Krystal’s heart for Uganda

Last Friday, as a part of our my Friday Rock Star series, I introduced you to Krystal Rodgers who serves as my assistant. If you missed it, check out what I think qualifies her as Rock Star on our staff! Today, I want to share with you something that is coming up for her this summer that is really exciting.

As I shared on Friday, Krystal worked with an organization called Invisible Children for some time before coming to work for us in Mansfield. If you have never heard of Invisible Children, here is some information about their mission. You can find more on their website.

We are story tellers. We make documentaries about war-affected children in east Africa and tour them around the world. We use the power of media to inspire young people to help end the longest running war in Africa. Our model has proven effective, and hundreds of thousands of people have been called to action through our films and the volunteers that tour them…But our work extends far beyond storytelling. With the support we receive from our tours and young supporters, we are able to implement cutting edge programs on the ground in Uganda.

This summer Krystal has been given the opportunity to participate in a trip to Uganda with Invisible Children to get a first hand look at fruits of her labor while working at IC. To help finance that trip, she will be selling T-shirts and I want to encourage every reader her to consider purchasing one of these for $20. Here’s a picture of the shirts.

I’ve asked Krystal to share with you more of her story which you will find at the end of this post. I hope you will take a moment to read that. More than that though, I hope you will support her. If the content I’ve shared on this blog has been a blessing to you, please consider this as an opportunity to express your thanks to someone who supports me in tremendous ways each and every day.

I would be so honored by your gift to her.

If you would like to order a shirt or support her with a gift, please let me know!

Here’s a bit more of Krystal’s story. Thanks for considering how you can help her continue this journey!

My stint with Invisible Children began in the fall of 2008 and although my internships were technically over almost a year ago in May 2009, I’ve continued to fight the good fight with my friends at Invisible Children and in Northern Uganda.

In the Fall of ’08, the beginning of my journey, I decided to live in a van for 3 months as a Roadie with three strangers that quickly became my family. In the Spring of ’09 I was one of 12 Regional Assistants who planned a 100 city international event called The Rescue where thousands of people, young and old, raised their voices so that those who are voiceless might be heard. I rescue rode from Dallas, TX to Little Rock, AR onto Huntington West Virginia and later ended up being “rescued” by Oprah in Chicago, the 100th city, on the 7th day.

Last summer I drove with a few friends to our nation’s capitol and was a part of the largest lobbying event for an African issue ever. Since then I have continued to lobby representatives in Texas, and helped convince Senator Coburn from Oklahoma, also known as Dr. No, to say Yes and release his hold on the LRA disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act which has since been passed through the Senate and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs and is well on it’s way to the President’s desk.

All of these things have been a huge part of my journey and each, a step towards bringing Peace to Northern Uganda and the surrounding areas of Eastern Africa. I continue to be a part of this revolution to do my part in fighting apathy with activism and with high hopes/big intentions of spreading the news about Uganda’s Invisible Children to people who still have never heard about this war that has been waging onward for the last 24 years.

I’m raising money to go to Uganda because I’ve yet to step foot on the soil of the place that my heart has latched onto and refuses to let go of. I have dedicated myself to helping end Africa’s longest running war and I now have the chance to travel to Uganda, to see the impact that Invisible Children and myself have had first-hand.

I invite you to take the next step of my journey with me whether it is through prayer, donating what you can, or buying a rad t-shirt.

Related posts:

1. Friday Rock Star | Krystal
2. A few links
3. Book Reviews Coming…
4. Melting my heart…
5. Friday Rock Stars series

Category: Faith & Culture, Leadership