Thank You, Billy Graham

by Jerushah Armfield

  LEARNED AS A CHILD

  My grandmother raised me—and, to be honest, it wasn’t the best of situations. I didn’t have the usual grandma-in-the-kitchen-baking-cookies type of relationship. She was a hard person to live with. But as Billy Graham spoke to an audience that awed me even as a child, and as I watched him on the black-and-white television do what is now called an altar call, and all the people walked down from all areas of the football stadium with tears in their eyes and hands raised to accept Jesus as Lord of their lives, I knew there had to be something to this Jesus that made so many people want to be in a relationship with Him. I held on to those memories during my abusive childhood, and at the age of fifteen accepted Jesus as Lord of my life. I haven’t regretted it since. Thank God for raising Billy Graham up for such a time as that. He still holds a very tender place in my heart today, when I see his programs aired on TBN. Thank you.

  I WATCHED YOU ON TV AS A LITTLE GIRL

  I used to sit with my parents while they watched you on TV when I was a little girl. When I grew up, I went my own way. Little by little, the turns of life became increasingly difficult. Then, one night in my living room, your program came on the TV. It was as if you were speaking to me personally. You encouraged me to accept the Lord as my Savior, so I did. That was more than thirty years ago. Thank you, Billy, for your faithfulness to God’s call. Now I can call heaven my home and pray for my family like you prayed for me.

  KIDS SURE ARE SMART!

  My father, mother, brother, and I were watching the 1982 Billy Graham crusade on TV. At the end of the program, a mother and her young daughter were walking to the front. I asked my mother what the little girl was doing. She told me that the little girl was going to ask Jesus into her heart and that she was going to start living for Him. I thought for a moment and said to my mother, “I don’t have Jesus in my heart, do I?” She told me I didn’t and asked if I wanted to. I told her yes, and we prayed together. I was only three years old. I am very thankful that God has given me such a caring and loving mother. She has always been there for me. I have recently come to know the significance God’s presence in my life and know that I wouldn’t be able to get through these hard times without Him. Thank you, Billy!

  BILLY GRAHAM SAVED MY LIFE … WELL, JESUS DID, BUT THROUGH BILLY GRAHAM

  When I was thirteen, I went to a Billy Graham crusade and accepted Christ. Now I am twenty-five and realize that accepting Christ was the most important and only eternal decision I will ever make. I’m so grateful to Billy Graham and his sharing the truth with so many people. I love Jesus! Bless you.

  THAT NIGHT, I UNDERSTOOD

  It was May 1980, in Indianapolis. I can remember the anticipation, waiting to attend my first Billy Graham crusade. Mom had always watched you on television when I was growing up, and I had learned to do the same. It was the first night of the crusade, and I could hardly wait for you to give the invitation. I don’t think I really understood the concept of going forward, but I know that as soon as you gave the invitation, I was on my way down. As I walked down to the front, I remember thinking it was like I was walking into heaven. Everything changed that night. Raised a Lutheran, I knew that Jesus died on the cross for my sins, and I knew that was the way to heaven. But, that night, I understood that God wanted more than lip service from me. He wanted my heart, and He got it. I love Him. His Spirit fills me, and I cannot imagine what life would be without Him. Thank you, Billy, for your obedience to the call.

  THE GIANT LAWN MOWER

  One of the stories of my childhood is about the giant lawn mower. We had a huge lawn mower and a small lawn. The neighbors couldn’t understand it. The reason was that, when tent revivals came to town, my dad loved to take his huge mower and go to help mow the fields and prepare them for the tents and chairs to be set up. We have a treasured snapshot, that my brother took with his little Brownie camera, of a young Billy Graham standing near our church. I can remember attending two-week cottage prayer meetings as a small child. I can remember the adults on their knees in the living room praying for the souls to come to the tent and accept Jesus. I just cannot seem to call Billy by any more formal of a name, because he was always referred to as Billy in our home. His simple message changed our lives. I saw him in a Chicago crusade in the 1960s. It healed my heart in many ways. Thank you, Billy.

  THE FIRST REAL PREACHER I EVER KNEW

  Dear Billy Graham, you were the first real preacher I ever saw on television. I say this because I listened to you and watched you on television when I was a little girl. You were real in every sense. I could not wait to see you on television. Your sermons were real, and you spoke of a real God who I came to know while watching your telecasts. You touched my life, and I came to know who God really is through your ministry. I must have been at least seven years old, but had it not been for the Spirit of God speaking through you to me wa-a-ay back then, I would never have had that foundation you laid within my heart. I am now fifty-four years old and still saved. I can’t say thank you enough. I love you. You are so real.

  THANK YOU, BILLY!

  I attended your 1989 crusades at the old Wembley Stadium in London, and a little before that, the simulcast in my hometown.

