Time and again I am asked in particular by ministering brethren how and when I met Brother Branham and which experiences were the most important to me.

In 1949, the well-known Rev. David DuPlessis from South Africa spoke during the Pentecost meetings of the Elim Pentecostal Church of Rev. Paul Rabe in Hamburg on Bachstreet, as well as a man from Los Angeles, USA, by the name of Hal Herman, who prayed for the sick. From him, I first heard the name William Branham in connection with the special gift of healing.

In 1951, I attended the meetings of the Free Pentecostal Church in Hamburg on Eimsbütteler Street held by Rev. Oscar Lardon. Other speakers included a German-American from New York, Hans Waldvogel, and the Swiss-American Richard Ruff, both of whom also mentioned William Bran-ham because of his special gift of healing and prophecy. At that time, the worldwide healing revival, which had started with William Branham, began spreading everywhere.

In 1953, I received the German edition of the book William Branham – A Man Sent from God from Albert Götz, the founder of the publishing house “Mehr Licht Verlag” in Hamburg. The author was the American Gordon Lindsay from Dallas, Texas. What was reported in it made a profound impression on me.

When I learned that William Branham was going to have special meetings in Karlsruhe from August 12 to 19, 1955, I was certain that I had to attend. There, I became an eye- and ear-witness to his mighty ministry for the first time. What had taken place in the prophetic ministry of our Lord was being repeated before our eyes. As He could say to Nathanael, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee …,” and to Peter, when He met him for the first time, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona …” (Jn 1:42+48), or tell the woman at the well what had happened in her life (Jn 4), etc., that is how it came to pass in the prophetic ministry of Brother Branham: While praying for the sick, Brother Branham saw in visions things pertaining to the person for whom he was praying, things which he could not have known. When he told him or her what he had seen, the faith of the sick individual was strengthened in such a way that he or she walked away healed. In regard to this prophetic gift of a seer, he referred to Jn 14:12: “… the works that I do shall he do also …” and, above all, to Jn 5:19: “… The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do …” The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, was the promised Prophet (Deu 18:18). He saw in visions things which pertained to the individuals to whom He spoke, so did Brother Branham.

All of us were overwhelmed by the extraordinary, supernaturally confirmed ministry because, before our eyes, the blind received their sight, the deaf could hear, and the lame could walk. Jesus Christ manifested Himself as the Same during that time, just as He had done back when He walked on earth (Heb 13:8). Right from the first meeting I knew that this was a man sent from God, for nobody could do what was taking place there unless God was with him. Needless to say, I had the desire to meet this man of God personally.

On Monday, August 15, 1955, I was given the opportunity. Never before had I experienced such humility and sincerity! As I was standing near the hotel reception desk, Brother Branham entered the lobby, looked at me, and said while having his right hand raised up a little toward me, “You are a preacher of the gospel; your wife is standing there at the entrance.” This was followed by a handshake and a short conversation. The experience left such a deep impression on me that I wanted to stay in contact with the man of God.

Therefore, I took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the great “Voice of Healing Conference” in Dallas, Texas, in June 1958. Several world-famous evangelists spoke during the morning and afternoon meetings, and in the evenings Brother Branham was the main speaker. I could see the difference and addressed Brother Branham before one of the meetings. I wanted to know what his ministry was all about since it was unlike all the others. He replied, “I have a message that I must bring.” At the end of the conversation, he said, “Brother Frank, you will return to Germany with this message.” I had emigrated to Canada with my wife two years earlier, bought a house, and wanted to stay there for good; however, I accepted his words as “Thus saith the Lord.” Hence, we returned to Germany the following August. Brother Branham had also asked me during that same conversation in Dallas to see the “tape boys” Leo and Gene who recorded his sermons. I received five audio tapes from them and gave them my address. At the beginning of his sermon “We Would Like to See Jesus” from June 12, 1958, Brother Branham referred to our conversation by saying, “Just now, a man laid his arm around me from Germany, just now, where we had on the average of ten thousand converts every night: fifty thousand in five nights.”

From then on, all taped sermons of Brother Branham were sent to me. Thus I was able to follow his ministry without interruption until the end. In December 1959, I then started to translate the sermons in a small prayer group in Krefeld. On November 28, 1963, Brother Branham said in a meeting, “The tape ministry is a worldwide thing, everywhere. I think it’s one way God has got scattering the Message back into the heathen lands, back in where that it has to be translated. And in Germany, and so forth, they got tapes they go to their congregations of hundreds and hundreds of people; and put little things in their ears, and run it onto a tape. And just as I’m speaking, the minister stands there making the same expressions, and in the other languages, and bringing it out before hundreds …”

Time and again I am asked in particular by ministering brethren how and when I met Brother Branham and which experiences were the most important to me.

