as well. That promise involves pursuing my talents and delighting in the talents of others, discovering the synergy between them that will produce that dangerously bankrupt word: change. But positive change. Change that looks like education, policy, peace, friendship, global community, art, and story telling.
“Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted.” - MLK Jr.
I am proud to be maladjusted to the workings of this world. As evidenced by this post, I’m feeling sentimental and reflective today, so… cheers to the pursuit of something different. I lift my glass up to the 90 people on the 3rd and 4th floors of this office in San Diego (and all our maladjusted comrads in Uganda, and beyond). – Jedidiah
Tweet to be a part of a Dethkills’ live art piece for IC
Dethkills is a collective of some of LA’s finest street artists. They’re doing amazing things and have come up with a really original art installment that YOU can be a part of.
Tweet in a positive message or quote to @dethkills or go to their Facebook page and post your message. http://www.facebook.com/pages/DETHKILLS/47941818829?ref=ts
They are creating a mosaic-mural of some of our Ugandan advocates (similar to the pieces above, only with less skulls) and YOUR MESSAGE and YOUR NAME will forever be immortalized in this brilliant piece of art.
So for example some tweets might look like this:
-“We must do extraordinary things. We have to. It would be absurd not to.” @dethkills
-To all my Ugandan friends.. I miss you and and can’t wait to see you again! Love ya, Kenny @dethkills
-Jacob, I will work hard to end this war. -President Obama @dethkills
Don’t be shy… Tweet as much as you want!! They’ve got a lot of space to cover.
If you don’t have your tickets yet, get them here: TICKETS
ps.. Shepard’s doing an original art piece too. Boom.
Dance dance revolution… for Jolly
Channel Islands High School in Oxnard, CA, put on an incredible dance performance in honor of Jolly Okot coming to their school.
I’m just going to say, Jon Chu need look no farther than CI4IC if he ever wants to make “Step Up 4 What You Believe.”
Truly, this performance is enthralling. We’re told it’s also an homage to IC’s A Musical You can Believe In, from back in 2006. Watch it and love it.
-Azy
Team Middle America on a boat
Never have we wanted to be on the road, or on a boat, more than at this moment.
Starring Papito and Geoffrey…
Apply to be a fall 2010 roadie here.
GLEE: Former Roadie Has A Shot To Be On The Show
VOTE FOR SUZI HERE: http://www.myspace.com/gleeauditions?link=411779868
We’ve had a lot of amazing people pass through the doors of Invisible Children and go on to do amazing things.
One of our favorite roadie vocalists, Suzi Jacobs, who traveled with the Great Lakes Team, is auditioning for a role on GLEE!!
To get through an initial screening process she needs votes on Myspace in the form of Gold Stars. We’d love to see her on the show so please click the link, dig back into the recesses of your brain to remember your Myspace password, and vote for Suzi as many times as possible. :)
Who knows, maybe they’ll do a show about Invisible Children! A musical to end a war? Sounds crazy.
VOTE FOR SUZI HERE: http://www.myspace.com/gleeauditions?link=411779868
Intern update from San Diego, CA
Tonight Glee returns to television. And the IC office is full of Gleeks. Thus was born a photo shoot. Unashamed.
Love, IC interns + (Eric and Jenna)
You wish you were here.
Team Mid Atlantic AND Deep South update from Chattanooga, TN
That’s right, you heard correctly. We, Mid Atlantic, have had the pleasure of spending all weekend with Deep South; they came up to Chattanooga to take part in a city-wide event for Uganda on Sunday.
The event, called “Move for Uganda,” was hosted by three colleges from the greater Chattanooga area: Southern Adventist University, Lee University and Covenant College. Led by the exuberant IC alumnus, Adam Litchfield (Roadie Fall ’08), the event was a 5K race/walk as well as an Africa Village exhibit to raise money and awareness about the LRA and its effects in Northern Uganda.
The day and weekend leading up to the event were inspiring and brought together many IC alumni: Laura Kigweba (Roadie Spring ‘09), Allie Kendrick (Roadie Fall ‘07/Spring ‘08), Sarah Chaplin (Roadie Spring ’09), Ellie Morse (Intern Summer ‘09) as well as our two roadie teams. It also hosted Lisa Dougan (an IC legend) from Resolve Uganda and Bethany Haley from Exile International as guest speakers. All together we had a blast, raised a ton of money for Invisible Children and Northern Uganda, and made a huge imprint on the Chattanooga community with our teams’ lovely advocates: Amanda Mitchell, Comfort Okello & Norman Okot.
