Chapter 5 - A Happy Marriage And A Fateful Decision

After his conversion and call to the ministry there began a happy period of his life when God's blessings rested upon the young man, and everything seemed to go just right. He began a tent meeting in his own home town in Jeffersonville, and for a young preacher twenty-four years of age just entering the ministry, the campaign was remarkably successful. It was estimated that as many as three thousand attended a single service and large numbers were converted. At the baptismal service which followed the revival, some 130 persons were baptized in water. It was at this time that a heavenly light appeared above him as he was about to baptize the seventeenth person, This was witnessed by the vast congregation that stood looking on, by the banks of the Ohio River.

That fall the people of Jeffersonville who had attended his meeting built him a tabernacle, which to this day retains the name of "Branham Tabernacle." The next few years was a fruitful time in which God's blessing rested upon him, and he received several visions of things which he did not fully understand until years later, when a more complete revelation of God's will for his life was made known unto him.

Marriage

It was during these years that he met an excellent Christian girl, whose name was Hope Brumbach. After some months of courtship, the young lady accepted William Branham's proposal and the two were married. We shall let him narrate in the simple, but always dramatic, style he has used in the pulpit, the story of his bashfulness, the proposal by letter, his marriage, and events which followed:

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I was just a little country boy and was real bashful. Considering how shy I was, you probably wonder how I ever got married.

I met a fine Christian girl. I thought she was wonderful. My standard for a woman called for one that didn't drink or smoke cigarettes. It was hard to find such a girl then and it is worse than ever now. I loved this fine girl and I wanted to marry her, but I didn't have nerve enough to ask her. But I knew I had to ask her soon--she was too good a woman to waste time with me--she would get someone else. I only made twenty cents an hour and her daddy made several hundred dollars a month. Every night when I would see her, I would say, "I am going to ask her tonight." And then a great big lump would come up in my throat and I just couldn't do it. I didn't know what to do. You know what I finally did? I wrote her a letter and asked her.

Well, that letter had a little more romance in it than "Dear Miss." I did my very best to write a good letter, although I'm sure it was poor. So in the morning I got ready to put it in the mailbox. But then the thought occurred to me of what would happen if her mother got it. But I was afraid to hand it to her. Finally I got up enough courage to put it in the mailbox on Monday morning. Wednesday night I was supposed to meet her and take her to church. All that week before Wednesday I was really nervous. Wednesday night I went to see her. And as I went I thought of what would happen if her mother came out and said, "William Branham!" I knew I could get along all right with the girl, but I wasn't so sure of the mother.

Finally I went to the door and called for Hope, the girl's name. She came to the door and said, "Will you step in?" I said, "If you don't mind I'll just sit on the porch." I made sure that they wouldn't get me inside. She said, "All right, I'll be ready in just a few minutes."

 I had an old model T Ford, but she said, "It's not far to church, let's walk." This alarmed me and I was sure something had happened. We went on to church but she didn't say anything. I was so nervous that night I didn't hear what the preacher said at all. You know a woman can keep you in suspense.

After we left the church, we started walking down the street--it was a moonlit night. But still she didn't say anything. At last I decided that she hadn't gotten the letter. This made me feel better. I thought that perhaps the letter had been misplaced by the postman, and soon I was my old self. Then she turned to me and said, "Billy, I got your letter." I said to myself, "Oh, what am I going to do now?" Finally I asked, "D-d-did you read it?" She said, "Uh huh." I got more nervous than ever. We were getting near the house. I said, "Did you read it all?" She said, "Uh-huh." Now we were at the steps. I wondered if she was going to lead me in where her mother was. I said quickly, "What did you think about it?" She answered, "It was all right."

Well, I didn't ask her mother, but I knew that I was going to have to ask one of her parents. So I thought that I would ask her dad, as we got along pretty well. One night I went up to where he was sitting in his Buick. You remember I had a model T Ford. So I said to him, "Say, that is a fine car you have." He answered, "Yes, you have a nice Ford too." So I said, "Well--well--well--" He looked at me and said; "Yes, Billy, you can have her." Well, that was a relief. But I said, "But you know I can't make the living that you can give her. You know that I only make twenty cents an hour, digging ditches. But I will do everything that I can for her; I'll be true to her and love her with all my heart." And he put his hand upon my head and said, "Billy, I would rather you would have her than anyone that I know, because I know you will be good to her, and you will love her."

We were married and I don't believe that there was any place on earth that was any happier than our little home. It was wonderful. We didn't have much furniture in that house--a folding bed, an old rug and breakfast set, an old stove that I bought from a junk dealer and put new grates in it. But, friends, it was home, and I would rather live in a shack and have favor with God than live in the best house there is.

Everything went lovely. My wife saved her pennies to get herself a gingham dress. I felt so good when I could do something for her. After two years a little boy came into our home--little Billy Paul. When I first heard him cry in the hospital I seemed to know that he was a boy, and I gave him to God before I even saw him.

He Attends A Full Gospel Convention

A little later I had saved up enough money to get a fishing outfit and I went up to Lake Pawpaw in Michigan for a few days. My money didn't last very long, and I had to return. On my trip back as I crossed the Mishawaka River I saw a great number of people gathering for a meeting. I wondered what kind of people they were and decided that I would go into the meeting. That is where I got acquainted with Pentecost.

I found out that the people had gathered for a convention. They were quite demonstrative, and all this was a little new to me. But they began singing, "I know it was the blood, I know it was the blood." Everybody began clapping their hands and I said, "I wonder what kind of people are these." Pretty soon a bishop got up and began to preach on the Baptism of the Holy Ghost. The longer he preached the more convinced I became that maybe there was something to this. I decided that I would stay until the following day. I didn't have money for a hotel room, so I went out in the country and parked in a cornfield that night and slept. Next morning I got up early and returned to the church. I had bought some rolls and milk, so that my money would hold out. When I returned to the church, quite a number of people had already gathered for morning worship.

