Watching soccer seems like an odd activity to me for a mission trip.  However the world cup was going on while we were there and there is an annual soccer tournament in Malawi every June.  Everyone loves soccer!

Also, when visiting the villages we got to spend time with the women and kids, but we barely saw the teenagers and men.  The chiefs would join the activities, but the men were mostly occupied with other things.  Not so with the soccer games.  Many men and teens turned out to watch that.  It was a way to build relationships with more of the village. 

Watching the games was quite engaging also.  Every time a team scored some of their fans would run onto the field.  It’s allowed as long as you keep running and leave the field afterwards.  Then at the end of the game it seemed like everyone ran on the field.  You can see some of the videos below.