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It was a sunny afternoon when Howie and I were pulled off the highway fixing lunch at a lake. A man (who I will call “John,” to protect his privacy) heard Howie playing music. He came up and asked what kind of guitar Howie was playing. After some conversation, Howie asked him to join us for lunch. He replied, “No, thanks” and started to leave. Howie shook his hand and said, “Man, it was great to meet you, John.” John’s response is vividly engraved in my mind as he said with amazement in his voice, “Wow, nobody ever says that to me. Usually people just tell me to get away.” You see, John was homeless, wearing a jacket and carrying his pack in hand. He didn’t look neat and kempt like the tourists in this area.

Howie began to share with him the value John had in the eyes of God. This is a priceless message to those who feel like the offscouring of the Earth. It is really heartbreaking to think there are so many around us who feel worthless, ashamed, and alone because hard times hit.

We ended up praying with him, hugging him as tears streamed down his cheeks. Howie gave him a Living Water: The Gospel of John that is small enough to fit in his pack – some encouragement for the dark, lonely days and a copy of his CD “Wayfarin Strangers Amped”. As John left Howie told him he loved him that Jesus loves him, hugging him again. Tears softened his eyes, and John went his way, deeply touched, apologizing for crying.

Many of us pass the homeless regularly. What is our response? Are we inconvenienced by their presence? Do we wish they would just go away, take a bath and somehow not disrupt our view? Or, do we see them as dearly loved by our Heavenly Father and therefore, by us. My heart is challenged to respond to the “lowly” in our communities with kindness and mercy.

Heavenly Father, make us vessels of your love. Show us how to personally care for those we see that are in the greatest need a touch from you today.

“…Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 24:34-36

 

The night before we hit the road for the Great Circle USA 2015 Mission Tour we performed a live streaming concert  through Concert Window. We want to thank The Well House Cafe for making their space available to us. Thank you, Addie, for manning the coffee bar!

Here is an excerpt from that night. “Wayfarin’ Strangers” was played on the native flute, guitar and various percussion instruments.

 

My friend was feeling frustrated because she had been traveling a considerable amount with her husband and said, “I just can’t seem to focus or function well when I am away so much. I don’t know how you do it, being on the road all the time.”

My response was simply, “You need to forget about home.”

I certainly found it hard to live a normal life when Howie and I began the ministry. But I found a way to wrap my mind around “normal” and “away”, finding the delicate balance where I can function productively.

Why the need to forget about home?

Imagine with me that we are away on the other side of the country. All is unfamiliar and new. The mind wants to wander back, by default, to find comfort in the familiar, the structure of routine and the motions of habit.

 Change the mind’s default

Howie and I live on the road full time and don’t have a home to return to in the way that most people in America do. There is no comfort found when I ponder the popular idea of “home”. I needed to change the default for home to land in another place.

Redefining home

Transforming the definition of home in your mind can be revolutionary. I have shifted my focus to make home my very present state and therefore I function with all of its seeming comforts.

My home is where I live
My home is here, where my feet are standing
and
My home is heavenly

Where I am is where I live. So, remember this if you happen to be showing hospitality to us “Wayfarin’ Strangers”. We can experience a moment of life together.

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself. Philippians 3:20-21

Today we have been washed up on the West Coast after three grueling days of driving. New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Idaho and Oregon. 1800+ miles and now collapsed on the rocky shore in Oceanside.

Tomorrow we begin our musicianary thrust throughout the Northwest. Three events in Tillamook, followed by several with the folks at the Union Gospel Mission of Portland , an action packed weekend awaits us in the Tri-cities of Washington, then off to a backyard party in Milton-Freewater, concert in Kalispell, MT, finally the Lakota Soiux Rosebud Reservation.

Sometimes I feel very weary, like today as we crashed on the beach. Often I think that settling down would suit me just fine and I will establish a homestead rather than of all this wayfarin’. I might even think about replacing my sprout jar with a leafy, green garden. But these are just musings that quickly pass as I dream about what the weeks ahead will offer.

