Introduction to the Mile Marker concept:

As we were preparing for our on journey across this amazing country, we have been prayerfully following a path or a plan that we felt was  laid out before us by our Lord.  We really have no idea where this journey will take us or who it will lead us to.  We definitely have felt the call to be active in missionary work, but it has not been clear what that will look like.   Our hope is that we will be shown people and places that we can serve and also meet those who are also called to serve.  In our very first week, the Lord showed us someone AMAZING!  He clearly demonstrated to me that we are, in fact, moving according to His plan through this interaction described below.  There is absolutely no way that the meeting described was just a random coincidence.  It felt like a divine appointment.   I was so truly blessed by this person that I was led to develop an entire category of blog posts about the people we meet along the way.  I am labeling this category “MILE MARKERS”, as each encounter will hopefully guide us and tell us where we are on the Lord’s journey.   So ladies and gentlemen, please meet Mile Marker #1, Ron Johnson.

As we entered the Diamond Cavern Campground, I caught the words “Coffee time with Jesus” out of the corner of my eye.  My first thought was that the owner of the rig was probably the pastor that would lead a worship service at the campground the following day.  We drove past,  picked out our spot and got set up.  My mind wandered away from the rig I had seen.  The next morning, I started asking some other campers about a church or church service near by.  My hopes were dashed when I learned that the pastor that typically ran Sunday service had left the campground for a few weeks.  I assumed it was the “Coffee time with Jesus” rig.  However, to my surprise, the rig was still there and an elderly, slightly balding, white haired man was outside cleaning the rig.  I decided to approach him with a smile and a handshake.

We introduced ourselves to one another and I asked him the meaning behind the “Coffee time with Jesus” logo on his rig.  He began to briefly explain that he, his wife Jenny and Jesus have coffee together every morning.  After a few minutes of conversation, I asked if his wife was with him here at the campground as well.  He giggled a little and said,  “No, she ran off with my best friend.  He had her heart more then I, so she went home to be with him.”  I must have looked confused, as he started to smile and laugh.   “It’s okay, she is happy.  She is in Heaven with my Jesus, my best friend.”  He truly seemed happy and at peace saying the words.  There was absolutely no sadness in his voice at all.  I don’t think I have ever met someone that expressed this level of joy for a spouse who had passed away.  It was a peace and a joy that passes all understanding.    He then ran inside his rig and brought out 4 books.  “These are Jenny’s books, would you like them?”  he asked.  “Sure, that would be great!  It says your the author though?” I said with some confusion.  “Well, my fingers may have typed them, but it was really Jenny and Jesus that wrote the stories”, he explained with his sweet impish grin.

Later that afternoon, we had some trouble with our rig.  Ron noticed my husband outside struggling to see where a leak was coming in.  He came right over with his ladder, drill, caulk and other necessary items to repair our Blanche.  Ron and Frank spent the next 3 days repairing our rig together, and we were so blessed to get to know this amazing man better with each passing day.

I’m finding it difficult to find the appropriate words to  describe the spirit that filled Ron from his little toe to the top of his balding head.  He had a joy and a light that radiated out of his being that I have never seen before in a human.  Every sentence out of his mouth was followed with “Thank you Jesus”, or “That’s my Jesus”.  It was truly the first time in my life that I could actually imagine Jesus standing right next to someone, in the flesh.  Ron spoke of him as if He were in the room with us.  I have frequently felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, but I have never had Jesus feel so real and tangible before.    He also spoke of his wife Jenny in  the present tense.   Ron might be technically physically alone in his camper traveling across the USA, but Jenny and Jesus are right there with him , as if they were still flesh and blood.

One of Ron’s books is called “Love Never Fails”, adorned with a picture of Ron and Jenny in their early 20’s,  surrounded by a heart. Although I have yet to read the book fully, Ron told me most of it in our few days together in Kentucky.   It is an amazing story that is appropriately titled.    I have NEVER heard of a love story such as theirs.  I have NEVER heard such a gleaming example of “in sickness and in health”.    After decades of marriage and children, Jenny fell ill to a rare disease called Picks Disease, which she suffered from for close to 11 years.  It was a devastating illness that slowly destroyed her brain bit by bit.  It first presented similarly to dementia , but continued to destroy Jenny’s body piece by piece.    As Ron told stories of Jenny, the love literally oozed out from him.  He told us of stories which he described as the “biting phase”, the “hitting phase”, and “the screaming phase”.  In all the details, he never showed frustration or sadness.  Every detail was told in total and complete utter love.  As I listened, it was obvious that  he cared for every detail of her life and body for 11 years.  They lost their home and their business because of medical expenses.  They were forced to live a simple life in their RV, with her broken wheelchair.   He was with her every moment from the day of diagnoses to the date of her death.  He never let anyone else take care of her and he never even considered getting her placed in a medical facility for her extreme medical needs.   She lost her ability to talk, walk, eat,  and drink.  She was blind, deaf and violent.   She was fully dependent on Ron for 100% of her care and he didn’t let her down even once.     I was simply blown away by the evidence of unconditional love he had been able to show his wife for 11 years.  Did I say 11 years?   How does someone do that by themselves for that long?  I have met many people in my life, but I have NEVER  heard a story of such unconditional love and commitment before.  I can only hope and pray that I would be able to have that type of unconditional love for my own husband or a member of my family.

After Jenny passed away 3 years ago, Ron continued to travel in their RV.  Jenny’s picture sits on the dashboard, as if she is still there with him every day.  He has coffee with Jenny and Jesus every morning.   Together, the three of them write stories of hope and love. They have published four books in three years.   Now that he doesn’t have to care for Jenny’s physical needs, he  has only one mission.  His mission is to tell one person at a time,  how much Jesus loves them.

In all of my 48 years, I  have never met another human being like Ron Johnson.  I have never seen such a tangible and touchable faith before.  Jesus is real and he is present in every moment of Ron’s life.  He does not hesitate to share Jesus with the world.  He has no fear, no doubts, and  no hesitation.  His wisdom is beyond human understanding.   I have never seen joy literally ooze from a human before, as it does from Ron.  He sings, he dances and he shines a light that can never be put out.   I don’t know exactly why the Lord chose to put Ron in our path at this time.  I do know that I have been changed forever in just a few days spent with him.  I can only pray that I can have a fraction of his faith and a fraction of the impact that he has on people.   Ron was the PERFECT mile marker 1 on our journey.  He has helped set our course, showing us that if we share a cup of coffee with Jesus  every day, we will always have a light unto our path.

You can find more about Ron at :

http://www.coffeetimewithjesus.com