Helping a Friend

9 years ago I was introduced to a girl from Australia.

Who knew that we'd end up being such good friends.

Little Miss and Carlie met at a girls camp in Idaho. I was off selling magazines door to door that Summer. I can't remember if it was when I came home for a few weeks in the middle or after the summer had ended, but Little Miss and Carlie were in Ogden the same time as I was. We went to concerts, drive-ins and probably a few camping trips before Carlie had to go home. A few years later after Little Miss was married Carlie contacted me and said she was coming to the U.S. for a tour of the National Parks but before she headed there she wanted to visit Little Miss. We planned a road trip to drive to Iowa and surprise her. Thanks to Little Miss I met a wonderful person who has helped me full fill a dream to travel and visit many places I never dreamed I'd make it to (ie. England, Paris, Rome and Australia). 2 years ago Carlie married her soul mate. I know without a doubt that Mark and Carlie were made for each other. They both have love for traveling for an extensive amount of time and also their love for the outdoors. Currently they are tour guides in the Australian wilderness.

Last year they had the wonderful opportunity to visit many Asian countries. But the one that affected them the most was Cambodia. Before they went to Cambodia they collected items for orphanages. They brought them toothbrushes, soap, clothing and toys to name a few things. They spent a lot of time with different orphanages even taking them to the zoo which was something many of the children have never done before. Even before this Carlie has signed up to sponsor children in third world countries. She has given money to help a child have a better future, at one point in her travels she met the child she was sponsoring, I know it was an amazing experience to finally meet the child she had sponsored for many years.

The reason I'm telling everyone about these amazing friends is because this fall/winter they are heading to South America for a 5 month bike tour to raise money for the orphanage in Cambodia. Check out their web page. They are trying to raise $10,000 to donate directly to the orphanage. The money is directly linked with the orphanage, none of it will go to Mark or Carlie. They are doing this out of the kindness of their hearts because this is a cause they truly care about. I know that Mark and Carlie love these children and would give the clothes off their back to help them. Please check out their website I know they would greatly appreciate your donation even if it's 5 dollars.


They didn't ask me to do this, but It's one way I can help them with their cause. This isn't something I normally do and I don't really get that many visitors to my site, but I'd love anyone that feels like it to pass this along to friends and family. Thank you for reading this.


http://marlie.pledgepage.org/