P.S. You might not be able to tell from the pictures, but the sun in Tennessee is overwhelmingly hot and leaves a mean sunburn. Said best by our dear Deep South Team Leader, Seth Williams, “Comfort, you don’t understand. The sun HURTS white people.”
Team SoCal update from Slab City, CA
“Everyone needs beauty as well as bread, places to pray in and play in, where nature may heal and cheer and give strength to the body and soul alike.” John Muir
Easter greetings to all of you from the quakin’ state of California! This weekend has been filled with dusty feet, hot spring baths, desert libraries and hand-painted mountains….Yes, we are in Slab City, and for those of you that have seen the film Into the Wild, this magical place does indeed exist.
After spending the last month on the stunning coastline of Southern California, we decided it was high time we pioneer into the lesser known desert-scapes of the state. And so Team SoCal boarded their (t)rusty van Gus and headed east for an epic Easter adventure…to Salvation Mountain and beyond!
From a mile away it popped from the desert like a scene in ‘Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory’, all flamingo pinks and turquoises and canary yellows splattered across a hay-bale mountain. Seventy-five-year-old Leonard Knight led us on a tour of his creation, what he calls “the urge to simplify life, amplify love and glorify God.” Over 29 years of labor and 30,000 gallons of paint have gone into making this monument, and as we clambered over it like 5 year-olds, nothing but desert visible on all sides, we knew exactly what Leonard meant when he said “keep it simple.”
A thousand photos later, we scampered off to the hidden hot springs, Slab City’s only bathtub, where the 50 inhabitants of the slabs bathe, and apparently where 8-10 bars of soap are lost daily. What a delicious feeling it is to slip into a muddy pool of bottomless hot water out in the middle of nowhere as the sun sets! Freshly bathed (some might argue about the cleanliness though) we set up camp in the Slab Library – an open air construction with bulging bookshelves and a treasure trove of well-travelled novels, cookbooks and national geographics. By the light of a half-moon, a zillion stars and Gus’s headlights, we cooked up some s’mores, rice and beans (in that order) on Carol and Gary’s firepit (our trailer park neighbors) and headed off to see the Slab’s finest musicians at The Range.
It seems that we met every Slab City inhabitant and their dog this weekend. From dancing with Fox and Sir Andrew Hoff at the Range, sharing breakfast burritos with Chase, Justin, Kenny, Scooter and Hummingbird in dilapidated armchairs, to wallowing in the hot spring with Mama Seraphim at dawn on Easter morning; the characters of the slabs and the community that we got a taste of could not be replicated anywhere else. The hospitality we experienced was as ramshackle, old-fashioned and genuine as the trailers themselves, and keeps up the fine tradition of hosting that the SoCal team has received so gratefully this entire tour. We pulled out of Slab City with full bellies and refreshed spirits, and with unusual new friends that each have Invisible Children stickers for their bikes, trailers or vintage motorcycles, along with a couple dvds to be shared when there’s fuel for the generator.
Oh yeah, and 2 hours later, Gus got bogged in the sand at Salton Sea… oh and an earthquake hit too. Thanks to our new buddies from Loyola Marymount College and Sonny Show, a Bombay Beach local, who helped us dig out for an hour and a half and then towed Gus to safety. We are truly indebted (and sunburnt).
Check out the video of our adventures here.
PEACE, LIFE and HAPPY EASTER!
-Team SoCal
I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. – John Muir
Team Deep South update from Savannah, GA
As expected the deep south is treating us chivalrously. Big ol’ southern meals are great, but what revs our engine is the fine dining of Ms. Comfort Okello.
We were screening at James Island Christian School in Charleston last Friday and got a rando call from our new friend Kevin. Kevin works for an organization called Water Missions International and when he found out we were in town he called the office to get our number. He wanted us to come to Water Missions’ office so we could chat it up. After our tour of their office and a little while of conversation Kevin invited us to his house for dinner. We all like dinner, so naturally we accepted. At Kevin and his wife Janice’s lovely home, Comfort and Holly dominated the kitchen to produce an incredible Ugandan meal of chicken stew, rice, potatoes and carrots. Seth and Shannon peeled apples and mixed together a whole lotta goodness to create a delectable apple crisp. Chris took photos and Kevin made banana shakes. Chris and Kevin discovered that they have a mutual friend from Chicago. Comfort started calling Seth “Simba.” Norman felt right at home.
