John Heart Jackie Breaks the Silence!

April 25th, 2011 - Portland Breaks the Silence

Am I in over my head?

First of all, if you haven't heard that Invisible Children was on OPRAH last week (watch here), you must climb out from underneath that rock where you've been hiding, and get in the know about the Break the Silence Event. Tomorrow at 7PM, I will be joining 90,000 others that are going Silent to stand in solidarity with the victims of this 25 year long war. I will be breaking the silence with the Pacific Northwest Roadie Team, John Heart Jackie, and the most inspirational IC supporters in Portland, Oregon!

I feel so honored to be breaking the silence in Portland as others such as Jedidiah Jenkins in NYC, Laren Poole in Austin, and Jason Russell in Los Angeles do the same. The events will be streaming live on Invisible Children.com so if you cannot attend an event, make sure you watch.

P.S. Mumford & Sons will be breaking the event in Austin, Texas!

Country Fun

I shot a gun, rode an ATV, and caught a lamb. Who am I?!?!

Eric shoots a 30-30 rifle

Sheering some sheep

john heart jackie

will be breaking the silence at the Melody Ballroom in Portland, Oregon on April 25th!

john heart jackie

Accepted!

Hi Everyone,

If you haven't already heard...I was accepted into the JET Program :) I leave for Japan on July 23rd! Thank you for all your support!

Our host-family has a movie theatre!

Seriously.

Bridge of the Gods

No sidewalk, semi-trucks, two-states, and a long way down

Con Bro Chill.

Portland is insane, and by insane, I mean amazing. Team PNW is currently being hosted by part of the Con Bro Chill team. You don't want to miss this video.

ARENA

Random Japanese Drumming?

Right as the PNW roadie team started to pack up after a great day at Lake Oswego HS, OR (THANK YOU!) these amazing students started rocking out on the drums. Life is full of wonderful surprises. Please see link below.

Random Japanese Drumming

Meet Rufus

The boy that looks like a dog. See those toys on the right? Yes, they all belong to Rufus.

SUNY Binghamton didn't look like this!

I love cherry blossoms and fireplaces :)




Oh, by the way, we went rafting/kayaking...no big deal...video to come

Emily & Johnny

I want to talk about Emily & Johnny.

You most likely don't know Emily or Johnny, but I do. Emily and Johnny have just about nothing in common, except that they are proud of who they are.

Emily & Johnny inspire me. E&J confronted the judgement of their friends & family, said f@*k u (not literally), and did what was best for their souls. Do I miss Emily and Johnny? Tremendously. But, I am so proud of them. E&J are not quitters. Some might believe that they "abandoned," or "checked-out," but can you really quit something that you no longer believe in? Thank you for being true to yourself and your beliefs. Isn't that what we were asked to do in the first place?

Pictures!

Jubilation

Last night, around 9:30 PM, my section of tour beautifully came to a conclusion. There were no marching bands, champagne or pats-on-the-back, but unlike Atlas, I felt the weight of the world disappear from my shoulders.

Spencer- I’m sorry for my excessive celebration. I know that your section of tour has now started and truth be told it is stressful. However, I can promise that there is a bright light at the end of a long tunnel which you will reach. Be Patient grasshopper and enjoy the many victories that await you.

Great State of Washington – Thank you for all you hard-work and hospitality. Through the rain, appendicitis, and a constant feeling of sluggishness, you never let me down. I leave you a little lighter in the stomach, but much heavier in the heart. Besides the fact that I think $18 to ride to the top of the Space Needle is a crime, the Puget Sound, floating bridges, a giant troll in Freemont, and amazing new friends promises that I will return.

Oregon- Don’t let me down. Portland, here I come.

Yo-Yo-Ma

The PNW team had a screening this past Friday @ The Image Church. This Yo-Yo-er opened for us. Seriously, it was incredible: WATCH ME

Get Well

Thanks for the balloon :)

The Scar

If you don't like staples in the skin I suggest you look away. You've been warned.

Bye Bye Appendix

The rumors are true. I no longer have an appendix. Don't worry I am ok and still on tour :)

Can you stay silent for 25 Hours?

