FROM YOUR PM ...
To My Wife … Treasured Memories.
- I called you many names : Koko, chochoko, my girl, the girl, ah beau (boh), my darling wife, my sweetie, my chum chum, mummy;
- You called me PM, my boy, husband of mine, my darling;
- When we woke up in the morning and were out of bed, we embraced and greeted each other “OO, owusieh” in bakweri; then we started our morning devotions which lasted about an hour – singing hymns, reading the word of God, praying for the world, our country, the authorities, family, friends, the church, etc. You continued reading the word while I went for sports. On some Saturday mornings we did sports together, walking from Congress Hall to Parcours Vita and back;
- You went to bed later than I did, your prayer time going on beyond midnight. A devout Christian, you were on a fast more often than not. You were the mother hen, covering your family and household;
- You were very supportive of me in the face of the heavy and difficult responsibilities I had in my career;
- You made our home so welcoming that I looked forward to returning home to you after gruelling hours at work;
- Our union was blessed with four lovely, big children, a girl (Etonde) and three boys (Isoke, Ewange and Jackai) whom we raised in the fear of the Lord;
- We both became grand parents to five lovely grand children (Namise, Faith, Malea, T.J and Sesa);
- We opened our home to siblings and children of other relatives for their education and did our best to inculcate our values into them;
- I thank God that I made sure I told you often what a wonderful person you were to me and our children, for you played all your roles so well – girl friend, wife, mother, adviser. I used to tell you that you will be tired of my love for you and you always replied “ I no go taya”.
I accompanied you in October, 2009 for treatment in the United States of America; you still looked as dashing as always and we kept the faith that everything would go well. You remained abroad under the watchful care of your children Tabe, Etonde and Ewange with the support of Uncle George, Aunty Marlene and daughter-in-law Manokia. I came to visit you twice a year. In February/March this year, I took you out of the cold weather of Washington for a week’s holiday in Sunny Fort Lauderdale in Florida. That was our last outing together! However, I made it a point of love and duty to talk to you on the phone everyday except for when the lines failed or towards the end when you did not have to exert yourself by talking.
Then the good Lord whom you loved so much called you to be by His side on October 20, 2011. Of course I am in great pain; I am devastated. I am selfish no doubt, for the Lord needs you more now. Doesn’t the Bible say in Philippians 1:21 “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain”? It is hard, though; very hard indeed.
I thank my God for giving you to me and permitting us to live together as husband and wife for forty one years. May He reserve a special place for you in His heavenly kingdom.
Your PM
FROM ETONDE ...
To My Awesome Mum
Her children rise up and bless her;
Her husband also, and he praises her, saying:
Many daughters have done nobly,
But you excel them all.
Proverbs 31 vs. 28 - 29
I want to thank you for being such an Awesome Mother. Thank you for providing us with a stable, peaceful, loving and happy home. I can’t thank you and daddy enough for your commitment to each other. Yours was the model of a Christ-centered marriage. I will never forget you and daddy singing hymns and praying together EVERY morning before stepping out of your bedroom. What a legacy! Thank you for teaching us to do likewise. Thank you for encouraging me to set high standards for myself and for helping me achieve my goals. I will never forget handing my report cards to you and daddy at the end of the school year and eagerly anticipating “my reward”. It typically was a special dress, a pair of earrings, a pair of shoes or a special treat from Kalafatas or Despotakis.
You and I had our special “3rd term holiday projects”. We would either read a special book together; usually a book you had read as a child, or we would bake and sew together. Now, looking back, I realize that you used those moments to pass on your values and teach me some basic skills which I would need in the future.
Thank you Mummy for being a praying wife and a praying mother. We know that God heard your prayers, because He sustained daddy and gave him the wisdom, knowledge, grace and strength to excel in all the positions that the Lord gave him. Isoke, Ewange, Jackai and I are what we are today, because you petitioned God on our behalf. As a teenage girl, I remember hearing you pray for godly spouses for your children. Frankly, at that time, I thought it was a strange prayer request and certainly one that was quite premature. Today, I am reaping the benefits of those prayers, because the Lord blessed me with Tabe – Daddy T, as you called him. Ewange has been blessed with Manokia, and I know that in the near future, the Lord will lead Isoke and Jackai to the spouses that He has set aside for them. You did not only pray for your husband and children; you prayed for the entire family, your friends, prayer partners, your assistants, as well as our country. You know I actually used to call you, “God’s girl,” because you were always praying and fasting, and God always answered your prayers.
My two children - Faith and TJ are here because they had a grandmother who prayed fervently and fasted for the blessing of grandchildren. Oh Mummy, how you stood by me, cried with me, and supported me during those years in “God’s waiting room”.
