Portraits of Faith

Darren and Stacey Rea

Sydney, Australia

Darren and Stacey sold everything to chase his dream job of animating for a movie studio in London, England. But when they found out they were expecting a baby after years of trying, they realized they couldn’t afford to live there on just his income.

Christina Smith, photographer

Stacey: We started talking about moving back to Australia. In Brisbane there were no movie studios. Darren would have to essentially give up his career.

Darren: We were moving into darkness. We didn’t know what was ahead of us.

Stacey: When I was five months pregnant, I was given a last-minute assignment to speak in sacrament meeting. The topic was on having faith in Jesus Christ through trials. Up until that point, we still hadn’t decided on a name for our daughter. As I was preparing for the talk, I read through the Bible Dictionary and Topical Guide under “Faith.” I kept seeing the word faith, faith, faith, and I just 100 percent knew what to name our daughter. I looked at Darren and said, “Faith. That’s going to be her name. That’s what I want to name our daughter.”

Darren: We both felt really great about the name Faith. It seemed to encapsulate every experience we were going through.

Stacey: We had to have so much faith to give up Darren’s career, move back to nothing again, and start over with no job prospects.

Darren: We had to just move forward in faith and believe that everything would work out. We came back home and I took a teaching job in a related field at a university. Then I injured my back and had to pull out of the teaching job.

Stacey: We moved in with my parents. We had no money and no car.

Darren: I felt like I was at rock bottom. My wife was pregnant, but I had no job and we couldn’t afford a place of our own.

Stacey: There was a moment in the lounge room at my parents’ house when we knelt down and prayed.

Darren: We didn’t just pray, we pleaded for help to get through this and get back on our feet.

Stacey: It was probably the strongest prayer we’ve ever said together. The next day, my grandmother called and said she was buying a new car and wanted to give us her old car.

Darren: That just blew us away.

Stacey: We felt it was a direct answer to our prayer.

Darren: Then we heard there was a new studio opening in Brisbane. I got some contract work in animation.

Stacey: We didn’t think he’d be animating in Brisbane!

Darren: And my brother randomly came around with some baby toys.

Stacey: We were given so many things for our daughter from friends and family.

Then Faith was born and—I don’t even know how to describe it—she’s the best thing that ever happened. Now she’s over two, and we’ve moved to Sydney. Darren is still animating for movies, which we didn’t think would happen. We definitely feel blessed. Our faith has led us here.

Darren: We can definitely see the hand of God in our lives. I hope our little baby, Faith, absorbed some of our faith as we went through our trials. She is such a ray of hope and faith and delight!

Stacey: We’ve learned that no matter what we’re going through, the most important thing we can have is faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Whenever we have turned to Jesus Christ and had faith in Him, everything seems manageable. There is peace and happiness in following Jesus Christ and doing the right thing. The gospel has everything. It allows us to be happy in this life. I am really happy and I know it is because I’ve turned to the Lord, relied on the gospel, and had faith.

Darren: I’ve learned that God gives us commandments and laws to make our lives happier because He can see the bigger picture. When we can’t see what’s ahead of us, we need to rely on Him, keep His commandments, and go to Him in prayer. He will direct us through our trials and help us make our lives better.

Darren and Stacey Rea enjoy spending time with their daughter, Faith, on a beach near their home. Before Faith was born, the Reas faced several serious challenges. Not knowing what to do, Darren said, “We were moving into darkness. We didn’t know what was ahead of us.”

Faced with an uncertain future, Darren and Stacey found that their faith in Jesus Christ helped them through their challenges. “There is peace and happiness in following Jesus Christ and doing the right thing,” Stacey says.

The Reas are grateful for the spirit they enjoy in their home. “The gospel has everything,” Stacey says. “It allows us to be happy in this life.”

Faith is a reminder to Darren and Stacey of all the blessings they have received. “She is such a ray of hope and faith and delight!” Darren says.