Today Laga Handbags was invited to participate once again in Hollywood United Methodist Church’s pre-holiday “Alternate Christmas Mart” shopping event. I have to say, since having met this truly amazing group of people two years ago, my life has been enriched.

Reverend Kathy Cooper-Ledesma is one of the most sincere church leaders I have had the pleasure of meeting… We have appreciated her support of the work we endeavor to accomplish in Aceh with and for the tsunami survivors there, and she has such a wonderful heart. It is evident that this church body stands in the gap for its community; how blessed we are to know them.

Our dear friends Rae Sowell and her husband Jay are dedicated members at HUMC. It was Rae who was instrumental in getting our foot in the proverbial door at HUMC. She is such a genuine and giving person, and you just know that she always thinks of others before herself. She is always offering to help us in any way she can, and is faithful in spreading the “Laga” story to all who will listen… We just love you, Rae! And thank you so much for the scones and coffee this morning!

Another member is Pauley Perrette, who plays “Abby” on the hit TV show NCIS. We first met Pauley last year when she purchased some of our handbags at HUMC. We met her again today, as she ranted and raved about our Laga bags! “I gave my sister a Laga bag and to this day she tells me time and time again that it’s her favorite bag and that she just LOVES it!”

Pauley was so generous as to purchase several more bags from us today, and she posed with Roy for a picture. She also autographed a postcard for us to give to one of our dear volunteers, Louise Bauwin, who we mentioned to her is such a fan of NCIS and is always faithful to tape all the episodes so she does not miss seeing “Abby.”

I also met another amazing lady today. I believe her name is Linda. She is a beautiful lady with white hair in a wheelchair and we chatted as she admired our bags on the table. She shared with me that she was partially blind and partially deaf, and that she was turning 100 years old on January 19^th ~ can you imagine? I told her that my birthday was January 7^th and she said, “You’re a Capricorn! Do you know who was the most wonderful Capricorn who ever lived? Jesus!” That was something I had never heard before, or even thought of. I will always treasure my little chat with Linda today. And I’m glad that Roy took a picture of us together~

All in all, it was a beautiful day at HUMC. Thank you to all who made our day so special! And we look forward to the next time we have the privilege of seeing you all again!

Laga Handbags’ co-founder, Louise van Broekhuizen, was again invited to exhibit at The 2008 Women’s Conference, held on October 21st and 22nd at the Long Beach Convention Center.

“Under the leadership of California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Maria Shriver, The Women’s Conference has grown from a small government initiative for working professionals into a far-reaching organization, a life-changing experience, and an international network of women from all walks of life, backgrounds and perspectives.

“The Women’s Conference event is the largest and most dynamic gathering of women in the nation. Recognized for its unparalleled capacity to empower and inspire women to become architects of change, the annual conference unites more than sixty internationally-acclaimed leaders and visionaries with 14,000 women in one arena, plus thousands more virtually, to share enriching stories of transformation and success, words of encouragement and life lessons.”

Among the speakers were Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwartzenegger, Madeleine Albright, Bono, Warren Buffet, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sally Field, Michael J. Fox, Billie Jean King, Heidi Klum, Jennifer Lopez, Jenny McCarthy, Jillian Michaels, Indra Nooyi, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Rachael Ray, Condoleeza Rice, Deborah Roberts, Gloria Steinem, Rita Wilson, and many, many more!

Click here to read more about The Women’s Conference

It was an amazing conference and we were honored to participate. Laga Handbags had a record show, receiving an overwhelming response to our bags and our story. We want to thank those who support our efforts, those who attended and purchased a Laga bag or two of their own, as well as those who stand together with us and are dedicated to retell the story about the victims of disaster we serve.

The winner of our drawing and the recipient of a new Laga travel bag is:

Brenda Gough of Winchester, California

CONGRATULATIONS, Brenda!

Louise Bauwin and her husband, Henk, were the first volunteers to help Laga Designs International, Inc. Louise represented Laga Handbags on Saturday, October 4 at the Irvine Global Village Festival 2008 held at Bill Barber Park in Irvine. The Laga bags were well received by the attendees and the Laga handbags and accessories caught the eye of a reporter from the Irvine World News Channel.

