I first saw the deceased at The Chef, a restaurant in the Ntinda Kigowa area. On seeing that she was reading a book by Apostle John Mulinde, I approached her and we began to chat. From that point forward, she became like a spiritual mother to me because of her deep spirituality and age. Following that first encounter, we continued to bump into each other at The Chef almost every Sunday, where we would fellowship for hours. When we met on Sunday 10th November 2019, I did not know it was the last time I would be seeing her on earth.
On Tuesday 12th, I received a phone call from The Chef informing me that ‘the lady you always chat with’ has passed on! The following morning The Chef called again to inform me of Mummy Irene’s funeral service, which was scheduled to commence within the next 30 minutes at Apostle Charles Tumwine’s church in Buwaate where the deceased had been a member. I thanked the caller from The Chef for this kind gesture and made my way to the service.
When I got there, I sat next to two ladies who were also members of the church. They told me that on Sunday 10th, the last day we met, Apostle Tumwine had publicly given Mummy Irene a prophecy saying, “This is your last day of tears; you shall never cry again.” When they received news the next day on Monday that she had collapsed at home and passed on, it dawned on them what the prophecy had actually meant: Mummy Irene was going to heaven where she would never again cry for sorrow. Surely Sunday was her last day of tears; for on Monday she entered glory.
The ladies also shared with me something that Apostle Tumwine later reiterated in his sermon to the mourners. After that Sunday service, Mummy Irene told Apostle, “You will not see me on Wednesday for the mid-week service.” When Apostle asked her why, she told him, “You will not see me in a very long time. I am going away to seek the face of the Lord. I will not return until I see His face.” In hindsight we now see that she was speaking of her decease and departure to heaven where she would forever see the Lord’s face. And true to her words whose significance she definitely did not comprehend at that time, she was not at church on Wednesday. Only her body was present at her funeral service. Her spirit and soul had entered the world of eternal bliss.
I am grateful to God that she said farewell to me on Sunday. When I heard that she had departed, deep down in my heart I knew that she was in heaven because her commitment to God was remarkable. For example, every time we met she would tell me that she was on her way to Naguru Hospital to minister to the sick. She also never forgot to tell me that she was still praying for people to leave Elvis Mbonye’s cult of Zoe Fellowship. In fact, the last Sunday we met, she asked me for updates concerning Mbonye. I told her about two people that God had clearly spoken to that week regarding Elvis Mbonye’s deep sexual sins and how one of them saw that some people wanted to flee but were in fear of the persecution thereafter. Nevertheless, from the prophecy Apostle Tumwine gave her, and considering what she told him after the service, my discernment was proved correct – Mummy IRENE IS IN HEAVEN. Glory to God!
On that Sunday of our last meeting, I also told her of a dream I had this year of Mr. Robert Kyagulanyi’s zero chances of winning the Presidential Election if he stands in 2021. In that dream, I was watching a soccer game in which Kyagulanyi was the goal keeper of a team I was not supporting. When two shots went past him into the back of the net, his team lost. Once the match ended, he ran up to the stadium stands to attack me and all those who did not support his team. This dream is obviously a prophecy of the God-orchestrated defeat awaiting Kyagulanyi should he stand for President. I told Mummy Irene that as we celebrate the good news that God will not allow Kyagulanyi to lead this country, we should also pray against the post-election violence he will unleash upon his opponents. Unfortunately, Mummy Irene won’t be around to pray. That task has been left to us.
Mummy Irene was great. She was a true saint. Many of us will dearly miss her. However, we are comforted in all this because we know for sure that she is in heaven with our Father God and our Lord Jesus Christ.
Amazingly, God used her departure to fulfil yet another dream I had this year. In that dream, I met Mummy Irene’s Pastor, Apostle Tumwine. I then asked him, “Why aren’t you fathers in the church speaking out against and exposing Elvis Mbonye?” When I told Mummy Irene this dream, I also requested her to share it with Apostle Tumwine if she gets the opportunity. Now, after the funeral service, I was privileged to meet and say hello to Apostle Tumwine, a man God calls a father in the church in Uganda. As we chatted, I remembered the dream, and I told it to him. That is how God used her departure to bring to pass a dream. Hallelujah!
We shall miss Mummy Irene. She will be remembered as a great general in God’s army. May her legacy inspire us to seek the Lord’s face until we see Him face to face. That was her desire; now it is a reality for her. It will become a reality for us too one day – if we imitate her devotion and godliness.
Amen.