Florence
There is something that a four-year-old girl and a storm that has been devastating much of the
Carolinas have in common: they share the same name. Hurricane Florence has caused tremendous
flooding; 32 people have died since the storm made landfall last Friday. Florence Wisniewski of
Chicago, Illinois is trying to help the victims of the hurricane that shares her name.
Florence's parents, Trish and Paul Wisniewski, used the effects of the hurricane as a teaching
moment for Florence her two siblings, Bud, 2, and Olive, 6 months. "We brought it to her
[attention] to show her, like, the world doesn't revolve around you, look at all of these things
happening," said Trish Wisniewski. "We asked her, 'Do you want to help them? How do you think you
should do it?'"
Florence and her family decided that even though they live a long way from the Carolinas, they would
collect supplies to help the victims of the storm. Florence and her dad created a poster that shows
images of her face along the hurricane's path on a weather map from WFLA-TV. The poster read, "Help
Flo Help Hurricane Florence Victims." They placed the poster on a box for donations and took it to
Flo's school seeking donations. A photo of 4-year-old Florence standing by her donation box was
posted on Facebook by her mom and her teacher. The photo began to be shared on additional Facebook
pages. Donations began pouring in.
"I have people I haven't talked to in 20 years having Amazon packages delivered at my house," said
Trish Wisniewski. "We're getting more [donations] than we ever thought we would get."
When asked by a television news reporter why she was collecting these supplies for people so far
away, Florence responded: "Because I think it's what to do, to help people."
Florence's compassionate help can remind us of Someone who came to our rescue when we desperately
needed it.
When we were drowning in our sins, God sent His Son Jesus to rescue us. Jesus "gave Himself for our
sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to Whom be
glory forever and ever. Amen" (Galatians 1:4-5 NIV).
God will save and give eternal life to those who place their faith and trust in Jesus (Acts
16:30-31), turn from their sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans
10:9-10), and are baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38). He will
continue to cleanse from sin those who continue to walk in the light of His Word (1 John 1:7).
And why did God do that for us?
Because God loves us, wants us to be saved from sin, and to live eternally with Him in heaven.
"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might
live through Him" (1 John 4:9).
Won't YOU accept His loving offer of salvation and eternal life?
-- David A. Sargent
* Information gleaned from "Girl, 4, named Florence helps victims of Hurricane Florence" by Katie
Kindelan via Good Morning America and posted on https://abcnews.go.com/GMA, September 19, 2018.
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