Victoria Searches For Her Missing Family
When Victoria Cameron joined the Stonebriar Church choir, she thought she might find healing from a fractured marriage — but all she could think of was how much she missed her family in the UK. Through hymns, memories, and whispered grief, she longed for reconciliation and family connection.
DALLAS, TX —When Victoria Cameron began attending Stonebriar Church, it was an attempt to heal a fractured marriage.
Her former father-in-law had just reached out to her and had encouraged her to attend Stonebriar Church with her estranged former husband Colin, as an attempt to mend the relationship. Colin had a drinking problem which led to several instances of domestic violence and marital unfaithfulness, which is why they separated. Colin had gone to him for help, and had expressed a desire to fix the relationship, reconcile and nullify the divorce, and had suggested attending Stonebriar Church together as a step in that direction.
Her former father-in-law told her he wanted his son to be rehabilitated and restored. He urged her to attend the church and allow his son the opportunity to reconcile. He thought the church would be a good place for that to happen, and that one in particular because of its reputation for promoting strong family values. He thought attending church together would be the best way for them to reconnect and restore their relationship.
When Victoria began attending Stonebriar church to allow for a reconciliation to happen, Colin was uncooperative and remained distant, and then became entangled with other women that Victoria believed to be professional escorts.
She had a lot of grief about Colin’s behavior towards her and his contempt towards his father’s wishes for him to heal, mend, and restore his relationship with her and found it hard to sing through the hymns in the worship services without crying.
When she heard this song, sung by the Stonebriar Church choir, it gave her hope, and made her want to join the choir, believing that she would be cared about as a member of a group and as part of a ministry of the church. The song is “O Love,” by Elaine Hagenberg
Victoria thought joining the choir might be a way to distract her from Colin’s behavior which caused her pain, and to help her begin a healing process.
“It was very hard for her to walk into the church services at Stonebriar Church and see everyone else with their families,” said Amanda Richardson.
Richardson continued, “Seeing everyone else with their happy families and in relationships and with people that loved them made her wish she had a husband that loved her, and that she was with her family and they could walk into the church together like everyone else, and sit down in the seats together and then stand beside each other when everyone was singing hymns, and then leave together and go home to a home they had together, like everyone else. And thinking about it, and the pain of it made her cry all the time, though she tried really hard not to.”
Victoria’s grief was sometimes redirected towards positive thoughts of her father. The church’s enormous pipe organ reminded her often of attending church with him in London at Westminster Abbey. It also reminded her of going to see The Phantom of the Opera with her uncles at Her Majesty’s Theatre, in London.
Every hymn they sang at Stonebriar Church started to remind her of her father. She would think about things that he used to say about the hymns and songs, and why he liked those songs.
“This church just kept picking all of his favourite songs to sing, and it got to the point where literally every song they sang reminded me of him,” said Victoria.
Her father Jason Cavendish, a soldier with the Israel Defense Forces, was often away in Israel on military duties. While growing up, they lived together in The United Kingdom, where he was based as an officer. She lived with her uncle when he was away in Israel for military duties, which was often and frequent. He became a second father to her. She called him Papa. She was later adopted by Joseph Cameron, a man in her church who became a surrogate father to her.
While attending Stonebriar Church, she thought a lot about her father and her uncle, and her adopted father, and the happy memories they had when they attended the church together, and she missed them. She hadn’t seen them in a while because they had become uncontactable after a trip they went on together to build houses in Israel. The pain from their absence in her life speaks louder than words.
Victoria Cameron’s journey into Stonebriar Church began as a reconciliation effort — but it quickly became a pilgrimage of the heart.
Every hymn, every service, brought her face-to-face with the fact that she so dearly missed her family and her life in the UK.
Her story is a reminder: sometimes, we go to church seeking peace — and instead find more questions.
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Victoria’s Choir Music
These are the photos Victoria took of her choir music when she was a part of the Stonebriar Church choir that reminded her of her father Jason Cavendish, and her Irish uncles Todd Devonshire and Donnie Devonshire, and her adopted father Joseph Cameron.
She photographed, “One Faith, One Hope, One Lord,” because her father said it was his very favourite song. She photographed “St. Patrick’s Day Hymn,” because it reminded her of her Irish uncles. She photographed, “Immortal Invisible God,” and “Praise My Soul The King of Heaven” because they reminded her of services she had attended at Westminster Abbey with her father, as well as the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla. She photographed, “How Great Thou Art” and “In His Own Words” because Joseph Cameron liked those songs, and said they were special to him.
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How Readers Can Respond: Next Steps For Those Who Wish To Engage Thoughtfully 
Support Victoria’s Restoration Fund
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Read about The Trafficking Issue at Stonebriar Church
Stonebriar Church in Frisco, TX
Stonebriar Community Church is an Evangelical traditional style church located in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex at 4801 Legendary Dr, Frisco, TX 75034. The pastor of Stonebriar Church at the time of this incident was founding pastor Chuck Swindoll, who retired in October 2024. Chuck Swindoll is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded Insight for Living, and is chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary. Jonathan Murphy is the current senior pastor of Stonebriar Church. The church website is: https://www.stonebriar.org