I am reminded of the scripture in 2 Corinthians where Paul mentions that “when I am weak, then am I strong”. Even though today I am feeling quite “washed up” and stretched out on the rocky coast, I know that the Lord has something special planned. It is this hope that compels me get up, get off the rocky shoreline and move ahead in Christ.

Debbie

Read exciting news for our Great Circle USA Missionary Journey by clicking on the image below! Your PDF will open in this window.

Traveling through what seemed to be “No Man’s Land” in Northern Arizona we wondered if God would open opportunities for us to witness for Him.

The Hopi reservation was rocky and harsh. This was quite the contrast to the people that live in the land. At the cultural center we met V***** a DJ from WYI Res Radio, who shared with us that Hopi means “Peaceful People”. We also began to realize that our “Wayfarin Strangers Amped” CD would be well liked here on the Reservation.

As the Great Circle USA 2010 takes us through Navajo Country the desert sun is hot and the nights are cold. This is perfect for sleeping in the van.

The roadway was dotted with venders selling their handwork. Howie wanted a leather and turquoise decoration to hang from his guitar neck and we hoped to find it Navajo made.
The Lord lead us to J*****a who was happily equipted for the challenge of designing a piece for Howie.

As she worked Howie suggested that he serenades the vendors. His suggestion was received with many smiles. As the Navajo woman put her finishing touch on the piece by tying her work to the guitar neck, he offered her and the nearby vendors copies his CDs: The Good News of Christmas, Colonial Meditations and Thank You.

R* said liked R&B, so Howie invited him to our van to listen to some of “Wayfarin Strangers Amped”. He loved it and we promised to send him a copy as soon as it is released.
The conversation segued nicely into Jesus as Howie shared his story, then R* shared his story. God has placed us in the right place at the right time to minister to a native man who has a great need. We were able to pray with R* and leave him with a Gospel of John. Soon he will have our new CD as well as a letter from us.

Greetings Dear Friend, in the name of Jesus Christ,

Howie and I have just returned to Virginia after ministering throughout America. Ten months is a long time to be on the road, but the Lord and His saints have been good to us. “The Great Circle USA 09 Tour” never really came to an end as it flowed nicely into the Christmas Advent tour carrying right over into the New Year.

As I look back over the past year I see God’s miraculous provision of a van to minister from, live in and take us so many long miles. I see how the Lord is opening doors in some very needy parts of the nation: a Lakota Sioux Reservation in South Dakota where poverty is the norm; New York where the name “Jesus Christ” is the cuss word of choice; Vermont where at least two towns permit public nudity; and Memphis, TN ministering in Orange Mound, a community created for African Americans back in 1890! These pockets of need in our country are the very places where our “musical missionary” style of ministry slides in past the defense lines. We are seeing results and doors are flinging open like never before.

Having lived on the road “homeless” now for 2 years, we are commonly asked two questions:

1. What is the pulse of the nation, and how do you see God working?”

2. How do you survive living in a van?

What is the pulse of the nation? Let me try to answer this one first. Everywhere we go we see a couple common trends. One is a growing restlessness within the Christian Community with the “status quo”. There seems to be a hunger among many for more of the Lord. Sunday and Wednesday meetings are no longer enough. People are seeking a lifestyle that is filled with the Spirit of the Lord. That speaks of revival happening on a grassroots level.

Within the secular community we saw a trend beginning this year that we have not witnessed in the past. More people are attending, and they are staying until the close of our events. You might say: “Well your performance must be better.” No, I believe it has little to do with performance because typically as soon as the name “Jesus” was mentioned and people got the drift that we were singing about Him, there would be a mass exodus. Not now. It appears that God is positioning hearts for an awakening. This is all the more exciting considering we have an entire generation (speaking of those not in the Bible Belt) who have no biblical teaching nor have any idea who really Jesus is.

Any of you who have been around Howie for any length of time have heard him say “Now is the time! I am compelled to go and share Jesus”. The results we are seeing are in direct answer to prayer and entirely the Lord’s doing.

In 2009 we received enough financial support to have kept us on the road for 10 months non-stop. We are so grateful for those who have heeded the call to “monthly for missions”. You have provided a financial lifeline as we go.

