While the youngest among the nine people killed in a plane crash on Sunday was just five years old, his teachers at Kingsway Academy and its vice principal said yesterday that while they are shaken by the loss, they take comfort knowing that Johannan Parks "emptied himself" and knew God before he died.
During a special assembly at the school on Bernard Road, several teachers told students to celebrate Johannan's life, to give praise in the "midst of sorrow" and spoke about the need to walk with Christ.
Photos of the K5 student, who was affectionately
called "Jo Jo", faded in and out on a large screen, capturing the attention of parents and students in the school's auditorium.
Telling a story about an excited boy who was traveling with his parents, pastor and others to Freeport, Grand Bahama, Sonia Bain, guidance counselor, explained to students that Johannan went to heaven because he "answered God's call" during that flight.
Johannan was the son of BFMI Youth Pastors Lavard and Radel Parks.
They along with Dr. Myles Munroe, who was the founder and president of Bahamas Faith Ministries International (BFMI), along with his wife, Pastor Ruth Munroe, BFMI Senior Vice President Dr. Richard Pinder, pilots Stanley Thurston and Frahkan Cooper and Diego De Santiago were killed when the plane crashed into a crane at the Grand Bahama Shipyard.
Officials said the plane left New Providence around 4:07 p.m. and crashed while making an approach for landing at Grand Bahama International Airport at 5:10 p.m.
The group was traveling to Grand Bahama for the Global Leadership Forum.
"They go on the plane and they get prepared and Johannan is so excited," Bain said.
"They wait for the plane to take off because you know they are going to Freeport.
"And so, they are in the air flying, and while in the air there was this ring like a telephone in the ears of the pilot, and in the ears of all the people on the plane.
"And guess what? This voice, this loud voice, said, 'you know what, I have another place that I would like for you to go, other than Freeport'."
Bain asked the students if they knew where God wanted the group to go, to which they replied "Heaven".
Bain said students who live a purposed life would eventually see their classmate again, and lost relatives.
Johannan attended Kingsway Academy for just over two years, school officials said.
He was an avid music and sports fan, who participated in numerous school events.
According to Jennifer Pearce, Johannan's teacher in K4, he believed in God and loved to learn Bible verses.
Pearce recalled asking her students last year to reflect on the bad things they have done, pray to God about what was in their hearts, and ask for forgiveness.
"We bowed for a few moments and when I opened my eyes, and I glanced over, I saw Johannan praying," she said. "I said thank you Lord.
"You know with children it is hard to tell because once you talk about things like this, even today, about trusting Jesus, they automatically raise their hands and say I want to do it.
"But the sincerity and the way in which he did it, I knew he was serious about it."
Pearce described the boy as reserved, but a bright beacon who was loving, well-mannered and gentle.
Several other teachers paid tribute to "Jo Jo" and his parents, who they said fully participated in school events.

Special tribute
Following several hymns and prayers about faith and living a purposed life, seven of Johannan's classmates took to the school auditorium's stage and each held up a card that spelt his name.
"J", is for the joy he brought to our lives.
"O", is for the outstanding student he was.
"H", is for happy times on the playground.
"A", is for always having his friends.
"N", is for how much he loved Ninja Turtles.
"A", is for the active soldier he was for Christ.
"N", he was never afraid to share the word of God.
"We love you Johannan, but God loves you best," said the students to applause.
"Have fun in God's playground."
Students peered over their seats and attempted to mimic another K5 student who performed a liturgical dance to "Take me to the King".
In the playground, K5 students encircled Johannan's aunt, Ranel Pierre, her husband and their two children.
They shouted "I love you Johannan" before releasing dozens of balloons which briefly blanketed the area with color before drifting out of sight.
Kingsway Academy Vice Principal Chandra Minnis said only students in K4 and K5 attended the special assembly to make it more personal.
Prior to releasing the balloons, students were told they represented their grief and pain, and when released into the sky, God would repurpose them into messages of "joy and love" for Johannan.
A notice board at the center of the kindergarten atrium displayed several more photos of the K5 student at the school, and elsewhere with his parents.
Surrounding the photos were messages and drawings composed by students on paper in the shapes of balloons.
Some depicted a family holding hands amidst white clouds. Others read, "I love you" and "I miss you Johannan".

"Emptied" before death
Following the assembly, Minnis said all staff, especially Johannan's teachers, are struggling to cope with the loss.
However, she said the young boy lived a life of purpose and died "empty".
"Right now we are experiencing mixed emotions, happiness, sadness and a spirit of fulfillment," Minnis said.
"We feel that although Johannan was only five years old, he emptied himself. I go back to the words of Dr. Myles Munroe.
"I feel personally that Johannan had emptied himself, otherwise God would not have taken him. And he has left a testimony here at Kingsway Academy."
Munroe often said during his sermons around the world that "when you die, die like I am planning to die - empty".
Another of his more renowned quotes was, "The greatest tragedy in life is not death, but a life without a purpose."

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