Coming Home

It has been a while since I have updated. Oops! I swear, I have a legitimate excuse. You see, I have been enjoying life! Oh, that's not good enough? Well, anyway...

Since we last met, I returned to San Diego for a lovely week of debriefing, beaching, partying, and horrendous goodbyes. Seriously, the bond between roadies is the strangest, strongest, most wonderful bond ever. I also came home. I wasn't sure what it would feel like to be back. I knew I wanted to get in my big, comfy bed. And I knew I couldn't wait to see family and friends who I had not seen in months. But, to be honest, I was a bit nervous. I was nervous that life had taken place, people had changed, and things were different. And they were. Kind of.

In many ways, lots of things happened at home while I was away. Relationships began and ended. New life was created. Some people passed on into their next life. Life has a tendency to happen at all times. But in some ways, nothing had changed. My friends still loved me and wanted to hear about what I had just done. My family was happy for me to be home. My dog still recognized me. It was a strange place to find myself in. But, I didn't mind at all. I still don't.

I am luckier than many people because I fell like I am exactly where I am supposed to be and this is the first time I have been able to say that with full confidence. I'm pretty sure that I will eventually end up in Nashville. When I am ready to settle down, I want it to be here. But for now, I am free to wander. Free to explore. Free to live. This is a strange and beautiful freedom. It is given, not earned. So, I am going to take it and run until I am positive that it has ended. Then, I'll probably run just a little bit longer.

Scientifically, the main keys to happiness are feeling loved and feeling like your life has meaning and purpose. Others say happiness is a choice. I suppose in all regards, I am happy. Life is definitely not easy. It is far from perfect. But I am happy. And that feels like home.

How Did This Happen?

Soooo...the last time I updated was the night before The Rescue.  So much has happened in the past two weeks that I have no clue how to condense it all, but I will sure try.  Buckle up cause it will be a long and bumpy ride, but I will reward you with hugs if you make it all the way to the end, read the whole thing, and leave me a comment.  :)

It all started at the phenomenal St. Paul Rescue event.  Big ups to Lindsay, Jenny, Erica, and the rest of the fantastic street team for the event.  It would NOT have been as successful without you fine people.  We arrived to set up for the event of a lifetime only to find that there was already an event on the capitol lawn until 2:00 pm.  Our event began at 3:00.  However, impossible is not a word in the vocabulary of Invisible Children and our superhuman volunteers pulled it off flawlessly.  The march was awe-inspiring and we definitely caught the attention of the city and its media outlets.  We were rescued 7 times by the Governor of Minnesota and 6 state reps.  It was one of the coolest moments of my life.  

Upon being rescued, Tessa, myself, and a crew of unbelievable Rescue Riders headed out to Chicago to wait with them to be rescued.  But a funny thing happened while we were there.  Every city around the world was being rescued...except for Chicago.  The team there was so insanely amazing, there should be books written about them.  Nelly, Austin, Sabrina, Domonique, Johannes, Claire, Tessa, and myself held down the fort until reinforcements arrived.  We found new shelter every night for hundreds of technically homeless Rescue Riders, provided food for them, shuttled them around the city, and found new places to wait when asked to leave by the Police.

Once more IC staff and Rescue Riders began to arrive, the fun really began.  Spirits rose, dance parties ensued, nobody slept.  However, the glaring fact stared us in the face every few minutes that we were still not rescued and we were really not leaving until that happened.  Once the filmmakers arrived, we decided that we would not settle for anyone except the Big O's...Oprah and the Obamas.  It sounded cool.  How epic would it be for the situation in Africa if someone that powerful addressed the situation?  The logistics of getting that done, however, were a bit of a nightmare.  

On Day 6, discouragement began to creep into the ranks.  We were wet, cold, beyond exhausted, and still waiting with very few leads to getting rescued.  So, naturally, we decided we had to sing and dance.  We choreographed a song and dance routine asking Oprah to come rescue us and performed it outside of her studios many times in a row (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4MC0hBf6wtI&feature=related).  It was amazing that growing up in church choirs could help prepare me for helping orchestrate this. 

