Numero dos

The second update in two weeks, I'm not off to a very good start.  :)  A lot has happened in the last week... 

Last weekend we went to the mountains for a roadie retreat.  This included all 40 roadies, 10 interns, and a few of the staff.  We drove up to the San Bernadino mountains (about 2 or 3 hrs north) and had 2 1/2 days of time to get to know each other.  This went better than I could have imagined.  We were in a big group half of the weekend doing activities, and we were in our small teams half of the weekend getting to know each other on a very personal level since we will be living together in a van for the next 3 months.  It was a time of vulnerability, which allowed us to be very personal and open up.  My teammates are incredible and we each have very different pasts that help to make us who we are today.  We were also able to share in team building activities - such as a ropes course, rock climbing wall (quite high up i may add), and a zip line (scary to take the first step off the ledge, but so fun once you are flying through the air).

This week the new roadies finished training and started to help our team with booking screenings.  Its been going really well, and I'm excited to keep in touch with my contacts and continue to make progress over the next two weeks before we head out.  One of my teammates, Will, has been really sick for the past week so I have taken over part of his route (Austin and Houston TX), along with some of my own (Las Cruces, NM).  The calendar is coming together slowly but surely.  

Unfortunately I have come down with a little illness of some kind.. bronchitis perhaps?  No fun, but hopefully I will start to feel better soon.  It is hard to live in a house with 51 people and not get sick when it seems to be going around.  However, I have had the chance to relax this weekend and get a lot of sleep.  Yesterday I also went to OB and relaxed on the beach a bit, took pictures at sunset, and ate acai (mmm!).  

Good news - the internet is now fixed in the house, so hopefully I will be able to update this a bit more than I have been.  Until next time..

And it begins!

Hello all!

I wanted to let you know that I did in fact make it to San Diego!  I have never done a blog before, but I decided that it would be best to do out of convenience for those who want to know how things are going out here.

I'm realizing that it has been and will be somewhat difficult to stay in touch with people as much as I'd like to.  As of right now, the internet at our house is not working (so I am coming to a coffee shop to use the internet every few days).  Also, the time difference is always tricky for making phone calls.  

I am living in a crazy huge house with 51 (I think) other people!  That is pure craziness right there.  I think I have met all of my housemates now, and they are incredible people.  I also got to meet my teammates last night, and I am so excited to get to know them more and go on the road with them soon!  Today was our first day of training.  It was fun to go back to the Invisible Children office... it felt like going back to a place of comfort, as if I hadn't been away for long.  The next couple days we will be training, then we have a roadie retreat in the mountains this weekend and next week it's game time!  

Today was great to talk with my team and get on the same page because I have been so far away from them this past semester.  It made me even more excited for this next few months!  Much more to come on that in the upcoming weeks..  

The title for this blog is simply love, and that is because this last semester of college I have been so convicted to simply love people.  In my personal faith, I believed that we were called to love others unconditionally.  And that is the road I am choosing to follow.  In our team meeting today, we talked about stepping outside of the box on tour, and making it our absolute priority to build relationships to people.  Love.  It is truly a beautiful thing.

I apologize upfront if my blogs are random.  Most of the time, I will just be writing what is on my mind, and most of the time there isn't a flow to it.  I feel like this is a life that is so crazy to imagine.  I am living in a house with 51 other people who all believe that we can do our part in reaching out to others and therefore ending a war in a country halfway around the world.  It is a movement.  It is a revolution.  It is love.  And I am so excited to be a part of it.  Love to you all.