About 3 weeks ago, I remember very distinctly talking to God and asking for an opportunity to live life with the people around us. At a similar time I began walking into our local town in an effort to be available to any opportunities that came along to do so. Since then, I have had the chance to wake up more than half a dozen times to walk up an enormous hill at sunrise (which is 5:00am here) to meet a group of young men to play football. I have found in my time here that there are two things that break down cultural barriers. The first is attempting to speak the language of the people of Malawi. And the second is football. The latter is much easier and personally more enjoyable.

By 5:30am there are about 20-25 men eager to play.

The pitch is entirely dirt except for the small part that is covered by two bushes that invade the field, forcing you to play around them – or allowing you to strategically use to create extra time to make a decision with the ball. Although I love playing with these guys, I can currently only remember about 10 names out of the 25.

I have been able to tangibly see relationships grow as we begin our days together. The current struggle is figuring out how to get to the next level of the relationship. How do we begin having conversations about life and faith, and not just football?

I guess I should start by asking God again for an opportunity and simply making myself open and available the next time I see one.