Not unlike some of the Bible prophets, the birth of William Branham was marked by the Presence of the Supernatural. He was born on April 6th. 1909. The first child of Charles and Ella Branham. It was a beautiful morning in the hill country of Kentucky. In a humble log cabin the voice of a baby was heard. The parents of this child were delighted over the birth of their first son. But even from birth he would be a peculiar child. On this morning, God Himself would confirm that this child was His choice. The young mother and father watched in astonishment as the Pillar of Fire came into the little cabin, moved accross the room and stopped directly over the sleeping child. Little did the mother know that this little five pound infant would be used of Almighty God to deliver His people from sickness and bondage. God would use him to carry the Gospel all over the world. No wonder, the neighbors, who had gathered to see the new born baby, spoke of a strange feeling of awe in the room. No doubt it was caused by the Presence of the Angel, who would later speak to him and guide him through his life and ministry.

Of all the mountain folk, the Branham's were the poorest of the poor. God's ways are past finding out. In the years to come God would use this child to cast out demons, bring sight to the blind - physically and spiritually, cause the deaf to hear, cancers to vanish, and thousands upon thousands to fall prostrate at atlars in tears of repentance. They would come by airplane, boat, trains, busses and automobile, bringing the sick to him. They would come from all over the world to hear him tell the story of Jesus in his simple, humble way.

It was just two weeks after his birth that the father and mother took baby William down the creek to the old fashioned, Lone Star Missionary Baptist Church. It was here that the Pastor took William in his arms and dedicated him to the Lord. Little did that Pastor realize that this child would be used so mightly of the Lord to pull down the strong holds of Satan in the Twentieth Century.

Charles Branham was a logger. As such it was necessary for him to be away from home much of the time, especially in the Fall and Winter months when the weather was bad for travelling. It was during one of these times that circumstances conspired to almost take the life of both the mother and son.

At this time, when William was about six months of age, and the father was away from home, a terrible storm came, and the whole country was snowbound for days. There was little to eat in the cabin and soon the young mother ran out of both food and wood. She wrapped her feet in burlap sacks, went into the woods, and chopped small saplings, then dragged them to the cabin, trying to keep fire. Finally she grew weaker and weaker and had to give up. With no food or heat the mother took all the bed clothing, wrapped herself and the child in bed and waited for the end. It was then that God sent His protecting angel and spared their lives.

A neighbour who, from a considerable distance, could still see the Branham cabin, became more and more concerned over the welfare of it's occupants. A number of days had elapsed and he had not seen any smoke rising from the chimney. Unable to shake his troubled thoughts, he dressed warmly and waded through the snow drifts to reach the cabin.

Arriving at the door, his fears were confirmed. There were no tracks leading from the Cabin and the door was barred from the inside. He felt compelled to 'break-in'. Forcing the door open, he entered to find the mother and child lying on the bed, wrapped in everything the mother could find in the little one room cabin. Both mother and child were near death from starvation and cold. Moving as quickly as he could through the snow drifts, the neighbour gathered wood for a fire and food for young William Branham and his mother. This was just one of many experiences where God was protecting the "Ministry" which william Branham was ordained to bring to the world.

It frightened me so that I ran home screaming to my mother saying that a man had spoke to me out of the tree. She thought I was just nervous and worked up. But I never went by that tree again. Looking back now, I know that the Angel of God was in that tree, and in later years I was to meet him face to face and talk with him.

I have heard the sound of "That Wind" over and over agin throughout my life. One day when my father (in the presence of another man) called me a 'sissy' because I wouldn't drink whiskey, I grabbed the bottle and started to take a drink. THEN it came again. I heard that sound like the blowing of the leaves. I looked around, but there was no sign of the wind blowing. I put the bottle to my lips again - that noise came again, only louder. Overcome with fear, I dropped the bottle and ran.

Another time my friends called me 'sissy' because I didn't smoke. Just to show them that I could smoke I said, "Give me that cigarette!" As I was putting it to my mouth, the sound of the "Rushing Wind" came down again. I threw the cigarette down and ran accross the field, crying. I could hear the other young people laughing at me.

I lived with the peculiar feeling, like someone standing near me, trying to say something to me, and especially when I was alone. No one seemed to understand me at all. The boys wouldn't hang around with me because I didn't drink or smoke. The girls avoided me because I didn't go to dances. It seemed that all through my life I was just a black sheep, knowing no one who understood me, and not even understanding myself.

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