The following is an article written in The Herald of Faith Magazine, February 1959.

BY LEN J. JONES

The first Branham meeting that I attended was in Vernon, British Columbia, Canada, eight years ago.

The second Branham meeting was at Shreveport, Louisiana, four years ago. I wrote about this in "The Evidence." Few articles that I have written have evoked so much interest as this did.

And now I have just attended my third Branham meeting, this time at Greenville, South Carolina.

Mу purpose in attending was twofold, first, that I might see Brother Branham about meetings in Australia and New Zealand, and second, that I might enjoy his ministry again and see what has happened since my previous experience.

In connection with the first purpose of my attendance at this meeting, Australian and New Zealand friends will be interested to know that Brother Branham has agreed to come to Australia and New Zealand in February of next year if suitable arrangements can be made. Now let me make this clear so that there will be no misunderstanding later—he has not given his final word, which he will do in December, but he did tell me that we could go ahead and book the necessary facilities in both countries. At that moment he said he felt like saying definitely that it would be O.K., but thought that perhaps he should wait before giving the final word.

He was quite insistent that he did not want to make a mistake, and that if he went in the will of God, things would happen, but if he didn't, little would take place. He had little personal desire one way or the other, but just wanted to do the will of God in all things. He told me a story of a man conducting an orchestra before a great crowd of people, who kept continually looking away from the people to the gallery. When asked why, he explained that in the gallery was his teacher, and that he sought to please him only, and then all would be well. Brother Branham said it was the Lord, and not the people around, that we should look to and endeavor to please at all times and in everything.

Spending the afternoon with Brother Branham in the company of Joseph Mattsson Boze of Chicago, it was most inspiring to discern Brother Branham's utter and complete consecration. Seldom in life, if ever, have I met a man so utterly and completely sold out to God, and so completely desirous of pleasing Him in all things. Usually when Evangelists are asked about meetings they want to know about fares, expenses and love offerings. Brоther Branham did not even think of such things, in fact went out of his way on two occasions to tell me, "Brother Jones if I come to Australia and New Zealand, I don't want one red cent of money from your people or your countries." And he meant just that!

American preachers are very dress conscious, and usually look as if they have just "stepped out of a band box." In the evening service I noticed that Brother Branham had different pants to his coat, something that is just not done in U.S.A., where clothes seem to mean so much and few are courageous to break with this. I always appreciate what Edwin Orr said when he was in New Zealand. "You know" he said, "people call me 'one suit Orr.' " It takes courage to be different. On my last visit I mentioned how "car conscious" American preachers are, almost judging a man's success by the car that he drives. At this particular conference, where Brother Branham was the principal speaker, they all came up in their nice cars, the picture of elegance, but Brother Branham drove up in his truck. Не doesn't seem to worry about these things in this country, that, more than any I know, bends over backwards, "to keep up with the Joneses." Branham's eyes seem to be always on the Teacher in the gallery, seeking His smile only, and not upon the people around about.

His message that night was on the Lord Jesus Christ being the "same, yesterday, today and for ever." He said that if this were so, we should expect Him that very night to do the things He used to do. And then he remarked, "And He will." William Branham practices what we preach. He told how Jesus told Nathaniel "Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee." (John 1:48.) He mentioned that Jesus said to the Woman at the Well, "For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband" (John 4:18). Brother Branham said that that was what Jesus did yesterday, and that was also what He was going to do that very night. And He did!

The first person that came to him that night was a woman. He said, "Неrе is a woman like the woman at the well. I have never met her before. Right now this Bible is going to be proved, true or false. I don't know this woman at all—she may be a good woman or she may be bad—she may be a sinner or she may be a saint. Watch now and we will see what happens." He then turned to her and told her that she had come for prayer for her eyes as she was losing her sight. He waited, and then went on further, telling her that one of the nerves in her eye was dying. He then told her that she was from Chicago and that she was praying for her son-in-law who was living in Ohio and was dying. The woman signified that everything he said was true, and went off the platform sobbing profusely, as were many others also in the congregation.

The next person that came to him was a man. Branham remarked, "Here is a complete stranger to me, and is like Nathaniel of old." He told him that he was a Christian and that his trouble was in his head, and that he was also troubled about his wife who had a certain disease that he named. He then looked at him and said, "You are a preacher and your name is Carter." Completely wrought upon as one who has seen the Lord, the preacher in tears walked off the platform.

