About My Story, a Bit of Testimony

I am nobody special and the things that I have gone through (in feeling) are not uncommon. Most everybody has felt the pain of abandonment, the hurts that only somebody close can give, or the loss of somebody close. This generation coming up is a fatherless one. This is partly the cause of so many angry kids and too many young people who live seemingly purposeless lives. I will tell you the truth though God is big enough to fill the void for all those kids and the voids in all of our lives. My name is Jacob Campbell, and I was born on October 18, 1982. Some of my earliest years were spent in a courtroom with my father. He was on trial for three accounts of murder. This was going on in Snohomish County, and his name was like a household item, for those living in the area. Charles Rodman Campbell was and sentenced to death row. During the same era that “Death Row Records” with Tu Pac, Dr. Dre, and others was created, I was visiting my dad on Death Row at Walla Walla State Penn. Even though he was in prison we had a good relationship, sometimes, because my mom and I would visit him weekly. My dad would also write me letters all the time, I wouldn’t write him back very often though (I was young). In 1994, when I was in the 6th grade there was a decision that my fathers time was up. I went and petitioned the Governor, I didn’t want my dad to die. He was executed, only the second man to be executed in the state of Washington recently.

This caused a lot of hurt in my life, and I started wanting to run away from it all. In middle school, I did not really have any friends. When I got into High School I got involved heavily in the party scene. I look back now it seems like I was trying to dull my senses. I abused almost any drug that you might name and had my life completely caught up in the whole scene. The really scary thing was my drinking, I would also go and nightly drink until I was stupid drunk past the point of control and feeling. I should have died a number of times driving recklessly drunk. I was in jail when some people came and told me about this program called Jubilee. I listened to them, but it didn’t seem like the kind of thing that I wanted to do. I was satisfied with the way my life was. It wasn’t until weeks after I was out of Benton County Corrections, and Jose Hernandez (then the Director at Jubilee) called me at my school, the local alternative high school, and told me about the scholarship that I would receive if I graduated from Jubilee. I took a huge leap and put myself into the program. I had decided to go for completely opposite reasons, then those that I would later leave the program with. I was only going to receive the scholarship, not thinking about changing my life. Luckily, God had a different plan. Talking with some of the Residential Councilors and being surrounded by the Word started to tug on my heart. One day I heard God speaking to me about being my comforter. I asked Him to come into my heart, and my life, and I haven’t been the same since.

I’ve come a long way’s in my life, and have overcome some obstacles, but I am still growing. That is the desire of my heart that I can identify with Jesus in my life. I’m learning more about who God has created me to be and finding out how to follow him. I went and lived in Spokane for two years, doing this discipleship program call the Master’s Commission. During this time I was able to deal with a lot of the issues in my life. I have found God to be my forgiver, breaking off the shame that has tried to pull me down so many times. I’ve also heard Him call me His son. It’s the greatest revelation that we are children of God. That he calls us by His name, and we are created in His image. I have so much further to go, but the foundation has been set, and I’ve tasted and know that God is Good.

I will say, my journey has been an interesting one. I’ve gone through lots of changes, and my perspectives might be different from when I originally wrote this (back in 2010), but I want to keep my story here for people to see where my perspective came from.