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A Conversation with the Campbell's

A Conversation With… is a regular feature on this blog. It's my way of being able to interview people who I find inspiring. I hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoyed making it.

My dad is a pastor and whenever we have guest speakers on Sunday mornings, they usually end up at our house for lunch. That's how I met Brad and Kim Campbell.

For the past few years, they've lived as missionaries in South Sudan. As many of you are ware, that young nation is in the midst of civil war. In an official United Nation report it was stated that "Violations of international human rights and humanitarian law have been committed. These include extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, rape and other acts of sexual violence...."

Perhaps there is no better place for the Gospel to be preached. I know the Campbell's would agree.

While they live an extraordinary life, they are ordinary people. But at the same time, they're passionate, dedicated, and brave. Brad and Kim are truly some of the most interesting people I've ever met.

And it's not just my opinion. Their whole family has recently been featured on NPR and in the New York Times. Various news outlets were enamored by this Omaha family who had left everything they knew in order to love the orphans of the world's newest nation.

Needless to say, I was excited to talk with them at City Bakery this past weekend. Their daughter, Anna, was able to join us, as well. I hope you enjoy this conversation with them.

Kim: We just wanted to start off by saying that this is an honor to be interviewed. I think this is such a good idea!

Evan: Thanks, but I'm the one who's honored, you guys! I glad this worked out before you headed back.

Kim: Us too!

Evan: So when it comes to being an overseas missionary, what would you say are some of the biggest misconceptions that you encounter?

Kim: The biggest misconception that we encounter? Well, I'm not sure if this fits into the category of "misconception" but we do encounter a lot of people who think there's plenty of need here in the States. They wonder why we leave, when we could just stay here and help people.

Evan: Based on some of our past conversations, it seems like you never thought in a million years that you'd all be living in Africa. Where did you see yourselves?

Brad: Going back to before I met Jesus, I really envisioned myself living the high life in New York City. I always saw myself being a rich, famous artist living there. But even after coming to the Lord, I never saw myself in Africa. I never saw myself as a missionary.

Kim: Apparently, I had this dream of going to Africa many years ago. I had told my mom about it when it happened, but to this day I don't remember what it was.

Based on that dream, maybe I did want to go to Africa at some point, but I think I just became very settled into suburbia. At the same time, I had a heart for youth; I always wanted to be involved in some form of youth ministry. I wanted to see people encounter the Lord, to live a life that wasn't ordinary....

When we were first invited to go, we were both like, "Nope. No thank you." Africa was like a big black hole, the Dark Continent. It was so foreign to us. Also, I knew they didn't have good toilets...

Brad: Haha, we're both very deep, spiritual people. "You don't have good toilets? Well, we don't want to go!"

The friend who invited us (Freddie Power) was very persistent, though. She said God told her we were coming with her. Even then, we weren't so sure.

But we ended up kind of "throwing out a fleece" for the Lord and ended up going with next to nothing. He was leading us the whole time, though. Upon our arrival, we made friends with people who are deeply involved with our ministry to this day.

Evan: Who are some of your heroes?

Kim: We don't know Heidi personally, but we do hold her in high esteem. She's fearless! She's really provided a model for us. But one of our more personal heroes is Freddie Powers. Freddie's organization is Keeping Hope Alive. and we are under the non-profit umbrella as Keeping Hope Alive South Sudan.

She has a great understanding of how to express love wherever she goes. She loves people better than anyone I've ever met. She trusts the Lord to open doors for her and He does.

Brad: And then there's Simon, too.

Evan: Yeah, let's talk about Simon for a little bit. You've mentioned him to my family many times before.

Kim: He was actually one of the first people we met at the airport when we came. He was part of the Sudanese congregation we were working with.

Simon is our interpreter, staff member, father-extraordinaire. He's fearless, loyal, and humble, humble, humble. He's the one who helped the kids get to safety during the war when we had to leave. He risked his life to do it. He really is my hero.

Brad: When the violence began to escalate, he really had to make some tough decisions. We had been forced to leave, so literally half our staff was gone. There were a lot of problems to attend to, but Simon stuck it out.

