The next meeting was scheduled in Kansas City, Kansas, in the Memorial Hall in the early part of April. Brother U.S. Grant was chairman of the local committee, and had made very excellent preparations for the meeting. We arrived about eight o'clock in the evening, and drove immediately to Brother Grant's residence. He was glad to see us, but expressed some anxiety concerning Brother Branham, who he said had not yet arrived, though he had received communication that he would be there earlier in the day.
Rev. Grant said he knew that he had not arrived as only he had knowledge of the location of the hotel where we were to stay - this being always of necessity a closely guarded secret. (On one occasion when the location of Brother Branham's hotel became known to the public, a long line of sick formed at his door, seriously disrupting the business of the hotel.)
We ourselves were just a trifle disturbed as we knew that Brother Branham should have arrived by this time. But there was nothing to do but await further word, and we ourselves went to the hotel. We were not a little surprised when we learned from the night clerk that he had arrived and had already retired. When later we asked how it had happened that he had not gone to Brother Grant's place first, his reply was that he had been very tired and thought that perhaps it best to go to bed early and get as good a rest as possible. But we said, "How did you know to come to this hotel?" "Well," he said, "I just seemed to know." That was all the satisfaction we could get. We were not too surprised, as time after time we had similar experiences when his perception reached out, and he knew things that did not come to him through the avenues of his five senses. We shall not forget how non-plussed Brother Grant was when we told him what had happened. We do not wish to give the impression, however, that Brother Branham had the ability to use this gift at will, but only at such times as the Spirit of God would specially move upon him for its manifestation.
The first night of the meeting, some 1500 were present at the Memorial Hall. Sunday night was an outstanding service. The third night the Spirit of God was manifest in unusual power. Some reporters were present that night. Their report published in the conservative Kansas City Times, April 13, 1948, appeared the following morning. Although written in "newspaper style" we considered the write-up, on the whole, a fair appraisal of the service. A few paragraphs of the report was as follows:
"Amid 'amens' of the congregation, the Rev. William Branham, of Jeffersonville, Indiana, conducted the third of a series of five healing meetings at the Memorial Hall in Kansas City, Kansas."Whatever you ask God to do, He will do,' Mr. Branham said. 'No matter how near death you are from sickness, He can cure you, even now, if you will just take God at His Word.'
"A score of ailing persons crossed the stage last night and professed to have been cured of various illnesses after Mr. Branham had prayed briefly with them. The audience was moved. There were tears in the eyes of many and their lips moved as in prayer. Some mothers sobbed as they rocked restless babies in their arms. One girl from Mobile, Alabama, said her eyes were crossed when she went on the stage last night, but after Brother Branham had prayed her eyes were normal and clear. Another woman held up her hand and said a goiter had just disappeared from her neck. She said she had had the goiter for years and that a year and a half ago a physician told her only an operation would remove it."
A number of interesting incidents occurred during the Kansas City campaign. One lady came to the writer and told how she had been ill from a serious affliction, but hadn't been able to get in the prayer line, because of the great number of people. Nevertheless, her faith rose, and that night in the hotel she awoke her husband and said that she believed if she could only get in the prayer line at once, she would be healed. Her husband, a little startled, finally deciding that she was dreaming, told her to go ahead. However, in the morning, the woman awoke to find herself perfectly well! She remembered her dream, as did her husband.
From Kansas City, the Branham party moved to SEDALIA, MISSOURI where God wonderfully blessed us with souls for the Kingdom and healing for the physical body. as always many people could not get inside the building.
F Missouri we journey to Illinois. The last campaign in the East at this time was held in the famous watch center of Elgin which is located in the suburbs of Chicago. The auditorium seating about 2000 was hopelessly inadequate to accommodate the crowds that came. In fact, after the first day or so the afternoon crowds completely filled the place. We shall permit Rev. Merrill Johnson chairman of the local committee to tell the story of the Elgin campaign:
"This has been my second occasion to attend the Branham meetings. It is my firm conviction that in many ways this meeting excelled my first experience. As someone so aptly put it, 'Never since the days of the great Chicago fire has Elgin and its surrounding cities been so mightily stirred.' For days after the meetings came to a close, the subject seemed to be on the lips of everyone. A great realization has also come to the Christians for the need of more men like Brother Branham. The Spirit of God is undoubtedly rapidly preparing the Church for its great exodus to Glory. That must be very soon."One cannot attend the Branham meetings without a sense of feeling what it must have been like to be living in the days of the Apostles. Words fail to describe the sudden burst of ecstasy and inexpressible awe that grips the people who for their first time experience the power of God to heal and perform miracles. What words can describe the experience of witnessing blind eyes being opened, deaf ears unstopped, the dumb speaking their first words, the cripples walking, crossed eyes straightened, and many other glorious sights.
"The sweet, unassuming and lovable character of Brother Branham so vividly portrays the spirit of Christ that dominates his life. To see Brother Branham's great love for children would touch even the hardest of persons. For seldom would a child with crossed eyes, blind, deaf or crippled pass by Brother Branham without his arms embracing them and beseeching God to perform a miracle in their little bodies; and in every instance to my knowledge God granted our brother's prayer with a miracle.
"The meeting in Elgin seems to have taken on the nature of many great camp meetings rolled into one. The throngs which came from all over the United States and Canada literally rocked this city. It reminded one of reading in the Scriptures of the throngs that pressed about Christ in the days of His earthly ministry.
"Another significant feature of the Branham meetings in Elgin was the congregational singing and special numbers. Faith soared to new heights and the blessings of God descended on the people as they worshipped the Christ in song. Many received their healings in their seats and surrendered their prayer cards without going through the prayer fines. Some of these were in the miraculous. The special singing and music rendered by the students from the Great Lakes Bible Institute at Zion, and other visiting evangelistic parties, deeply enriched the meetings. The cooperation from all who served to make the meetings a success was so characteristic of this great spiritual meeting."
From Illinois, we travelled on to TACOMA, WASHINGTON, April 12-17, 1948. Here again our Lord worked wonderously through His Servant, who was nearing the end of his physical endurance. Night after night Bro. Branham surrendered himself to God for the people's sake. So heavy was the Power of the Supernatural upon him, that he would become physically weak.
That God might be glorified and revealed to the people, Bro. Branham perservered, moving on from Tacoma to EUGENE, OREGON. Here we witnessed a continuation of proven Signs, Wonders and Miracles. At the conclusion of this series of meetings it was absolutely necessary for Brother Branham to return to his home for a protracted rest. We were priviledged indeed to have been witnessing the "greatest" manifestation of God ever seen in the earth since the days of our Lord Jesus Christ. But, oh, the price that one man, William Branham, had to pay in physical and nervous exhaustion. As our Brother left the field for rest the prayers of all the Saints were with him.