“I told my mum I was going to have 7 children and my mum was happy.” – Archbishop Margaret Benson Idahosa
“…As the crusades progressed and Benson and Margaret Idahosa saw literally hundreds of people coming into the Kingdom, they rejoiced and praised God. …But their joy was Truly Complete when they learned that AT LAST Margaret was Expecting a Child. Although a gynaecologist had told her that she had a Chronic Disorder that would PREVENT her from EVER Having a Baby, his diagnosis was proven WRONG.
Margaret was ecstatic when they knew she was Indeed Pregnant. “I Knew God would NOT FAIL Us”, Benson said with a broad smile.
We shall have a SON, and his name will be FAITH EMMANUEL BENSON.”
And he was Right. On DECEMBER 22, 1972, their son was born, just slightly more than a year from the time the Lord had reaffirmed His promise to Benson while he was a student at Christ For The Nations Institute, Dallas, Texas. “ – Ruthanne Garlock (Fire in His Bones, 1981)
Archbishop Margaret Benson Idahosa recently celebrated her 77th birthday with a release of a documentary. Among other things discussed was her experience while waiting on the Lord for fruit of the womb. Mummy Idahosa got married on 6th April 1969 but she had to wait for 3 years coupled with the harassment from her family and in-laws, but her strength came from God and her husband who stood solidly with her. Her case was peculiar because this happened in the early 70s when the Nigerian society was hostile to delay in childbearing and will go all out to ensure they frustrate the couple through various means.
When I got married, I didn’t have children on time. The concept of Africa/ Nigeria: when a woman is married, the next 6 months they are expecting your stomach to be protruding or it’s either that one (stomach protruding) before you get married; but my case was different.
First year, there was no child and I passed through HELL from my family and your (her husband’s) family.
There was a time they (husband’s family) called me and said:
“We want to know who is a man among you, whether you are the man or the other one!”
“We want to know who is the husband? Who is the wife?”
In another incident, then we had a motorcycle, they called him (Benson Idahosa) in the family house and they said, “when you are coming, don’t bring Margaret.”
He said: “Why? Margaret is my wife. I have to”
So, we went, he took me with his bike and we went to the family house. When we got to the family house, “you brought Margaret. No, we don’t want her in.”
My husband said: Why?
They said: Because we want to talk to you alone.
He said: What you want to tell me, if you cannot say it in the presence of my wife, then that thing is not important.
Do you know what he did? He left them.
He said: “Margaret sit down at my back.” I sat down and we went home; they (husband’s family) left us alone.
After the second year, no child (was) coming!
I went everywhere. There was one Doctor, Dr Ogun…he was the best gynaecologist of our time. My husband paid a lot of money and said, “go and see him…”
I went to see him; he went to work. He looked at me, examined me. He said, “let me be frank with you: YOU CAN’T HAVE CHILDREN!”
I said: How?
He said, every womb is like this (gives an illustration of a cup shaped size) to receive but yours is tilted; it cannot carry children. From Mission road, I started crying down to New Benin. I cried my eyes out. My husband came in the evening and said, “what’s wrong?”
Margaret: This is what Dr Ogunro said
My husband: Margaret, if I be a man of God, God will give us children. Unless if he has another god that he is serving behind or you…
I said: I don’t have any other god.
So we went into prayers. We prayed that year, children did not come. The fourth year, children did not come. Then Gordon Lindsey … came to Nigeria and Pa Elton now brought Gordon Lindsey to us in Miracle Centre. Gordon Lindsey prophesied and said, “You will have children. Before then, you will follow me to America to be trained.”
Few months later, my husband got a visa and left for America. I was left at home but I didn’t feel it because I was busy in Church, going for crusades, praying here and there. He (my husband) was supposed to spend 2 years but after a year, I think the Lord convinced him to go back home because souls were perishing. He left (America) and came (back to Nigeria). He came back after a year 1971 and after a year, I took in for my son.
I told my husband: honey, I missed my ‘time’. He said don’t look for it. Don’t look for the ‘time’ at all. ‘Time’ is gone and 9 months later, I had my son.
Six months later, I was pregnant. I went to London in Leeds. I was in Leeds for more than a year. I was pregnant before I left but nobody knew it. One person knew it, that was Uncle Gab (he is dead now). He wrote me a letter and said, “Mum, you are pregnant. You are going to have a girl, a baby girl.”
Then we had to go to NITEL to call (international call) and everybody would sit down looking; you would enter the cubicle and you had to shout: “Hello…” Everybody would hear what you are saying. To cut the long story short, I had a baby girl in London; he came, we all rejoiced. Then we came home. After a year, I was pregnant of Daisy and we thought we were finished: 4 years before you showed up…Praise the Lord.
PS: Within 7 years, God wiped away the reproach of 3 years and blessed her with 4 lovely children in quick succession.
First son: Faith Emmanuel Benson Idahosa – 22nd December 1972
First Daughter: Ruth Evon Benson Idahosa – 8th March 1974
Second Daughter: Daisy Benson Idahosa – 12th May 1975
Third Daughter: Freda Idahosa Ajayi – 22nd April 1979
May this testimony encourage those who are going through similar situations to look unto God, hold fast to His promises of fruitfulness, remain joyful and surely God will turn your tears to dancing because He is too faithful to fail you and too loving to disappoint you (Exodus 23:26, Psalm 30:11).
Sources: Archbishop Margaret Idahosa’s Interview Excerpt, Church Gist Archives
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