Week 8?!

I was scrolling down and checking out my blog posts thus far, and I realized that it is pretty much all about all the rad things we're doing, fun we're having, amazing people we're meeting.  Blogging has been an outlet for me from the daily tasks of screenings and whatnot, and that's why I've been sharing everything but the actual work that we're doing.  But, I thought I should let you in on the daily grind, so that you don't think that its ALL fun and games:)

Yesterday went something like this:
up at 4:30 am in order to leave by 5:15.
One hour drive to Salt Lake City and quick coffee at McD's.
Arrive at the school one hour before to set up merch tables, do a media check, meet students/admin/teachers.
Hold two presentations for a total of 1,800 students followed by equipping future advocates (aka "world changers" as Richard calls them) with our gear.
Around midday half the team heads to another HS screening, Colin and I stay put and talk to students, answer questions, and empower them to take action.
Pack up all our stuff, and roll on to the next screening at a Paul Mitchell school.
Set up again, screen the film, answer questions, empower those "Future Professionals", and sell some sweet gear.
Pack on up around 7 pm, grab some crappy/cheap food, and head "home", which is currently Heber City, UT.

Dwelling on the redundance of our screening routine would drive one crazy, but I think that the differnet students we meet, places we go, and challenges we face on a daily basis are what make the road so great.  I have to say that my experiences thus far have further reiterated that I feel called to work with high schoolers.  We present at high schools almost everyday and I have loved interacting, encouraging, and motivating the students that we are meeting.  Many times we get to hang out with a few students all day who have helped to set up and promote for the screening, but we also get to meet hundreds of more kids who want to know how they can get involved with Invisible Children and make a difference.  Its inspiring.  Here is a video that I took in Boulder, CO.  These kids were incredible...raising money for the scholarship program, calling their congressmen to pass the bill the IC supports, and blowing our minds with their enthusiam for enacting change.

that's all for now...

xoxo

jess

An untraditional Easter weekend

Easter definitely didn't feel like Easter since we weren't with the rest of the family, but Lindz, Josh, and I had a great weekend in Boulder together!  We had some much needed quality time together...

standard.

Sushi, Skiball, and checking out the swanky hotel.

Easter a.m. hike at Dakota Trail

PEARL Street!

I love my new headband, Mom!

Here is a little taste of the chateau that we stayed at this weekend.  My friend and fellow roadie, Terra, is from Estes Park and her family owns this magical place.  We were pretty much living the roadie dream.

We're now in state #4, good ol' Utah.  I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to say goodbye to Colorado, but Utah is not disappointing!

my best and all my love,

jess

Colorado is digging its claws into me

 

 I've been told that week six is supposed to be the hardest of tour-the little things start becoming big annoyances, the same clothes are getting grungy, the redundancy of our daily obligations are wearing on the body/mind, and the meaning of why we are doing what we are doing can fade. However, I can honestly say that the week six curse has not struck this team. We are strong, in high spirits and doing what it takes to love one another through it all. I was talking to a fellow roadie on another team, and we were in agreement that the contacts and hosts who are generously taking care of us really help in the department of keeping our spirits high! The servitude and hospitality that we have experienced on our trip has been humbling, and it has translated in our ability to thrive and kick butt at screenings. Praise the Lord!

Recapping this last week through the lens

Last week's day off due to the snow storm allowed us to see an itty bit of Denver. Ahhhhh, love it!

 "Tattered Cover" used book store.  My teammate Colin brings us to at least one bookstore in every place we visit.  This one takes the cake.

 

 Downtown Denver

An outstanding and HEALTHY dinner with a fabulous past roadie, Molly.  Past roadies and roadies' families sure know how to take care of us!

RED ROCK Amphitheater  

We regularly use the camera self timer...but sometime it takes a couple tries. Take one: Jess's phone drops into the snow.

Take two: Charlie Brown?

Take three: It'll have to do.

We stayed in Littleton a few nights this week with another roadie's mom-we were so well taken care of, had the most amazing tortilla soup and we were able to catch some r&r.  Half of our team (Colin, Richard and myself) went up to Vail yeaterday for a screening.  Although tt was a lot of driving, the half day trip was so entirely worth it.  We met some phenominal students and got a little taste of the touristy side of Vail.  So European, so expensivo, so darn gorgeous.  Richard caught some of the drive up:

We're in Fort Collins tonight and its off to Boulder tomorrow.  I'm practically bursting at the seams with joy because I'll be seeing with Lindz and Josh in less than 48 hours.  Holy macrol.  I'm excited for us to explore, eat lots, laugh more than humanly possible, and catch up on everything.  More than that, I am so excited for them to meet my team and for my team to meet them.  I can't imagine it being anything but fabulous:)

Hope you all have a fabulous Easter with Family and friends!

