The boy who could predict the future

He was born with special gifts that would make anyone who knows him today conclude that perhaps, he was destined to be who he is today.This was because as early as nine years, he could foresee future events and whatever he predicted came to pass.
"When I tell you this will happen to you, it will happen. When I say it will rain tomorrow, it will indeed rain. When my school is going for sporting activities and I predict the scores, that indeed would be the score," disclosed Rt Rev. Joseph Bondzie Impraim, who until recently was the Methodist Bishop of Oda.
Young Impraim's gift went beyond soothsaying. For some strange reasons, as a child whenever he went to sell, all his wares got finished quickly. "My aunty sold bread, kenkey and provisions and whenever I sold to the first person who came to buy from her, that day, all the items would get finished. It was a gift I did not understand."
However, instead of people appreciating his gift of predicting future events, they called him a wizard. "Initially, I did not know that being a wizard was something bad so I was happy when they called me so. Later, when I got to know the meaning, I stopped them from calling me that and that also stopped me from predicting future events". With time, because he did not use the gift, young Impraim completely lost it.
Junior Graphic caught up with Rt Rev. Impraim recently to share his childhood story with children.
Held in high esteem by the church, it was said that, as a priest, he once went to church but the church had not been swept so he picked up a broom and started sweeping. No wonder he was awarded the Best Humble Priest by the Church. But do you know that this man of God never wanted to become a priest as a child?
"Throughout my childhood, people called me "sofo" (priest) but I did not want to become a minister because of the insults and negative things I have heard people say about them in my area," stated the reverend minister. Young Impraim was born some 63 years ago at Apam but when he was five years old, he was separated from his parents and stayed with his aunty, first at Agona Swedru then to Abora Dunkwa where he started school. His stay in Abora Dunkwa was, however, brief as the family moved to Kintampo then to Shama, in the Western region where he grew up.
Shama was a fishing community and because young Impraim's aunty was a baker and sold items like kenkey and provisions, everyday before and after school, he went to sell those items. After school, however, when his wares got finished early, he did not go home. Instead, he went to the beach to play football with friends till late in the evening. "I sometimes came home with a broken leg and my aunty would scold me. But that did not stop me from playing football. I still went back when my wound was healed."
Even though young Impraim did a lot of selling as a child, he never played with his books. "Sometimes, while selling kenkey in the evening, my books will be by my side. Therefore, any little time that I got, I read. Again, because I knew at home I won’t get enough time to study, I made sure I studied and did my home work at school before I came home."
But do you know why young Impraim paid so much attention to his books? He did not want any girl to beat him in exams. He was also so much conscious about what people say about him that he did not make too many friends. "You will never see me involved in fights but I always spoke my mind freely. If I see someone doing the wrong thing, I pointed it out to them. Even with my teachers, when I see them having an affair with the students, I confront them."
Young Impraim's desire to have secondary education was nearly shattered when after spending only a term in Fijai Secondary School, he was sacked home for non payment of fees. He, therefore, had to stay at home for two years but used that period to teach. He saved the little money he earned to enter teacher training college.
It was while at teacher training that young Impraim's perception about reverend ministers changed after an encounter with God. He, therefore went to the Trinity Theological Seminary to be trained as a minister after training college. In 1981, he graduated from Trinity with a diploma in Theology.
He was first posted to Wesley Grammar School to teach and serve as the chaplain and guidance and counselling teacher. After years of teaching at Wesley Grammar, he went into full time ministry in 1985. He is married to Mrs Dora Impraim and has 10 children.