MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota-

She lives in apartment # 904 and he lives in apartment # 902. Their front doors are only separated by a one foot wide, red door frame. She’s old enough to be his mother. She is 59-year-old Mary Johnson and he is 34-year-old Oshea Israel. Looking at their picture together and how happy they look, it could definitely be assumed that they are mother and son. But they’re not related. So if they’re not mother and son, then what are they? An older woman involved with a younger man? The picture could definitely portray that too, but Mary Johnson and Oshea Israel are not lovers either.

The friendship between Mary and Oshea could definitely be considered somewhat of an anomaly. Mary is, and always has been, a law-abiding, Christian woman who lives by the word of God. Oshea is also a man of faith, but it wasn’t always that way. Oshea was hardly even a young man when he got himself into serious trouble, the worst kind of trouble imaginable. In February of 1993, when Oshea was merely a 16-year-old boy, he was at a party, where he became involved in an argument. The man he argued with was 20-year-old Laramiun Byrd, whom Oshea shot and killed. Oshea was tried and convicted as an adult and sentenced to 25½ years in prison for the murder of Laramiun Byrd.

Mary Johnson met Oshea Israel while he was serving his time in prison. And their friendship blossomed from there. Their relationship is definitely classified as unusual, being that Mary Johnson’s only son (and only child) was also shot and murdered, by a man named Marlon Green. Considering Mary endured her own son’s murder, then befriended a murderer, is nothing less than remarkable.

Oshea Israel only served 17 years of his sentence. During his time in prison, Oshea met with Mary on numerous occasions and their bond grew. So much so that after being released, Mary spoke to her landlord, and Oshea moved into her building, right next door. As time went on they became closer and closer and Mary now calls herself Oshea’s “spiritual mother.” She helps guide him on his spiritual path to forgiveness, trying to help him forgive himself for the great sin he committed at only 16-year-old, before he became a man of God.

However, Oshea has not been so quick to forgive himself for his grave mistake. He often thinks back to that day in 1993, before he changed his name to his new spiritual name, Oshea Israel………back when he was Marlon Green.

After Mary’s son was killed, she wanted justice. She wanted the animal that had killed her only child to rot in prison for the rest of his life. But a few years ago Mary decided she wanted to meet the animal face to face. But she wanted to meet him, not to chastise him, but to see if somehow the Lord would help her to find it within her heart to forgive. And the process of forgiveness began. From that day on, Mary and Oshea met regularly and she became his spiritual mother.

Mary said, “Unforgiveness is like cancer, it will eat you from the inside out. It is not about the other person and it does not diminish what he’s done. But the forgiveness is for me.”

Mary is a very unique person. There are not many people out there who could do what she has done: forgive the man who murdered your son, graciously take him in as your neighbor, and become his spiritual mother. You’re a beautiful woman, Mary Johnson, StrangeRush.com has a lot of respect for you.

The moral of the story: “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you.” – Lewis B. Smedes.

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