That night there were a large number of preachers sitting on the platform. The leader said, "We haven't time to hear you all preach so we are going to ask each one just to get up and tell us your name." So when they came to me I got up and said, Evangelist William Branham," and sat down.

The following afternoon, they had an old colored man get up and preach. He was rather decrepit and I was a little surprised to see them choose such a fellow to preach before that great congregation. He preached from the text, "Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth, when the morning stars sang together." Well, that old fellow picked up about ten million years before the world was ever formed. He just about covered everything in heaven, came down the horizontal rainbow and preached on everything on earth up till the Second Coming of Christ. By the time he had finished he was as spry as a young man. In fact he said, as he went down from the platform, "You haven't got room enough for me to preach." I realized that God had done something for that man that He hadn't done for me. When he started preaching I was sorry for him, but when he got through I was sorry for myself. These people had something that I didn't have, and I wanted it.

That night I went out in the cornfield again and slept. In the morning, since I supposed nobody knew me, I decided that I would put on an old pair of seersucker trousers. My other pair had gotten rather creased from using them as a pillow. This was the last day that I could stay as I only had enough money left to buy gas to go home. I went back to church and when I arrived the people were singing and shouting. I wanted the Baptism of the Holy Ghost if God would give it to me.

Asked To Preach At The Convention

The minister in charge got up and said, "We have just had the testimony service led by the youngest preacher here. The next youngest minister is William Branham of Jeffersonville." He said, "Come forth, Rev. Branham, if you are in the building." You may be sure this startled me. I looked down and saw my seersucker trousers. So I just sat real still. In fact, I had never seen a public address system before, and I certainly, didn't want to get up there and preach before all those powerful preachers. They called again, "Does anyone know the whereabouts of Rev. Branham?" But I only crouched down in my seat lower than before. The call was repeated again. The colored man sitting beside me turned around and said, "Do you know who he is?" I couldn't tell a lie, so I said, "Yes-sir, I know him." He said, "Go get him." I said, "Listen, I'm Brother Branham, but I have on these seersucker trousers and I can't get up on that platform." But the colored man said, "These people don't care how you are dressed. They care about what's in your heart." Well I said, "Please don't say anything about it." But the colored man didn't wait any longer. He shouted out, "There he is! There he is!" My heart Sank; I didn't know what to do. But the night before out in the cornfield I had prayed, "Lord, if these are the people that I have always wanted to find, that seem so happy and free, you give me favor before them." Well, the Lord gave me favor with them, but I hated to go up before the crowd in the seersucker trousers. But everyone was looking at me and I had to do something. So I went on up to the platform. My face was red, and as I turned around I saw the microphones and I thought to myself, "What are those things?" I prayed, "Lord, if You ever helped anybody, help me now."

I opened the Bible and my eyes fell on the verse, "The rich man opened up his eyes in hell." And I preached on the text, "And then he cried." "There were no Christians there, and then he cried. There was no church there, and he cried. There were no flowers there, and he cried. There was no God there, and he cried." I had been a rather formal preacher, but as I preached something got hold of me and the power of God came down upon the congregation.

The Brethren Ask Him To Conduct Revivals

After the service was over--it went on for about two hours--I walked outside. A preacher came up to me. He was a great big fellow with cowboy boots, and he came up and introduced himself to me. He said, "I'm from Texas and I have a good church down there; how about holding me a two weeks' meeting?" Another preacher from Florida came up to me and said, 'How about coming over and holding a meeting for me?" I got a piece of paper and took down names and addresses, and in a few minutes I had enough revivals lined up to last me throughout the year. Well, I was happy. I jumped into my little model 'T" Ford and down through Indiana I went. When I reached home, my wife came running out and threw her arms around me; as she looked at me she asked, "What are you so happy about?" I said, "I have met the happiest bunch of people I ever met in my life. They are really happy, and they are not ashamed of their religion. In fact, something has happened to me since then. These people had me preach up at their convention, and what's more, I have received several invitations to preach at their churches." Now I said, "Will you go with me?" She answered, "Honey, I have promised to go with you anywhere until death separates us." May God bless her loyal heart.

So I decided to go up and tell mother. When I got there I said, "Mother, I have something to tell you." Then I told her about the invitations. She asked, "What are you going to do for money?" We only had seventeen dollars between us, but we felt the Lord would supply. She put her arms around me and blessed me. She still prays for me. She said, "Son, we used to have that kind of religion in our church years ago, and I know it's real."

A Fateful Decision

And friends, what I say now, let it be for your education. Let my mistakes result in your blessing. Friends and relatives warned me against accepting what I knew was God's call to me. Some said that the people I had met at the convention were trashy people. I later found out, and I say it reverently, that what was called "trash," was the "cream of the crop." I was told that my wife would not get enough to eat, that she would eat one day and starve the next. Others told me that it was my job to stay there and look after the work in Jeffersonville. I listened to them and finally decided not to leave. Little did either I or my friends realize then that in eight months the Ohio River would overflow its banks and my family would be caught in the tragedy of the awful flood.

It was at this time that the anointing of God which had come upon me left me. It never really returned until five years later. My church, up until that time had been a growing prosperous church, but now it began to drop off. Everything went wrong. With my church going down, I didn't know what to do. Then began the dark period of my life when the Ohio River flood that took so many lives, came, and was responsible for the death of two of those that were the dearest to me in all the world.