Laura Smith

Hi, Stacey, and welcome to unsung stories. Thank you so much for joining us.

 

Stacey Campbell

Hi, Laura. Thanks for having me on

 

Laura Smith

Just so that our listeners can get to know you a little bit Would you mind telling us about you and your family life and what everyday life looks like for you?

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah, say I am Stacy. I'm married to Lach. And we have Ruby who is two. We live in the Southern Highlands. We've just recently moved here. And so our days are spent wrangling two year old and some farm animals. And then a big part of our days is rehabilitation and kind of thing.

 

Laura Smith

I'm keen to ask you more about that in a minute. But Southern Highlands sounds like the dream. How long have you been locked been married for?

 

Stacey Campbell

in Apri, it’ll be eight years.

 

Laura Smith

Wow. And what were your hopes and dreams for married life as a couple?

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah. When we got married, we were moving to Wollongong to work for Christian surface. And then the plan was Bible College, and then something in a ministry like planting or something like that.

 

Laura Smith

And so I've had the privilege of hearing your story before and know that the past eight years have actually been incredibly rough for you, too. Would you be willing to fill in our listeners on what's been happening in your life?

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah, so eight years ago, just out of the blue, I got really sick of it was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease in the colon. It's called ulcerative colitis. So ulcerative colitis, attacks the colon. And so the colon becomes like, inflamed and essentially doesn't function like it's meant to. And so that causes like, huge amount of blood loss and really extreme pain. Really, really extreme. So yeah, I got down to like 40 kilos, with like, blood transfusions and that kind of thing to replace all the loss of blood. Yeah, because it couldn't take in any nutrients and stuff. Like because the colon was like, it buried clawed it inside,

 

Laura Smith

Oh, my goodness.

 

Stacey Campbell

And then, six months later, that disease caused the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome. And then since then I became weaker and weaker from pain and fatigue. And the next six years was like, I was mostly half down and in bed, unable to walk in a wheelchair. couldn't do anything for myself, like, couldn't shower or dress myself or cook meals were in liquid form for a while. And look, became my full time care and did all this for me. Wow. Yeah. So like, couldn't go to church or Bible study or serving the ways that I used to. And then when I came to having Ruby is hugely limited my capacity. That's insane. Yeah, between what was happening in the colon, and then the effect of chronic fatigue, I just vomit all the time. So I couldn't really keep much down. Head food tubes my nose to try and get more nutrients in.

 

Laura Smith

Wow, Stacy, do you still have to have food tubes and stuff now?

 

Stacey Campbell

Thankfully, I'm on it. So again, pregnancy, there was a really, really narrow amount of foods that I could eat that wouldn't trigger the pain. And so when pain was triggered, the pain would be so severe, it would take my body about three days to recover from that extremity, I guess, kind of like when you give birth, your body is so exhausted that your whole insides head to toe is like affected from what you've gone through. So yeah, when I'd have bad of pain, it would then last a couple of days before I could recover from that pain, and then the next time it would happen. So it was kind of a waste. It's chasing that. That's exhausting. So at the time, there was yet a limited amount of foods I could ate. But then when I got pregnant, I could eat everything. So like I said, Would have been six years of like, the most restricted diet like at one point, I could only eat eggs, and rice. Oh, like it expanded from that point. But we've been I could eat anything. During pregnancy. It was like the bucketlist of food, like honey chicken!

 

Laura Smith

Whoever would have thought that honey chicken that my kids complain I make every night luxury food items. Oh, wow. And even just to get to go out for dinner with your husband what a gift.

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah.

 

Laura Smith

Oh, that's Yeah. So good. Like physically, that's so humbling. How did it affect you emotionally like you had these great And plans and then all of a sudden, your husband's your carer. And you know, all your hopes and dreams just were shattered. How did you handle that?

 

Stacey Campbell

I felt pretty out of control. I was quite a mess to begin with and still. Yeah, I felt really vulnerable, or really anxious, but very humbled.

