I first visited Bali as a 14 yr old with my family and we all had a fantastic time and went back exactly 12 mths later. I had to wait 7yrs for my next trip ( my honeymoon) and have been going back with my husband fairly regularly ever since, we love it. We now have two boys aged 5yrs and 7yrs and we are taking them for the first time in November (they usually holiday with the Grandy's). My husband and I have talked about sponsoring a child numerous times before but never followed up with anything. After reading everyones posting over the past few days I finally called the family together and discussed what everyone thought (kids included) about contacting Noel. Like Noel we live in the Swan Valley in Western Australia and my husband was a Rotary Exchange Student and went to Japan when he was 18 so we thought this would be a great place to start. We sent him an email this afternoon and he has phone us back already and we have arranged to meet with him early in the morning and he said he can allocate a sponsor child to us straight away. I am so EXCITED! The Balinese children are always so gorgeous. I look at what I had as a child and now what my husband and I provide for our children and can wait to make a difference to someone elses child. I know what we do will only help in a small way but I hope it teaches my children a few things too. We hope to visit our sponsor child when we go in November. I always love spending time with the chidlren on the beach and in the market etc but it will be extra special to have that special little person to visit. Noel said he has only just recieved details for all the new year one students because they start school in July, so this will be a perfect age for us - right between our two boys. My boys are excited too but I really don't think they understand what to expect - be are trying to tell them a bit about the food and culture to prepare them a little and now this will be something extra for them to get excited about.