Humanitarian Trip to Kenya--HELP!

Hey everybody! See that guy in the green hat? That's me, and I need your help. I've been asked to be a team lead AND photographer on an upcoming humanitarian trip to Kenya! Our goal is to start building a cultural center on the Maasai Mara, and we leave June 1st. The actual trip is already paid for. This campaign will hopefully help me raise the money for a plane ticket and visa!

You may ask yourself, "Why do they need a cultural center?" The Maasai culture is one of the oldest in the world. Their elder tribesmen are regal, dedicated to their clan. Their eyes gleam with wisdom of centuries of passed-down tradition and hands-on knowledge. They shun any form of western culture: no cell phones, no watches, no internet, no TV ... they live the simple, nomadic, Maasai life. HOWEVER, within ONE generation, we can see a rapid eroding of traditional Maasai culture! Some of the elder statesmen's children (and my close friends) are traditional Maasai warriors. They've protected their villages from indigenous wildlife; they've wrestled with lions and won. They are fighters and survivors in the truest sense. However, these same warriors also embrace western culture. They have their traditional roles in their villages, but they also have paying jobs and have been to college. They embrace cellphone technology and world-wide conectivity through the internet.

What happens when the children grow up and have their own children?! The culture NEEDS to be preserved NOW, and what better way to preserve that culture than through a dedicated resource such as a cultural center?! And you know what?! We are SO READY to put hammer and nails to 2 x 4s and start construction on the first phase of their cultural center! We have architectural plans; we have land dedicated and fenced off; we even have the blessing AND attention of the Kenyan government! They are behind us 100%!

The people of Kenya are kind, generous, loving, and open. They'll serve you the hottest cup of tea, an entire village will come to greet you as you walk the cow for which you've struggled to fund-raise to its new owner's home. That one cow can sustain financially through milk, butter, cheese ... and their gratitude is unparalleled. I consider myself rather spirtual and religious, and that experience--walking a cow out to a lady named Elizabeth who lives in little town called Suswa that's situated southwest of Narok, Kenya ... she and her WHOLE VILLAGE came out to greet us and sing to us. I've had many a spiritual experience. This tops almost all of them.

Now ... some of you may ask, "Why do you need this much? What is it going to specifically?" Your donations will help provide the cost of my plane ticket and visa so I can get to Kenya and use my talents to bless these people's lives ... and so that their love and light can bless *my* life! I know that may sound kinda weirdly selfish, but the odd thing about humanitarian trips is that you start off thinking that you're helping other people--that you're going out to change the world! The reality is that my first trip last year changed *me* to *my* core. You can't go on these kinds of trips and not come out the other side a better person. Your view of the world is totally and irrevocably changed. You come home and see what really does and does not matter in your life. And it's beautiful.

This is why I want to get back to Kenya--to serve people like Elizabeth; to help lead those on our expedition so they can have the best possible experience on THEIR journey;  to help build this cultural center for the Maasai tribe on the Mara; to meet and get to know these incredible people; to serve them; to love them on a personal level and not just talk the talk, but actually walk the walk! All I need is the funds for the plane ticket; everything else is covered and paid for!

Now ... I do not expect that you will just *give* me your money. I want to earn it! However, I won't be able to provide you those earnings until I get back from Kenya. For those who donate, I'd like to offer personally taken and selected photos to use as wallpapers, prints ... however you see fit. The greater the donation, the greater the number of photos I will provide!

For EVERYONE who donates, you will have access to my blog, where I will chronicle our travails while in Kenya. I'll talk about the families that we visit, what we're doing to help them, how the cultural center is coming along ... whatever crosses my mind.

Please know that your support means the world to me. Literally and figuratively! I hope you'll consider this little campaign.