Warming You Up.

Greetings all,
today I took a peek into my journal to find that I had taken note of some really interesting details. Things that seem almost insignificant, but that remind me of the moment. Moments are so precious and sometimes you don't realize it until its gone. The beautiful thing is that blink once, blink twice, and there goes another moment. It was a part of my plan before leaving that I would cherish every moment given to me, good or bad and be o.k with letting it go in order to experience the next. Another thing I realized is that I will have a lot of editing to do. This is my personal journal so things may get a little, ya know........personal. I'm generally pretty honest, but not everyone is ready for my truth, I'm not even sure if I am. So this is a warm up. This me working out my method of getting you the details of this amazing adventure without giving you "too much information" T.M.I. I invite you all to leave comments. It helps to know that someone is reading along, and let me know if I'm getting too personal. Let me know what is T.M.I. I've never been big on censorship, but my mother is reading.
So, again I ask that you be patient with me. I am changing my plan a bit. I will do a little reading a return later today to give you the clean version. Thank you for your time.
Joshua

Looking Back, Putting the Pieces Together.....

Greetings to all!
First off I would like to again thank all that have come together to make our adventure for a cause possible! The relationships that have developed out of this quest are ones that will last a lifetime. The children at MCC are amazing! They are thriving! They are smiling, because they are loved and they are growing! I am happy to announce that we have all returned from Kenya safely with plenty of stories to tell. Some of the stories will be easier to believe than others, depending on who is doing the telling! We have tons of pictures captured by different eyes on the trip and I will be sharing a variety of them here, and others can be found on our flicker site, which I will direct you to in the next couple of days. Thank you for your patience, the attempt to gather my thoughts after such a fulfilling journey has been more difficult than I'd prepared for. I have found it challenging to sit in front of a computer for very long, and my mind is still processing, a process that I think will be an on going one. So please stay tuned, I am starting to get my feet under me again, and it will be here that I share my experience. Every other day I will post portions of my journal, and photos that go along with the story. The adventure continues, and your support for the Makindu Children's Program is still needed so continue to introduce others to our mission. Direct them to makindu.org, and properwalk.com, and encourage them to get informed.
Thank you, and see you here again real soon,
Joshua

Proper Walk

Its hard to put all of this into words. We have been here maybe 3 days and in someways it feels like we never left. Kenya is a beautiful country with beautiful people. I have seen poverty on a level that I've never seen before, but kenyan pride and spirit is so strong. We are crossing the equator as I type on my BlackBerry. All of the walkers are in good spirits. We have eaten well thus far, and have seen a lot. Hunters Lodge is some thing out of old travelers diary. I see why Michael loves it so much. We climbed Mt. Mielu to loosen our legs, and ate, chanted and got good rest at the Sikh temple. Bro. Bry makes a mean Chai. The visit to the Makindu Childrens Center was all that I hoped it to be. David and I stocked up on soccer balls and Bryan picked up bubbles.Sent from my BlackBerry

Kernels of Corn.

"Be safe", "I love you", "I miss you already".....Things that people say when you're on your way to an adventure for a cause.
For those of you that have read along for the past few months, you've been witness to my journey in preparing for the proper walk, and raising awareness for the Makindu Children's Program. From this point on you will be able to see how it all comes together. You will hear stories of the others that make all of this happen. You will get the adventure first hand. Tomorrow I will kiss my wife goodbye and head east. I will fly from Virginia to Rome to Addis to Nairobi, and I'm ready. I am only ready because of all of the people that have come together to get me to this point. The support has left me in awe. I travel with your dreams, your hopes, your wishes, and prayers. I have your stones that you have blessed, kernels of corn for nourishment, and gifts for people you don't know yet.
Be sure to stay tuned, this is the beginning. Please continue to visit Makindu.org, and properwalk.com, and encourage others to support the Makindu Children's Program.
Love you all.
See you in Nairobi, till such time walk good,
Joshua

Still too Hot!

One hundred three degrees in the capital city! I'm hydrated and almost ready to go. This blog will be short because for every minute passing it just gets hotter.
The count down continues. Right now it is all about the checklist. The other night I awoke from what seemed so real but turned out to be a nightmare. I had a layover in Arizona on my way to Kenya. When I got to the airport I realized that I had left my walking shoes, my tent, and walking sticks in Richmond. You know that feeling you get when you wake up and realize you were suppose to be at work five minutes ago? I woke up in a panic, seriously. Once my heartbeat returned to normal, I studied my checklist, and devised a plan on how I would complete it. We are only 21 days away from departure, and everyones question is "are you ready?"
Good question. I feel that I am physically ready. Mental preparation is an ongoing process, but I feel strong. I got my shots taken care of, which I will tell you about later. However I do have clothing items to purchase, along with spare batterys, and toiletries.......Oh, and I still have a goal of raising $10,000 dollars for the Makindu Children's Program.
I would like to say that with the support of many gracious people, I am on my way. I see that it will be a slow and steady, but it will be sure. Thank you so much to those that have donated your time and energy that has manifested itself into funds for the children, I will return with many hugs and kisses from them for you. Continue to support, tell others about the children, and the importance of a program like this. Post the weblink on your facebook, twitter, myspace, pages, shout it from the mountatin tops......."MAKINDU.ORG!"......"PROPERWALK.COM!" Tell the world! One good deed, creates another!
Thank you for your time, I will see you 10 miles, and 3 liters of water later!
Joshua

First of all on behalf of the Makindu Children's Program and 2010 walkers, I would like to thank REI @ Short Pump for hosting an evening of sharing. I had the opportunity to meet and speak with some amazing people. There was an audience of about 20 people who listened attentively, and gave positive feedback afterward. Michael does an amazing job of keeping the crowds attention while reviewing some not so easy to digest statistics. Overall the night was a great success, and we really couldn't have done it without your time, and generosity. I hope to see all of you at the National Theater on July 31st moving and shaking to your favorite reggae band, Antero. If you missed it before this is your official invite.

Dave your photos are truly amazing, and are inspiring to all that see them.

Please click the link below to read an awesome article written by Nancy Beasley, featured in Richmond Magazine about Michael Farley, and the Proper Walks.

http://elkhill.wordpress.com/2010/07/12/our-director-featured-in-richmond-magazine-2/#comments

African Kings.

The count down is on! 30 days from today I will be boarding a plane headed for East Africa. This trip is special to me in a lot of ways. In the next couple of months, I will see dreams that I once had become reality. East Africa holds a special place in my heart for reasons that are obvious to those that know me. Stories of African kings can have a huge impact on a young African American male that struggles to find an identity outside of what is given to him by television, and pop American culture. I feel that there is an unspoken duality of personalities for a young black male in America. Even though the education system in my hometown was considered to be better than good, there were certain things that were never taught to me. The American part of my history was taught in full, but the African part was covered in February. It was my older brother that encouraged me to strive towards having a greater knowledge of self. I felt more complete once I could find myself in history. I could not ignore my grandmother's high cheek bones, straight white hair, and deep red skin. I couldn't deny my grandfather's midnight complexion, strong hands and back. It was a marvelous journey to learn about my makeup. This trip to East Africa is a continuation of that journey, and hopefully will help some things come full circle. You can't really know where you're going if you don't know where you come from.
I refuse to be a tourist, returning with t-shirts and refrigerator magnets. So many have taken, and now its time to give. I hope to make life long relationships with people I have yet to meet.
I look forward to and welcome life changing, shaping experiences.