When we thanked him, Simon just said, "But this is the work of God." He just understands that this is what the Lord has called him to do, and he's not going to leave his post for anything. No how, no way. And we've seen that for going on two years now.

Kim: And our goal is to raise up an organization that we can leave in the hands of the nationals. As we speak, Simon is raising up someone underneath him. It's the vision of what we want for our ministry to become. It's about discipleship.

Evan: Once you're over there, how long does it take for the culture shock to wear off?

Brad: At least two-and-a-half years, haha!

Kim: It's a long process. I seriously don't know if we're though it yet. Their culture is as different as ours. It's night and day.

Anna: For me, I would say that the culture shock hits more towards the end. At the beginning, it's all sort of fun because it's so new. It's an adventure.

But near the end you miss your friends and you just want to get home to comfort. Homesickness really makes the culture shock stronger.

Evan: What do you miss most about the States when you're over there?

Kim: We miss our extended family, terribly! But I guess that's probably the cost of what would we do. We miss some small comforts, too.

You get to the point when you just want a little bowl of ice cream, or a couch to sit on. I always bring coffee with me when we leave the states; coffee and a little French press.

Brad: The most challenging thing for me is easy communication. I can talk to most anyone in the states and we'll understand each other. But I noticed that when we first arrived, we felt drained because we're literally trying to communicate the same thing over and over again.

Ultimately, you water it down so much so, that it doesn't even mean what you originally meant. Then when they do begin to understand, there's still no connection there. That can be really challenging.

Evan: Is there a sense of isolation among yourselves?

Brad: There is this feeling as a group of being like "Well, we're out here on our own."

Kim: The first time we had somebody visit, we were so excited! Because we knew we could talk about American stuff.

But we really enjoy our time there. When you're with the people, all the hardship is eclipsed by what you encounter.

We were submerged in people the first few weeks - it was overwhelming. They'd come to sit inside our compound and just watch.

And at that point, you feel this overwhelming sense of needing to sit and talk with the people, but they don't know any English. They have no idea what you're saying, yet you feel compelled to sit with them. It was an adjustment for me to learn to just sit with them, because I'm very much "the more I can do, the happier I am".

Evan: And they seem to appreciate you just sitting with them?

Anna: Without a doubt! And it's funny because it's just completely normal for the people to come watch you live your life. It's like Big Brother....

Evan: What's something you really find alluring about African culture?

Kim: I love their simplicity. Their lives are about relationship. There aren't a lot of cars, so everyone walks everywhere. And in a town of 200,000, that means there the chance for relationships all around you. I miss that when I'm here in the States.

Evan: Brad, I know you lived in New York City for a while. I can think of no bigger difference than living in New York City and where you're living now! How long did you live in New York?

Brad: I lived there for seven years. New York is an amazing city. I think of that cliché t-shirt "I love New York." - But I really do love New York! Everyone loves it! (Except Kim, "Sensory overload!")

I can't really put my finger on what I loved about it, other than the people. It's the people that make the city.

In New York almost everybody is really trying to do something great. Whether they are restaurant owners, or just busing tables while trying to make in on Broadway: there's just so many remarkable things going on inside the city limits.

Evan: I know you guys like food, too. There's so much good food in New York City. It was overwhelming. Before I went in 2011, you recommended that Mexican place....

Brad: Mexicana Mama! So glad you went there! It's amazing. Some of the best food I've ever had in my life.

Evan: Do you think New York City instilled any values in you that have been relevant to your time in Africa?

Brad: Well, yes, definitely. I became a Christian in New York. I went there seeking fame and fortune for myself, but walked away with a redeemer.

Evan: How did that happen?

Brad: The short version of the story is that a friend invited me to their church and I felt kind of obligated to go. I went a few times and it was awkward. They had great music, but I didn't really like the experience as a whole and I didn't think I'd go back.

Then during one service, the message was just so powerful that I thought, "I don't care if it's a church, I'm coming back next week to hear the message.".