 

Laura Smith

Did it affect you spiritually? Like, I don't want to project but I feel like I'd be God. I've got these plans to serve you with my life and you've taken away my ability to walk. How did it affect you spiritually?

 

Stacey Campbell

I mean, it tested my faith like nothing else. Like if I was going to put my entire hope for living through H slow, painful day, that hope was going to have to hold up. All my doubts were brought to the surface and everything put through the wringer. It kind of came down to this like, if Jesus is who He says He is, if God created us, we were separated from God, when we chose to live for ourselves. That creator of me had to come to earth in flesh, to die to pay for my sin. If Jesus really rose so that I could live with Him forever. I'm grabbing onto this sweet, sweet news, two hands and holding on to it. Until that home is fulfilled when I meet Jesus face to face. living for God just became a everything, this news, this hope, carry me through every day giving me hope, reason to live, like comforting me with the reassurance that that God wasn't taking away this sickness. Now he had met my greatest mate. That's forgiveness. And so the rest would it would come when he returns to restore the world.

 

Laura Smith

So Stacy, what did you learn about yourself through this time of suffering,

 

Stacey Campbell

I learned that my value doesn't come from what I do. Gone, wasn't loving me and plays with me because of what I was doing for him and what ministries I was doing, because he chose to love me out of his generous grace. He chose me, he called me and he made me his child. It was Jesus sacrifice. For me, that meant God was pleased with me, and nothing to do with what I could do for him, which meant when I couldn't physically do anything for God, I was still loved and still saved, and still his child.

 

Laura Smith

And what did you learn about God through all of that?

 

Stacey Campbell

And I think he's faithfulness was one of the biggest things. I can't be like, I tested almost all of his promises, and God held up, I can really does provide strength, he really does totally satisfy us. Even if all we have left is him. He really is enough. He's crisis always enough. He hasn't give us more than we can bear will never leave off at seikos near to the brokenhearted I got proved faithful in all of those promises, and more.

 

Laura Smith

So this season of suffering has been going on for a long time. Now. Have you seen any fruit from the hardship? Like, can you see it producing righteousness or peace or perseverance or molding your character to be more like Jesus?

 

Stacey Campbell

I had to ask Lach, am I nicer now? I think mainly in lots of ways, yes, I but I think the big one was just my dependence on God. Like I just really turned to him more quickly. Now. I turned to prayer as the first protocol or sometime. And then I guess I have more confidence that he would do as he's promised, he will meet my needs and give me strength. And that's just given me so much more peace and less anxiety about life, and, or issues of life.

 

Laura Smith

And I guess there's that trust that when the answer is no, God is still working for your good. And keep saying that. He's answered No, in some things like he hasn't healed you. But you can see his goodness in other ways.

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah. So Psalm 119. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. I know, Lord, that your goals are righteous and in your faithfulness you have afflicted me now your unfailing love be my comfort according to your promise to your seven. Let treat you like it's actually teaching us faith. And was good. Beautiful. I feel like I can always say like, yes, it's true. I agree, David. Yeah.

 

Laura Smith

Beautiful. What a what a comfort. So you're insanely unwell, and you have a two year old, what's the story there?

 

Stacey Campbell

once she was a surprise miracle. Yeah, I think of sickness like I unexpectedly fell pregnant. And there was huge fear and doubt from our medical team. That His baby would develop normally and would I be able to survive growing her and delivering her and praise God? Like she's healthy? He did it. We're doing it.

 

Laura Smith

When you're pregnant with her, how did your health go? Did you have to come off medication and have a negative impact on you? Or?

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah, I did come off some medications that in God's kindness, you make the pregnancy May the autoimmune disease stop, and my body had like a nine month break from the disease. My insides began to heal, which just made the chronic fatigue less aggressive to it's pretty amazing.

 

Laura Smith

That's just amazing.