Thank you for teaching us how to pray for ourselves and our families. You certainly lived out Deuteronomy chapter 6 vs. 6-7, because you DILIGENTLY taught us the word of God, and you passed your faith down to each of us.
Being so far away from home, I always longed to spend more time with you. I did not know, that the Lord would answer that prayer, by letting you live the last 2 years of your life with Tabe and I. I thank God for the privilege of taking care of you, mum. Your gentle, gracious and sweet spirit made it so easy for us to take care of you. You never complained, you were always thankful; your faith in God sustained you to the very end.
In the 2 years we spent together, you got to know your grandchildren and your son-in-law (your precious Daddy T, who could do no wrong in your sight!) We were blessed to have front row seats as you ran the last laps of the race God had set for you. You ran the race well!
Regardless of how you felt, you were on your knees at 7:15 every morning, reading your Bible and praying. You did this up until a few weeks before our heavenly Father called you home. You always said, “All to Jesus I surrender” and “God is in control”.
Mummy, you fought the good fight, you finished the course, and you kept the faith. I am sure our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ welcomed you home with open arms, saying, “well done, my good and faithful servant.”
Mrs. Mummy, I love you, I miss you terribly. I will keep my head up, and keep smiling as you asked me to do. I will pass on your legacy to your grandchildren, and I promise that Tabe, Isoke, Ewange, Manokia, Jackai and I will take care of the love of your life, your dear husband, our dear Mr. Daddy. Till we meet in heaven to part no more.
FROM TABE ...
Farewell Saint Mummy
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the home going of His saints.
Ps 116:15
My dear Saint Mummy you are up there with the angels, God the Father and the Son watching over us, like the mother hen that you were down here. Thank you for everything, especially the love of my life – my wife. I am a blessed man. Thank you for giving me the gift of being your “son in charge” especially these last two years. I will never forget the journey we took.
So, dear Mummy please say hello to my dear father, Sir. Victor Tarkang. Tell him, Etonde and I have given him two beautiful grand kids. Faith Ebai-Mojoko Tarkang and Tabe Victor- Mafany Tarkang, two kids you prayed into existence. I want to assure you of the following: we will take care of the love of your life, our dear Daddy. We will press on and make you proud.
Fare thee well, my Dear Saint Mummy
Your “son in charge” Daddy T.
FROM ISOKE ...
My dearest Mommy! I can’t believe you are gone. You were the best. When I look at your pictures, it is just so hard to think that I am not going to see that beautiful face or hear that nice voice again. Mommy, you were so elegant, stylish, sophisticated, yet unassuming. You were very understanding, and always there for us. You made sure your children were raised properly and feared the Lord.
You and Daddy were perfectly made for each other; A.M and P.M – just like morning and evening. There was a perfect harmony in your marriage. You both got along incredibly well. The words “perfect match” do not do justice to the true nature of your relationship. My siblings and I looked at you both as the ideal couple to emulate. It is really sad; the sun has set on you A.M.
But Mommy, what really marked me the most about you, was your love and fear of the Lord, and the spirit- filled life you lived. Mommy, you were without a doubt the spiritual leader of the family. Although you were a protestant, you went on a quest for higher spiritual knowledge, embracing several Pentecostal notions of faith as long as these had a foundation in the bible or stood in line with the word of God.
And Mommy, you did not keep your newly acquired spiritual knowledge to yourself. You actively embarked on a mission to spread the message of the “Great Commission”. For example, you made sure that the rest of your family - both immediate and extended was “saved”, and that your children went to church regularly. Your spiritual influence on all of us was so great that even Daddy, a hardcore protestant embraced your new found Pentecostal notions of spirituality. Also, you spent countless hours praying for family, often up until late at night time. It was such a great blessing to have a prayer warrior like you for our family.
Your illness came as a great shock to all of us. You believed in God for your healing up until the end – and so did we. But, God decided otherwise. It was his time to call you home. As much as it hurts, our assurance remains unshaken, knowing that you are resting in his bosom. Indeed, where else would you be, except by the side of the Savior you loved so much. R.I.P. Mommy. I love you.
Your “Isokes”
Isoke MUSONGE
FROM EWANGE ...
Mommy,
Death cannot have you! The grave cannot have you! That God in whom you so trusted, loved and believed in, the Jesus on whose every promise and word you stood on and confessed cannot let that happen….because it is in his Word. He said he will deliver you from the hand of the wicked, out of the grip of the terrible. His very own BLOOD has REDEEMED you. Bless his name!
