beauty in the details

One afternoon we had some time to relax while we were on tour in Nashville. At this particular time we were staying at the home of one of our beloved staff members. His mom had told us stories of how he used to play in the woods behind the house with his friends, and looking out the back window, I could see why. Needing to stretch my legs and create a mini-adventure for myself, I decided to go for a stroll. It did not take long for me to get past the initial vines and towering trees for me to step back and be floored by the breathtaking beauty that was around. I turned back, got my camera, and returned for more. Nature is astonishing. From the vast expanse of the sky, to the small growths on a fallen tree branch. Once I noticed this branch, I couldn’t help but notice other beautiful details, and before I knew it, I was snapping a shot every five steps.

It’s crazy when you think how we can get so caught up in our lives that we forget the details, but the Lord never did, does or will. He is the creator of the microscopic intricacies, the vast expanse of the sky, and is the lover of our souls. He has loved us so well by giving us stars to lay under, breezes to enjoy, and colors to soak in. His heart is in the details.

I love my life.

No, it is not perfect, and yes, that is a cliche saying. I’m sitting in bed exhaused. My feet are aching. My nose is stuffed up. And I can’t even find the energy to get up and use the restroom. But those things pale in comparison when regarded next to what it is for which I am working. Our society teaches us to work hard so that we can get more money, buy a bigger house, and have a car for the weekends. Apparently that is what will make us “happy.” I assure you, tangible objects have never brought me greater joy than that which I have found in the service to another. These things that we are told to want will rust and possibly blow away in the tornado that is passing through Memphis right now. They are futile and meaningless.

The things I have found to be of pure, raw substance are the individuals. The thing that holds the most fulfilling power are those people we come across in our lives who we are given an opportunity to serve. Whether it is my teammate Jessica, who simply needs a hug sometimes; or Shelby, who was a quiet 13 year old until we talked to her and she opened up; or Evelyn, who is traveling in a brand new culture and place and doesn’t know what to order at a restaurant; or Lauren, who is courageously leading the 25 Event in Nashville and has too much for three people (let alone one) to juggle on her plate; or the student who just walks by your table and smiles at you because they are too shy to come up and admit how happy they are that you came to their school; or the child I will never meet whose life was saved by a radio broadcast warning him that the LRA was in the bush next to their village.

That is why I am here and why I am finding so much joy in the work the Lord has allowed me to be a part of.

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31

friends and family across SC

If we’re being honest, I was bummed when I found out I would be touring my home region. The last thing I wanted to do after finally having the chance to get out of South Carolina was to go back. Obviously, my attitude towards the whole matter had to change quickly when I got the email that I would be touring the Southeast. At this point of tour, we have already completed our portion of the tour devoted to South Carolina, and I cannot help but be humbled by the beautiful array of friends and family we encountered across that state. Every one of the people in these photos, plus countless more, made the first week and a half of our tour unforgettable. When I was disappointed at the thought of going back to this certain region of the country, I had failed to recognize the love and relationships I would get to reconnect with that have shaped me in to the woman I am today. My thirst for travel to faraway lands is still present, but it would be ignorant and untrue of me to say that South Carolina has nothing for me. The wonderful people there have a special place in my heart and I am blessed beyond words that the Lord has allowed me to cross their paths.

All the soil we tasted on February 17 on our trek to the SOUTHEAST!

One huge octopus shaped cookie+ice cream+lots of spoons+lots of friends=pure magic

Our fearless gnome, Archie, leading the charge across the country

It seems like yesterday I flew across the country to start this whirlwind of an adventure. I’ve worked. I’ve trained. I’ve laughed. I’ve loved. I’ve been immersed in some of the most intense community I’ve ever been around (try living in one house with the same 63 people you work with on a daily basis). I have committed to change, not only in the necessity of bending my own will to best fit those around me, but to power ceaselessly towards the goal of ending the longest running war in Africa. I never knew that coming here would teach me so much or introduce me to some of the most wonderful people whom I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. Of course, I had my assumptions, but being here has forever changed me, and I haven’t even started doing what I came here to do.

But that’s about to change… Today 17 teams of 4 are dispersing across the United States to tell a story of tragedy, loss, and inhumanity. But the story doesn’t end there. It ends with hope and a way to make a real change. I’m fighting for something incomprehensibly larger than myself, and I have more purpose than ever. I still can’t tell you what I will be doing this time next year, but I have so much confident faith that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now. I am excited to continue following God’s call one step at a time, and am ecstatic that his next step for me led me here. So, I’m in a van (loving wi-fi cards) driving across the country these next four days back to the Southeast to share a story that has changed my life and will change thousands more. I can’t wait.

