Update: Since I first published this post in October, a generous donor established a matching grant of up to $3,000 for our The Shoe that Grows Fundraiser. With the addition of the matching grant, we have now raised $6,100 of our $9,000 goal! Would you consider helping us obtain this matching grant?

My grandson Noah became a two year old in September. Zachary and Daniella struggle to keep him in shoes that fit. He just keeps growing. As a result, Noah is constantly taking his shoes off so his little toes can be free.

A few ago, I saw the Instagram account for The Shoe That Grows.

The creators of this shoe designed it to grow with a child for five shoe sizes or five years. I immediately thought about Noah and his fast growing feet. But when I shared the shoe website with Daniella, she thought about the kids at Cambodian Care Ministries’ Light of Future Schools.

We are in the early stages of planning for the Cambodia 2016 Mission Trip. Next summer, we are planning to rebuild the bridge in Kratie Province in the village where Light of Future School #3 is located and conduct a mobile medical clinic at each school. During our Cambodia 2015 Mission Trip one of the biggest issues our nurses encountered in the schoolchildren was foot injuries, infections, and other problems related to walking barefoot in communities lacking proper sanitation. The Shoe That Grows would provide Light of Future School students with a reliable shoe they can walk, run, jump, and play in while growing for up to five shoe sizes. Currently, there are a total of 512 children who attend one of three Light of Future Schools. Estimating for an increase in 2016-2017 enrollment, we need to take 600 pair of shoes along with us in August 2016. At $15 per shoe, we must raise $9,000.00! Daniella volunteered to start our first The Shoe That Grows fundraiser in honor of her November birthday.

If you would like to partner with us to provide a pair of shoes for a child who attends the Light of Future Schools in Cambodia, click this link: Light of Future Schools “The Shoe That Grows” Fundraiser

“We are each made for goodness, love and compassion. Our lives are transformed as much as the world is when we live with these truths.” ~ Desmond Tutu

(Photo credits: Linda Freeman, family photos, September and October 2015; Alexis Lopez, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, August 2015; The Shoe That Grows, October 2015 Website)