oh, ohio.

hello, dear friends.

so here it is, february 25th, and i am beginning my third week on tour. it is so funny, i feel like i have been on tour for so many weeks already, yet memories of california and college are so close at hand. i guess that is part of the mystery of time. i cannot remember the last time i wrote, but i am quite certain that i am nearly a different person now than i was then. i have learned so much in the past two and a half weeks. so much about myself, about how i relate to others, about my team and how they function, and about the beauty of human life and the hope that we all work together so beautifully to maintain.

in the past couple of weeks, we have traveled from california to chicago, went all around that area. from chicago to columbus, ohio, and now we are spending the week in cincinnati. in chicago, we spent a week adjusting to each other and finally owning up to the idea of tour. we finally began to realize the implications of a three month road trip, about how we all affect each other, about how things can go terribly wrong (i.e. our very first day of screenings, our car stopped working, we couldn't call a cab, we were late to a screening which turned out horrible, and we hit a car). but we also learned the comfort we could take in each other, the pain we could cause each other, but especially i began to realize the relationships that i would maintain for the rest of my life. these three people i am traveling with are amazing, and i wish that you all could have the opportunity to embrace their stories, their strengths and weaknesses, and their lives as i am able to over the next few months.

our week in columbus was significantly better than the first week for some of us. we had consistent screenings throughout the week, and had very good responses to our media and had incredible contacts that we had great discussions with. we were supposed to go to a high school this past friday, but columbus area schools had a snow day, so we hung out with a couple of rad contacts and went sledding during the day and enjoyed downtown columbus in the evening. we ended up going to pittsburgh on saturday and did a preview of sorts at a franciscan school's dance concert on saturday night, which was certainly interesting.

and now we are in cincinnati. we arrived on sunday evening, and ended up doing a screening today at a local high school, and had the incredible priveledge of sharing the stage with a man named dennis who is from gulu, northern uganda. kevin, my teammate who lived in gulu for a year, was delighted to be able to introduce him, talk with him, and speak with him in the native tongue of northern uganda. we were so grateful to hear his story and be able to talk to him about what invisible children is doing and about his life in uganda. he has an incredible story.

so here i am, in the basement that has been allotted to me and the team for the week, and it's amazing. we have beds to sleep in, a television to watch, a bathroom, and food that has been supplied to us. and it's such a blessing. we are preparing for a crazy week, and i am constantly re-realizing how long this tour is. i cannot believe that i have the privledge to spend three months on the road with the craziest and most amazing three people in the world, spreading the word of the situation in uganda, all while historic events are taking place in uganda. for those of you who do not know, a permanent ceasefire has just been signed in uganda, and it is expected that the war will officially be over by the end of next week. how crazy is that??! the end of this 22 year war is finally in sight. there is still so much work to be done, but it is so encouraging to hear our brothers and sisters in uganda rejoice as peace is finally cresting. for all of us who are working for uganda, it is one of the most amazing things. especially to be on the road while this is happening. i encourage you to look at ugandacan.org for more up-to-date happenings.

finally, i would like to leave you with a video of my two teammates, filipe and kevin, while we are at ohio state university. it just gives you an idea of the cold that we are experiencing, but also the incredible and hilarious team i am partnered with. go here. http://youtube.com/watch?v=S64nwDvW7D4

love and miss you all. please do not hesitate to email me back and update me on your lives! sorry this is long and rambling, but i wanted to make sure i threw an update your way. love you all and talk to you soon!!

peace, please.
kristin.