Evan: But did you believe what they were teaching?

Brad: I didn't believe yet. My family is Jewish, so I was stumbling over the stumbling stone - Jesus. I loved what was going on in that church, loved the messages, loved the small groups; but my problem was with Jesus.

Then eventually someone gave me a book by a Jewish believer and it laid a very sound, scriptural foundation of why Jesus is who He said He was.

But it was a long, slow discovery process for me. It wasn't a ka-pow moment. But after going through those messages and the Bible, there was no other conclusion for me to make.

Evan: So what are you guys doing next?

Kim: We're going back to Ethiopia to help with the refugee situation. We're determined to flip a nation by loving people, one person at a time.

Brad: More specifically, we're going to be doing a lot in the realm of education. We'll be reaching out to South Sudan through Ethiopia.

They're in the midst of their second generation of war and they've only been an independent state since 2011.

Evan: From what I understand there are tons of orphans, right?

Kim: They're a fatherless nation. Plus, over half of the population is under the age of fourteen. So we have an opportunity to demonstrate the heart of the Father in a real, authentic way.

Brad: I think what people generally want to see is to have a nation become quickly developed and get on-board with the twenty-first century. But I don't really see that happening for South Sudan. They need to catch their breath, get their feet on some firm ground.

I think that alone would be such a huge step, in terms of being at peace as a nation, and having some sense of relief from the struggle that has been going on for the last fifteen years.

Evan: So you're not trying to westernize them?

Brad: To some extent, there will be some of that happening, but only because we're Westerners. But we're trying to be sensitive because we don't want to impose any of that on them intentionally.

Evan: What would your advice be to anyone who interested in going to mission field. Or someone who is just about to embark on an adventure?

Kim: Jump! I mean really, just do it! Don't hold back.

Brad: I have two answers. Obviously, my first one is similar to Kim's - if you feel like you're supposed to go, then go!

The other answer is that God will really lead you.

The other answer is that God will really lead you. He'll lead people step-by-step, for the most part. Because then we have stories like Paul and the road to Damascus....

Kim: Be flexible. Let God love you, too. Because when you're full of His love, you'll just pour out love wherever you go. There's no stopping it.

Evan: What's something you learned about God and about yourself while in Africa?

Brad: In the midst of all that happened over there, I learned that God was with is. Before leaving, several people told us that we needed to know that God was with us. When you first hear that kind of thing, it can be very general.

But I learned that He really was with us. It really settled so much fear and anxiety in me. In the midst of the violence and the warfare, I knew it wasn't the end of the story. He was going to take us through something and we had to keep it together because He was with us. It's one of those very simple things, but if you know God is with you....

Evan: You can jump!

Brad: Exactly!

Kim: You have to put yourself out on the edge, in order to let God do His thing. We have so many crutches here in America. When you put yourself out where only He can catch you, you really discover how deep His love is.

Evan: In South Sudan, Is it easier to hear His voice with so few distractions?

Kim: I think it's important to know God's voice more than it is to hear it. Because in the midst of the chaos, we couldn't hear His voice. In the midst of the chaos, we couldn't hear and yet looking back, what was manifesting itself in our actions, made it very clear to us that even though we couldn't hear Him, He was leading us all along.

Brad: It's really about knowing the nature and character of God. It just comes by pursuing him. There's not a formula for that. It's just about being in relationship with Him, drawing closer to Him. By draw closer to Him, you begin to really understand His nature beyond your own preconceived notions. That's what I would say about it.

Evan: Being featured in the media so much makes you all seem larger-than-life. Do you feel different, or do you still feel like ordinary people?

Kim: Let me put it this way - I'm very amused that God choose us to be missionaries. I would be "thee" most likely person to settle down in suburban America, and enjoy nice, clean comfort. I'm a big sissy.

But I think that's why those news articles were appealing. We're just really ordinary. We're borderline goofy!

Brad: I would say remove the word "borderline" and you've pretty much got it!

*If you would like to learn more about the Campbell's, visit them on Facebook. To donate to them and their ministry in South Sudan, click here.

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