On April 25th, Invisible Children will be launching their 4th international event. I will be duct-taping my mouth shut to speak out without speaking. Let's stand in solidarity with the victims of this 25 year conflict: 25,000 strong to remember the 25 years of senseless violence and the sacrifice of a 25 year old man.

JOIN ME

Riverdance?

Just another Spencer moment while setting up the merchandise table and tech equipment.

Spencer's version of Riverdance

The Pacific Northwest: where everyone owns a trampoline

Head over heels

My section of tour!

So tomorrow, March 9th, begins my section of tour. I'm responsible for all screenings between 3/9 - 3/31. I'm a little worried, but anxious to succeed. Our first screening tomorrow is at Paul Mitchell The School: Spokane followed by Kaleo Community Church in Otis Orchards.

Now. For those of you that have seen the Invisible Children van before. Imagine how awesome this "short bus" would look with IC stickers.

Some pictures from today

Beks & Legalos

Brenda speaking in front of 600+ Students!

Hanging out in the hallways, selling merchandise, meeting future roadies

Trampoline Fun!

Tour thus far!

Bye Idaho!

We are now in Washington. I can't believe it, but I miss Boise. I had the opportunity to really get to know two wonderful families, the Jones' & Ledesma's. If you're reading this, thank you so much for opening your home to our team.

Highlights of the trip:

-Trampolines
-Northstar Charter School (Kendall you made that screening a huge success!)
-Smurf Turf! We got to play on the field at Boise State University

Watch Beks tackle me in the end zone here

-Brenda and Beks jump off the high-dive at the local YMCA. FEARLESS

Anyways, Boise was great. I'm now looking forward to an amazing month in Washington!

Back From New York

2/27/11- Went to NY for the weekend. I had an interview for JET (Teaching English in Japan). I think it went really well and will find out if I am contracted in April. After almost missing my connecting flight from Salt Lake City (Delta stinks), I'm now back in Boise, Idaho and am staying with a wonderful family. They took us to the local YMCA this morning (after an amazing pancake breakfast) which had an Olympic sized swimming pool with a high dive (videos will follow). We later came back to our host-family's home and went in their Jacuzzi! Amazing. Great meals, basketball games with the kids, trampoline fun, and the Oscars completed the day! 127 Hours was robbed!

Two screenings tomorrow, must get rest. You're all awesome. Enjoy the great photo taken by Spencer.

Back to NY!

Hi Everyone,

Well, today was crazy. 9 hour drive from Missoula, MT to Boise, ID on a one-lane highway that was un-plowed and lacked guard rails. It was snowing, and at times blizzard-esque and was highlighted by the potential of large drops off of cliffs or into the Salmon River. But, we safely arrived at the College of Idaho and had a great screening of TONY.

Tomorrow (5 hours from now), I am heading to Boise Airport to fly home for an interview on Friday (JET program!). It will be a short trip as I am returning to Boise, ID on Saturday night. Team PNW - thank you for your support, I feel terrible leaving you all behind for a few days.

Please take the time to enjoy this video compiled by Spencer at our hotel in Missoula, MT: Montana makes you go crazy

Bye Montana

Tomorrow we leave for Boise, ID and watch as Montana vanishes through our rear-view mirror. Thank you for the blizzard, that sure was a fun drive. But seriously, great state, I'm so happy I came.

BYE!

SO COLD!

Montana, you will not defeat me!

My first Caricature!

Thanks Colette!

And, Thanks Pocatello!

Welcome to Idaho!

First screening of TONY: Tomorrow, Pocatello, Idaho

Miles Driven: 1,025

PNW Roadies are on the way!

Our first video!

Launched!

