Our Laos Connection

Some of you may be wondering why we've chosen to build our 'Reading Room' in Laos. This is not a random decision. We have a very personal connection to this Southeast Asian country. Here's a little more about our 'Laos Connection':

Mai - 5 years old

Imagine looking at this little girl's eyes everyday for 2 weeks. That's exactly what we did this past November while working for World Vision's Child Sponsorship Christmas Campaign. Everyday we would stand amongst so many children, just like Mai, who have so much potential but lack the resources to reach their dreams. After thinking about sponsoring a child for several years, we knew this was 'our time'. We decided to co-sponsor a child for our 24th birthday, as presents to ourselves. What could be a better gift? Choosing our little girl, our new 'sister', was easy. There was something about Mai's eyes that connected with us - we just knew the moment we saw her that she was meant to be a part of our lives.

We couldn't be happier to support Mai and her country. Receiving a letter from her for the first time was so exciting and emotional! We hope in the future to be able to visit her in her community to witness first hand the impact that our donations are making in her life.

So, when we discovered that Room to Read worked closely in Laos, we knew we'd found our match. While helping to raise money to build a Reading Room in Laos, we are not only promoting literacy and education in this nation, but at the same time, we are supporting the country in which our 'little sister' lives. We hope to one day have the opportunity to visit Laos to meet Mai as well as to see the Reading Room we had a part in funding. What a full circle moment that would be (will be!!).

So there you have it. Our Laos connection. A year ago, we knew very little about this small country in Southeast Asia. Today, not only is it a part of our 'Drive to 25', but it will always have a special place in our hearts.