All my love,

Jess

Half way through tour

The road thus far has been incredible fun, indescribable beauty, and incessant hard work.  Five weeks in and I can also say that the road has contributed some very life enlightening experiences.  This past Sunday we went to two different Christian church services…and by different I mean completely opposite ends of the worship spectrum.  The first was called New Life in Colorado Springs.  Sound familiar?  If yes, maybe you’ve heard of Ted Haggard?  Or the movie “Jesus Camp”?  Yes, this would be the mega-mega-mega church that Ted Haggard founded and it is also featured in “Jesus Camp”.  Although I was not used to the large scale production and super high energy during the service (I think its fair to say that Catholic mass is a little more subdued), I thought the Pastor’s message was remarkable, as were the friends that we went with.  Later that day we attended a church in Denver, called Scum of the Earth.  The church gets its name from the passage in 1 Corinthians 4:11-14:

“To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.”

Scum of the Earth intentionally breaks the mold in order to reach out to people who have felt rejected by society and/or more traditional churches.  To be honest, I wanted to bust out my flip camera to capture the inside of the church and the service in order to properly convey the atmosphere and energy inherent in that place of worship.  It was obviously different than any other church that I have ever been to, and it was so phenomenal to see how people from all walks of life can come together and worship as one.  The experience of attending two completely opposite Christian churches in one day solidified my belief that we should focus more on what unifies us in faith, rather than what sets us apart. 

As for Colorado…this state is a glorious one.  Besides two days in the past week and a half, the weather has been perfect and the Rockies are always providing for some pretty killer scenery.  It did snow about 8 inches last night in Denver so it is absolutely gorgeous out right now, but we had a screening canceled.  So, we’re gonna make the best out of a bummer situation and live it up in Denver today.  I haven’t gotten a real feel of this city yet, but in driving around I really like what I have seen (except for that atrocious Broncos Stadium…yuck).   

Meg, Tony, our fantastic host Amy, Nathan, Colin, Richard, the most inspiring women possibly ever, Kate, and me after service at New Life.

Just a taste of beautiful Colorado.  Sorry if this makes you dizzy...I was moving way too fast!

keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers...

and missing you always,

Jess

Lookin back on the AZ and NM

Collectively, we love the cacti.

A Haley wannabe photo:) Heena, you will have a hay day with your camera and the desert landsacpe.

I can hardly believe that it was two weeks ago that we took these pictures at Sabino Canyon.  This was a much needed day off to reconnect as a team...we had a leisurely hike, skipped rocks, and enjoyed the Tucson sun.  The extent of our physical activity during the week is carrying boxes to and from screenings, setting up the merch tables and an occasional sprint to the van to grab something we forgot.  So needless to say, it was so nice to have a day outside and feel like we were semi-active:)

New Mexico came and went, but it left quite an impression on us all.  We had three days of screenings in Albuquerque, where we were rejuvenated by wonderful contacts who felt like old friends.  Albuquerque in synopsis: obvious scenic beauty, incredibly generous locals, killer screenings, a two hour Chick-Fil-Lay date with team and friends, followed by dinner with another phenomanal bunch of folks, and BEST breakfast at the GREATEST local joint with some of the COOLEST people I've ever met!  (I think i just used every positive adjective possible in that synopsis, and everything was pertaining to meals.)

Mountaineers are loved

We have had some amazing contacts in our first two states.  Here is a video that our friend, Colter, made for us after we left him in Tucson.  We had the pleasure of going to Colter's church last week to hear him preach, and between preaching/singing/song writting this is one talented guy!

I have to be up in 5 hours...

but all is greater than well!

missing you,

jess

Mountain West makes the IC blog

We arrived in Tucson this morning, which is our last Arizona stop.  Today we had a decent screening, some not so decent Taco Bell, and we enjoyed a ridiculous sunset over the desert horizon.  I'm really digging the saguaro cacti and Arizona mountain structures...there really is so much beauty to be seen, and we haven't even made it to Colorado!?

The Invisible Children blog posted a Mountain West original today.  We are pretty proud of what we threw together last night.  These guys make my days.

Praying you all are well,

Jess