Finding the Abundant Life

It has been 109 days, 7 countries, and a thousand new experiences since our family began our travels we have titled ‘Campbell’s World Tour’. We have had the adventure of a lifetime and have seen and partook of so many different experiences that it will take years to revisit most of these memories.
We had set out on this journey to see how the other half of the world’s population lives and to witness what God’s children are up to in these third world countries. From the get go we took an attitude that we would learn from others in hopes of broadening our perspectives. So what have we learned? RELATIONSHIPS MATTER! If there is one thing people in poverty excel at it is the ability to be in community and that has really opened our eyes in how we view life.
At the end of a day our family will often discuss and give thanks to the Lord for what we thought were the highlights of that day. Time and time again it was the people we engaged life together with. These people, whether they be new or old friends have paved our way throughout this trip with their time, homes and prayers. Our family has witnessed what it is to be ‘Christian’ and we have received with thanksgiving the generosity of so many. Without a doubt the greatest gift Jesus has passed down to us while we live this life is the gift of being in relationship. It is through relationships that we have the opportunity to really enjoy an abundant life.
My prayer is that those who have followed our adventure will grow in their love for Jesus and will express that love by the way in which they care for others.
-Kurt

Greece So Far…

We have seen our share of ancient ruins, visited several museums, and walked on the original Olympic Games field. We have driven hundreds of miles over breathtaking mountain passes and valleys filled with olive trees. We have walked through the monasteries of the sky (my personal favorite) and hiked to the cave of Nestor. We have enjoyed it all, and now we find ourselves happy to be in the same place for an entire week near the town of Pilos in the S.W. corner of the Peloponnese. This means we can enjoy breakfasts from our deck overlooking the spectacular bay and enjoy time at the pool without any need to hurry here or there. We have already taken some great hikes and day trips to nearby attractions including a 19 acre fort from the 1800’s we were able to walk the walls of.

Time is moving on and Meghan turning 13 tomorrow reminds us just how fast the clock is turning. With less than 3 weeks remaining I can say that I look forward to embracing family and friends and working once again alongside my co-workers.

-Kurt

Our Big Fat Greek Traffic Ticket and other things

Hey everyone-
Our journeys continue we are in Greece and loving it!!! We had a really long travel day last Sunday but were blessed by no delays and really good airlines and service. It was our first experience on an Emirates air flight- amazing plane, real service, leg room,really good food and all the movies, music, and video games you could want. It seems like airlines in America would like us to believe that this type of service is just not possible in today's day.....I think not! Our media deprived family lost a lot of sleep watching movies and playing games. After a relaxing 3 hour nap laying on the airport floor in Dubai we arrived in Athens 24 hours after we started in Lusaka.

We had a slight delay at the rental car counter but soon enough found our weary selves behind the wheel of a car in yet another country. We drove the 2 1/2 hours to Delphi incident free. We found the village of Delphi to be postcard perfect. Small little winding streets, lots of cafes and our room looked down over the gulf of Corinth far below. We enjoyed two nights there and a day exploring the ruins.

I wont bore you with a play by play of our five days so far in Greece but we have seen amazing things and find the country beautiful! We have put over 700 miles on our rental car seeing the back roads of Greece. Yesterday we explored the ruins of ancient Olympia and it was amazing.

Oh...about that traffic ticket....Kurt has had the experience of getting to know police officers now in 2 continents, unlike Zambia where a bit of under the counter extortion money solved our problem our Greek officer friend was a bit more by the books and issued Kurt a 400 euro ticket for crossing a double white line to turn into a spot where we could consult the map. We find this quite bizarre as we have rarely encountered more aggressive non law-abiding drivers then here in Greece. We regularly get passed like we are standing still going 30 km over the speed limit, and this in front of patrol officers. We see other drivers cross double white lines to pass, turn etc....so we are a bit bitter.....maybe our large rental car sticker on the back of the car had something to do with it????? anyway turns out we only have to pay half which is still quite significant but much less painful.

We will check in again soon.
-Cari

Zambia Recap

Our past 4 weeks have included the following adventures:

• We have spent the night in 12 different places (camping included)
  
• Personally driven over 2,000 (not always easy) miles
• Visited a game park where we saw hippos up close, croc's take down two Pukas (like a deer), and spotted a rare leopard
• Kurt preached at a small church in Malawi
• Played in 2 different lakes in 2 different countries
• Visited a orphanage filled with hope where Cari and Meghan were able to supply some of the things they desperately needed
  
• Kurt attended a 3 day pastors conference for Grace International Ministries
• In Livingston Meghan and Kurt did the 'Gorge Swing' (I'm going to die type of thing) while Cole did the flying fox (see photo).
  
• We visited the amazing Victoria Falls

We never really stayed still for too long and good times were had by all. Of all the fun and crazy things we did I would have to say watching Meghan and Cole play from morning till night with the Moyer kids and whoever else happened to be around was the highlight for me as a dad. In fact I would have to say that once again the people we have met and shared life with during this trip have given us the very best of times.
-Kurt

P.S. We are having picture download issues, so therefore not much to look at.

A New Perspective

At a recent pastors conference in Zambia I was fortunate enough to meet a college student/missionary from Cameroon named Joseph. It did not take long for the two of us to engage in a discussion regarding 'western' and 'eastern' views of Christianity as it refers to Africa.
Joseph shared with me that the wave of western missionaries to Africa some 50 years ago taught a Christianity that seemed totally opposed to what it means to be African. His most compelling point was that in the west we teach that a relationship with Jesus Christ revolves all around the individual where in Africa everything is centered around community. He went on to make a statement that will forever be etched upon my mind. Joseph said " An African would rather go to hell in community than to heaven alone".
I would like those who are reading this blog to dwell on that statement and use the book of 'Acts' in the New Testament to help guide your thoughts and opinions. I believe like myself you may find a breath of fresh wisdom.
Thank you Joseph for drawing me closer to Jesus.
-Kurt