I got to know mum Emodi in MFM Streatham in 2007. When Crossfare Christian Centre was founded in 2014, we developed mother and daughter relationship. Mum became the mother of all in CFCC and grandmother to our children.


Mum was caring and she looked after everyone in the church from Pastor to members. She had different people she used to cook for and so many people she never missed their birthday presents and Christmas presents including me.


Mum was a giver. She gave different groups in the church some materials on different occasions to celebrate Mother's Day or women's day. Mum favoured my group more as her darling daughter. She gave everyone in my team materials on three different occasions and I had 16 members in my team. That was how generous she was.


She supported my team by giving us money every first week of the month to order snacks for the church. On top of that, she used to bring snacks, biscuits and even have a feast every Sunday at the end of the service when my team had finished serving, mum would bring out barbecue wings, spare ribs , sweetcorn and she would serve a lot of people. 


Unfortunately, she couldn't do that at the building we moved to in Croydon when we lost our building in Brigstock road, mum started feeding us in my car as I used to take her home. She used to bring croissants for me every Sunday and when I told her I liked sausage rolls, then she added sausage rolls to my order.


Mum loved the church and when she realised people were leaving, she went to get ministers together to discuss how church could move forward. 


When I lost my job when lockdown started in March 2020, I didn't tell mum until she found out in July 2020 and from then mum was given me money every month until July 2021 when I got a job (little token she used to say not knowing that her little token went a long way). Even when I got a job, she made sure I was getting paid well before she stopped her little token. Mum also used to support me in looking after the people in need in church from April 2020 - October 2021. She used to queue up in the bank for over two hours to pay money into my account because she didn't have online banking.


I used to go to mum's shop during the lockdown, we would joke, laugh and pray together. I remembered when I used to get bottled water for her from Costco, I would use Sainsbury's trolley to push the water to mum's shop and I would leave the trolley outside her shop with my £1 in the trolley. While talking and laughing, mum would spot people using style to push my trolley away and I would rush out of her shop to collect my trolley from them so that they wouldn't take my £1 away. Mum would laugh at me. So I decided I would be dropping the water and would return the trolley at least my mind would be at rest that no one would run away with my £1. It was difficult to visit mum for just 30 minutes, oh no, I would spend at least 2 hours with her and then she wouldn't want me to leave because we always had a lot to talk and laugh about.


Mum was peaceful. I went shopping with her in July in Balham  behind Sainsbury's to buy some food stuff.  Mum realised her customer’s pepper was expensive and I told her she should have asked me to buy some for her from Brixton market. Unfortunately, mum's customer heard us and he went ballistic. I told him he didn't have customer service. While I was eager to give him 10,000 words per second, mum told me not to bother with him that he's been like that for over 20 years and that his behaviour wouldn't stop her from buying from him. It was hard for me not to reply the guy but at the other hand I had to protect mum too because she would go back there to buy things from him again as he's the only one in the area selling food stuff.


Mum had strong faith in God to the end. I was privileged to see her on 12th December and she prayed for me.


Mum I will miss you greatly, your phone calls 3 times a day, your texts addressing me as my darling daughter, I will miss my birthday presents and Christmas presents. I will miss our Croissants, sausage rolls and yumyum in the car. I love you forever. Rest in peace mum. Your darling daughter Nne Dupe Olatidoye