Now for the second question: What is it like to live on the road for Jesus?

Quite frankly, at this moment, I am worn out and fatigued and would like a quiet “hiding place” to call my own to be refreshed. But generally speaking, the Lord’s provision is abundant so we thank God for these blessings:

• We travel in the Sprinter van that gets nearly 20 miles to the gallon; we have a single mattress that is comfy to rest upon when the road is long (considering it’s not too hot outside to do so);

• We have an entire sound system, instruments, office, kitchen tools and suitcases that are showing miles of wear. And, of course, we have our survival water filter that is gravity feed and provides quality water wherever we are.

• We eat lots of raw fruits and veggies and have managed to maintain good health thus far, except for some back issues.

Even with all of this, I do often think of a home. When the traveling goes on for month after month, sleeping in a different bed every night and constantly with people, I think of home. Naturally, I consider heaven my home, but lately I am sensing that we just may be more effective in the future with a home ministry base.

Here in Charlottesville, Howie is busy ministering to the music community and scheduling our 2010 missionary trips. We are excited about connections made on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Also there are amazing opportunities opening in Vermont, Memphis, Michigan and Washington, as well as many other places. Please keep these in prayer and check the calendar on our web site as the bookings develop.

As we go we do depend on you to sometimes carry us, sometimes house us and sometimes go with us. I can’t praise God enough for your faithful financial support. Know that while we are here preparing to move out again and setting up the next tour, we do need your “Monthly for Missions” gifts.

The ground is being plowed and seeds sown. The harvest is beginning to show itself in our land. Pray. Spring is coming. It is time to call the workers and bring the harvest before the Lord.

With Christian love,

Debbie

P.S. Please send your tax-deductible support for our missionary ministry to: Howie and Debbie Campbell, PO Box 8334, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Make checks payable CIS, INC. Thank You!

Dear Partner in “Taking Jesus to the Streets”

I just got back from a meeting with a political candidate. I asked the first question of this Christian woman running for Representative, which was: “How is your prayer support?” You see, I believe our leaders need more of the Spirit of the Lord and less advice on how we think we can fix things. We, as a nation, need God’s direction because we are way off course. “If my people, which are called by my name … then I will hear from heaven and heal their land” says the Lord of Hosts.

In the early days of our founding, the fathers pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for the cause of “liberty and justice for all.” Now is the time for us to do the same. However, rather than forging a new earthly nation, we must prepare folks for the Kingdom of Heaven wherein dwells righteousness instead of greed, pride and iniquity. To see this come to pass, we must ensure as many people hear the Good News as possible. That’s why we’re on the streets for Jesus!

“He that will save his life will lose it. He that will lose his life for my sake, and the Kingdom, shall gain it unto everlasting life”, says the Lord, Jesus Christ.

As Debbie and I prepare to begin this, another year of “Taking Jesus to the streets” and to the highways and byways of America, I am trusting the Lord and counting on your help. You can be a part of our ministry this year through your financial support of course, but also by:

· Bringing and inviting us into your community just like the believers did last year in Orange Mound and dozens of other locations around the USA…

• Praying with us that God will open up miraculous and sometimes spontaneous events like the Rosebud empty lot concert….

• Joining us at events in your community through prayer, evangelism, follow up, relationship building, music, promotion and special offerings….

• Volunteering to help in the mailings, contacting others about our ministry and spreading the word to local pastors and church groups, and

• Commit to “Monthly for Missions” faith partnership with our mission in 2010.

Unless Jesus comes in the clouds of glory for us this year, we will follow the Holy Spirit around the country again. May the God of all be gracious to allow us to see fruit for our labors, as someone has prayed, “Fruit to the glory of Jesus Christ”.

Love you guys,

Howie

P.S. Please send your offering for our missionary support to Howie and Debbie Campbell, PO Box 8334, Charlottesville, VA 22906. Make checks payable CIS, INC. As we prepare for the year ahead, Debbie and I are counting on your faithful support. MAY GOD BLESS YOU IN 2010 just as you are faithfully supporting Christ’s work in us.