That’s the title of her autobiographical tale of faith and hardship, compassion and personal sacrifice, healing and God’s love.
From her 60 years life experience, Campbell draws upon her upbringing in Trinidad — raised by her grandparents Dora and Daniel Strachan, who she calls mom and dad, after the death of her mother — to her struggles after emigrating to Canada in 1967.
Campbell says she wants to show readers what God has done in her life.
“I believe in my heart (that) I didn’t want to die and leave all those experiences that I had to go with me,” said the long-time parishioner at Toronto’s St. Andrew’s parish.
As a child, she says she didn’t just grow up physically, but also spiritually. She credits Daniel and Dora for her faith-based upbringing and for baptizing her Catholic. By age nine, Campbell knew she believed in the Bible.
Every day her father would pray for the family and for the whole world. He would gather the family and explain how Scripture applied to their daily lives.
Today, Campbell says she has three missions in life: to spread the word of God, to share her experiences and to pray for others as an intercessor. She has an intercessory book with the names of 800 people for whom she has interceded. She says some have received their miracles, some approached her to be prayed for and some were recommended by others.
“I just feel open always to help those who are in need,” she said, especially the elderly.
As for her own miraculous experiences, Campbell mentions in Jesus Opened My Eyes, published by Word Alive Press, her father’s healing after a year of blindness and her experience of becoming a mother after she was told she was unable to conceive.
“I was not scared because I knew God was with me,” she said.
She had a Caesarean delivery. Doctors had given her an injection, she recalls, and “the next time I opened my eyes, there was a beautiful baby in my hands.” That was 35 years ago. She named her daughter Njeri, which means “anointed.”
One of her main messages for readers, Campbell says, is to trust in God through sickness or any other obstacle life can throw in the way. Her focus is to encourage faith in God, Jesus as the Son of God and the Holy Spirit as our guide.
“My whole life’s experience is that God’s word is true, and I’d like to share this with the whole world,” she said.
Campbell will launch Jesus Opened My Eyes on Jan. 11 at St. Andrew’s Church. The book is available through Amazon, Chapters/Indigo and Christian bookstores and as an ebook through Kobo, Kindle, Sony and Apple.
For information, e-mail yvonne-campbell@hotmail.com or visit www.wordalivepress.ca.