A Reflection on my interaction with Zoegar Jaynes Turning on the computer to assess my emails, review transactions on my bank account coupled with logging into Facebook to get news and current events about mama Liberia has become a normal routine for me during the early morning hours. But last Friday morning (November 14, 2014) was a different scenario for me. I woke up from bed around 5 am and sat down before the computer. But for some reason beyond my comprehension, I was very unenthusiastic and weak to turn on the computer. However, as time went by, I managed to gain the needed strength to boot the computer. But, instead of accessing my emails and bank accounts as I would normally do in the morning, I logged into facebook. Sadly, the first post that I came across was about the death news of my Baptist Deacon and former professional colleague, Zoegar Jaynes. It was penned by my dear friend and brother, Isaac Yeah. Like Isaac, I was completely devastated and distraught by the demise of my Deacon. At first, I thought I was reading Isaac’s post in a dreamland. Later, when the neighbor rang my doorbell to ask about the heating system in my apartment it was when I realized that the reading was being done in the real world. Zoegar’s death is a complete whack to me! Zoegar Jaynes and I shared the same Christian faith as evident by our memberships with the Providence Baptist Church - the ‘Cornerstone of the Nation’. We both served our Savior in the church with our individual talents but in different categories. He sang in the choir while I performed janitorial services. Zoegar was ordained as a Deacon in Providence. By virtue of his ordination, I immediately started calling him Deacon instead of Baptist brother. The nickname - Baptist brother - emerged between us during the early days of the 90s at Providence. One Saturday afternoon, Rev. A. Momolue Diggs, Providence’s Pastor at that time, was in his office preparing his sermon for Sunday service and wanted complete avoidance from church members. So, Rev. Diggs asked me to sit before his office door and make sure no one knock on the door neither enter his office. While implementing Rev. Diggs’ order, Zoegar came to see the Pastor. I informed Zoegar that Pastor Diggs was indisposed for the moment due to his busy task; an answer that did not go down well with my brother. Being very outraged and irritated, Zoegar left for choir practice in the sanctuary of the church. I don’t know when Zoegar met with Rev. Diggs but the next day, before the Sunday morning worship service, he met me in the Secretary’s office and said these exact words that I still remember today: “Baptist brother you were right yesterday. I met Rev. Diggs and he told me that he instructed you not to allow anyone to see him. So I am very sorry if my action offended you.” I immediately responded by saying to Zoegar “Baptist brother I hold nothing against you. I am glad you realized that I was doing my job.” As stated above, the death news of Deacon was shocking and disturbing. My weekend was ruined with sorrow and grief. At bedtimes, I desperately needed sleep but couldn’t get it because my entire body was overwhelmed by the death of my Deacon. On Sunday morning (yesterday), having dropped off my female companion to work in Washington D.C., I decided to take the route leading to North West New Hampshire Avenue. To admit, it was hard for me to hold back tears while driving and glimpsing, from a distance, the Marriot Hotel situated in the 1700 block of North West New Hampshire Avenue in downtown D.C. It was at this hotel Deacon and I had our last brother-to-brother interaction six years ago. Being heavily bewildered by the death of Deacon, I decided to park my car across the street to enter the hotel’s dining area where Deacon and I sat down for breakfast every morning during the two weeks of our visit to Washington D.C. as Journalists providing press coverage to the World Bank sponsored donor conference on Liberia in February 2008. Walking in the dining area brought memories to me. I went over to the hotel’s waiting area where I sat down to reflect on the days Deacon and I spent together at the Marriot hotel. Among the hundreds of Liberian Journalists, Deacon Zoegar Jaynes, Horatio Bobby Willie, Alex Togba and I were fortunate to have been selected by the Unites States Embassy accredited near Monrovia to travel to Washington D.C to participate in the World Bank sponsored donor conference on Liberia. Our trip was funded by the United States’ Department of State. I vividly remembered on that Thursday evening (February 8, 2008) seeing Deacon in a joyous mood as we arrived at the hotel. Alex and I were lodged in separate suites on the 4th floor of the hotel. Having settled down in my suite, I decided to take the elevator to go down on the first floor of the hotel to ask the receptionists about the whereabouts of my two colleagues (Deacon and Horatio). At the receptionist desk, I got to know that Deacon and Horatio were staying on the hotel’s 3rd floor. Having got the information from the receptionist that I met, I proceeded to Deacon’s suite to see him and also share with him the excitement he was experiencing on the trip. I knocked on the door and Deacon’s response was “come in.” As I entered Deacon’s luxurious suite, I saw him standing at the window viewing the beauty of Washington D.C. Upon seeing me, he quickly said, “Baptist Brother, come and see the beauty of Washington D.C. These white people really built their city oooh.” While glimpsing at the city, I remembered Deacon saying to me that, as a