I will be in San Diego in 27 days.

Needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), I'm stoked...and a little nervous. But more than anything, I'm grateful for this next adventure. To my friends who have seen me go a little crazy and sustained interest in my Invisible Children rambles, sorry this first post is a little repetitive and formal, but I have to give some background. Secondly, if you're reading this and don't know me very well, I'm happy to have you come on this journey with me. To everyone, thank you for the support, the prayers and constantly supporting me in this journey. 

Here we go...

This blog will serve as a way to connect me with you; my family, my friends and my community. This coming Fall I will be taking a semester off from school at the University of Central Florida (Go Knights!) to intern as a roadie with the non-profit organization, Invisible Children; the organization behind the KONY 2012 campaign that exploded this past Spring.

Here's a quick 5 minute video on the organization, it's history, and it's goals. 

I have been involved (going to screenings, donating, raising awareness, holding positions in the UCF Invisible Children club) with this organization and cause for a little over three years now, and the opportunity to represent Invisible Children as a roadie this fall is just another crazy turn in what's been a wild, unexpected, and challenging few years being an advocate for this cause - this fall, I expect it to continue. 

So what exactly is a roadie?

Good question, and honestly, I won't know the full answer to that question until I've experienced it, but I'll tell you what I do know. Each semester, Invisible Children unveils their latest campaign, and roadies are the ones that bring that message to you. There are about 18 or so roadie teams per semester, each traveling across a different region of the U.S. and Canada. On the road, we will share Invisible Children's latest documentary, spark discussions about activism and talk to thousands of youth about the importance of this cause, this movement and advocacy. Each team is joined by a Ugandan teammate, who, at each screening, shares his/her story about how they have been shaped by LRA violence and what it means to them that Joseph Kony be captured. 

Being a roadie is something that I've tirelessly thought of during the past two years. As I entered college in the Fall of 2010, my involvement became more and more a part of me. Throughout organizing screenings and hosting teams of roadies, I have to say, I grew a little bit in awe of them. Here were people my age acting and  standing up for social justice, and doing it in such a way that was personable, story-driven and accessible. As I've formed friendships with these people I realized the work behind their purpose, which ultimately made me want to experience it myself all the more. They were not standing up for this cause because it was easy or the 'cool' thing to do; they were actually sacrificing to make this cause known. Leaving comfort behind (long days, a PACKED 15-passenger van, not much rest, and sleeping on the floor) to spread the message for something they believed in, something we all should believe in and fight for; justice and peace. 

So here I am now, about to have the title of a roadie, although, that's not why I'm doing this. I'm doing this because I believe in love, and the power of story to change the world, and I believe that that love and that story should not be limited to only those around us or to those we know, but also to the far reaches of this planet. I want to share this story because it's one that people need to hear. Along with that, today's youth need to know that they matter, and that the cliche line 'you can change the world' has meaning and truth behind it. I want to teach and be taught, to let people know that at the heart of love is service. The story of children being abducted and forced to fight should not be one that takes years to reach the world. Unfortunately, it has taken some time, but the world is on notice now; what a perfect time to stoke the embers of human compassion and servitude and ignite the flame of a battle worth fighting for. 

I'm stoked. 

"Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the chords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter - when you see the naked, to clothe him, and no to turn away from your own flesh and blood?"

Isaiah 58:3, 5-7

*I'll be updating on here as much as I can. I can't guarantee how often, but I'll do my best. More to come...