Bob Johnson

Imagine yourself enduring hip-replacement surgery, a heart attack resulting in triple-bypass surgery, a collapsed lung, and an amputation of your leg just below the knee—all within a period of six to eight weeks. And (as if that were not enough) imagine this in the context of a homeless, friendless life out of an early-model Pontiac Bonneville.

Such is the experience of Bob Johnson, a veteran of the United States Army and one more example of the life-transforming power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

When Bob was referred to the Orange County Rescue Mission about 8 months ago, he signed up for our Strong Beginnings Program and moved into an apartment of his own shortly thereafter. He was progressing nicely when his physical problems began to snowball. Bob's contacts with OCRM, Senior Chaplain Ray Green and Veteran's Ministry volunteer Greg Esslair, teamed up to encourage an understandably depressed man.

Who wouldn't be depressed after all that Bob had gone through? Just when you think you're getting back on your feet, your whole world gets rocked! But Bob was more than depressed. He was literally without hope and at the point where he told Ray and Greg that he no longer wanted to live.

There is no way to adequately express in mere words what happened next. Ray and Greg had all along been sharing with Bob his need for salvation through Jesus Christ and the value that God had placed on his life, but to no apparent avail. Bob was in a downward spiral.

However, after he began to heal somewhat from the amputation of his leg, Bob's attitude towards life suddenly began to change. Some of the things that Ray and Greg had shared with him from God's word started to ring true.

About two weeks ago and quite out of the blue, Bob called Ray from his hospital room and said that he was ready to receive Jesus as his Lord. They were to come down to the hospital as soon as they could to pray with him.

What? Just days before, all he wanted to do was die! Now, Bob was taking the initiative. It was obvious that Someone had convinced him that what he had heard about Jesus was really true.

On the 27th of September, 2002, Bob Johnson surrendered his life to Jesus Christ and became a new member of the Kingdom of God. In spite of the difficulties he will no doubt have to face in the years to come, Bob is full of joy and expectation. Imagine that—from despair of life itself to joy and expectation! Only God can do that. Bob is now digging into the Bible he received as as gift from Ray and Greg, and looks forward to pursuing his new-found faith in God.

“The Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting.”