journalist, he had travelled to other countries in the world but his trip to America was exceptional. I then asked him what was so unique about his trip to America. Deacon’s response centered around the realization of his dream for stepping foot on the American soil. He went on to say that journalism in Liberia doesn’t pay but the good side of the profession is exposure. He said journalism exposes pen pushers to lots of good stuffs such as traveling. Deacon and I had a good time in America. The two weeks we spent at the Marriot Hotel was amazing. He was concerned about my wellbeing. He shared with me everything that was on his table for eating. We went to places and interacted with personalities from both the public and private sectors of the American society. Deacon appeared on Al Jazeera television as one of the discussants on the issue of America’s plan to expand its military operations in Africa. His performance on the TV talk show was awesome and splendid. Among the four of us (Liberian Journalists) that came to the U.S to attend the World Bank Donor conference, Deacon and I were selected to attend President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf’s meeting with then American President George Walker Bush at the White House’s Oval office. It was in that meeting the United State government waived Liberia’s debt. On our way back to the hotel, Deacon told me these words, “Baptist brother, we have made history in our respective families by going to the white House and entering the office that controls the entire globe. This is the office that our parents and forefathers had dreamed to see but never had the opportunity. So, see your presence at the White House as a blessing.” A statement that I couldn’t agree more with my Baptist Deacon. When the time came for our departure from the hotel, I told Deacon that I was heading to Gaithersburg, Maryland, to spend the rest of my trip with family members. He told me that he too was on his way to Minnesota to visit family and friends. We exchanged contact numbers. He gave me a phone number for the residence he was going to stay while I passed on to him the contact number for my brother’s house. We kept in touch via the phone acquainting each other with developments emanating from our visits. When I expressed to him my desire to remain in America to drink from the fountain of knowledge that the country has to offer he supported my decision. He made me to understand that he could not go alone with me on that path because of his intention to returning home to be with his family (wife and children). While in Liberia, we kept the bond of friendship and brotherhood. When I got my undergraduate degree, Deacon shared with me the joy and subsequently encouraged me to pursue a graduate degree, adding “Baptist brother make use of your stay in the Whiteman country, go for the master degree; I get your back.” Deacon informed me about everything that was occurring at our beloved Providence Baptist Church. He encouraged me to pay my tithes to Providence, saying that the church needs the active involvement and financial support of its diaspora members. Oh death! Why do this to us? Why take away the precious life of my beloved Deacon at this time when his family, his church, and his country needs him most? Providence Baptist Church Senior Pastor, the Rev. Dr. Samuel B. Reeves, described Deacon as “elegant, eloquent, energetic, entertaining, and enterprising.” Yes indeed, those were some of the characteristics that Deacon possessed while he lived on planet earth. But Pastor Sam’s description of the Deacon that I knew is insufficient. Deacon was a loving husband to his wife, Tina, a caring father to his children, a foot-soldier for righteousness in the Lord’s vineyard, and a drum major for press freedom in Liberia. During our visit to the U.S., there were three things that top the list of Deacon’s talking point: his family, his church, and his country. In conversation with the hotel’s female staffs, Deacon bragged about the loving family he had in Liberia. I remembered accompanying him to Macy’s on a shopping spree for his family, saying to me, “Baptist brother, I can’t wait to go back home to celebrate my daughter’s birthday.” Liberia’s Cornerstone (Providence Baptist Church) has lost a devoted and dedicated Deacon. The nation has lost a son whose pen and microphone were used to highlight the plights and sufferings of his fellow compatriots. He went beyond his reportorial duty to advocate for a functioning social services for the down-trodden masses and justice for the poor. To Tina and the children, you have lost an affectionate husband and a gentle father. I feel the pains and sorrows you are going through at this very hour; but that’s alright. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh! He knows why Deacon must leave us at this time. I say to you today be strong and courageous. Take solace in the Lord because there where your comfort lies. Deacon, you have left us in tears to be with your Lord and Savior – Jesus Christ. You fought a good fight. You took the Gospel of Jesus Christ to places. Your Facebook posting of scriptures and inspiring messages from your family morning devotion touched the lives of many. I have no doubt about you sitting on the Right Hand of our Heavenly Father because you found Him while you were on earth. Rest peacefully as we await the coming of our Savior to take us to glory where there will be no broken health system.
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 11:19:48 +0000
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