This wasn’t the team’s first Ugandan meal: In Savannah, GA we had an incredible beach house all to ourselves for a couple nights thanks to our friends Lucy, Elle, and Breanna. This thing was like a treehouse, a log cabin and a beach house all in one. It even had a “Ugandan shower.” It was a shower outside the house in a little shack. Pretty awesome. The night we showed up it was around 11. That didn’t stop Comfort. An hour later the happy little house stewed in the aroma of some kind of egg, rice, vegetable delight. Norman woke from his slumber just to eat.
Do yourself a favor and go live with Comfort in Uganda for a while. You won’t regret it.
Team Texas update from Houston, TX
Hello to everyone from Houston, Texas, one of the five biggest cities in the United States. While we’ve gotten to see some beautiful areas here in Houston, we are absolutely enamored with the people we’ve been meeting. In the few days that we’ve been in this gigantic metropolis, we have met some high school students that have changed our world.
Meet the Cypress Woods Schools for Schools club. Not only did this club participate in Schools for Schools 2009, they WON it. Yup, they won the whole thing for Pabbo Secondary School. They raised over $17,000 in Change for Change wars alone. We know – they’re incredible.
But the greatest part of meeting these new friends is getting to see that their drive hasn’t fizzled out yet. They haven’t stopped doing incredible things for Invisible Children after all the work they did last fall. They organized an entire day of screenings for us where we were able to talk to over 1,800 students. They are still putting on major fundraisers this semester, including a huge kickball tournament that we sure hope we get to come back to Houston for. They are still spreading the Invisible Children story as far as they can take it, and we are nothing short of astounded by that.
So, to the Cypress Woods club, THANK YOU for an amazing day and for all you have done for our friends in Northern Uganda.
As a team, we are doing very well, and we thank all of you for your continued support. We’ll be in Houston this next week then we are making our way back up to Dallas. Please come to a screening to say hi! Check out our schedule here: http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMovie/screenings/?keyword=TEXAS.
Lastly, please enjoy some photos from today and a very special video featuring an unexpected dancing mascot. We bet you can’t guess who it is.
Much love from the Lone Star State,
Team Texas
Life as a roadie
This is a video the Great Lakes team put together. Please watch and wish you were living the dream too. Or just start living it.
Team Pacific Northwest update from Coquille, OR
Fellow Sojourners,
Curled up in the only 10-room motel in Coquille, OR, our team experienced and relived all the magic of your favorite childhood classic. That’s right. The Goonies. It was our first night in Oregon and Lorna Peace could not get a grip on her giggles. We had a picnic and watched Chunk do the truffle shuffle with all of his friends. Please see video:
Our team, as it turns out, is not so different from these treasure/pirate seeking pals from the 80’s. We prepared ourselves for a beautiful and epic week in Oregon, and it did not disappoint. Beautiful weather, a drive up the coast, a secret message in an old bottle, delicious caffeinated beverages and one of the most epic high schools in the history of IC screenings (thank you Cleveland High School) made our week everything we could have hoped for and more. No wonder Oregon’s slogan is “We love dreamers.”
And as we left the mighty Columbia River behind and began our climb into Washington, we reminded ourselves again how perfect life can be when traveling with friends on a great adventure. Our friends the Goonies said it best, “Down here, it’s our time. It’s our time down here.”
Goonies never say die.
We love you all,
Love from the PNWs.
Team Middle America update from Des Moines, Iowa
Over the past couple of years Invisible Children has formed amazing relationships with different school systems. We visit high schools, colleges, and churches, as you may know, but a new sort of relationship has emerged with the ever-so-impressive Aveda Institute over the last year. The Middle America team had the privilege to visit one of these schools in Des Moines, Iowa. You might think Iowa is all corn fields and farms, but Des Moines is your typical city, full of talent and interest in the professional hair care industry. Roadies had never been to this Aveda Institute before so we were excited to share the stories of Invisible Children for the first time.
