Willie has been a tent evangelist for about 25 years, ministering especially to the native American people in the northern US, Canada, and Alaska. Many, many lives have been touched through this unique ministry.

Willie is the kind of person that can talk to anyone. I heard many accounts of encounters with people in the cities and highways and byways, including a disciple of Hare Krishna walking down a Canadian highway in a long white robe. Willie gave him a ride on his Harley motorcycle and the young man ended up receiving Christ and throwing his Hare Krishna literature and some tarot cards off a cliff. Other encounters include skid row homeless alcoholics, prostitutes and many others who had been far away from God.

The key to reaching these people, according to Willie and Anna, is unconditional love. Willie and his team (the members of the team vary from one campaign to the next) take the Gospel into villages where there is a hunger and need for God. They set up their tent, preach the Gospel and model the love of Jesus. He said they have seen many tremendous miracles, including blind eyes opened, but the greatest miracle of all is the changed lives that are left being when the tent comes down and they leave town.

Each time Willie prays, you will hear him thanking God for what He did for us “way over there somewhere on a hill, dying on a cross for our sins” and how what He did “still works for us today way over here.” It is a simple, pure Gospel that Willie preaches. which does the job that no man or psychologist can. It releases people from the burden of sin.

When Willie and Anna were raising their children, Willie would be away from home for up to 3 months at a time, ministering the Word of God. Finally, Anna came into a revelation that during those times, the Lord was her husband, and He was the one that supplied all the needs of her and the children. Today, this dynamic duo ministers together, taking the love of God to the north country. The faith of Willie and Anna is simple, but it works, just like the Lord said it would.

I met with Willie and Anna at a Hispanic Church in Park Rapids, Minnesota, where they were helping with the Praise and Worship in the service. The church is made up of Guatemalans and Mexicans, who are in the United States to find work. Most of the preaching was in Spanish. A man named Gus, a school teacher/minister who was filling in for the pastor, did the preaching. Afterward we were invited to the apartment of the assistant to the pastor (the pastor was out of town) where we enjoyed a meal of venison, beans, rice, tortillas and hot sauce.

There I had an opportunity to minister to some of the people in prayer, and was able to give some words of encouragement from the Lord to the assistant to the pastor about his future ministry, and the need to remain faithful where he is at the present time.

After dinner, I followed Willie and Anna and we travelled through the woods north on Highway 71 from Park Rapids. It was dusk and we saw many deer in or next to the highway. Most the way we drove at about 45 miles per hour to avoid injuring or being injured by the deer. A flock of geese flew in front of my car as we traveled east on Highway 113. It was a wonderful north woods experience. It’s a very lovely part of the world!

We arrived at Willie and Anna’s cabin in Nay Tah Waush, Minnesota (a small Native American village on the White Earth Reservation, shortly after dark. We talked (mostly Willie talked) until after midnight. He shared many stories from his years of ministry and some things also from his past life. I had a wonderful time of fellowship with this precious brother and sister in the Lord.

I asked Willie about the traditional Indian religion. He shared many things about demonic activity and sorcery among the medicine men and medicine women. Willie was very emphatic about the need for the native people to make a clean break from the traditional Indian religion in order to truly follow Christ. Early in his walk, Willie said, the Lord had led him to break with all the religious traditions of his ancestors. He was compelled by the Lord, he said, to smash his traditional drum, which is used for the songs, chanting and dance.

On Sunday morning I spoke at The Church at Nay Tah Waush, a native American church where Willie is an elder. I spoke on “Our National Identity.” This was about how God has called us to identify with Him and His Kingdom more than our earthly nation or heritage. The message dealt with the subject of prejudice between the races, and how that by renewing our mind we can see that we are all in the same boat. We all have sinned. We all need Jesus. And as believers in Jesus, we now have a new spiritual heritage in Christ, and we are citizens of heaven. The message seemed to be well received.

Several people came forward to repent of their sins and make a clean break for the Lord. Others came forward for prayer for emotional and physical healing. This is my first time at this church and I enjoyed it. My prayer is that the words that I spoke will bring life in the church and then in the community. As we in the church come in line with the Scriptures and the power of the Holy Spirit, the world around us will be touched by God’s grace.

After the service, I was invited to the home of the church’s pastor, Bill Brown, for dinner. We had a great time of fellowship, prayer and singing. I left about 2 p.m. arriving home in Mankato at about 8:30 p.m.