You can view the video here (make sure you click on the first link on the right: ”Irvine Global Village”)

Henk and Louise Bauwin have been faithful helpers for the Laga Designs company since it started in August 2006. They have helped out with inventory, setting up and tearing down event booths at trade shows, facilitating home shows, and have been known on occasion to provide food and Starbucks coffee for Roy and for Louise van Broekhuizen, Laga President.

“We really appreciate the Bauwin couple and it is always a joy to have them with us; we have a lot of fun together,” says Laga Chairman & CEO, Roy van Broekhuizen, who co-founded the company with his wife, Louise.

You can read more about the Laga story at http://www.laga-handbags.com/about.html

The beautiful handmade Laga bags can be seen http://www.laga-handbags.com/handbags.html

Please feel free to contact us toll free at 888-524-2224 or email roy@laga-handbags.com.

Dear Friends:

 I spoke at this amazing conference where a number of experts on how to invest, live and retire overseas shared their experiences, knowledge, and skills. I shared the Laga handbags story and how we took samples of handmade bags made by tsunami survivors of Indonesia 2 years ago and made it into a $ 1 million business in 2 years. My actual presentation was on Sunday October 5, 2008 from 10:05am to 10:30am.

Hilton hotel, 2 World Trade Center, Long Beach, CA 90831
(562) 983-3400

You can read about the entire 3 day conference here,

http://www1.internationalliving.com/events/los08/w_sov.htm

 Day-by-Day Snapshot
2008 Live & Invest Overseas Conference
Long Beach, California

Thursday, October 2, 2008 — Courtesy pre-event check-in from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. featuring an optional networking cocktail (cash bar).

Friday, October 3, 2008 — Event officially begins with check-in from 8:00 to 9:00 a.m.

The first day is a “who’s who” of International Living and investing. We’ll focus on the current opportunities and strategies to retire early. You’ll hear from people who’ve made the move themselves and get their advice and hard-earned insights.
We’ll end the day with a networking cocktail reception.

Saturday, October 4, 2008 — Today we’ll cover the top six places in the world we’re recommending right now. The “Pockets of Prosperity” you need to know about.

Our experts will give you the details about the current situation in Mexico’s Yucatan, the top opportunities in Panama, coastal Ecuador, Brazil’s north coast, Uruguay, and Italy’s “deep south” hill towns and coastlines.

Mid-afternoon, we’ll break into smaller groups to brief you more closely about the areas that interest you most. This will also be your chance to get all your questions answered personally.

In addition to our top six “Pockets of Prosperity,” we’ve also found possibilities for profit and prosperity in other countries as well. In each, a unique situation has created a special opportunity. It might not be right for everyone. But we’d be negligent if we didn’t at least bring them to your attention. (It might turn out, in fact, that you find there exactly what you’re looking for.)

So during this afternoon, you’ll have the option of attending workshops about these special locales as well. We’ll cover Nicaragua, Argentina, France, Romania, Costa Rica, Belize, and Morocco… to name just a few.

Sunday, October 5, 2008 — This is when we get into the nuts and bolts of moving, retiring, or doing business overseas. You’ll hear from our experts on topics like: health care strategies, how to save a fortune on premiums and still get the top treatments abroad… tax strategies… title insurance… managing health risks… step-by-step practicalities of making a move… international tax planning… and much more.

In the afternoon, we’ll once again break into smaller groups so you can get the details about the topics that interest you most.

We’ll wrap up with a farewell cocktail reception from 6:00 to 7:00pm.

We had a wonderful time and made many new friends that are living in different parts of our world.

Many of the vendors and attendees bought Laga bags, travel bags and accessories, we are looking forward to hearing all the comments they will receive from our Laga bags.

See you at the next Conference.

Best wishes,
Roy van Broekhuizen
Co-Founder & CEO Laga Designs International, Inc.

Laga handbags are made by tsunami survivors of Indonesia.