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Pastor Guigma T.
Iddris ; a blind philanthropist and a healer
A GNA Feature by: PATRICIA
AKPENE TEGBE
Accra, July 10.
Ghanadot/GNA-- HE was not
born blind. No! For 50 years, he could see! But for the past
twenty-five years, he had to live in darkness with
blindness. Not because he had any scientifically proven
anomaly but with his decision to serve God! Yet still, he is
different from other visually impaired people. How? He sees,
at least once every year! “There has never been any twelve
months without me seeing once. My sight lasts at least
between five and 45 minutes during each of the periods, he
said.
Pastor Guigma T. Iddrisa a 75-year-old Burkinabe, a former
boxer and driver disclosed these nerve-chilling encounters
to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Accra during his recent
visit to the country, courtesy Remar Christian
Rehabilitation Centre (Remar Ghana), an international
Christian charity.
Recounting his encounter with God to the GNA, Pastor Iddrisa
said, it all started after he had retired from active boxing
and ventured into cocoa buying in 1980. On one of his usual
trips to purchase cocoa, he stopped over at a village to buy
porridge for breakfast. Since the seller could not provide
him with the appropriate change, he went back to his vehicle
apparently to bring a smaller denomination to pay. “When I
got to the vehicle, I reached out for some coins on my
dashboard, as I stretched forth to see the amount, I saw
some strange strong lights, like that of a strong flashlight
or even the rays of the sun entered my sight. Thereafter, I
could not see any longer!”
Mr. Iddrisa was then rushed to the hospital to seek medical
attention. “I was taken to almost all the best hospitals in
Burkina Faso and beyond but I could not regain my sight!”
Even eye specialists from Spain came to my aid with modern
equipments but their tests were not any different from the
previous ones-‘everything was functioning perfectly’. “I was
later taken round several healing centres and prayer camps.
But also to no avail.”
It is at one of these prayer camps that I had my revelation.
“I reminiscent with great nostalgia how strong I was some
years past. How I used to knock out my opponents in the
boxing ring. How I was in full control of my steering on my
cargo trucks trading in cocoa. I also remembered how I used
to sometimes send my herd of cattle and flock of sheep to
the field to graze. Now here I am, with restricted movement
in a prayer camp.
“Like any other human being, I decided to end it all by
committing suicide. I did not disclose this to anybody- not
even my wife who was by then with me at the prayer camp.
Since I could not see, the wind directed me to a tree. While
climbing, I fell and there God revealed Himself to me that
he wanted me to serve Him for the rest of my life. And that,
all what I was going through was only to help me serve Him
better and to consider them as tribulations.
“I had waist injury after I fell hence I could not wake up.
Someone saw me and informed my wife and the Pastor who came
for me. I narrated my encounter to them. The Pastor asked me
to repent and to accept Jesus Christ as my Lord and personal
Saviour. As at that time, I was a Moslem. But by the grace
of God, I became a Christian. All these happened in 1981 and
that also marked the genesis of my walk with Jesus”.
The Orphanage
Pastor Guigma recounted how he started his orphanage, which
is now home to several hundreds of people. According to him,
one day in his village- Sadeba in the Batega province, which
is, about 45 minutes drive from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso,
a woman died shortly after giving birth. It was then agreed
that the child should be buried with the mother alive as it
was considered a bad luck baby.
“Immediately, I heard a voice instructing me not to permit
the burial of the baby who was alive. For a very long time,
the voice kept instructing me hence I screamed restraining
the elders not to bury the child. I asked that the child
should be given to me. Since I could not see, people
wondered what I wanted to do with a newborn baby. I sent for
my wife who came for the baby. That was the beginning of the
orphanage called “Association Nangma”. I can tell you
confidently that, the boy is now a professor. Over 700
people have passed through my orphanage and are now on their
own. Some are now medical doctors, teachers, and pastors
among others. Presently I have 272 people that I am taking
care of through the Grace of God. Some of these people were
girls forced into marriages who absconded, drug addicts,
psychiatric patients among other sick people.
Miracles
Though Pastor Guima could not see and has never been to
school, he could read and preach with the Bible. He told the
GNA that his main calling is prayer. When he prays miracles
happen instantaneously.
He recalled that there was a cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM)
outbreak in his village during which 15 people died. As at
the time he was informed, 45 children in his orphanage were
attacked with the disease and were on the verge of dying.
When he prayed, God performed a miracle and all the children
regained health. When the villagers heard of the miracle,
they rushed to the hospital. Those who were at the hospitals
were moved to his place. Through the grace of God what could
have been a disaster was reversed after he prayed.
Here in Ghana in the 1990s, a young girl then at the Remar
Ghana Rehabilitation Centre died at the Korle Bu Teaching
Hospital during a cholera outbreak in Accra. Some of the
inmates of the camp were on admission at the hospital. At
the ward where the children were, the man of God was said to
have prayed and all the children received their healing. He
later on prayed for the dead girl who also came back to life
by the grace of God. The girl is now with the Remar Head
Pastor at Burkina. It is on record that Pastor Guigma had
prayed for seven dead people at different places and times
who have come back to life and have since being living.
During his recent visit to Ghana in May this year, Pastor
Guigma was in Tema where a man suffering from stroke began
to walk after he prayed for him to the amazement of
onlookers and families.
The irony of the pastor’s case is that he could pray for
even the blind who received their sight instantaneously yet
he could not see, apart from his usual annual visitation by
God which allowed him to see at least once every year. He
said he prayed for 23 blind people at a crusade at Burkina
Faso who received their sights back. When the GNA asked him
how he felt when such blind people testified that they had
received their sights, he said he did not feel bad but
rather happy since he was doing the will of God.
The man of God was said to have also prayed for a man with a
five-year old stroke at Senegal and was completely healed.
His miracle crusade had taken him to several African
countries, including Cote d’Ivoire, Benin, Senegal, Nigeria,
Niger and also here in Ghana.
GNA
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