Day 1 – Stayed at Dan Jones’ House (nicest man in the world). Team NorCal was pretty cool. Watched The Goonies! Attacked by a bear/dog named Boon. Ate more food than I ever thought was possible. Thank You!
Day 2 – We have arrived in Las Vegas, Nevada! Beautiful drive on I-15 (lots and lots of beautiful mountains). We are now staying with another wonderful family (The Alzaga’s). Lasagna, Salad, Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Raspberries, Strawberries…need I say more. I Love being a road
Facts
Miles Driven: 380
Fast Food Stops: 1
Screenings: 0
Enjoy the pic

For real

The Ugandan Roadies Arrive

Saturday

It's Saturday. We went to work.
Cleaned up and packed up our vans. We have #10 :)
Received a Screening Agreement.
Went to an amazing concert. I was completely seduced by the music.
The Tree Ring
Tomorrow we have launch dinner. This is real. I'm anxious, yet a little scared.
I'll be flying home on February 24th for an interview on the 25th and then back to Boise, Idaho. Seriously.
Miss you all.

The Dream Team

I almost landed a flip

If you were ever going to click a link, now is the time to do it.

TED talk on the Power of Vulnerability: Brene Brown

TED talk on the Paradox of of Choice: Barry Schwartz

Look, each TED talk (ideas worth spreading) is 20 minutes long. I implore you to take 40 minutes out of your day to listen. These aren't links that I usually post, but I'm beginning to see the necessity of developing relational skills. Let's stop wasting our time constructing facades, evaluate who we are, and embrace authenticity. Vulnerability liberates.

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I have been accepted to interview for JET (to teach English in Japan). I will be flying back to NY (for the day) at the end of February (from Boise, ID) just for the interview. I'll keep you all posted.

Team PNW is up to 62 screenings booked! Days are longer, but I believe in what I am doing. It feels great to exhaust myself knowing the difference that our work will have on the youth of America.

If you love me, you will watch those videos.

The Tree Ring

You must watch this video

The Letter

Our regional manager, Bethany a.k.a Sensei read Team PNW this letter and we have been NBA JAM on fire ever since. Frog and Toad sure know a thing or two when it comes to booking.

End of Week 3 by the numbers

944 Screenings booked out of 1,700 (56%)

Team Pacific Northwest – 50 screenings (50%)

Total estimated attendance: 316,403

PNW estimated attendance: 18,590

Day left to book: 11 business day!

Wow. We launch on Feb. 16 and there still remains an epic amount of work to be finished. But, don’t be alarmed. I still am optimistic and have a positive attitude.

For your enjoyment: Spencer putting a screening "On the map."

Great Contacts

A high-schooler booked a 1,000 person all-school assembly today at a 1st time school. Amazing.

Responsibility

I thought that representing the US as a Peace Corps Volunteer was a lot of weight on my shoulders. Being a roadie with Invisible Children makes me feel like I need to train for the world's strongest man competition. If we don't meet our goals, our programs in the Democratic Republic of Congo don't happen. Time to get down to business. Thank you team PNW for being so awesome!

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1/25

Booked 2 screenings today! One is at a church and the other at a Paul Mitchell Institute. Seriously. Who would have guessed? Also, I received my new phone, so send me a message?

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1/24

I'm so impressed by High School Students in Greater Washington State. If I was as mature as some of them are at the age of 17, I could be Obama right now.

Enrique is very optimistic/hopeful tonight.

Yay or Nay on my potential bio:

Eric Murphy grew up on the barrier island of Long Beach, New York. He was quite the fish until he volunteered with the Peace Corps in Paraguay, a land-locked country. He quickly lost his sea legs and became quite the Jungle Cat. Eric is now headed to the Pacific Northwest where he is looking forward to Steve Prefontaine, the Puget Sound, and Black Bears.

??

Buenas Noches

1/21-1/23

1. Mount Soledad left me speechless. See previous picture

2. Broke my cellphone. Will have a new one on Wednesday

3. Played Monopoly. Spencer hustled us

4. Played an amazing game of running charades. Can't wait to teach all of you

5. Found out that Team Pacific Northwest is premiering TONY in San Francisco

6. Shaved off my beard. I look 18 again

Off to bed, must book some screenings tomorrow!

Mount Soledad

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Back to the future

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my teammate

Let's make this go viral!

I HIT THE GONG!

*This means I booked my first screening! Congratulate me :)

A hopeful case of the Mondays

I have a confession to make. I'm cocky and sometimes a little too confident. For those of you who know me, I'm sure you are saying "duh Eric, we already knew that, but it's about time you realized it." Once again, this internship has acted as gravity and brought me back down to earth.