The third person was another lady. He looked at her and told her that she was not there for herself, but for her sister-in-law who lived in California who was in the hospital with an ulcer on her foot with the Doctor attending her. Then he remarked to her, "You were healed in a previous meeting of mine of cancer, and you are praying for your father to stop smoking."

Brother Branham never missed. There was nothing "hit or miss" about it. It was not guesswork. He did not ask them if this were so, but told them with authority that it was so, without any hesitation or doubt. He asked them if he had spoken the truth, to raise their hands so that the audience would know. This they all did without exception.

He told the next person, "You are suffering from a Nervous Disorder, Hemorrhoids and Varicose Veins, and you are praying for your son who has Epileptic Fits."

As I write this report I assure you that there is no catch in this at all. There is no trickery about it whatsoever. This man rings with sincerity and there is not a person in the great congregation, sinner or saint, who thinks for a moment that this man is not real and sincere and so beautifully transparent. It is an amazing experience to be in a meeting like this. It makes it easy for you to believe in the miracles of the Bible. Branham is in a class of his own—he lives in a different dimension, not only a different dimension with regard to the supernatural, but in a different dimension also as regards his utter consecration. This man will never be appreciated until after he has gone, and then maybe he will be spoken of with hushed breath.

As he stood on the platform in the great Textile Hall at Greenville, South Carolina, on that Thursday night, he stopped and looked toward the congregation. Looking in a certain direction he said, "Over there is Mrs. Kay. She comes from Spartenburg. She suffers from Cancer and has been praying that I would notice her and her condition."

I would draw your attention to the fact that I have reported every case and not missed any—these are not certain cases picked out of many, but a true report of everyone that appeared in front of him. I jotted them down then and there.

To the next man he said, "You are a young preacher. You did not come on behalf of yourself. You came from Macon, Georgia, on behalf of a Baptist Minister who needs prayer, in fact he paid your fare in order that you might come on his behalf."

In every case the effect on the people was electric. They sobbed as he revealed these things to them, and the great crowd could not contain itself as these things were mentioned. I have faithfully reported exactly what took place. I leave you to judge and come to your own conclusions as to how it all happened. I assure you there was no fumbling, no hesitations and no misses—the gift was absolutely perfect in every case. I also assure you that if you knew this man better, you would have no doubts as to the source of his inspiration, and would be afraid to say a word against him. In the afternoon he told me how it all took place—he is very humble and sincere and has nothing to hide at all. If he did make a mistake, which he never does, he would be the first to acknowledge it. He is one of the meekest and humblest men you could ever meet, loud in his praises of others (he continually refers to the great work that Billy Graham and Oral Roberts are doing) but so humble as to his own ministry.

For the first two nights he preached and did not pray for the sick. When he asked how many would like him to pray for the sick that night, the response was unanimous. All that he remarked was, "Well, that proves that I am no preacher."

After these were prayed for on the platform, he looked toward the great audience, and then picked out people all over the place. Looking in one direction he said, "There is an old man sitting here with a Double Rupture. Over there is a lady with a growth on her nose—I cannot see the growth, but I know it is there. It is a Skin Cancer. She went toward the healing line, but found that she had the wrong number and returned back to her seat." Looking in another direction he said, "That man with the white shirt has stomach trouble—go, and eat a hamburger in the Name of the Lord. Further over is a man with a Cancer."

And so it went an without any hesitation or delay, and without any doubt that everything he said was true. In not one case did he make a mistake. There was no thought of a mistake or a guess—there never is.

The great crowd sobbed and sobbed. The missionary from Indonesia (Rev. Dal. Walker) who sat alongside me, told me that he felt something was happening to him inside and that he wanted to weep and weep. He said he could have burst out sobbing in front of everybody and would have done so only that he would have looked so foolish, and so restrained himself. That night after the meetings as we drove through the night across South Carolina, Georgia, and to his home town in the State of Alabama, we both admitted that we had seen strange things that night. He was most enthusiastic to tell his wife, Dorothy, what he had seen and mentioned to her many times, how he wished she had been there. The following morning as he preached, he recounted to his congregation what had taken place in this Branham meeting at Greenville, South Carolina.

It will be worth it all,
When we see Jesus.
Life's trials will seem so small,
When we see Christ.
One glimpse of His dear face,
All sorrows will erase,
So bravely run the race,
Till we see Christ.

—I. Bonney.