Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Meeting Novice Thine, Luangprabang, Laos





At the end of my trip through Asia in 2007, I met a Novice Monk named Thine (pronounced Tin) in Luangprabang, Laos. We spent an afternoon together and he invited me back for the evening chanting. We took a walk up to the temple on the hill overlooking the city together, and by the end of our day together, I had agreed to sponsor him to go to University in the Fall of '08. He would also need money in March of '08 so he could graduate from being a Novice. He would need clothes and shoes, a Gov't ID and a bus ticket to Vientiane, the capital of Laos where he would attend University.

The University is three terms at $200/term. This weekend I received email that he is in Vientiane but needs living expenses of $100/month. Thine wants to become an English teacher -- He wants to go back to his village in Northern Laos to teach the poor children there. I can't afford to put an American kid through college, but can make a huge difference in a country like Laos by helping a motivated and enthusiastic youth become someone who helps others.

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