8A
FAITH focus
Homeless man teaches Christ-like giving
B Y L ESLIE B ERLIN
Special Contributor
I remember clearly when I first met Ronald
Stufflet.
I was standing in the back of the sanctuary
at Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in
Tampa, Fla., by a display for Cornerstone Family
Ministries’ 29th Annual Wonder Walk for Chil-
dren’s Services.
Steve Langford, Cornerstone’s executive di-
rector, had just preached an awesome sermon
that inspired Ronnie to volunteer for the Won-
der Walk. Ronnie came up to me and asked how
he could sign up.
I’ll admit I looked at him with a bit of skepti-
cism. Not only was he on crutches, he had only
one leg. He was a nice enough looking man,
probably in his 40s, in jeans and a T-shirt, but he
was clean-shaven with a short haircut and a
friendly smile.
I said, “Sure,” and gave him a pledge form.
He thanked me and then asked for more forms.
He said he planned to go door to door and col-
lect money for those “poor children.”
I was wearing a Wonder Walk T-shirt over an-
other shirt that day to promote the cause, and he
asked me for one. My medium fit him just fine.
As I was packing up the display, he asked if I
needed some help getting it to my car. Outside, he
asked for a ride to where he was staying, which
gave me a chance to get to know him better.
Of course, the first thing I wanted to find out
PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORNERSTONE FAMILY MINISTRIES
was what had happened to his leg. Turns out he
Walkers help raise funds during the Cornerstone Family Ministries’ 29th Annual Wonder Walk for Children’s Services in Tampa, Fla.
had been in a motorcycle accident when he was
19. Yet he didn’t ask for pity. Hillsborough Avenue, and I suspected he didn’t the guy who walked more than 90 miles to col- tion and landscape business and sent him on
Ronnie had just moved to Tampa from have a place to stay, other than where other lect donations for the Wonder Walk? his way. Little did I know I’d never see him
Pennsylvania, but wasn’t having any luck find- homeless people stayed. As he hobbled away on The next day, a Sunday, Ronnie showed up at again.
ing work. He told me he was experienced in his crutches, I really didn’t expect to see him church with a big smile and $127 dollars for A week later I got a message on my cell
construction, painting and landscaping, saying again. Wonder Walk. He sang and praised the Lord phone from Ronnie telling me he was going back
it with such confidence that I believed him, al- Early Monday morning, my phone rang. It with the rest of us. Turns out he’d had a problem to Pennsylvania and thanking me for the shoes. I
though I wondered how he managed. was the guy in charge of counting the money at with one of his crutches the day before, but after couldn’t help but drive down Hillsborough Av-
He had me drop him off at a street corner on the church. He said a man on crutches had he found a new crutch at a garage sale, he went enue looking for him among the homeless, but
shown up with almost $100 and wanted to on to collect more money for those needy chil- he was not to be found.
know what he should dren instead of coming So what is God teaching
do with it. I smiled to
myself as I told him to
‘We shouldn’t
to the Wonder Walk. We us in this? Is it that we
recognized him as one shouldn’t underestimate what
put it in the vault.
Over the course of
underestimate what
of the biggest money- anyone can do, even a home-
raisers for our church. less person with only one leg?
the next few weeks,
Ronnie would make the
anyone can do, even
Early the next morn- He got more than 100 people
ing, I had a message to to donate money for those
2-mile trek to the
church at least once a
a homeless person...’
call the church. I called “poor children.” I certainly
Leslie Berlin
back, and Ronnie took didn’t ask that many people.
week to bring in more the phone to tell me he Or is it deeper: that we never know how
than $500 for Wonder Walk, picking up more had split his tennis shoe with all the walking he much time we have with someone and to do the
pledge forms each time. The pledges were usu- had done and knew of a place to get some new best that we can whenever we can? Couldn’t I
ally $5 or $10, but there were a few for $20 and shoes for only $14.99, but the pastor wasn’t have offered more to Ronnie? In hindsight, I re-
even one check for $50. there. I gladly picked him up at the church and ceived a whole lot more from him than I gave.
Every penny Ronnie collected was accounted took him to get the shoes. Inwardly, I was In fact, without him, we would not have made
for and handed over. I’m not sure what he told amazed at his integrity, that he had not pocketed our goal for the Wonder Walk.
the donors, but it seemed to work. I did get a any of the money he had collected for himself, More than that, he inspired me to do more
call from Kitty Carpenter, director of develop- but had given it all for the Wonder Walk. with the gifts that God has given me. Did this
ment at Cornerstone Family Ministries, saying He put the new shoe on his right foot, asked brother in Christ come to Tampa with hope, give
someone had called to verify he was really col- the clerk to throw away his old shoe and had everything he had, only to leave with nothing? I
lecting for the Wonder Walk. “Yes,” I assured her, them put the left one in a bag. I asked him what wonder if this is how Christ’s disciples felt after
“he’s legit.” he would do with it. Smiling, Ronnie told me he was gone.
On March 21, the day of the walk, I went that he’d wear one for “everyday and the other More information on Cornerstone Family
early to the host church, Hyde Park United one to church, of course.” Ministries and the annual Wonder Walk is avail-
Methodist Church in Tampa, to help with regis- As I was dropping him off at the street cor- able at www. CornerstoneFamilyMinistries.org.
tration. I kept looking for Ronnie, but he never ner on Hillsborough Avenue, he pointed out the
A lone walker makes the trek for showed up. Did we leave him at our church building he’d been sleeping behind. I gave him
This story is reprinted from the Florida
children during the Wonder Walk. waiting for a ride, I wondered? Had we let down some phone numbers of people in the construc-
Conference e-Review.
J UNE 26, 2009 | UNITED M ETHODIST R EPORTER
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