Oteka - The Strong One

In my mind's eye I still see him as I knew him. The dirty blonde hair, the dimpled smile, the mischievous eyes. Laughing in the sunday school room, playing games on the lawn at VBS. That is how I remember Nathan Henn, I in my late teens, early twenties, he a child who made everyone around him smile. When he sent me a friend request on facebook a few months ago and told me about the money he was raising so he could go to Africa it was a cool opportunity to see what he had been up to since those early years so long ago. I followed his status updates as he raised the funds for his trip to Africa and was happy for him when he finally achieved his goal and left the shores of the United States to spend time furthering the cause he believed so passionately in.

The shock of reading on the CNN main page about his sudden death at the hands of faceless cowards stole the breath from my body.

This man, who had dedicated two years of his life to being the "hands and feet" of his God for little or no pay, at a time when most people his age were out seeking their fortunes, is a model for us all. At a time when strong belief in a cause is at best treated with eyebrow raised indifference and at worst treated as fodder for Saturday Night Live comedians, Nate showed us how to do it right. In his facebook requests for help to fund his trip to Africa, there was never any hint of self-righteous pretension, no 700 Club style panhandling. Just the sincere heart of a man who knew, beyond the shadow of a doubt, where he was meant to be, where he WOULD be, and what he was meant to be doing.

For reasons known only to God, Nate is no longer with us. As one person put it on the Invisible Children Blog memorial for Nate, "...pray for us for we live in a confusing world." We do indeed live in a confusing world. But I thank God that we have people like Nathan Henn who we can look to, even in their untimely absence, to see the sure footed, uncompromising steps they take in the walk to accomplish what they know in their hearts to be the path that God has chosen for them. It isn't a metaphysical exercise, a coffeehouse conversation for people like Nate. It is a life lived the only way they know how, a life lived with devotion, perseverance, and faith.

Oteka is a man who used his strength to fight for those who could not fight for themselves, and he did so not for fame, fortune, or prestige. He did so simply because he knew it was the right thing to do. I thank him for his shining example and I know that because of "The Strong One", and the God that he serves, more good will rise from the rubble of this mindless violence than ill.

We Love You Nate - a page to give to further the legacy of Nate Henn.