In Malawi, practically any shoe is a luxury. Lilongwe, the capital, is maybe the only African city where I have seen grown men walking down the streets barefoot. They are ashamed, I know that, but they have no choice. So I was not surprised when I took our college basketball team from Wheaton to our first practice in the African Bible College gym, and two of the Malawians in the gym were scrimmaging with one shoe on.

Several of our players began to snicker and point out to one another how funny it was that two guys were playing with a shoe on one foot and the other foot bare. One of them turned to my twin brother, who had lived in Malawi for more than ten years and was coaching the Malawian National Team, and asked why these guys were playing [basketball] in just one shoe.

His answer was sobering: "One of the guys showed up today with no shoes. His friend did not want him to be ashamed when you arrived, so he lent him one of his own. Now they both have at least one shoe."

The laughter stopped.