Ronald Marshall Ron Marshall

Ron's Story is an amazing story of God's grace and mercy and never ending presence in the midst of pain and suffering.  Ron has been fighting the horrible disease of cancer since 2008.  In 2009, with his first chemo treatment, Ron developed an infection and was admitted to Danville ICU and put on a ventilator with slim chance of survival.  The Lord miraculously intervened,  and 7 weeks later,  Ron was home.   Even though doctor's said he would never work again except maybe a desk job, Ron returned to his job as a corrections officer within 9 months!  He remained cancer free for 5 years.  Then in 2015,  Ron was diagnosed with stage 4 gastric cancer.  He was told he would have a year to live.  Because God is in control,  and not doctor's, over 2 1/2 years later, Ron is still with us.  His road has not been easy.  He has been through many surgeries, many seemingly endless rounds of chemo, days of sickness, and within the last few months, much pain.  When you look at all this, you may say, how is it that you can say God is even with you?  Why did He allow all of this if He is such a loving God?  Oh my, these are questions my own heart has asked, but through every moment, every point, I can look back and see God's hand.  There are so many things that could have happened differently, so many things that God intervened in, and one of them was our hearts.  Both Ron and I have lived a christian life.  We saw ourselves as christians, served in the church, and raised our children in the church.  If you would have asked us in our younger years if we trusted the Lord with our lives, we would have wholeheartedly said yes!  In our immaturity, we believed that to be so, but it is when everything is falling out from under you and you have no one and no where else to turn, that you find out whether your faith is truly in the Lord.  We have seen the Lord show up and intervene in so many circumstances.  Even the way Ron's cancer has progressed, has been outside the norm, and has kept him from many of the terrible things that we were told he would face.  God's purpose in everything that touches our lives, is to bring us closer to Him.  He desires our hearts.  I've seen Ron grow and mature spiritually and I've seen Him stand in strength and determination to bring glory to the Lord no matter what.  His faith has been unwavering and he is someone that I look up to and admire.  I am so privileged to be his wife.  In His suffering, his concern has always been my needs and our children's needs.  He has shown me what humility looks like, and I am so grateful for his example.  Ron is seemingly at the end of his battle.  He was sent home with hospice care and has been told his time is short.  Our faith and trust is still in a God that can do miracles, and we are continuing to pray for that miracle of healing.  Whether it comes in this life, or in eternity, we know it is one that He will answer.  May He continue to get all the glory, for every thing that we say and do.  He is our Lord and Savior and our lives are in His hands.