The dear LORD ordained it that I, as the least among His servants, should have a great part in the world-wide proclamation of His Word. What He saw in me I do not know, perhaps it was what He Himself had placed within me, for I personally brought nothing along that He could use. HE is sovereign, cannot be influenced and does all things according to His purpose. It so pleased the LORD to call me on 2nd April, 1962, giving me a direct commission, as prophets and apostles had received. With the same divine truthfulness as Paul spoke of his calling and commission, I can testify of the same. He could tell precisely and I can, too, - thanks be to God - where and when it happened and can repeat the exact words in detail. To me it is also of significance that he received his calling in his Hebrew mother tongue from the mouth of the resurrected and glorified LORD (Acts 26: 14). With the same assurance I can testify to having heard the mighty, all-penetrating-commanding voice of the resurrected LORD in my German mother tongue: “MY SERVANT, YOUR TIME FOR THIS CITY WILL SOON BE OVER. I WILL SEND YOU TO OTHER CITIES TO PREACH MY WORD.”

The voice came from above, but from the right. At that very moment, my physical strength left me and I fell to the left, with my face towards the ground. Paul also fell to the ground (Acts 9: 4). The next moment I was taken out of my body, observing from the other dimension as I was then standing in the room, my hands stretched out before me, saying the words, “LORD, they will not hear me. They have all things in abundance and are not ready to listen.” Then the LORD answered, My SERVANT, THE TIME WILL COME WHEN THEY WILL HEAR YOU. STORE IN FOOD, FOR A GREAT FAMINE IS COMING. THEN THOU SHALT STAND AMIDST THE PEOPLE TO GIVE OUT THE FOOD.” The last words of the heavenly calling were, “MY SERVANT, DO NOT ESTABLISH LOCAL CHURCHES AND DO NOT PUBLISH A SONG BOOK, FOR IT IS THE SIGN OF A DENOMINATION. All the words of this testimony are just as true as every word of Paul's calling in the Bible. Nobody can actually imagine what an absolute is connected to a direct, personally received commission of the LORD. Satan and all of hell could assail me: The divine decision and the experience I had would still remain true throughout all eternity.

The year 1961 had been the climax of the Cold War, including the Cuba crisis. Mr. Nikita Chrushtchev, the general secretary of the Soviet Union, had just beaten the pulpit at the UN summit meeting with his shoe, repeating quite loudly, “We shall never agree! We shall never agree!” In Berlin, Russian tanks on one side and American tanks on the other side of the Brandenburg gate were facing each other. The US-President John F. Kennedy said, “I will make an example of Berlin!” On 13th August, the Russian military started to build the Berlin Wall. In our country was high political tension, similar to the Soviet Berlin blockade in 1948/49. Therefore, I was under the impression that a catastrophe would strike our country, followed by a famine, comparable to the one at the end of World War 11. And we actually stored natural food and groceries. But the months passed - without any catastrophe. I personally almost reached a state of despair, for I had announced the famine, as the LORD had told me, without it happening. I did not want to preach any more and even told the LORD, “If You will not give me an answer, then take my life!”

At that decisive moment, the thought came to me that I should fly to the USA to see Brother Branham. I knew about his gift and expected the LORD to give me an answer through him. And thanks be to God, that was what happened. On 3rd December, 1962, the four of us, Brother Branham, myself, Brother Banks Woods and Brother Fred Sothmann, were sitting at the table. Brother Branham inquired about the spiritual situation in Germany and Switzerland, whether the message was being believed. He asked about Brother Erwin Mueller and Dr. Adolf Guggenbuehl, for Dr. Guggenbuehl from Switzerland had also arranged the meetings for Brother Mueller in Germany. The conversation took its course. I got impatient, for only one question was burning in my soul: to know about what the LORD had spoken. I just said, “Brother Branham, I have something special upon my heart. May I ask you about it?” Spontaneously he looked at me, raised his right hand a little across the table and said, “Brother Frank, may I tell you why you have come to see me? The LORD has spoken to you. May I tell you what He said?” And he repeated word for word and sentence for sentence in the exact order what the LORD had said to me at daybreak on 2nd April, 1962. 1 was completely overwhelmed and speechless. Then Brother Branham continued, saying, “Brother Frank, you misunderstood what the LORD said. You thought there will come a natural famine and you have put in store natural food and groceries. But the LORD will send a famine to hear His Word. And the food you are to put in store is the promised Word of God for this time, which the LORD has revealed and it is kept in the sermons, which are recorded on tape.” He added. “Wait with the giving out until you receive the rest of the food.” This part I did not understand, but could not ask about it and therefore was sad later on. How could I have known then, that Brother Branham, after preaching about the Seven Seals from the Book of Revelation in March 1963 and other important subjects like “Marriage and divorce”, would be taken home to Glory only three years later, on 24th December, 1965? Finally, Brother Branham laid his hands on me and prayed for me, embracing me.

I am very grateful for the answer given to me, which at the same time was a confirmation. I have carried out my ministry in a twofold way, according to my commission, traveling from country to country, from city to city, preaching God's Word and also translating more than 200 sermons of Bro. Branham, God's messenger for this time, up till now into the German language. I am also responsible for the publishing of his sermons in many other languages. In this way God's people are receiving the spiritual food, the promised and revealed Word of the hour.

It was only because of my initiative that the sermons of Brother Branham, which to the day of his departure had only been recorded on tapes, were now printed as brochures. If I had not called the brothers together after the day of Brother Branham's burial - among whom were Roy Borders, Pearry Green, Lee Vayle and others - and had not told them about the commission I received from the LORD and what now needs to be done, the ministry of the man sent from God would have been buried with him and the whole world would have never heard about the end-time message. God knows all things and plans them in a perfect way. Brother Woods and Brother Sothmann were present as witnesses to confirm my interview with Brother Branham of December 1962. God had taken care of the things, which were now to happen, according to the corresponding instructions. So what would have been the end, became a new beginning.

The brothers in the USA, who had been around Brother Branham, without exception were expecting his resurrection and the burial was postponed over and over again until Easter 1966. Even at the cemetery, the chorus -Only believe- was sung by all the bereaved for about two hours, still expecting him to rise, before the coffin was eventually lowered into the grave. I did not sing, I wept, prayed and talked with my LORD. At the evening of the same day, while in my hotel room, a deep peace suddenly entered my soul. It was as though a heavy burden was lifted from me and the LORD seemed to change my sadness into joy. There it spoke very strongly in my heart, “Now your time to give out the food has come.” After receiving this direction, I called the brothers together the next morning to that most decisive conversation. Brother Roy Borders took upon himself the responsibility to print and to publish Brother Branham's sermons.