Harold Blankenship (left) with Faith Johnson and her husband Steve

Harold Blankenship had been diagnosed with kidney disease twelve years before, and the ravages of the illness were beginning to show. He walked with difficulty, but he and Charlene came regularly to Sunday services at Antioch Baptist.

The church in Ona has about 350 members, and there are many in the congregation who know one another only through the traditional friendship greeting on Sundays.

Faith Johnson sang in the choir at Antioch, and as she looked out across the sanctuary one Sunday morning in November 2004 she could tell that Blankenship was in failing health.

Faith had no idea what was wrong with him, but in that moment she experienced a private epiphany. "The Lord said, 'I want you to give Harold a kidney.'"

Later that morning, Faith spoke to Charlene. "What's the matter with Harold?" she asked.

"He needs a kidney," Charlene answered.

"He can have one of mine," said Faith.

She was fifty years old, and the mother of three grown children. But she was in good health. "We are all brothers and sisters in Christ," she told Charlene. "Harold can have one of my kidneys."

But compatibility tests are required before undertaking such an enterprise. Blankenship was not yet on kidney dialysis and his insurance would not pay for the required tests until he had reached that stage.

The disease continued to worsen, and he started treatments the following August -- three times a week at Cabell-Huntington for three- and four-hour sessions. "He was ill one day, and better the next. Then he had to go back again."

The testing began. The families traveled to Columbus for six or seven interviews and cross-matching checks at the OSU Medical Center. "We were a perfect match," says Faith, "even though we were not related."

They underwent the surgery on Friday, December 9, 2005, and Faith went home two days later.

"It's not a hard thing to do," says Faith. "It once was harder on the donor; they had to take one of your ribs out. They don't do that anymore. It's all laparoscopically done."

Harold did not do well. He was larger than Faith, and his system had to adjust. But it was the best holiday season ever for Harold Blankenship and his family. And he went home a month after the surgery.

That was nearly three years ago. "Just think," said Blankenship, "a beautiful woman like her doing something like that for an ape like me."

"It's the easiest thing in the world," Faith told Putnam Rotarians today. "That's one thing I wanted to tell you. And I wanted to tell you that our Lord is still in the miracle-working business. He still performs miracles for us if we are obedient to Him. It's all for Him and His glory."

Her witness has encouraged others who face hardships. And there are some who don't want to hear her story. One woman had a cousin needing a kidney, but she didn't want to hear how easy it would be to make a sacrifice out of Christian love.

Faith and Steve Johnson are marking their thirtieth year of marriage. They operate Milton Foodland when not spending time with their children and grandchildren.

Steve is active in Milton Rotary. And on Sundays he and Faith sing in the choir at Antioch Baptist Church.