Let us be dissatisfied until from every city hall, justice will roll down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream. Let us be dissatisfied until that day when the lion and the lamb shall lie down together, and every man will sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid. Let us be dissatisfied. And men will recognize that out of one blood God made all men to dwell upon the face of the earth. Let us be dissatisfied until that day when nobody will shout “White Power!” — when nobody will shout “Black Power!” — but everybody will talk about God’s power and human power.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

These are the troopers that I’m going to spend the next four months on the road with (minus our Ugandan teammate that we haven’ t met yet). We’ve got Seth, our fearless leader, who’s going on the road for the fourth time! He loves traveling, Harry Potter, and chilling with friends and a good movie. Jessica is our very own Canadian. She always wears a smile and doesn’t stay still; teaching piano, life guarding, writing for a local paper, and being a student when back home in Alberta are simply a few of the things that garnish her plate.

I’m too blessed to have these two on the road with me. They are already dear friends, and we have had a wonderful time as a team so far. Funny story: I actually met Seth when he gave a screening at Clemson when I was a student there (He doesn’t remember this…oh well). We still have one more piece to our little puzzle, but she is still in Uganda and will be with us in the next two weeks!

My team + East Coast team on the Ocean Beach pier

I can’t believe I’ve already been here two weeks. It feels like both two days and two months all wrapped into one. It’s the best feeling knowing that you are somewhere doing exactly what you know you are supposed to be doing at that time, and that is how I feel about my time here as a Roadie. There is no doubt in my mind that this is where the Lord has me and has planned to use me.

Our first two weeks have been full of training and working. I am so impressed by the way IC pours into us and treats us as extremely valued members of the team. They have trained us on everything from financials, to the LRA, to our programs, to how to love people. Yes, I said how to love people.  No, you can’t have my job (but maybe if you apply for the next tour…). IC is such a transparent organization and the more I learn about it, the more assured I am in my decision to be a part of it. One of the best things (of many) I have learned so far came in training one night when we were told that when we walk into a room full of people, rather than worrying about how we will be perceived by others, consider the value of each person in the room and consider what you have to gain from each individual. That way, you turn the focus off of yourself, and you are free to invest in those around you.

On a non-organizational front, I can’t imagine not knowing the people I know now. I was having a conversation with my friend Alex the other night and just had to stop and look at him and say in amazement, “We’ve only known each other two weeks!” There is a beautiful community of people here in San Diego and I am so blessed to be a part of it.

This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap; the being a force of Nature instead of a feverish selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy.

- George Bernard Shaw

It felt great to be on my own and learning about things that interest me and things that I could see myself doing in the future. Still, something inside me knew that I wasn’t ready to commit me to a job in Charleston at this moment in my life. There was still something else…

On the last Tuesday in October I received one of many bulk emails I had received from Invisible Children (IC) in the past. For no particular reason, I read this one in its entirety. Underneath the headline of the new movie they’d be showcasing in the Spring was a last call for Roadie applications for the Spring 2011 tour. The Roadie position is unlike anything else. After a month of training in San Diego, I’d hit the road to advocate for justice and peace on behalf of innocent civilians terrorized by a civil war that has ravaged Uganda and the surrounding countries for the past 23+ years by speaking to schools, universities, and other organizations about IC and its work. It took me no more than five minutes to decide that if I didn’t apply I would regret not trying. My mind was set. This decision led me to meet my brother in Columbia to pick up our family video camera so that I could complete a mandatory application video over a weekend that I had already planned to go to a friend’s wedding. It was chaotic, but it came together, and I can’t believe that I’m adding a link here for anyone interested (mind you, this was low budget, low time… but mad props to my editor, Chrissy, who really pulled it out for me in the clutch). I did what I had to do and got the application completed in time. Then came a first round interview, followed by a second. Finally on December 10th, I got the call that I’d been accepted as a Spring 2011 Roadie, a term which starts in three days on January 11th.

I couldn’t be more excited or more sure that this is what I’m supposed to be doing.  The Lord tells us through James 1:27 that pure and genuine religion that our Father accepts is looking after orphans and widows in their distress and keeping oneself from being polluted by the world. IC is doing this through their tireless efforts to see an end to this war in Uganda that has not only broken countless families and lives in Uganda, but has spread its dark hand into the Congo as well.

For anyone who’s still reading… bravo! Pat yourself on the back, accept my thanks for spending your time in this way, and check back for updates as I fly to the west coast in TWO DAYS!