It's Only Amazing and Completely Breathless!

SO if you read my blogs then you know who and what Invisible Children is and stands for. You should even know that there was a bill out there going through the process to help the children of Uganda and especially Eastern Africa. Well for those of you that don't know....

It all started in 2005, at least the organization, but I do believe that Bobby Bailey, Laren Poole, and Jason Russell went on a journey to Africa, more preferably Sudan. Going on a adventure to document what they could find. Little did these young men in their 20's know they were going to embark on an adventure that would forever change not only their lives but the lives of hundreds of teens and young adults. While on this adventure they find out that there are children traveling miles by foot to get to the next city to seek refuge from the Lords Resistance Army, or LRA. This rebel army abducts these children and forces them to abduct, kill, and mutilate people on command... even their friends and family. One former child soldier even said that he killed a woman for walking too slow. These three young guys learned about this war and the rebel leader, Joseph Kony, and were shocked to hear that it was going unseen for more than two decades. Who would have thought?

Well they took the footage they took from the camera they bought from EBay and put together a documentary called, "Invisible Children: The Rough Cut." From this documentary there came a wave of responses from the people that watched it asking what they could do to help. So they went ahead and started... Invisible Children, in 2005.

Since then alot has happened! Every fall semester schools around the country raise money to rebuild a sister school in Northern Uganda. They typically raise over ONE MILLION dollars... it's totally crazy cause I just learned that, that's more than the US and UN give to Northern Uganda combined! How epic is that. A whole bunch of teens and young adults raising more money than probably millionaires. Then is the spring about every other year they have done rallies. The latest one was called, "The Rescue." This event took place in 100 cities, 10 countries, all together sharing 1 voice. We stood together in solidarity with the child soldiers, and symbolically abducted ourselves and walked 2-3 miles then waited to be rescued by the media and a celebrity or political mogul. It took about 6 days until we were finally rescued by Oprah in Chicago, IL, or Chi-town. Little did we know that soon after the Rescue, a bill was written to help those in Northern Uganda and Eastern Africa and help capture Joseph Kony. Later that same summer we, about two thousand of us went to Washington, D.C., to lobby to our congressmen about the bill. We had about 40 signatures in that day alone. I was just lucky to have Mr. Senator Samuel Brownback as my senator, because he was a co-writer of the bill. It wasn't until just recently that the bill passed the House of Senate Unanimously, then it passed through the House of Representatives Unanimously with the same bill without any corrections or changes.

So today was the day that was completely amazing and breathless. Mr. President Barrack Obama signed the bill. Which makes it a law. Now has 180 days to come up with a strategy to apprehend Joseph Kony and the other leading commanders of the LRA. Then we can start fixing and recovering Northern Uganda and Eastern Africa and bring those child soldiers back to their families.

Here is was President Obama said about us, citizens:
"I congratulate Congress for seizing on this important issue, and I congratulate the hundreds of thousands of Americans who have mobilized to respond to this unique crisis of conscience. We have heard from the advocacy organizations, non-governmental organizations, faith-based groups, humanitarian actors who lack access, and those who continue to work on this issue in our own government. We have seen your reporting, your websites, your blogs, and your video postcards — you have made the plight of the children visible to us all. Your action represents the very best of American leadership around the world, and we are committed to working with you in pursuit of the future of peace and dignity that the people of who have suffered at the hands of the LRA deserve."

So I just wanted to thank everyone who spent alot of their time on Facebook annoying their friends with constant status updates, invites, tagging, and video blitzing. All those people that slept outside in the cold until a Senator released his hold on the bill. All of you we waited all 6 days in Chicago till you got rescued. All of you who rescue rode or rescue watched. All those epic dance parties on the Live Feed. All,  two thousand, of you would went and lobbied to your congressmen in D.C. and made it the largest lobbying event on an African issue. All of you who signed the petitions. All of you who wrote, called, emailed, or visited your congressmen in your home town. Thanks!


We are getting so much closer to saying and seeing it really happen...


Together we ARE FREE!!!


And then watching... How it Ends.


Thanks again! I love all of you!

Where Will 2010 Take Me?

There is so much going on this year, from being "President" of Invisible Children Club at school, possibly going to Swaziland, Africa, becoming an Invisible Children Roadie, and possibly going to Nicaragua.

All of these events and yet it costs a lot of money, a lot.

I guess it's going back to all previous events such as El Salvador, Camp Mah-Kee-Nac, and Lobby Days. Trusting that God will have my back, trusting that He knows what's best for my life, trusting that He will provide when I don't think it will ever happen.

Before I enjoyed depending on Him, but now... now I am a little overwhelmed with all of this.

Don't get me wrong, I would love to go to Swaziland and then come back and tell the stories of the children I met, and the beautiful people I got to meet, even the beautiful ones with aids.

