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| Small Acts of Love | |||||||
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As a child of the church, one might think that at some point I would stop being surprised by the far-reaching impact of small acts of love. I was raised on stories of Dan West and Heifer International, Ted Studebaker and conscientious objection, and the stories that the members of my congregation told of their own work on behalf of the church. One might think I would stop being surprised, but this was certainly not the case when I first began my internship with the Death Row Support Project. I had long heard of this program, but had little sense of its scope. I did know that there had been thousands of correspondents from all around the world (over 4,000), but had no way to fully comprehend the reality. Each person involved has a story of his or her own of inspiration, struggle, heartbreak, and hope. Take, for example, the story of Dale and Ruth Aukerman. These two members of the church began writing to a man named Ronnie Dunkins and came to consider him as a son. Dale eventually witnessed Ronnie's execution in Alabama and then wrote an article about the experience that was published in The Washington Post. Ruth created a piece of artwork as a response to the execution that was later used as a cover for Messenger magazine. Despite losing Ronnie, the Aukermans continued to write to men on Alabama's death row in the spirit of Matthew 25:40, offering love and comfort to those our society has cast aside. When Dale was diagnosed with cancer, this love was returned many times over. A special memento from this time for Ruth is a card that was sent to Dale, signed by several men on death row, all sending messages of love and encouragement. Each day in the Death Row Support Project offices, we come across stories of incredible love. It might seem a small thing to write to a person on death row, but in reality the impact can be far reaching. Lives can be transformed, perspectives changed irrevocably. People in this ministry give freely of their time and emotional energy to others who have been dehumanized and ignored-many for years. In return, they open up themselves to be changed by the transformative power of love. Becca Creath is a Death Row Support Intern this year. She is a recent Manchester College graduate and a member of Beacon Heights Church of the Brethren in Fort Wayne, Ind. To read more about the Death Row Support Project, or to sign up for a pen pal, visit http://www.brethren.org/drsp. |
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