The first thing you confessed 2 years ago once we heard the diagnosis in the hospital was “By His Stripes I am healed”. You were bold and let every doctor and every nurse know that your God had already healed you. You are his Saint.
On Wednesday 10/19/2011 a little after midnight in that hospital room after I “relieved” Etonde from her “shift” by your bedside, I came in and you were sleeping. You were tired physically from the previous night, and had not had anything to eat.
I cried out to God that night, loud, worshipping him, confessing His word, singing, dancing, praising Him (just like you always taught us) asking Him to show His face, a sign. And your very own Father who has never ever failed us answered again. I felt the presence of the Lord in the room like never before.
I turned around with tears streaming down my cheek and saw you raise your hands! Then you started clapping and joined in the praise and worship. We did this for while and you started talking. I knew that God had already healed you. I held your hands and told you that. The miracle working God had done it again! ‘Tis so good to trust in Jesus! Just as you had taught us again.
We quickly called the nurses and they were stunned to see that you were not only awake but conscious. They had already given up and were under strict orders not to feed you. I got on the phone with the doctors and they gave the OK for you to eat. You ate, we prayed and you went back to sleep.
Thursday 10/20/2011 3:40pm I walked into the room and Etonde told me that you were gone to sleep with the Dear Lord. I knew that there was nothing our miracle working God couldn’t do. You had taught us this; we had seen him prove himself over and over countless number of times.
I placed my hand on your head, on your chest, armed with anointing oil, and with your prayer warriors (on the phone) and Pastor Goethe we called on the God of Resurrection. Mommy, I know you saw and heard us do this for over 45 minutes to 1 hour. There’s nothing our God can’t do.
You always said “Unto Jesus I surrender ALL”, that God was in control, to always have the fear of the Lord and that God was sovereign over all things.
For over four hours we stayed in the room with you and you looked peaceful, you looked rested, you looked beautiful, elegant and graceful like you always did. You had won this race with flying colors. Every time I have seen you since then a peace overcomes me and I am happy. I Bless the name of the Lord for that.
Mommy, the innumerable number of people you touched will talk about the sweet memories, the stories, the times they had with you, remembrances and anniversaries. Yet these would eventually start to dim, fade, become choppy, blurry, and some may even forget. This is man, and there’s a finality and limit to who we are. This is normal.
But your Legacy lives, it is alive! Your legacy lives in all the lives that you touched, the very essence of you lives. You are alive in Daddy, Etonde, Tabe, Isoke, Jackai, Manokia, Namisse, Faith, Maléa, TJ and Seysa. Daddy called you the “mother-hen” of the family, I called you God’s Battleaxe! Glory to God! Oh! How He loves us.
My prayer was that Missé, Maléa and Seysa would grow directly under your wing. That you will be there to guide them and provide that Holy firewall to surround them like you did for us. God did an even greater thing in his infinite wisdom. You have equipped us and have given us the template. I am so thankful.
I love you!
Bless his Name!
"Ewang's"
Ewange
FROM MANOKIA ...
Dear Mommy,
You were a woman of grace, character, wisdom and faith...true faith. You were a living example of what we should strive to be and your legacy and life testimony will forever live on. You have left such a mark on my life and I will forever be grateful to have had the chance to get to know you in a more intimate way as a mother and a confidant. Although we know that you are now sitting with the Lord, we will still miss you terribly and continuously desire your presence. Thank you mommy for showing me what a true woman of God should be.
Manokia MUSONGE
Your daughter-in-law
FROM JACKAI ...
Letter to My Mother
My dear Mum,
writing a tribute to honour someone like you who has had such a positive impact upon my life, the lives of my older siblings and the lives of so many people is an extremely difficult task.If I made an attempt to recall just a fraction of the wonderful things you have done, I would need significantly more writing space than what has been allotted to me for this tribute. In 41 years of marriage, you stood faithfully and lovingly beside Dad from 1970 right up to October 20 this year when the Lord called you back to Him. With Dad, you raised us with a tremendous degree of love that words alone could not sufficiently express. You instilled in us the values of respect for our elders and those in authority; humility; hard work; recognition of the value of education. Your smile and voice alone could soothe the most troubled soul.
