“My message today is love your brother, love your neighbor. Don’t judge them,” 65-year-old Greg Zanis told Orlando’s WFOR after delivering 49 handmade crosses to the city. The 49 wooden crosses — one to honor each victim of the attack at Pulse night club — traveled 1,200 miles with Zanis, who drove to Orlando from Illinois to deliver them.
In an interview with WTVJ, Zanis explained, “We’re made in the image of God and when you see somebody dead link that it just changes. It’s like, how can somebody do this to these people? How much hate was in this guy’s heart?”
ABC 13 reported: “His hope he says is to give people a place to share a message by writing on the crosses and offering their personal condolences — a gesture that touched many who appreciated his kindness.
“My message today is love your brother, love your neighbor. Don’t judge them.”
After people leave personal messages on the crosses, Zanis says he plans to give them to the victims’ families.”
This isn’t the first time Zanis, who lost his father-in-law to gun violence, has put his thoughts and prayers into action following a tragedy. 26 crossed traveled with him to Newtown following the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in 2012, and the shooting that took place in a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado.
In times of tragedy, we can always be thankful for leaders like Greg Zanis, who put their faith into action.
See the L.A. Times moving slideshow of the crosses and their messages here.