Did you ever watch Sesame Street growing up?
Remember that game called “One of these things is not like the other?”

Ok, let’s play…

One of these things is not like the other things,
One of these things just doesn’t belong,
Can you guess which thing is not like the other things,
Before I finish my song…

If you guessed the goofy-looking guy third from the left, you would be correct!

You see, these sharp guys and gals around me are the other bloggers who will be going with me to Kenya for the Compassion Bloggers trip next week (read about it here & here). I feel just a little out of my league. I mean, these guys have like a gazillion readers each (yes, those are verified statistics) and are pretty big stuff in their respective blogging circles.

Let me do my best to introduce you to each of them so you’ll know who I’m talking about when I mention them in my posts next week. Some of them I’ve met while a couple of them I’ll be meeting for the first time next week.

Compassion Kenya Bloggers:

Ryan Detzel

I’ve already met Ryan several times. This guy wrote the book on “cool.” He’s a pastor in Cincinnati, an talented photographer and an amazing cook. If that’s not enough, he’s got some pretty sweet ink that totally legitimizes him as a rock star. Ryan is the real deal and I’m thrilled to be joining him on this trip. You can read his blog at ThisIsReverb.com and follow him on Twitter at @DetzelPretzel.

Kristen Welch

I’ve not met Kristen yet but I’ve been getting to know her through her blog. As far as “Mommy Bloggers” go, she’s pretty big stuff (she was named in the 2009 Neilsen Online Power Mom 50 Blogger list). She writes about parenting on her blog WeAreThatFamily.com and also is a guest contributor over at (In)Courage. After reading some of her parenting adventures I’m looking forward to meeting her in person next week and getting to know her on this trip. You can follow her on Twitter at @WeAreTHATFamily

Kent Shaffer

I’ve met Kent a couple times and the geek in both of us hit it off. This guy is smart. I mean come on…he took his picture in front of a bunch of books! (not to be outdone, I am occasionally photographed in front of books as well…so there!) Kent is a busy guy…he blogs at ChurchRelevance.com and KentShaffer.com, manages a real estate startup, and volunteers full-time with the Digital Missions team at LifeChurch.tv. You can follow Kent on Twitter at @KentShaffer.

MckMama (aka Jennifer McKinney)

Jennifer is better known in Mommy Blogger circles as “MckMama.” I wasn’t really familiar with her blog but when I told my wife and neighbor who was going on the trip with me both of their eyes got big when I mentioned “MckMama.” She’s an amazing photographer, successful blogger and still manages to make time for her four kids…with one more on the way! I’m assuming that she’ll pack her cape and mask in her luggage because she has to be a superhero to juggle all of that. You can follow her on Twitter at @MckMama

LV Hanson

I met LV when he rolled through Indy and filmed the Catalyst podcast here (and wrote about it here). I liked LV from the minute I met him. He has wit in abundance and will undoubtedly make his way into many of my stories and photos on the trip. Then again, anyone with a name like “Luscious Vernon” (I’m not making that up) is bound to be memorable. LV Blogs for Catalyst at CatalystSpace.com. You can follow him on Twitter at @LVHanson or @CatalystLeader.

Little Ol’ Me

Oh yeah. Then there’s me. That confused look on my face? That’s me wondering how I got to hang with so many amazing people on a trip like this. Seriously.

I also need to give a shout-out to our awesome trip leaders: Shaun Groves, Patricia Jones, Chris Giovagoni and our amazingly talented trip photographer Keely Scott.

It’s going to be a life-changing trip…for me, the bloggers joining me, but especially for the children who are going to be sponsored and released from poverty because of what we share. Subscribe now (by email or RSS) to follow everything as it comes together next week.