For a long time, the death of Ibidun Ighodalo, ex-beauty queen and wife of Pastor Ituah Ighodalo, will keep resonating in the lives of many people she impacted.
Indeed, it may well be safe to say she has not died since her footprints would still be very much around.
While alive, despite waiting for the fruit of the womb, she obeyed God to start a foundation to help waiting mothers.
In an interview with Channels Television during her life time, she narrated how she waited for the fruit of the womb after her marriage to no avail.
But the fact that she was waiting did not deter her from supporting women that had similar challenge.
She said, “The foundation to support women waiting for the fruit of the womb was born out of pain. When I got married I expected to start having children. “But nothing was happening. Two years went by and I began to get worried. My husband said to me that we have to wait on the Lord. He said what God would not do, let it not be done. But as a woman I began to get worried and did all I could within medical limits but nothing happened.”
She said the period of her waiting was quite traumatic. “When you are waiting on God, things people do just get at you. When you see those who were your mates in marriage having children and talking about school runs of their children, it makes you also want to have your own children. Your husband is your friend, but somehow you feel that you also need the company of children.”
She said in the process of looking for the fruit of the womb she went through In vitro fertilization IVF for 11 times. “After going through IVF for 11 times it got to a point that I said enough. I said I was not going to do it again. I remember waking up on one of my birthdays and praying and making my request before God. It was during my birthday that the Lord spoke to me that, while waiting for the fruit of the womb I should begin to help mothers that are waiting.
“The moment I heard that I felt some inexplicable joy. I felt light and I felt fulfilled. I felt this was why I was born. My life was playing before me. I said to God that, Lord I am trusting you in this journey. I prayed that every single couple that came my way would be blessed with the fruit of the womb.”
That was the game changer. She set out to do the Lord’s will and things began to happen. She said the Lord raised a couple to help with support for one of the waiting mothers that applied for help through the foundation and the result was a set of twins. She was so overwhelmed with the result that she literally forgot that she was also waiting for a child.
There was a time the foundation according to her got about 2720 applications from couples who needed help for IVF.
She said she was trusting God that help would come for them. The glow on her face during the interview clearly showed that she was a fulfilled woman whose joy is derived from wiping the tears of others. Indeed, she has left her footprints on the sand of time.
Culled from Church Times Nigeria