Hey friends and family! Thank you for your continued love and support! Thank you so much on your comments from my last blog. I read and appreciate every single one!
We started ministry here in Malawi about a week ago. My team has been doing a things including working at a children’s club, little babies, and of course, soccer ministry. I’ll be the first one to admit that when I found out we would be doing sports ministry this month, I was not excited. I’m not a sporty person at all and would much rather prefer to just sit and talk with someone. Our first day of soccer ministry, we pulled up to a soccer field nestled in the middle of a neighborhood full of small brick houses with small red dirt yards and cute little babies poking out of every other house we drove by. The field itself is smaller than a regular soccer field and curves at one end to accommodate some buildings that jut into one end of the field. When we first pulled up to that soccer field last Thursday, I was apprehensive to say the least. Before we even got out of the van, we were already being swarmed by dozens of neighborhood kids of all ages who had come to watch and play soccer with us. We started doing stretches and warmups with some of the kids while others ran laps around the field (they’re serious about their soccer). All throughout warmups, I was not looking forward to playing soccer that day, let alone twice a week for the next two months. We split up into teams and began playing soccer. As we were playing, I let myself loosen up. Sure I didn’t know how to play soccer, but neither did half my team. I let myself laugh with Sydney at the fact that neither of us had any clue what we were doing and yet we were having fun and trying our best with the kids. And as I let myself relax and enjoy the moment, I found out I didn’t mind soccer ministry. Infact, I really liked it. By the end of our second day, I had fallen in love. I had fallen in love with the cheeky boys who take their soccer so seriously, with the hoards of kids who come out to watch, to the countless handshakes and high fives I give out everyday to little African kids, with the Bible story and testimony we get to give everyday to the kids after soccer, and with the love and joy that these children exude despite the impoverished conditions they may love in. They may not have much in terms of physical wealth, but they have so much more in the Father’s grace and love for them. These children are some of the kindest, warm hearted, and grateful people I have met and it’s such an honor to be able to play soccer with them and love on them. Over the past few weeks, soccer ministry has quickly become my favorite ministry and I am so excited for the next six weeks of soccer, hoards of children, laughs, smiles, and high fives.