From the moment we arrived, the warmth and energy were welcoming. We shared GO with the group of students and their instructors. All in the audience were really captivated by the film and many were moved to tears as the Ugandan students described the hardships they have endured. Tissue boxes were dispersed amongst the audience because there was a lot of mascara running down faces (It is a beauty school after all). What followed was a really amazing exchange as Papito was able to share his story and his hope. The pain is expressed, but the great hope is much more present. So many were hearing about the atrocities in Northern Uganda for the first time.
We had an amazing time with the group afterwards, and Geoffrey and Papito were thrilled to get haircuts from a few of the aspiring hair stylists. We want to say a huge thank you to the Aveda Institute in Des Moines for their amazing generosity and kindness. We were so impressed by the number of those who signed up to support our Legacy Scholarship Fund. We left Iowa knowing that many were committed to the recovery of Northern Uganda. We have moved farther north and are now in Wisconsin and Minnesota. If you are in the area keep a look out for the vans! With love from the Northern Mid-West, we are, Team Middle America.
Team Deep South update from Florida
In the South, hospitality is as sweet as the tea. And apparently Florida is not even the “real South.” Every place we’ve stayed has been so incredible that I’m pretty sure Norman is now younger than the rest of us. Between meeting an incredible dance troop in Ellisville, MS, getting a tour of South Beach Miami from an all-star high school teacher and attending an incredible house church in Fort Lauderdale, our first month on the road has dealt us an exceedingly fortunate hand. And now we’d like to put the 10-second rule to shame. Here’s a little tale we like to tell our friends out here in the South:
One tasty morning the Legacy Tour Deep South team arrived at the high school auditorium in which they would soon be screening, and Seth came upon a lovely batch of cupcakes that had been made with love and Ghirardelli chocolate. He picked the cupcakes up to bring them out to the rest of the team when, to his horror, they tumbled out of his hands and landed top-down on the auditorium floor. Seth and the screening hostess hurriedly placed the cupcakes back upon the paper plate platter and with sly smiles presented the cupcakes to the rest of the team as if nothing had ever happened.
As the cupcakes sat upon the merchandise table, Holly attempted to move them. The rest of the team was preoccupied, so did not notice when half of the cupcakes fell from Holly’s hands, and landed top-down on the floor of the auditorium lobby. Comfort noticed and, exclaiming “American germs are lazy,” began helping Holly pick them up and place them back on the platter.
The screening proceeded and succeeded, and upon the team’s arrival back at their host home, Chris was the last one to leave the van. He opened the sliding door and out toppled the cupcakes, and landed top-down on the driveway. He quickly placed them back on their platter and brought them into the house, knowing full well that what the rest of the team doesn’t know won’t hurt them.
Team Texas update from Baton Rouge, LA
There are a few things that one must do if he or she has the pleasure of visiting the great states of Texas and Louisiana. While Team Texas has been very, very busy sharing the story of how we feel education is the best way to end the conflict in eastern Africa and to prevent future conflicts, we have also had the chance to do some of those things.
When one is in Texas, you must go to a rodeo. This past weekend, thanks to the wonderful Murdoch family in Dallas, our team got the chance to watch real cowboys – clad in cowboy hats and chaps galore – get bucked off 2,000 pound bulls. When I asked Benna, our Ugandan mentor, what she thought about the cowboys, she said, “My eyes are suffering, and my brain is confused. I just don’t know.” Lilian, our Ugandan advocate from “GO!” said, “I’m too excited and scared for those boys that are falling off those things.” We all screamed when the cowboys were bucked off and cheered as loud as we could when they reached the 8-second mark.
When one is in Louisiana, there are a multitude of animals you must see. Last week we ventured far off the beaten path to an alligator farm and exotic zoo. While the alligators looked like statues in their hibernation, we were able to become quite friendly with a host of animals we’d all never seen before, including a massive camel, kangaroos and llamas. Please enjoy the pictures of our fantastic day exploring the swamplands.
We are all doing very well on the road and appreciate to no end everything that all of you are doing for us.
Much love from Baton Rouge,
Team Texas
Team East Coast update from D.C.
Since the beginning of tour it has been a crazy adventure for us East Coast Roadies. From the snow, to the flooding, to the unexpected things that happen on the road, we have had our fair share of obstacles; however, we have also had the chance to experience the beauty and history of the East Coast, as well as meet up with some amazing supporters of IC, new and old alike.
We have been screening Together We Are Free and have been amazed by the ripple effects the Rescue event continues to create even a year later.
