Devotion to family was highly esteemed, and raising her own was the pride of every
village. In those days it took a village to raise a child. That was the way it was.
Our parents and their parents before them had taken a stand, to build our family on the
Solid Rock; to love, to teach and train us in the way we should go.
All hands on deck. Some planted, others watered but God sustained us and blessed us
according to His abundant riches in glory.
Our family was held together by cords that could not be broken. Every member was
important. So we lived; father, mother, children, sisters, brothers, nieces and nephews;
all from the same stock, bound together on the journey of life.
Our citadel was our home in New Town. It was not just any place; it was the center of
our world.
Home was where we went down on their knees daily in ardent prayer before plunging
into an exciting, mysterious and sometimes dangerous world.
Home was where we returned to a sumptuous banquet served on the amazing table of
love; pure, unforced, unconditional and unfeigned at the end of a hectic, productive or
not so productive day.
Home was where we told our stories; stories of successes and failures; stories that
wrenched many a heart; stories that lifted us up.
Home was where we cried, and where we were comforted. It was where we discussed
our fears, our hopes, our aims.
Home was where we were encouraged, empowered, commissioned and sent out to
shine; to be the salt and light of the world.
Home was where we listened to the wisdom of the elders, and the immutable Word of
our Heavenly Father; it was where we learnt to gather choice blocks, custom made for
the living temples we had to become as we traveled on this pilgrim journey. We liked the
way things were, but nothing on this plain of existence stays the same.
Sister Enanga traveled to Nigeria to pursue higher studies as two of her elder sisters
had done. Shortly after returning to Cameroon, she took ill. The illness became a
chronic condition that baffled us. God allowed it; gave her endurance, and gave the
family something to ponder and pray about.
Sister Enanga refused to allow her condition to define her, or limit her resolve to do
what is most important in life; to serve God and worship Him in spirit and in truth. She looked
past that ominous thorn in her flesh and exulted in her tribulation.
Tribulation brought perseverance; perseverance, proven character; proven character,
hope, and hope does not disappoint.
God knows everything; His power knows no bound; His goodness, no stint. He did not
leave her or forsake. He was close by, fanning the flame of hope and courage, of faith
and obedience, of love and duty. Then He saw fit to give her a precious gift in the
person of Nalova.
Nalova was not just her child, she was the prayer made incessantly to the Eternal I AM;
to the God who makes mortals stand like eternal hills. We can trust God enough to
leave everything under His loving care, and gracious will.
He brings order out of our confusion and victory out of defeat. His infinite serenity
cheers all who believe. People of faith, the cords of the wicked have been cut asunder.
Sister Enanga, you are vindicated in death. Your ties to the earthly are loose; your work
here on earth is done; the fight is over; the race has been completed; the victory won.
Go to the joys of Heaven; to the unmerited gift of everlasting life purchased at Calvary
for us who believe. That is the way it was. Go and rest in perfect peace.
