Friday, March 30, 2012

Day Six - Part II

We arrive early to take in the game's pageantry, and are engulfed in a sea of royal blue. Flag-waving Bulls' fans, bedecked in their favorite players' jerseys, stream into the stadium to root for their cherished team. John, Karen and I are joined by John's best friend 'Andre,' who nearly turned pro before becoming an engineer. He is the perfect person to (patiently) point out the game's nuances to a couple of tyros like Karen and me. We apprehend the scoring and essential thrust of this game (it has a lot of the same elements of something we used to call 'rumble' and play on the blacktops in Miami 100 years ago) but its finer points are lost on us. What is not lost on us is the diversity and unity reflected in the vast stadium. Bags of biltong (SA's version of beef jerky) are passed around, and people of every stripe cheer and high-five as the Bulls crush the Reds 61-8. Andre explains the power of the game to unify the once rigidly separated country: "Rugby brought us together in ways that no program or initiative ever could have. When we won the World Championship in '95, and Mandela wore the winning team's jersey (depicted in the film "Invictus") South Africa was suddenly one. Sports has been a God-given gift of healing for our land." Filing out with 50,000 other fans, we join in the belief, the hopeful ideal of a unified South Africa where freedom and equal opportunity exist for all.

Thursday, March 29, 2012

Day Six - Part I


Black Economic Empowerment, Rugby and Race Reconciliation: South Africa

We have left Nairobi behind (the darkened airport we fly out of reflects so much about Kenya; power had been out all day and they were not sure when it would be restored. Glum shop owners cannot accept credit cards; the coffee shop has sold out of their few packaged items and closes down) with great hopes for the leaders who will emerge from our Ph. D. program there.

We arrive in South Africa, and the glittering Tambo Airport reflects the hope and promise we are coming to know better in this diverse, spectacular country. Our day begins with a meeting that John Jones—our liaison in South Africa; he is brilliant, engaging, and has an unrivalled heart for Jesus—has arranged with an official with a fascinating initiative, known as Black Economic Empowerment, or BEE. Here is the way BEE is described on its website:

“Black economic empowerment – or broad-based black economic empowerment, as it is technically known – is not affirmative action, although employment equity forms part of it. Nor does it aim to take wealth from white people and give it to blacks. It is essentially a growth strategy, targeting the South African economy's weakest point: inequality.  Black economic empowerment is thus an important policy instrument aimed at broadening the economic base of the country – and through this, at stimulating further economic growth and creating employment.  The strategy is broad-based, as shown in the name of the legislation: the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act of 2003. This reflects the government's approach, which is to ‘situate black economic empowerment within the context of a broader national empowerment strategy ... focused on historically disadvantaged people, and particularly black people, women, youth, the disabled, and rural communities.’”

The official says that while the system is not perfect, some progress is being made. The latest survey shows that while 98 percent of people in the lowest living standards measure (LSM 1) in SA in 2010 were black, it represents a slight decrease from 99.7 percent in 2001. Moreover, of people in the highest category, "LSM 10," blacks comprised 19 percent of the total, up from 3 percent in 2001. We believe that Regent University degrees and training can help move those numbers even more. Because businesses are required to spend a certain amount each year on BEE initiatives, including training and further education, Regent can become a trusted provider of transformative education in the days ahead.

Of course, economic parity is but one step toward reconciling a nation previously separated by apartheid's hateful system, and God's power is needed to unite people in supernatural ways.

We’re boarding the plane now for the first leg of our journey home.  More will follow.  

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

At Grace Bible Church

I had the honor of preaching at the Sunninghill Campus of Grace Bible Church on Sunday, March 25. With me in this photo is Mosa Sono, senior pastor of the church, which is headquartered in Soweto, South Africa.  Pastor Sono and his wife, Gege, visited Regent in February and have become very good friends of the university. 