Just last week we had Jack, from the band The All Time Low, who has been a long-time supporter of Invisible Children, come out to one of our screenings in his local community. He didn’t just show up, he went ahead and tweeted about the screening to everyone that follows him. It is cool to see that celebrities aren’t waiting for huge events to keep supporting the cause and spreading the story. It’s also a relief that we didn’t have to sing and dance or wrap around his house to get him to come, not that we wouldn’t have.=)
Besides the highs and lows, we have been loving tour. Taking the back roads and finding old bridges to admire and then the EPICNESS that is our capital city, this tour–this tour is beautiful.
If you want to follow the EPICNESS that is our tour, then follow or twitter at twitter.com/ICEastCoast .
Love,
Team East Coast
Team Pacific Northwest update from Northern CA
Fellow Sojourners,
We’ve been taking our time getting to the actual Pacific Northwest.
Maybe it’s because Northern California tricked us into falling in love with all this beauty: almond farms, orange groves, rolling hills and a cow named Red. (We try not to bring that one up around the vegetarians on the team).
Maybe it’s because friends like Jaymie Shearer have hooked us up with the most amazing housing, screenings, food stuffs and Lacrosse games you could ever want.
Or maybe its simply because Northern California has presented us with a treasure trove of memories, friends, photos and this awesome video Jordan shot while we drove to San Luis Obispo last week.
http://vimeo.com/10068753
We could have sworn we were somewhere in Ireland.
You wish you were on this journey with us.
And now you can be!
Follow the Pacific Northwest Roadie Team (and all our other world changing counterparts) on Twitter!
ICPacificNWest.
And get ready Oregon and Washington. We’re a’comin’.
love, PNlove.
Team Middle America update from St. Louis, MO
Here we are. We are in the middle of the country. Much of it looks the same, but the people have been wonderful. I’ve heard we were going to be well fed in this part of our great land, and they were not kidding. Everyone talks about Southern Hospitality, but somewhere along the line, the states of Middle America are left out. Some Roadies gloat over the cities or landscape they get surrounded by, but I’m sure if they had a week of Middle America food they might get jealous. (At least a little). After spending time in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and a brief pit stop in Memphis, TN, we are now in St. Louis, MO. St. Louis is home to The Arch, The City Museum, and the Cardinals. (2004 choke anyone?).
We started tour in Oklahoma. Our screenings were off to a slow start, but with great purpose. Our team had the amazing honor of representing IC at the Coburn Say Yes Rally. If you haven’t heard what is going on in Oklahoma City, you’ve either been living under a rock, or just haven’t looked at our website in 3 weeks. If you fall in the category of the latter, be sure to go to coburnsayyes.com and catch up. Our Ugandan All Stars Papito and Geoffrey addressed the audience and pleaded Senator Coburn to find a way to pass the LRA Disarmament Bill. Unfortunately, we had to leave our friends in OKC to hold out, but we were stoked to push the Legacy Tour forward.
Tonight was one of those screenings that really brings you back to the heart of the matter. We were at Oakville High School in Oakville, MO. We met Ronnie and his crew before we started setting up. Ronnie is a guy who doesn’t take no for an answer. A presentation during the school day wasn’t possible at Oakville so Ronnie and his friends rallied together to get a stellar turnout for an after school screening. Not only did the crew make T-shirts, they also secured free sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, and encouraged close to 150 students and parents to come back to school on a Monday night. We want to thank Oakville for a wonderful night. It was our pleasure to be there and we know Papito enjoyed meeting everyone as much as the students enjoyed meeting him. Keep up the hard work. And a shout out to Ian: the Frozen Custard was so good we might actually just have to come back to St. Louis at some point of tour. Where there is a will there is a way, right?
Holdout: Resolve Uganda and Sen. Coburn have scheduled a phone meeting
It’s been 10 days, and a group remains outside of Senator Tom Coburn’s office, waiting for him to accept a compromise that will allow the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act to pass through the Senate. Their numbers have grown; over the weekend they were 75 strong, nearly double last weekend’s crowd.
The big news: Tomorrow afternoon Senator Coburn will personally have a phone conversation with Lisa Dougan, Michael Poffenberger, Mark Nehrenz, and Kenneth Transier of Resolve Uganda. This conversation will go down at 5pm CST. Let’s hope and pray that it is productive.