We performed it and it was amazing, but nothing happened.  We went back to the church and tried to think of a plan.  On the way back, a few of us stopped to eat at a Mexican restaurant and there was a small television on.  A commercial came on talking about Oprah's live taping the next morning.  We went immediately to Laren and told him what we saw.  The filmmakers and some staff members immediately went to work devising a plan and they came up with a doozy.  At about midnight, they announced that we would leave in 2 hours to go surround Oprah's studio quietly and peacefully.  We would hold up peace signs and make signs, saying "Oprah, we've met before.  We're Invisible Children.  Can we have 5 minutes?"  To my surprise, every person in the building erupted with applause, even though they were told they would be getting less than 2 hours of sleep.  The attitude and humility exhibited by these people was truly awe-inspring...and a little creepy.

So, we gathered in vans and shuttled down to the studio.  We stood for a few hours, wondering if each passing limo was Oprah.  We saw lots of limos, by the way.  What's up Chicago?  Share the wealth!  Eventually, there was a stir on one side of the building because Oprah's bff Gayle, arrived, wondering what exactly we were doing.  We explained and she seemed extremely impressed.  She said she would make sure Oprah saw us (really, she couldn't miss us) and then promptly returned with cupcakes.  Thank you, Gayle.  You're a good one.

Then, a few minutes later, the one and only Oprah arrived.  She slowed a bit, saw the signs and entered the garage.  We didn't cause a scene because we wanted to respect her and her influence.  While all of this was happening, one of our board members was invited inside by a security guard he had befriended earlier.  Basically, he was told that Oprah and her producers were interested.  After a few more minutes, she came out herself in her bright orange jumpsuit (girl, work!) and invited the filmmakers in.  They were escorted to a board room and within moments, Oprah Winfrey had cut the first segment of her show and dedicated ten minutes to Invisible Children and the Rescue.

The rest was like a dream.  We stood there as Oprah said "Everyone within the sound of my voice, go to invisiblechildren.com."  Most of the roadies were weeping.  I still cannot believe that because of persistence, willingness to dream, creativity, and hard work, we got one of the most powerful people on earth to dedicate her time and resources to this amazing cause.  Here is the clip of our segment (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w2jFISVUXxc&feature=related).

This is absolutely the most incredible thing I have ever been a part of in my short life.  Our website crashed 5 minutes after this segment because so many people visited the website.  This is only the beginning.  This organization is exploding right now and the exciting thing about that is that it means awareness is finally being raised to the atrocities being committed against innocent people.  This war WILL end and I will get to say that I was a part of it.  Lobby Days is next in June and I will be there, ready to keep fighting.

After we were rescued, we all drove back to San Diego.  I got to spend a couple of amazing days with my team as we drive back.  They are truly three of my favorite people on the planet and it is going to be so strange not living in a van with them anymore.  As all of the other teams arrived, we began a week of work and debriefing.  We went to a Padres game, had a day at the beach, a bonfire, two massive parties, and shared laughs, tears, stories, and life lessons.

I have never encountered people like this and I am so excited to continue to work for this organization this summer.  It will be more hard work, but it is so worth it.  I have learned so much from this experience.  I could never type it all out.  God has been so gracious to me in these unique circumstances and has taught me remarkable things about acting out the love that I profess, even when I don't feel like it.  He taught me how to extend grace to others and receive it as well.  I have made friends for life and I have lived fully.

As this chapter ends, I am so looking forward to a few weeks of rest with family and friends to recharge for the 2-month summer tour.  I hope this is not a peak in my life, but only the beginning of great things; not so I will be known as great, but so that I can continue to strive towards the ultimate purpose of loving every single person with whom I come in contact.  The mission to spread light to a darkening world is difficult and not glamorous, but it is the only thing I feel equipped for and the only thing I want to do.

A wise man named Dr. Seuss once said, "Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened."  Another wise man named Henry David Thoreau said, "Nothing makes the earth seem so spacious as to have friends at a distance; they make the latitudes and longitudes."

I think they are both right.  I will forever smile when I think about this experience and the friends I have spanning the globe, all trying their best to fight darkness with the light of decency, love, and justice.

With Hope,

Brandon