Friday, March 23, 2012

Day Five

The last, the least and the lost: Pastor Jim Wood of First Presbyterian Church in Norfolk, VA has kept these groups before our congregation for years. In response to his challenge, our church has helped fund an orphanage here in Kenya, The Joy House, and has also supported the Nazareth Hospital, some 30 minutes from the orphanage.

Though we have seen images of the many children and families we have been privileged to help, meeting them today was a lifetime blessing.

Each child tells us their name, and their class rank in school. English is their second language, and most are reticent to speak. Some seem wistful and preoccupied. Others leap to their feet and share with gusto. They walk us past their garden, exploding with kale and cabbage, to their rabbit cages. They are raising them for meat. "They are delicious!" exclaims Moses, as he points to tiny two-week old babies in one of the wooden warrens.

Driving to the airport after our visit, we pass a field of brown maize, the stalks nearly full grown, but few with any silks. I asked our guide, GLE grad, Dr. Jeremiah Koshal (he is teaching at the prestigious Strathmore College in Nairobi) about the acres of withering grain. "No water,:" he explained. "Everything went well, and then no rain, and they had no way to irrigate the fields."

As we left the rolling hills and plunged in to the chaos of Nairobi traffic, we agreed that those fields were symbolic of much of Kenya, full of hope and promise, but needing just a bit of help to reap a harvest that reduces the poverty and pain of this beautiful country.

At Nazareth Hospital

Mrs. Campo talks to Michael, who directs the AIDS clinic at Nazareth Hospital outside Nairobi.

Joyce at The Joy House Orphanage in Kenya

This is Joyce, one of the mothers (they live as a family unit) at The Joy House orphanage in Kenya. This remarkable place, supported by our home church--First Presbyterian in Norfolk--rescues children from the ravages of HIV/AIDS and other crises and gives them a family, improves their education and supports them spiritually.

Thursday, March 22, 2012

The menu at one of the restaurants at The Safari Park Hotel, where we stayed two nights. The camel did not taste like chicken.

Day Four

“Even if I had dropped out after the first year,” says Regent Ph.D. in Organizational Leadership student Bishop David Oginde. “I would have called it the most transformative experience of my life.” Bishop Oginde, who has passed his comps and is now in the dissertation phase of the program, was speaking to 25 prospective Ph.D. students in a classroom at Pan Africa Christian University (PACU) in Nairobi, Kenya. Some had come from Southern Sudan just to hear about this wonder: the first faith-based Ph.D. in all of Africa. I couldn't help but wish we had a video camera rolling to capture this remarkable endorsement from a Kenyan leader who is already changing his world.

This was a culminating event here at PAC), where we hope to launch this degree with a qualified cohort of 20-30 East African men and women, all hoping to catapult their careers as newly-minted Drs.

Karen and I began our day at PACU visiting with Vice Chancellor (equivalent of a U.S. university president) Godfrey Nguru, whom we had met last year in South Africa. He recounted for us the remarkable history of this place, situated on about 40 acres in Nairobi. “PACU was built by the Soviets in 1963 as a Communist training center,” he explained. “All of the faculty was Russian. I remember coming here with a friend as a prospective student, and they told me all about Communism and how it would bring stability to Kenya. Today, we are graduating students with a world view that seeks to transform this nation for Christ. What the enemy meant for evil, God meant for good.”

During the 'signing ceremony' (we signed a Memo of Understanding that will help us launch the degree) with Chancellor Adoye, 15 students from eight countries sing worship songs in English and Swahili. Their angelic voices swell in a rich harmony; the 150 in attendance sway to the music as one. “This is a historic day for PACU and Kenya,” begins Adoye. “We have sent our Kenyan son, Barack Obama to the United States to lead that great country. Today, we look to Regent University to help us equip African leaders who will lead with values that will transform our nation and our world. Our two schools today come together in an African marriage, and while the bride price may be high (a reference to our tuition, which we have discounted 50 percent, but it is still very high by Kenyan standards) she is worth every shilling.”

