One of the crew members of the American ship attacked by Somali pirates received a warm welcome from his Harlem church Sunday morning.
William Rios of Manhattan attended services at Second Saint John Baptist Church on West 118th Street.
Rios returned home Thursday after what he calls his nightmare. He was on board the Maersk Alabama when it was attacked by pirates who later took the ship’s captain hostage, in exchange for freeing the crew.
Rios says while being held hostage, one of the things he hoped for was to be able to come home and pray in his church again.
“I cant describe it. There’s not a word to describe how I feel,” said Rios. “My faith pulled me through it. It brought be back home.”
“I’m just excited and overwhelmed. I just want to make his time home a great one cause we almost lost him. So I just want him to know we appreciate him and this is going to bring us closer together,” said Sherry Rios, William’s wife.
Rios says he plans to head back out to sea in about a month.
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