<TITLE>06. Par 22-25</TITLE>L-22 And then I tried to find my wife. And when I got to the hospital, it was covered over with water. The dike had broke, and all the waters gushed in. Where was my wife and baby? I begin to find people [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... see if there was anyone drowned, but they got away on a train. And here I was setting on an island by myself. God give me a chance so--whether to call people trash or not. I said, "God, I know I've mis--I've misbehaved myself. Don't let my wife be killed."
Weeks later when the waters went down, I found her almost dead. TB had hit her; my two children were sick. And I loved my wife. And I run through the building trying to find her. And I screamed for her. And I seen her laying on a cot in a refugee's camp. And her eyes were way back. And she raised her hands; it was real bony. And I started weeping. And she said, "Oh Bill, I--I--I'm sorry I look like this."
And I took her in my arms, and I started crying. I said, "Honey, I'm so sorry that you're so sick."
And the doctor touched me on the back, and he said, "Come here, Reverend Branham." He said, "Reverend Branham," he said, "your wife is dying. There's no way to save her." Oh, I said, "Surely there's some way, doctor." I begin to call specialists, and they come. Nothing could be done. We done everything we knowed to do. She kept going.

L-23 And one day while I was out patrolling... I was a State Game Warden at the time too, because I--I didn't believe in taking people's money, so I worked for my living. I turned on the radio, and it said, "Reverend Branham, come--come to the hospital; your wife is dying." I took off my hat, undone the gun, and took off the badge, raised up my hand to God; I said, "God, let her live till I can get there." And I turned on the siren and run down the road. I stopped in front of the hospital and run up those stair steps.
And here come my doctor, my buddy. We've been friends together since boyhood. We come to each other's house. He has a great clinic there. And--and he put his arm around me. He said, "Billy, she's going." I said, "Will you go back with me, doctor, to the room?"
He said, "I can't." He said, "Hope (That was my wife's name.)," he said, "I--I love her like my sister. I--I can't go back in there." He said, "I'll pray, and you go in."

L-24 So I started walking in, and when I shut the door behind me, there was my lovely wife, beautiful woman, real Christian, mother of my children, dearest thing on earth to me. Her cheeks sunk way in, and she was look like dead. I shook her with my hand. I said, "Hope, speak once more. Please, honey. Oh, God, oh, God, let her just speak once more. I love her so much. Won't You let me talk to her just once more?" And then she opened her eyes. Oh, I shall never forget it. And when I--she looked at me, she tried to raise her--raise her hands for me. And I got down close to her. She said, "Oh, Billy, I love you so much. Billy, I'm going away, and I want you to be a good boy." She was twenty-one. She was twenty-one. I was twenty-three.
She said, "You know that Holy Ghost we've been talking about?" She said, "Billy, you know you oughtn't to have listened to mama."

L-25 Oh, I said, "Hope, if I could only live it over." We knew we'd done wrong. And she said, "Promise me something, Billy. That you will preach that Message until you die." She said, "For it's real." She said, "I was in Glory. I seen the Lord Jesus and the Angels." Oh, she said, "It's wonderful." She said, "I must go back." Said, "Don't think I'm beside myself, for I'm not." She said, "But I know what I'm speaking of." She said, "Will you promise me that you will preach the baptism of the Holy Spirit until you're gone from this earth?"
I said, "I promise it."
She said, "I'm..." Said, "Take good care of the children." Said, "Take care of Billy." [Blank.spot.on.tape--Ed.]... kissed me, and she said, "I'm going."


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