Racheal Kyen Nju "Mama"

Mama was born on September 7, 1977. She was a very strong, a hardworker and a very funny child. She always behaved like a mature woman. She looked different and most of the things she did were different or odd. 

When everybody in my family joined the "English Choir" She joined the "French Choir" and we were like, do you understand French? Lol. There were times when only two of them would sing in church, but her voice was strong or loud in a way that, you could not know it was just two or three of them singing.

I remember she would stay home practicing how to sing like us, the older ones. We considered ourselves to be the best singers in my family. Our family choir was called, Family Voices, but it was not easy to become a member because, only the best were there......only the best from the main choir, New Zion Choir Presbyterian Church Azire were there.....:-). I remember some singers from the main choir wanted to join, but could not. Thanks to Bra Ntam Moise who brought up the idea of the choir and was our choir master. May his soul RIP.

At that time, she and her immediate junior could not sing well. :-). We always laughed or mocked those who could not sing. This made her work harder till she became the best, and later encouraged the little sister, her friend to sing well. They actually turned out to be the best and were always invited to sing in different church groups and congregations.

If you had a problem and told Mama, you just knew she would handle the problem as if it were hers. She took over everybody's case and handled it the way she thought best.

 She was young, but bigger and stronger than all of us. She fought all my battles and I used to get annoyed sometimes and ask her to go appologise or write a letter of appology. 

I remember on December 31, 2006, she spent all night in church singing and praying. When I asked why she had to do that, she said, she had to animate the crowd, and that if it were not done, people would get bored and leave. Her voice was cracked.

 A week later, I had a dream and called to tell her about it. When we talked, she told me she had a dream about something buried...... She said, something was about to happen and that, she needed to go home {Bamenda} and pray for everybody. I did not tell her my dream but my dad.

 I consider myself in the family to be "Joseph the dreamer" Lol. I knew something terrible was about to happen and a few days before she passed on, I knew because, I felt it and had seen everything in my dream.

 I told her not to worry and that if anything happened, it would be by the will of God. I wish I could stop being "Joseph the dreamer" because this affected me for about a year. Hmmmmmmm.

Life Story Presented By The Sister.

Racheal Kyen "Mama" was a lovely and very bulky child from birth. She was the one who would grumble when given a task to carry out, but would quickly do it when told she was not going to eat. As she grew older, she became more hard working and the grumbling stopped. She was the fattest and tallest in the family.

She loved singing and because of that, she joined or sang in many choirs and was the music director in most of them. Some of the choirs she joined were; Choral Experaince Presbyterian Church Bamunka Ndop, Les Message de Dieu Presbyterian Curch Azire Mankon. She started a junior choir called Charity Choir in Presbyterian Church Azire, Holy Trinity Choir Nsimeyong Yaounde, UNITECH Choir of the United Crusade Team for Jesus Christ and was also a member of our family choir called, Family Voices.

Coming from a family of singers and with lots of practice, she sang very well and even dramatized some of the songs like;

"Nobody to my father everybody by me x2

And Jesus said that everybody by me." She would sing; Nopory tuma fadda everypory pa me.....Lol.

She also sang; "Count your blessings name them one by one" as Caint ya bressing nam dem one ba one......Lol.

I remember during my Christian Women fellowship "CWF" dedication party, she made everyone laugh by singing these songs. Racheal Kyen "Mama" was the fighter in the family. She was always ready to fast and protect us from those that were trying to come after us in whatever way. We were very close especially when Ruth and Grace travelled to the United States. She would tell me all her problems and we would look for solutions.

She took care of me when I "Hannah" was admitted in Nsimeyong hospital. She would pray and follow up with my spiritual life. Thanks to Bishop Joshua Ghogomuh of United Crusade team for Jesus UNITECH in Yaounde, who was always there for us.

We attended fellowship together and became "born again" christains. When I finished university and came back home, Mama was always there, standing by and ready to come to my aid when needed. She gave me all the lastest gist "news" in and out of town. She scolded me for dressing like an old woman and would ask me to give her money to go buy something nice for me.

