Twenty-five-year-old humanitarian aid worker Nate Henn was among 76 people killed Sunday in a pair of terrorist bombings in Kampala, Uganda. He grew up in Wilmington and attended the Bethel Baptist Church before his parents moved south.
On Wednesday night, the Bethel Baptist Church was packed with several hundred people for a vigil honoring Nate.
Pastor Andrew Hudson met Nate in 1998 and he broke down speaking about a letter the then-teen sent him and his wife. The letter recalled the mature spirit of a young boy.
"It's very hard to see you leave, just know that I will and I am and I will always be your brother and your friend," Pastor Hudson said.
But the sadness of Nate Henn's loss was cushioned by the joy of Kyle Henn's presence.
Twenty-two-year-old Kyle was hurt in a small plane crash in Chapel Hill, N.C., Monday while traveling from Delaware to Raleigh to grieve with his parents for his older brother Nate.
Two days after he survived the fatal plane crash, he chose to speak about his brother's life rather than his own brush with death.
"Nate's legacy is the pursuit of peace and a future for the children of Uganda and the Congo," Kyle said.
A family friend, Jay Foggy, noting Kyle's desire not to take any attention away from Nate, told the crowd what Kyle said seconds after surviving the crash, again a tribute to his brother, a testament to the family.
"I saw the hand of God, the same hand that pulled Nate to the heavens, delivered Kyle to the earth," Foggy said.
Bob Henn, Nate's father, is in Uganda hoping to bring Nate's body home to North Carolina for a proper burial.
LINK: www.natehenn.com
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