You were always ready and willing to serve other people before yourself. Your generousity was unlimited and it never pleased you to see anyone suffer or go through any form of hardship. When I was a child, you yelled at me when it was necessary and admonished me when I had done something wrong. Sometimes that made me retreat into my room, shut the door, lay down on my bed and cry. Moments later you would knock on my door, open it, give me a hug, ask me to stop crying and tell me everything was okay. Just from looking at me you could tell whenever I was troubled. In situations that required private conversations, you came to my room, sat beside me and gave me advice. I don’t recall you ever holding a grudge in your heart against anyone, not even toward those who may have done you wrong. You always forgave people and showed love to everyone indiscriminately. Serving God and getting to know Him better was something you pursued with all your heart. When you were a member of the Christian Women’s Fellowship (CWF), I remember how with such a broad smile you used to happily get up from where you were sitting at church to join the members of your choir in praise and worship. And when we used to pray together as a family, you praised the Lord and glorified Him from the bottom of my heart. When you had traveled to the U.S. in 2009 for health reasons, you always asked me whether I had gone to church when I talked to you on the phone on Sundays. I knew that you wouldn’t have been pleased with me if I didn’t have a valid reason for not having done so. You prayed for Dad, for me, for Etonde, Isoke and Ewange, your nieces, nephews and strangers with the same sincerity and love that was in you up to the very end. My heart is in distress when I think about the fact that destiny didn’t permit me to be by your side during your last days to tell you I love you as many times as I could; to see your face and beautiful smile one last time; to hold your hand and hear you say one word…just one word that could have blessed me. Thank you for the hearts you touched and the love you gave to people so unconditionally. It seems as if you were sent to the world for a purpose-to spread the message of love for your neighbor using your own life as an example. In a world so full of evil and hypocrisy where people wish others ill without cause, you were like an angel among men. I know that you would have liked to someday see me get married by God’s grace and start a family. I had hoped that if this were to happen, I would get that special dance with you that every son does with his Mother prior to being formally united with the woman who would become his wife. In honour of your life, I have decided that I would do the best I can to be a blessing to someone in any little way every 20th of October. Up to the very end, you remained a faithful servant of God. I remember you saying to me during one of our last phone conversations:
“This battle is not mine. It is the Lord’s.”
Although your absence hurts me so much on the inside, what gives me a measure of peace is the fervent belief that you are in a better place-a place where there is no illness, no evil, no sorrow, no hypocrisy, no injustice of any kind; a peaceful place where people’s hearts are filled up with love for one another. Throughout your life, your heart overflowed with unlimited love. Your absence hurts me deeply and I miss you with all my heart but I know that you wouldn’t want me to be broken-hearted because you are now with the Lord Jesus whom you loved and worshipped from the depth of your heart during your time on earth. I imagine Him having welcomed you on the 20th of October with his arms spread out to embrace you and with a big smile on his face as he stood on the seventh step of the seventh heaven:
“Well done, thou dear and faithful servant. Welcome home…”
I love you with all my heart and I will never forget you. You were such a gentle, humble, generous, kind and loving woman and I will always be proud that you were my Mother.
Jackai
Letter to My Mother II
It was exactly 5 a.m. I followed the tour guide closely behind, almost running out of breath as we continued our ascent.
“How much farther are we from the summit?” I asked.
“We’re almost there. Hold on tight. You’ve made it this far. You can’t afford to turn back now. You have your letter, right?”
“I do. It’s in my bag, I responded.”
We climbed up the big brown mountain again for a few minutes and how relieved I felt when the guide and I finally reached the summit.
“Here we are,” he said. “Meet me on the ground when you descend. I’ll be there waiting for you.”
When the tour guide had left, I took out the letter from my bag and with my envelope in hand, got on my knees and began to pray. It was often said that at that time of the year, an angel occasionally descended from the clouds and landed on the summit of the mountain to pick up letters destined for people in heaven. And sometimes if the angel found the person praying during the moment of apparition, that person was sometimes permitted to get a glimpse of the land of glory. Moments later, my prayer got interrupted by the emergence of a sudden bright light. Its brightness was so intense that for a moment I used my hand as a shade over my eyes. Surrounded by the light and facing me was a man dressed in a long, white garment. I was initially shaken by his sudden appearance but when he spoke, his voice reflected so much love and peace.
“Fear not…I have come to take your letter,” he said.
“I have written a tribute to my Mother, Mrs. Anne Mojoko Musonge. I believe she is where you are and I want to make sure she reads what I have written. Could you give this to her, please?” I asked.
The angel was silent. Seconds later, he said:
“Hold thy envelope and give me thy hand.”
I stretched out my hand and it trembled considering how overwhelmed I was by the symbol of celestial beauty that stood before me. The angel took my hand and I saw myself being lifted up toward the clouds. When I looked behind the mountain was far beneath me. As we ascended high above the clouds, the darkness of the early morning progressively began to fade away to an early afternoon-like brightness. I felt a cold shiver as gusty winds blew over my body, making me feel as if I were millions of miles above the earth.