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Day 3 - From the Boardroom to the Bush

Yesterday's meetings followed a typical pattern, men and women in crisp shirts and tailored suits, hand shaking and planning in well-lit rooms. Today will shatter that mold, as we begin before dawn on a journey that will take us to the bush and a Maasai village in the shadow of Mt.  Kilimanjaro.

Our guide and friend is Bishop Jefferson Nyatuka of Operation Blessing, and he has launched a 'transformation center' that plans to bring life to a dry and thirsty land through economic, educational, and spiritual development.

After a three hour drive (on the new 'superhighway', the largest improvement project in Kenya's history) we turn off the pavement and bump along for some 20 minutes before coming to a sign that reads, 'Operation Blessing, Kenya'. In the distance, a shockingly blue-roofed schoolroom stands out against the landscape of high grass and bush, crisscrossed by animal trails.  As we step out of the Land cruiser, the Maasai suddenly appear: one holds a small club in his right hand, his bright smile sparkles and assures that we have met a new friend; five others--all dressed in brightly-colored garb with intricate, beaded necklaces and wristbands adorning their beautiful, dark skin.   

We meet 'Stephen', who seems to be a leader. He walks us a few steps down to the little school, and we step from the bright morning light into a dark, single room with 43 students aged 4-7; two smiling female teachers move among them, asking about a word they are spelling or helping them through a reading passage. In the front of the classroom is a chalkboard with ten words and corresponding chalk illustrations of a 'ball', a 'bag', and so on. One of the teachers taps her yellow yardstick against the black slate, and we hear a spirited, unison chant that demonstrates their hard work in learning the English language (they speak a tribal language and most also speak Swahili).

This school--which Regent has helped fund--allows these children (there are 65 in the class; an eye infection has kept a third away) to participate in early education. The grass is so tall in this area that predatory animals make it too dangerous for them to walk the 6k to the nearest school. Hence, they have been perennially behind in school. Many drop out. They now have the promise that comes with learning.

Jefferson narrates OB's vision for this area. It includes an irrigation system using the deep well OB has already drilled. They also hope to build tourist 'eco-huts' to attract the many visitors drawn to Kilimanjaro's mystique. In addition, they evangelize the Maasai in the area, promoting spiritual and physical wellness. We step into one of the traditional huts and see a tiny girl with a wound red and oozing. She had fallen into a fire. Jefferson hands the leader some money and tells him to get her to the hospital before she 'loses the arm. He tells us that if they go to hospital without money, they may wait days for treatment.

The day ends as about ten of us join hands and pray God's blessing on the vision for this place. The Maasai open in their native tongue; I pray in English, and Jefferson closes in Swahili. The sound of global praise echoes and is swept by the wind toward Kilimanjaro; and the whole earth is filled with His glory.

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Dr. and Mrs. Campo visit children at Operation Blessing Kenya schoolhouse.

Dr. and Mrs. Campo in front of Restoration Church in Rwanda.

Mrs. Campo with Maasai tribes people as they sing Psalm 23 in their native tongue.

Photos from Africa

Monday, March 19, 2012

Day Two

Day 2 in Africa is our last in Kigali and we are already regretting it and pledging to return. While the city does not have the metropolitan buzz of a Nairobi or Lagos, there is a powerful sense of destiny and opportunity here. The people of Kigali make Karen and me feel as though we are long-lost family. We have three meetings with educational leaders, including Rwanda's Minister of Education, the Director of the Higher Education Commission, and a number of 'rectors' (the equivalent of a US university president) from both public and private institutions.