*What happened today that you feel this way?

So glad you asked! Well, part our training is to "book" our tour. That means, lots of emails, cold calling, the practice of patience, phone calls, more emails, more cold calling, more patience, more phone calls, repeat.

We do this until we are sent back a screening agreement, at which point are allowed to ring a gong. Yes, we do have a giant gong in the office. Every roadie dreams about the beautiful noise that it makes when it is rung and cheers when a fellow roadie gets up to ring it. *I have not had the opportunity to produce this beautiful noise yet, but rest assured, that when I do, there will be a video to prove it.

P.S. In my own twisted way I just explained why I was yet again humbled today. Tons of work and not 1 screening agreement. I'm chasing you down screen agreement, you cannot run forever.

However, the title of this blog-post also portrays a sense of satisfaction. A staff member, Jed, gave us a presentation that he titled, "Investing in others." I cried.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EOAcRKZxjy4

The above link will make you cry. I'm serious, be careful. However, the meaning is deep. Oden, devoted his life to care for those around him and it brought him real happiness. Studies suggest that people who have intrinsic goals (personal growth, building over relationships, a sense of community) over extrinsic goals (money, image, status) are "happier." Obviously everyone has their own definition of the word happiness. I guess what I'm trying to say is Thank You. My intrinsic goals are being reached and as a result enable me to be happy because of those that I surround myself with (YOU!).

Soul food Sunday

We are family

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Team Pacific Northwest!

Sunset in San Diego!

El cajón

Beautiful

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Lunch

Typical

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I drove the 15p!

No accidents, I rock.

I learned Salesforce today. I'm now an expert. I dare you to quiz me. I'm hoping we start booking tomorrow. Looking forward to unleashing my enthusiasm all over Tacoma, Spokane, Seattle, and Olympia - WASHINGTON. If you know of any high-schools, middle-schools, Universities, Places of worship, etc. in these areas that would like to book a screening, please let me know :)

Oh I also ate In-N-Out Burger for Dinner. Double-Double Animal Style. Yes I know you are all jealous.

-Enrique

P.S. I'm super busy, so I have no choice but to write in fragments. At least I'm trying to give you entertainment by deciphering my messages.

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The Trailer

Check it out:

http://vimeo.com/16042648

11211

The office

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1/11/11

I live with 63 people. Seriously. The energy in the house is contagious. I've never found it so easy to wake up at 6:45 AM and work non-stop until 9 PM. I played the role of a sponge today, soaking up as much information as possible. Here are the highlights:

"Today you have arrived at base-camp, and the next 5 months will be your climb to the summit of Everest." I've never felt so uninformed. There is so much history surrounding the conflict that has taken place in Northern Uganda, and I need to become an expert of the material. This year marks the 25th year of the war between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and the innocent victims of Northern Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Central African Republic.

The tour that leaves on February 16th will be the twelfth and biggest tour to date. Here are some numbers:

17 teams, 17 regions, 68 total roadies

Roadies will screen the new film Tony 1600-1700 times. P.S. I screened the film tonight. Extremely powerful. Please let me know if you are interested in attending a screening, I will let you know when and where a roadie tour will be in your area. The DVD's will also be for sale.

IC projects fundraising totals of $1.6 Million dollars to fund the expansion into the DRC

IC also projects 25,000 participants in THE EVENT which will take place on April 25th

The tour will reach 400,000 people, roughly the population of Arlington, Texas all at the same time

Lastly, I want share how unique this positions is. Organizations utilize interns to support the staff, here at IC; the staff supports the roadies (interns). Supporters, donors, advocates of IC are the life-line of all the projects in Uganda and without the Roadies there would be no connection to that life-line.

Extremely excited. Thank you again for making this possible. Pictures to come.

-Eric the humbled

1st day

San Diego, here I am. Big house, lots of people. Information will come tomorrow

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Joseph Kony's "possessions"

‘All People Are the Same to God’: An Insider’s Portrait of Joseph Kony

http://atwar.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/31/an-insiders-portrait-of-joseph-kony/