Then my eyes began to see extraordinarily beautiful things that left me speechless. We seemed to fly over what appeared to be vast cities with golden castles and mansions, each of them looking more splendid the higher up we flew. The angel and I flew over five levels, past some doves and over a rainbow. We landed on the sixth level. An angel of warfare wearing a long, blue garment with a brown belt stood guard at the gate with a sword in his hand. He opened the gate and nodded as a sign of acknowledgement to the angel who accompanied me, probably aware of the reason why I had come.
“Go…deliver thy letter and return,” the angel said.
I was amazed at what I saw. I walked on a street of gold and marble and past a river of sparkling, dark blue water. I saw a garden of flowers that was so vast and endless, spreading out further and further with no sight in end; gigantic trees with fresh-looking fruit; multitudes of people of different races and ethnicities looking so happy and peaceful as they talked to each other while walking on the garden and on the street. One of them directed me to a white building in front of me and while there I entered a mailroom with one of the longest hallways I had ever seen and an unlimited number of mailboxes.
“What brings you here?” asked the angel in the mailroom.
“I have come to drop off a letter for my Mother, Mrs. Anne Mojoko Musonge. I wrote a tribute in her honour and I want to be sure she will read it,” I said.
The angel accompanied me to a row of mailboxes on the right. On top of it were the words “New Arrivals.” The angel unlocked a mailbox numbered 017, took my letter and locked it once again.
“Is there any way I can see her?” I asked.
“She is with the saints praising the Almighty in His Holy Temple. It is forbidden onto them that dwell on earth,” the angel replied.
Although I left the mailroom with a heavy heart, I was confident my Mother would read my tribute and that thought gave me much consolation. I returned to the gate where the other angel awaited me and we descended from the sixth level all the way back to the summit of the mountain.
My dear Mum, writing a tribute to honour someone like you who has had such a positive impact upon my life, the lives of my older siblings and the lives of so many people is an extremely difficult task because I don’t even know where to start and where to end. In 41 years of marriage, you stood lovingly and faithfully by Dad’s side from 1970 right up to October 20 this year when the Lord called you back to him. With Dad, you raised us with so much love and instilled in us the values of respect for our elders and those in authority; humility; hard work; recognition of the value of education. Your smile and voice alone could soothe the most troubled soul. You were so selfless, so generous and never loved to see anyone suffer or go through any form of hardship. You were able to look at me and determine when I was troubled. In situations that required private conversations, you came to my room, sat beside me and gave me advice. I don’t recall you ever holding a grudge in your heart against anyone, not even against those who may have done you wrong. You always forgave people and showed love to everyone indiscriminately. Serving God and getting to know Him better was something you pursued with all your heart. When you were a member of the Christian Women’s Fellowship (CWF), I remember how with such a broad smile you used to happily get up from where you were sitting at church to join the members of your choir in praise and worship. When I talked to you on the phone on Sundays, you always asked me whether I had gone to church and I knew that you wouldn’t have been pleased with me if I didn’t have a valid reason not to have done so. You prayed for Dad, me and my older siblings, your nieces, nephews and strangers with the same sincerity and love. My heart is in distress when I think about the fact that destiny didn’t permit me to be by your side during your last days to tell you I love you and to see your face and beautiful smile one last time; to hold your hand and hear you say one word…just one word that could have been a blessing to me. Thank you for the hearts you touched and the love you gave to people so unconditionally. It seems as if you were sent to the world for a purpose-to spread the message of love for your neighbor using your own life as an example. In a world so full of evil and hypocrisy, you were like an angel among men. I know that you would have liked by God’s grace to someday see me get married and start a family and I had hoped that if it were to happen, I would get that special dance with you that every son gets to do with his Mother on the wedding day. To honour your memory, I have decided that I would do the best I can to be a blessing to someone in any little way every 20th of October. Up to the very end, you remained a faithful servant of God. I remember you saying to me in one of the last phone conversations we had:
“This battle is not mine. It is the Lord’s.”
What consoles me is the fervent belief that you are in a better place-a place where there is no illness, no sorrow, no hypocrisy, no injustice of any kind. Your absence hurts me deeply and I miss you with all my heart but I know that you wouldn’t want me to be broken-hearted because you are now in the presence of the Lord Jesus whom you loved and worshipped from the depths of your heart during your time on earth. I imagine Him saying to you with his arms spread out to embrace you and with a big smile on his face while standing on the seventh step of the seventh heaven:
“Welcome home, my dear and faithful servant. Well done…”
I love you with all my heart and I will never ever forget you. You were so gentle, generous, kind, compassionate and loving. I will always be proud to have had you as my Mother.