Friends, Poverty, and Agnostics

I guess it would be nice to introduce you to the cast of characters that will most likely be mentioned in future posts. I've been able to really connect with some of the roadies and it's been a blast. We don't have cable at the house, which is awful. I haven't watched Sportscenter since October 8th exactly. Since almost everyone here is an Office addict, four of us guys find a place to watch it(most likely a staff member's apt. or house) and drive out for the 30 minutes of bliss. Lately we cap off the night with Scrubs too, which is pretty funny. It's Chris, Jared, Josh and I that have been going religiously since we got here. It's my church I guess. Chris is 24 and he's from Ohio. He's a big outdoorsy guy who competitively water skies and lived in Aspen as a lift operator for the snow season. We've been able to really connect with some great conversations and his faith is a huge part of why he's here. Jared is 19, from Nebraska, and his nickname was "baby J" last year because he was the youngest roadie. So he's back for his second season. He's really fun to hang out with and is always ready to go to the beach. He has also introduced me to the world of Guitar Hero. Him and JP would definitely get along. Josh is from rural Washington state and is one of my favorites for sure. He's 20 and loves being around people. He reminds me of Tom a lot. Josh is incredibly caring and also really into sports. One of the few here. We've been going to this sports bar/restaurant called BJ's for the games on Sunday. It's been nice but pricey to watch football. We spent three hours there watching the Pats embarrass the Colts last week. That was great time. So those are just a sampling of some of the people out here. They have incredible stories. I'll leave them for future posts.

I'd like to get into Invisible Children's philosophy of development but will save that for later. It's really incredible. The way we are partnering with the citizens of Uganda is not the status quo for the typical non-profit. We are doing things differently and it's working. Kelly told me about this book a while ago called, "The White Man's Burden". It's almost a manifesto here. I read "The End of Poverty" on the road trip out here and apparently White Man's is the counter argument to Sach's proposals. I just checked out it from the library and hope to get into it soon.

I know some of you are concerned about my faith journey. Well it's certainly been interesting. One of the incentives of coming to IC was that it wasn't a religiously affiliated organization. That appealed to me from the start. That being said, there are about two non-Christians working in the entire organization. So there is that. But everyone here is pretty open minded and willing to discuss their faith. That's been really healthy for me. I'm still very much up in the air when it comes my faith or lack thereof. Last night I had some pretty constructive conversations with an agnostic colleague. I really resonated with his own questions, doubts, and concerns. He feels that it's arrogant to say there is or isn't a God and he's quite open to whether or not that's true. He also has some serious reservations about the Bible, which I also wrestle with. All in all I don't feel a lot has changed but you always feel that way in the midst of it.

Good night.

The First Month

This Saturday will mark the one month anniversary of being a roadie. There's so much to say and so little time to say it. It's so strange to think that we've been out here in San Diego for a month. Life is accelerated out here. There is just no other way to say it. Everything moves so quickly, from relationships to the daily grind. The first week we were here felt like a month. And then the second week flew by. The rest has been the same. So maybe you guys want details? Kind of like Kelly's incredibly descriptive blog? Well I'll try...

There are going to be a total of 47 roadies touring the United States representing Invisible Children and our story. Right now there are 37 people all living together under one roof. When Jay and I pulled into downtown San Diego there were six other roadies here. We spent 10 days or so like that. The seven of us lived in a house in Spring Valley, about a five minute drive to the Invisible Children office. On October 26th the rest of the roadies(who were getting back from a tour) came back and moved into our house. It was a nice house but not made for 37 people. In retrospect(a little foreshadowing here) it wasn't too crammed at all. But last week we moved. We moved to a nicer area with plenty of commerce within walking distance(nice because a lot of roadies don't have cars here). Once I get a hold of a camera I can post some pictures. It's a mansion. Seven bedrooms, four and a half bathrooms, and two kitchens. We have two balconies with a great view. We're pretty much spoiled.

I'm sure you don't care that much about the house but it's been so incredible. Ok now the people here. The other roadies are some of the best people I've ever met. It's actually cliche here to say that someone is "amazing". Cliche! It's almost annoying to hear how great these people are that you've never met. And then you meet them and you realize that they are amazing and that they have huge hearts for people and operate from a source of love. It's ridiculous. It's the opposite of reality. You're surrounded with people who sacrifice. Who choose to sacrifice. Crazy.

More to come.

Disclaimer

So I've felt guilty these past few weeks because I know some of you back home would like to know what's going on here. And I don't want to be "that guy" who thinks the whole world cares about his life. But I do appreciate my friends who keep up with their blogs...it's nice to check in every now and then to see what's new in their lives. All that to say...I'm finally giving in.