We had so many plans, but her untimely death made some of those plans not to materialize. Mama, I finally opened the boutique, bought a piece of land and construction is going on for the dream house. Oh, I am also teaching in CPC Bali.

Life as written in the Bible, is nothing but a dream and this earth is only a stage where people come and act their parts. You are remembered by your deeds when you are gone.

Mama, it took me some time to start listening to gospel music after your passing to glory. I did not have a chance to take care of you while in the hospital just like you did for me, but we thank God that your sister Joy was there with you.

Emma is doing well and growing fat too..... :-). She is just like you, you are in her and we thank God for that. The kids also remember you for you were always there to do their laundry, bathe them and take them out for a walk. Babe Zuriel missed seeing you. We know that God's plans at the end is the best and we cannot keep questioning the Almighty for taking you at the time He did. We believe that, He did not want you to suffer.

Continue to rest in the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ till we meet again. You will live in our hearts forever!

Life Story Presented By The Sister.

Mama as she was called by everyone was a lovely sister. I was born six years after her. I always found her very interesting, but we fought and exchanged blows ever so often as kids. I never understood why we fought all the time. She was bright and the one who was energetic and huge. If you saw her, she looked bigger than any other person in my family.

She found interest in French and would always find herself in the French choirs in church. That was really odd. She was more French than English in a family that had never been to a french area. She was not only huge in size, but she had a very heavy voice. She could sing in bass and you would think it's a man. Growing up, she was the only one who took interest in teaching her baby sister me (Patience) how to sing, encouraging me every step of the way.

 Despite all she had to overcome as a teenage, she made it to the university and that is when she became a radical christian. Each time we came home on holidays, she was blunt when talking to our parents about salvation and the practices of the church. She always told Pops that, God called him into ministry and so, he should look deeply at the things the church did and make a difference in his time. She told Pops that he needed to get " born again" and put his radicality into work. Mama was fearless. She had respect for all, but never took it for ganted because, the day you tried to put any member of her family down, you would see the other side of her. I remember when we went to a girl's house who had been causing a lot of problems in our elder sister's life, our intention was to scare her away, but I could sense that, if she had done something silly, Mama would have been all over her. No one could mess with her family and get away with it.

 Each time anyone was in a situation, Mama would stand up for that person until there was a reason for her to change. She focused on everyone, but we failed to pay attention to the fact that, she also needed us to fight with her. Mama, your prayers were answered. Pops is more radical than before, the family is stronger than ever spiritually and there is increase in every side and prosperity from above.

 We miss our "Prayer Warrior" and the one to fight our battles.

Rest in peace sister.

Life Story Presented By The Sister.

She passed on to be with the Lord on January 22, 2007.

She was sick and Mum had to go meet her in Yaounde. She was admitted in the hospital, but decided not to let certain people know because she did not want them to be bothered. Her stay in the hospital was brief.......She was there for a week.

All she wanted to do was get well, travel home and pray for everybody. But, I guess God had other plans for her. God's time is always the best. When she passed on, my Mum said, we should not cry for Mama is with the Lord. My Mum and dad said, what we should be thinking of is our faith and the fact that, if God calls us now, are we going to be with Him? She also said, Mama prepared herself spiritually before dying and we should follow her footsteps.

Mama, everybody in the family is doing that....... except me, but I am getting there. :-). You know, I have to see before I believe, which is wrong. I have learnt not to doubt or conderm "men or women of God" I have also learnt to leave judgement to God for it is written in Psalm 105:15 that, "Do not touch my annointed ones; do my prophets no harm." It is also witten in Revelation 11:5 that,  "If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die."

 I don't want to see the wrath of God. Mama took tithe seriously. To her, it was "sowing her seeds" We made sure she had money. She was on a monthly allowance, but gave some if not all of it in church as "sowing her seeds" I got annoyed when I heard, but now I understand the importance. We in the family have learnt  a lot of lessons from Mama and we hope to follow/impliment them.

 We will always think of you, remember you and we hope you are watching over us till we meet again to part no more. We love you.

Life Story Presented By The Sister.