It rained this morning, but that impeded neither the U.S. Postal Service nor the Hold Out. More rain and thunderstorms are expected later today and throughout the week, which will pose a new challenge to be overcome.
In the meantime, the kindness of strangers continues to surprise and encourage.
In two separate instances a middle-aged man from OKC talked to the demonstrators, was inspired by the cause, and came back with a sleeping bag. Those two men, Paul and Greg, spent the weekend holding out.
There is a cafe/deli on the ground floor of the Chase Building, just inside the entrance. The other day the cafe delivered a platter full of sandwiches to the demonstrators. They gratefully accepted the gift, but it wasn’t until later that they realized that one of the cooks had paid for all of the sandwiches on his credit card. This cook is from Honduras and has recently become a citizen of the United States. When the cafe owner found out what his best employee had done, he offered to reimburse him, but the cook replied that he wanted to do it because “This is America.” He explained that he came to America because this sort of political change is possible. He went on to say that these young people are changing the world and they are changing the future for his 3-year-old son.
Team Mountain West update from AZ
Dear World,
So, we’ve been traveling the dusty roads of Arizona for the past two weeks, and we’ve loved every minute of it. We have met some unforgettable people, unforgettable sights and have had more than our fair share of laughter. (Sorry if we’ve taken some of yours, it’s been put to good use, I promise)
We thought we’d leave you all with a short clip of Tony and Richard, sharing their impressions of America, in one of the most universally relevant ways imaginable…by rapping.
Mountainously Yours,
Colin, Jess, Megan, Nathan, Richard and Tony
Team Mid Atlantic update from Lynchburg, VA
I’m pretty positive Liberty University students will one day rule the world.
We are just coming off of a refreshing and fun weekend with Liberty University.
You might have heard of Liberty’s amazing connection with IC. 200 of their students started out in Richmond, VA at the Rescue event and then ended up rescue riding all the way to Chicago. Oh yeah, and they got a personal jet ride back to Lynchburg from Jerry Fallwell himself (founder of LU and big Christian sensation extraordinaire) in order to make it back in time for their final exams. No biggie.
Well, after spending the weekend with these students, we found out just how fabulous they are. After four semesters of hosting Invisible Children screenings, this weekend’s GO! screening was nothing but superb. They even booked our good friend, and singer-songwriter, Koji, to play and help support the IC cause by bringing in the masses. Let me tell you, his Bob Dylan cover of “Mama Rock Me” certainly did did the trick.
All in all it was a great weekend. Hung out with some cool kids, listened to some cool music and relaxed in a new hotel which was converted into student dormitories. Seriously, if you are considering going to college…check out Liberty University, they’ve got the hook ups! Plus an incredibly motivated and compassionate student body. We love you Liberty University and the Invisible Children Leadership Team there!
Signing off,
Lauren from Team Mid Atlantic Spring 2010
Team Texas update from Granbury, TX
Home, Home on the Range
As we have been traveling through Texas the past two weeks, we have been waiting to see a legitimate “Texas home.” We loved seeing Odessa, Abilene, Las Cruces and El Paso, but it wasn’t until today in Granbury (a small town outside of Fort Worth) that we experienced a real home on the range.
We drove up to our new friend Hannah’s house, and Lilian and Benna, our Ugandan advocates, both instantly felt at home in the pasture land. They said that it looked similar to Uganda, with the immense amounts of open space and the small number of houses on the land. It definitely looked more like Uganda than the suburbs we’ve been inhabiting.
But our favorite part of the day has got to be Lilian and Benna turning into bonafide cowgirls. They got to know some of Hannah’s horses and were even seen wearing cowboy boots.
We will let you know when we all start saying “yeehaw” and “y’all.”
And yes, that is a real polar bear skin on the wall. We know. It’s awesome.
-Team Texas (John, Lilian, Benna, Lindy, JoLeah, and Taylor)
Nobody tells a tale like Norman
Ugandan advocate Norman is famous for his storytelling. With a wisdom born of many decades, he has survived Uganda’s tumultuous history. ..And I bet he knows American history better than you do.
Apparently this is Norman giving an impromptu history lesson in the hallway. Notice how engrossed the crowd is. Someone needs to follow that man around with a tape recorder.
Deep South, soak it in.
-Azy
White Sands. Get ready to live.
Team Texas visits White Sands National Monument. Watch this video and see what it means to jump first, fear later.