Eleven years ago, I took a 70% pay cut to build a nonprofit with my childhood best friend. 

Our oldest was four. Our third kid was on the way. And my wife Brittany, who had every reason to ask me to be practical, instead became one of the earliest believers in the work my buddy Kenton and I were trying to build at Because International.

She believed in us before there was much to believe in. But in all the years since, through more than a dozen trips of my own to Kenya to visit our team, establish production, meet our partners and put shoes on feet, my family had never had the opportunity to join me and actually see the work I've dedicated the last decade to. 

This year, that changed. After more than 600,000 pairs of The Shoe That Grows distributed around the world, my wife and all four of our kids finally stood beside me in Kenya and helped put the newest version of our shoe onto the feet of kids who needed them.

Here's what I keep coming back to.

Life for a child in Kenya can look so different from life for a child in America. Different homes, different needs, different daily realities. And yet within a minute after saying hello, my kids and the kids we met found all the things that make children the same everywhere.

They talked about their favorite soccer players. They discussed movies and music. They lined up for a foot race. They played with each other's hair. They laughed at things that kids find funny.

After a few hours together, there were smiles, hugs and goodbyes that felt genuinely hard to say.

I've watched this work change kids' lives for over a decade. But watching my own children smile and play and become fast friends with these incredible kids is something I'll carry for the rest of my life.

This is why we do what we do. Not just the shoes, though the shoes matter enormously. It's what a simple pair of shoes communicates. It's the joy on kids' faces when they feel genuine connection from people who live worlds apart from them, but who, in the ways that matter, really aren't so different at all.

If you or your family have ever thought about immersing yourselves in the culture of Kenya and experiencing this impact firsthand, I can tell you honestly, it will change you. We have a limited number of spots for our most committed supporters to join an upcoming trip and see the work the way my family finally got to.

I'd love to tell you more.

 -Andrew