 

Stacey Campbell

Yeah. Yeah. It was, like, Oh, that's what God had in store. As well as any other reason. That was kind of God's amazing surprise, miracle. Yeah. And then like health continued to improve since pregnancy, there was some devastating realities to having a baby that I wasn't fit to look after on my own because I couldn't rock her. I couldn't change your nappy. prepare food and she was on solids, but she was also the best motivator with physio. Like my goal was to be able to walk independently before she could. And I did it!

 

Laura Smith

yeah. Cuz I was gonna ask, like, becoming a parent is huge for anyone, and let alone You know, not being able to walk. So how has your husband gone through carrying that load and caring for you caring for her? Do you guys have a good support system?

 

Stacey Campbell

Lach is our hero. He carries the load with such selflessness and humility and grace. He's given his wife up for me these past eight years, and being brutally hard at times, but he's sold out. But Jesus is king. So he takes out his cross every day. sacrifices everything, because Jesus is most important. Yeah, and we have amazing family that have helped us and incredible church. So for the most part of my sickness, we were at Salt church in Woolongong, and they honestly carried out burdens, and suffered with us. It just met all of our needs, like physical spiritual, financial, like between meals, minding Ruby mining me so that what could ever us but bringing church to me is like listening to a sermon we've made praying, opening the Bible, claiming one friend met up with a one to one for six years.  Oh, I got goose bumps. Oh, yeah. It's because of church that way. Still trusting Jesus. , oh, and Jesus, Holy Spirit.

 

Laura Smith

Yeah, wow, what a testament to that church.

 

Stacey Campbell

Isn't it just a reflection of God planned for purpose of church that God created? Like That was his design. And so it's been beautiful to see. Good mini heaven? Yeah.

 

Laura Smith

It's a mini heaven. God's been refining you through your illnesses. But how has he been refining you through motherhood,

 

Stacey Campbell

God has been humbling me to allow myself to be weak, depend on him, to have the confidence that he will provide every grace and every strength to fulfill the calling of motherhood. According to his design. He promises to in two Corinthians 12 nine, My grace is sufficient for you. So my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may restaurant me, my weakness is displaying his power, when you invade, rely on God, and it's his power and his strength that's revealed. Jesus is actually enough, I can totally rest on his presence, power and grace to get me through each day mothering. most mornings I wake up and think, how am I going to do today, but I don't have to rely on my own ability. I have Jesus's power and grace. Really, Jesus changes this and instead, I can wake up and rejoice that God's power will rest on me today. I just got used to.

 

Laura Smith

How has your illness shaped your perspective of motherhood?

 

Stacey Campbell

When I first had Ruby, I really questioned why God would call me to be a mother in this season when he couldn't do the mothering sad, guilty that I couldn't fulfill God's calling your mothering. And I didn't understand how I could please God and be a great mom. If I couldn't change my baby's nappy or cracking floor. That guy has been teaching me that he has a different purpose for motherhood than to just meet Ruby's physical names. Deuteronomy six says, Love the Lord your God with all your heart, boy, your soul, and with all your strength, these commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts, impress them on your children, talk about them when you see that home. And when you get up, tied into symbols on your hands, and bind them on your forehead. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gate. God's designed for motherhood. It's like, we love the void, in point our kids to love the Lord. That's what matters to God. To be a godly mom isn't about what we do. But God doesn't know. If this is the purpose of motherhood, then my standard and expectation for myself wasn't a biblical one. And I've really had to let go of that idea of motherhood and kind of align myself with God's purpose for me as a mom. It's so freeing because without me using my hands at all, God fulfills his purpose of motherhood in me. And I love and obey Him. Just faithful trust in Jesus fulfills his calling about his purpose in calling me to motherhood now in the season of sickness is so he could grow me and refine me realize that the best thing I can do for Ruby as a mom, as to be humble to this refining work of God and become the closest reflection of the image of Christ, I could possibly be this side of heaven.

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