Pastor Guigma T. Iddrisa- The Blind Philanthropist

A GNA Feature by: PATRICIA AKPENE TEGBE

Accra, July 10. 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!