Sandwiched in between is a quick stop at the Rwanda Genocide Museum, built to provide a burial place for some 250,000 of the dead, and serve as a reminder of our 'hearts of darkness' ever capable of 'the horror' that Kurtz made infamous. Walking through the plain, concrete, mass graves, the stillness is almost too hard to bear. We lay roses of remembrance at the site and pray that God brings reconciliation, peace and strength to somehow replace this unspeakable devastation. The genocide is so recent that the history is still being written, and the images in the museum are too raw and painful; we are shaken. Perhaps the most devastating is a photo of countless corpses at a church; the victims fled to what they thought was a sacred haven, but it only served as their tomb. Video testimonials from survivors--many of them children who watched as their parents or siblings were clubbed to death--are wrenching; we cannot watch for long. How did this happen? Sickening phrases like 'ethnic cleansing' are hellish euphemisms that cannot mask the reality of hatred taken to its heinous end.

The meetings go remarkably well, and we have many opportunities to bless and be blessed by Rwanda, but the specter of death hangs over our hearts like a black curtain. As we fly out of Kigali on our way to Nairobi, dusk falls and even nature senses our mood. Kigali needs redemption that only our Savior can bring, and our parting prayer is for revival and restoration to transform Rwanda.

Day One


'Africa.' Just saying the word forces you to exhale in wonder. Rwanda's capital city, Kigali, welcomes us with a hope and promise born of suffering. Kigali's green hills and clean streets are the backdrop for her people, residents who surround you with genial smiles that have replaced the strife that nearly destroyed this African pearl. Perhaps one of the reasons that Rwandans are so optimistic these days is because of Pastor Rick Warren. We met Warren on the plane from Brussels to Kigali, and he describes to us his comprehensive 'P.E.A.C.E. Plan,' which has targeted Kigali and 11 other cities for transformation through empowering the church as a catalyst for change. Warren and others are here to meet with Rwanda's President Paul Kagame, a visionary leader who has vowed to make Rwanda the World's first 'Purpose Driven Country.' Warren (insiders say he may be Kagame's best friend) is seen as something of a hero here, and he greets locals at our hotel by name, embracing each one and asking about their lives.

Day 1 features a number of meetings, and begins with breakfast  at 7, and then a worship service at Restoration Church, first in French, then in Kinyarwanda, the local language (we are able to learn the phrase, 'Wera, wera Adonai' or Holy, holy is the Lord). The pastor blesses us with a teaching (we are grateful for the English translation by a young girl who might be all of 16) on obedience that focuses on Philippians 2. Other highlights include meeting graduates and current students of our Business Development Center (BDC) where professor John Mulford and his team are training the next generation of Rwanda's business leaders in principles of entrepreneurship. We hear inspiring stories of success, like a young woman who began with $8 and used it to sew one purse that she sold for $15. Today--after the training she received at the BDC, she employs five women and produces 150 handbags per month!

After our visit with these precious ones (we are stunned that some 50 attend the event, though few have cars, and travel miles just to share their stories) we are off for a local meal at Dona and Betty's home. Dona works at the BDC, and is a strong Christian and a local businessman. On the way to his home, he drives us through Kigali's well-maintained and manicured streets. Every turn features a lovely view of the valleys and hills that surround this city of about one million residents. While there is poverty, there is construction everywhere, and many lovely estates overlook the verdant landscape. People huddle near a bus station, and 'mototaxis' hawk customers. 'There you see the Parliament building,' he comments, 'They have left the holes from the mortars as a reminder to them. We must never allow hatred to touch our land again.' The scars from the genocide are found everywhere; Betty shares how she was the only one in her family to survive the brutal genocide. My mother and my four sisters - all gone.  I was angry with God. I just did not understand.' We share a remarkable meal that features skewers of fish, rice, tuna salad, and a very familiar dish to a Cuban: fried bananas. After dinner we join in prayer to ask God's blessing on our families, the work of the BDC, on Rwanda. There are signs of God's blessing everywhere. He brings beauty through ashes.

Friday, March 16, 2012

Four bags on their way to Rwanda

Off to Africa

Mrs. Campo and I are boarding the airplane for the first leg in our flight to Rwanda, with a stop in Brussels, Belgium.  We are excited about the opportunities the Lord is giving us in Africa and are looking forward to sharing our experiences with you over the next two weeks.  Thank you for your prayers while we are traveling.