to revolution.

just an excerpt from my journal ...

march 1, 2008. - louisville, ky.

so now we are in louisville, hanging out with kevin's friends, jason and carrie. they're awesome. but i wanted to make sure i documented denis and my encounters (denis is a man that we had the priveledge of meeting, talking with, and sharing the stage with, who is from gulu). as i said before, kevin always speaks about the Acholi, the welcoming and grateful culture. and i am so grateful that i got to encounter denis. he spoke to us during a dinner on sunday night, and it was so cool to see kevin and him interact. to hear kevin speak like an Acholi, to hear them convers in their language, to be Acholi together. and then he spoke at madeira high school the next day, which was incredible to hear. he talked for nearly twenty minutes during our screening, and i coul dhave listened to him for so much longer. but it was earlier today that affected me the most. denis has greeted me several times, holding my hand and gazing strongly in my eyes throughout the entire short-lived conversation. but this morning, all the kids were watching 'wardance', and i came in to watch a little part of it. during that part, a girl said this:

"when i dance, i forget all of my problems."

i don't know why, but it was then that i was hit. sometimes, being right in the midst of this movement, i forget the gravity of this situation. how ironic. but i forget how much individuals are affected. how lives have been hurt, so much that sometimes i fear beyond repair. it was in the 21 minutes of silence last night that i also felt this. that i pleaded with God. that i searched for God. wrestled with Him, asking - seeking - for His hand in this situation.

but it was during this moment, during this absolutely stunning scene in the movie, that denis walks over to me, grabs my hand, and whispers this to me:

"hi, how are you doing today, i am fine, thank you."

and we meet eyes, smile at each other, and he walks away. this has not happened to me in so long ... but i was simply overcome. i started crying, tears just coming without any control. i wasn't sobbing by any means, but in a sense, i welcomed this. i need to remember the gravity of this. i need to remember that girl's life, denis' smile and touch. to remember kevin's friends. i need to remember the stories that i will never hear and the faces i will never see. and then i need to remember - just as i re-realized in that moment and the moments after - that i am a part of something so much bigger than me. than my team. than unifat. than the great lakes region. than this tour. than IC. i am a part of a global community. one that is searching for hope, for global reconciliation. for a community. a true community. for support in one another. for love, ultimately. it is as if we are all finally realizing that we are all made for each other. i think that is what my generation is waking up to. and we are realizing that if we yell this news loud enough, we are waking others up, too. they just didn't know, you know? they are ready. we are ready. uganda is ready. the US is ready. so is burma, LA, sudan, and so many others. here we come.

to sleep. to milwaukee.

to revolution.

kel.