My heart has definitely goes out to the children of this world. They are so beautiful and I believe that they can create beautiful artwork. That's probably why God put this vision in my heart. To bring art to the children of the world and bring their works, pictures, and stories to the rest the world, the world who seems to ignore these third world countries and their lifestyles and think only of themselves. Oh, wait, they think of these third world countries when something like an earthquake hits Haiti. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing people getting together to helping these beautiful people, but honestly I wished I saw more of it that just the few times a natural disaster happens.

I, like I said earlier, am the new "president" of Invisible Children Club this semester at JCCC. I am looking forward to spreading the news of this atrocity in eastern Africa and northern Uganda. And all the good going on right now with the bill in Congress. Raising money for an amazing cause. Hopefully booking a screening for JCCC and getting people to actually show up. I mean honestly Tye and Pepito are going to be there, you know, from the "GO" documentary. I mean if all else fails then I am willing to post up posters telling people about the screening at my church. I am really hoping that the screening at the church will go well, and I hope that it won't just be a youth thing, I pray that the entire church will come out and listen to what is going over there and to what is said.

I am really, definitely passionate about Invisible Children, the Children being abducted, and hiding from the LRA. I am still wanting to be a Roadie for Invisible Children, hopefully in the fall. I have many ideas in my head for the video application, and am really hoping that it will turn out awesome. But when I do this, I know that this will be one of the greatest experiences of my life. Traveling the country telling everyone about this atrocity going on in Eastern Africa and Northern Uganda, and telling them how they can help and be apart of this amazing organization. This is something I have wanted to do for a while and I really hope that this is my chance. How amazing to see passions spark and grow as we travel state to state, city to city, school to school. Amazing.

Then Nicaragua is in the winter, and I would love to go, but it's like a two week span between I get back from being a Roadie to this mission trip. Don't get me wrong, would love to travel so much this year, but it's all up to God whether He wants me to do this or not.

I just pray that I will be able to stay with my studies at school and yet still raise funds for everything. BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY stay with GOD, cause if I don't stay close then I won't know for sure that HE wants me to do or not.

Thanks for any prayers you have done and will continue to do.

Update about Invisible Children

I totally forgot about my blog. How could I forget about my blog?!?!

Well I couldn't help buy notice that the last blog up was about The Rescue. That is just over 6 months ago. And alot has happened since then.

First of all there was lobby days and we lobbied a bill, called the "LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009." This bill would require the Obama Administration to come up with a strategy to apprehend Joseph Kony. In the bill, there would be funding to help rebuild Northern Uganda and any other areas affected by the LRA. This lobbying event was the largest lobby event on an African Issue in this nation's history and I was a part of that. How EPIC! During that day we got 80 cosponsorships.

Now Schools for Schools, semester time. This semester our goal is to get President Obama to make a statement about the war of Northern Uganda. So Invisible Children is trying to get 250,000 signatures. You can help by going to wewantobama.com. Right now we have about 100,000 and we only need 150,000 more. I know that we can do it.

Last week, the commander in the LRA in charge of the Christmas Masacre surrendered. So that was really awesome. Slowly but surely things are starting look good.

I just find it really interesting that the commanders and slowing coming out and surrendering, it almost seems that they are getting alittle tired of this as well.

Well tomorrow, November 10, committees are voting on the LRA Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. *fingers crossed* that it passes.

Invisiblechildren.com

The Rescue

On April 25th, 2009, thousands of people in hundreds of cities around the world are going to abduct themselves from their homes to represent the thousands of children that were abducted by the LRA, Lord's Resistance Army, in Northern Uganda. We are going to be meeting at an "Abduction site" and then walk 1-3 miles depending on the city, in a single file line. This will represent the children walking to the "Bush" or "LRA Camp," this too is where we will be going. We aren't going to be leaving the "LRA Camp" until we get enough media attention, and someone of mass cultural influence comes and "Rescues" us. This event is called "The Rescue"

Joseph Kony, the Rebel Army leader is in charge of the causing the longest running war in Africa. He has masecred so many people, and has abducted over 30,000 children into his rebel army. These children are forced to kill, and abduct other children into the LRA, at a very young age. These kids face danger around every corner. If they are seen crying in the "Bush" they will be killed. They are multilated and murded in front of the other children to teach them a lesson that if they were to do what the ones that got hurt did, that it would happen to them.

This is where you can help... watch the rescue video and check out the invisible children website. They post peace updates and the progress of the war and the new rally the rescue.

The website is therescue.invisiblechildren.com

and for general information visit http://www.invisiblechildren.com/

YOU MUST SIGN UP FOR THE RESCUE ON THERESCUE.INVISIBLECHILDREN.COM

We want as many people at this event as possible.

I hope you can make it to an event... there is bound to be one near you.