GASTONIA, N.C. — It’s a pain the human heart could never be prepared for -- burying someone you love.
"This is hard, this is really hard," Xiomara's aunt Kimberly Moore said.
The pews in South Gastonia Church of God were filled on Wednesday night, as people gathered to remember Gastonia native Xiomara Moore.
Xiomara was killed in a hit-and-run in downtown Greensboro on April 13. The 21-year-old junior at North Carolina A&T aspired to become a nurse after college. Police are actively searching for the driver of the vehicle that hit and killed her.
Now her community comes together in her honor, gathering in the same place where her faith was born.
Family and friends said there’s no amount of words to describe the hurt they feel, but they’re leaning on God to help them through it.
"This is her home, this is all she knows. I enrolled Xiomara in the church in the 3rd grade," Kimberly said. "She got really close with the church."
Loved ones said they have no doubt Xiomara earned her wings -- it’s the only thing that makes it easier to say goodbye.
"I'm at peace because I know she’s in a better place," Xiomara's older brother Cerrion Moore said. "She had a God-fearing spirit."
To celebrate Xiomara, they played some of her favorite songs and prayed over every sad heart and broken spirit.
As they released balloons and lit candles at the end of service, they encouraged everyone to walk in their purpose like Xiomara, a person who lived her life to the fullest with God touching thousands along the way.
The funeral for Xiomara Moore will be held on Saturday, April 20 at the South Gastonia Church of God.
Contact Tradesha Woodard at twoodard1@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.