In 1949, the well-known Rev. David DuPlessis from South Africa spoke during the Pentecost meetings of the Elim Pentecostal Church of Rev. Paul Rabe in Hamburg on Bachstreet, as well as a man from Los Angeles, USA, by the name of Hal Herman, who prayed for the sick. From him, I first heard the name William Branham in connection with the special gift of healing.

In 1951, I attended the meetings of the Free Pentecostal Church in Hamburg on Eimsbütteler Street held by Rev. Oscar Lardon. Other speakers included a German-American from New York, Hans Waldvogel, and the Swiss-American Richard Ruff, both of whom also mentioned William Bran-ham because of his special gift of healing and prophecy. At that time, the worldwide healing revival, which had started with William Branham, began spreading everywhere.

In 1953, I received the German edition of the book William Branham – A Man Sent from God from Albert Götz, the founder of the publishing house “Mehr Licht Verlag” in Hamburg. The author was the American Gordon Lindsay from Dallas, Texas. What was reported in it made a profound impression on me.

When I learned that William Branham was going to have special meetings in Karlsruhe from August 12 to 19, 1955, I was certain that I had to attend. There, I became an eye- and ear-witness to his mighty ministry for the first time. What had taken place in the prophetic ministry of our Lord was being repeated before our eyes. As He could say to Nathanael, “Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee …,” and to Peter, when He met him for the first time, “Thou art Simon the son of Jona …” (Jn 1:42+48), or tell the woman at the well what had happened in her life (Jn 4), etc., that is how it came to pass in the prophetic ministry of Brother Branham: While praying for the sick, Brother Branham saw in visions things pertaining to the person for whom he was praying, things which he could not have known. When he told him or her what he had seen, the faith of the sick individual was strengthened in such a way that he or she walked away healed. In regard to this prophetic gift of a seer, he referred to Jn 14:12: “… the works that I do shall he do also …” and, above all, to Jn 5:19: “… The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do …” The Son of Man, Jesus Christ, was the promised Prophet (Deu 18:18). He saw in visions things which pertained to the individuals to whom He spoke, so did Brother Branham.

All of us were overwhelmed by the extraordinary, supernaturally confirmed ministry because, before our eyes, the blind received their sight, the deaf could hear, and the lame could walk. Jesus Christ manifested Himself as the Same during that time, just as He had done back when He walked on earth (Heb 13:8). Right from the first meeting I knew that this was a man sent from God, for nobody could do what was taking place there unless God was with him. Needless to say, I had the desire to meet this man of God personally.

On Monday, August 15, 1955, I was given the opportunity. Never before had I experienced such humility and sincerity! As I was standing near the hotel reception desk, Brother Branham entered the lobby, looked at me, and said while having his right hand raised up a little toward me, “You are a preacher of the gospel; your wife is standing there at the entrance.” This was followed by a handshake and a short conversation. The experience left such a deep impression on me that I wanted to stay in contact with the man of God.

Therefore, I took advantage of the opportunity to participate in the great “Voice of Healing Conference” in Dallas, Texas, in June 1958. Several world-famous evangelists spoke during the morning and afternoon meetings, and in the evenings Brother Branham was the main speaker. I could see the difference and addressed Brother Branham before one of the meetings. I wanted to know what his ministry was all about since it was unlike all the others. He replied, “I have a message that I must bring.” At the end of the conversation, he said, “Brother Frank, you will return to Germany with this message.” I had emigrated to Canada with my wife two years earlier, bought a house, and wanted to stay there for good; however, I accepted his words as “Thus saith the Lord.” Hence, we returned to Germany the following August. Brother Branham had also asked me during that same conversation in Dallas to see the “tape boys” Leo and Gene who recorded his sermons. I received five audio tapes from them and gave them my address. At the beginning of his sermon “We Would Like to See Jesus” from June 12, 1958, Brother Branham referred to our conversation by saying, “Just now, a man laid his arm around me from Germany, just now, where we had on the average of ten thousand converts every night: fifty thousand in five nights.”

From then on, all taped sermons of Brother Branham were sent to me. Thus I was able to follow his ministry without interruption until the end. In December 1959, I then started to translate the sermons in a small prayer group in Krefeld. On November 28, 1963, Brother Branham said in a meeting, “The tape ministry is a worldwide thing, everywhere. I think it’s one way God has got scattering the Message back into the heathen lands, back in where that it has to be translated. And in Germany, and so forth, they got tapes they go to their congregations of hundreds and hundreds of people; and put little things in their ears, and run it onto a tape. And just as I’m speaking, the minister stands there making the same expressions, and in the other languages, and bringing it out before hundreds …”