Monroe Dispatch - No Struggle, No Progress

Eleven years is a long time to wait for justice. That is like waiting a lifetime for someone to be in what seems to be limbo, waiting for that someone who has taken the life of an innocent to finally face justice. No, it is not about revenge. God will take care of that. It's been eleven years since one of God's angels left this world. It also has been eleven years of hurt and pain for a mother who misses her daughter so very much. Synkeva Latrice McGee left this world following a tragic domestic abuse incident at the alleged hands of an individual who is yet to face justice. Her mother, Geraldine McGee, has faced eleven years of waiting as one obstacle after another seemed to delay the man's trial. Covid-19 played a part in a few delays, but things within the court system are back to normal as the backlogs of cases are decreasing. McGee is a strong woman of God who has been a pillar of strength for her family. She has cried many tears, and her heart has been broken. Still, she has kept her faith in God. The scriptures teach us that God "is a rewarder" of them that diligently seek Him. God sent someone in the name of Frank Payton to comfort McGee and be her husband. As this reporter was sitting across a table listening and looking at Frank and Geraldine, she expressed what having faith in God meant to her. She said that as "a woman of God", she had to rely on Him. "I have days where I miss my daughter," she says. "Her birthday is one of them." But McGee said that being a woman of God, being saved, and knowing His word - if she didn't know his word, she didn't know if she would be able to go on. McGee said that to other mothers who have lost a child, to "remember them as only a mother can" because those mothers who have lost a child would understand. "My prayer is that as mothers, we must pray for each other. Yes, remember them, and we must go on, trust in God, and live our life in Him," said McGee. Before McGee united with her soulmate Frank, she had been surrounded by wonderful people who helped her through the dark times. She thanks State Senator Katrina Jackson for her prayers and as a member of her Louisiana Team Advisory Board. Tears flowed from her eyes as she talked about her very good friend-in-Christ Kaye Honeycutt, who also served on Jackson's Louisiana Team Advisory Board, and how they "cried many tears" through prayers as sisters. She was there for the interview, and this reporter could see the emotions and love these two women of God have for each other. McGee said that the long-awaited trial for the individual charged in the death of Synkeva is slated to start sometime in June. It is expected to be a difficult period for McGee during the trial. She knows she will need God's strength to see the trial through. She says that she learned to forgive and hopes that the man who took her daughter's life would come to know Christ in the pardon of his sins.