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

Rewind two weeks...

This has been a long time coming!  Take note that this quick video might seem boring and really random, but it encapsulates some of the great times before we hit the road.  I have not yet figured out how to edit with the Flip camera program, so I apologize that it just jumps from one thing to the next.  The progression of events is as follows: American, Ugandan, Scottish, British, and Kiwi love fest on Valentines day, where we swapped dance moves and had an intercontinental soccer game.  Following the park festivities a van full of us went to sunset cliffs to (obviously) watch the sun set.  (side note: we were joined by 200 unoriginal couples looking adoringly into each others eyes and taking smooching pictures. lol.)  Next is a snippet from launch dinner when the Ugandans danced a traditional Acholi dance for us...definitely the highlight of the night!  After the Acholi dance is the lull of us loading the one of vans.  Lastly, is goodness from launch day.  The setting was Mt. Soledad on the perfect SD day, the company was the lovely IC roadies/staff/interns, and the spirit was laced with excitement and authenticity.  Enjoy!

My Love,

Jess