  Your preaching led a scared little eleven-year-old to Christ, and I will forever be grateful to you. Twenty years later, I feel such fondness for you and am thankful my dad took me to hear you preach. I am just sorry that, when I have children, I will not be able to take them to hear you as well.

  MY LETTER TO BILLY GRAHAM

  My mom told me this story one day. When I was a little girl, old enough to write, I did something very unusual—at least in my mom’s eyes. It was around Christmastime. All the other kids in the country were writing letters to Santa Claus—giving him their wish lists. But not me. I wrote a letter to Billy Graham. I don’t remember writing the letter, but I remember longing to know God from a very young age. Thank you, Billy Graham, for being a representative of Jesus. Somehow, as a child, I understood what you stood for. I understood that you could lead me to a relationship with God. Thank you for a life well lived. I’m sure you’ve put many smiles on the face of your heavenly Father.

  NEVER TOO YOUNG …

  In 1986 or 1987, the Billy Graham crusade came to Denver. My husband and our three-year-old son, Jon, came with me to the crusade. We enjoyed and deeply appreciated the music, testimonies, and message given that day. At the end of the day, Rev. Graham gave the opportunity to accept Jesus as Savior into our hearts. My husband and I were already believers, so we prepared to leave. Suddenly, Jon said that he wanted to go down front. He said that he wanted to receive Jesus, too. So my husband carried him down front, and Jon received Jesus that day, at the age of three. The Lord has done miracles in his life that have kept him on the right path. Thank you, Rev. Graham, for coming to Denver that day.

  I WAS THE ENEMY’S FRIEND

  I was an angry young man, worshipping Satan and trying to summon demons—anything that would satisfy me or make me happy. At the age of fourteen, I decided to watch Billy Graham. I heard about Jesus, and God instantly touched my heart, and I prayed the prayer of salvation and got saved! Now I’m saved by the blood of Jesus, and I’m a Christian. Thank you, Rev. Billy Graham, for being obedient to the call God had on your life. God has used you to spread the Gospel to hundreds of millions over the world. So again, thank you.

  Matthew

  A GREAT INSPIRATION

  In Nigeria, in 1984, when I was just twelve, I heard about becoming born again. Then I received several books from Billy Graham, and after reading them, I decided to give my life to Christ. Billy and Ruth Bell Graham are a great inspiration to me, and I will always be thankful for those books that I was privileged to read during my formative years. God bless you both. Your crowns await you in heaven.

  A WHITE VELVET DRESS WITH A RED SATIN BOW

  I am one of seven children. We were raised Catholic, but my mother brought all of us to the local stadium in Arlington, Texas, back in th
e 1960s to hear Dr. Graham. I vividly remember wearing a white velvet dress with a red satin bow to the stadium gathering and coming down to the stage with my mother, brothers, and sisters as we accepted Christ into our lives.

  Dr. Graham was instrumental then and remains so today. My husband and I follow the teachings of his children, and our faith has been strengthened by the foundation laid almost fifty years ago by my mother, who is now seventy-six years young. May God bless Dr. Graham, his family, and the ministry. I would not be the Christian I am today were it not for the foundation I got as a young girl, which helped to propel me toward my destiny, being a God-fearing, God-loving woman who promotes the love of the Father in everything I say and do, even when I don’t do it as I should. Thank you for the opportunity to share. Being such a strong Christian has impacted so many other lives.

  DAD TOLD ME TO SIT DOWN AND WATCH BILLY GRAHAM

  I remember my father, an alcoholic atheist, telling me to sit down and watch Billy Graham on TV one night. He told me I needed to make some changes. I gave my heart to the Lord that evening sitting in my living room. Though my father never believed, thank you, Dad; but most of all, thank you, Billy Graham.

  I WOULD NOT BE HERE TODAY

  There is so much I could say about the Reverend Billy Graham. I grew up watching the Billy Graham crusades, using the first Bible my parents bought me for Easter 1965. I used to write down every scripture and every word that Reverend Billy said that inspired me as a young child. I still have that Bible, and I often look in the front and back to review the scriptures and words that I wrote there. Reverend Billy, I want to thank you so very much for all the years of ministry and service to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. If it had not been for your dedication to our Lord, I would not be the woman of God that I am today. I was raised in a very strict Christian home, and my mother made me go to church all the time. I enjoyed church until my mom went home to be with the Lord in 1978. It was then that I turned my back on God in anger for taking my best friend from me, my mom. But it was once again that the Lord, the Bible that my parents bought me with all the scriptures and inspirational words from Reverend Billy, and many words of prayer from family and friends, eventually turned me back to God. I repented and rededicated my life to the Lord and began my path to serve the Lord. If it had not been for the Billy Graham crusades to start me on the right path, I truly believe I would not be here today, serving the Lord Jesus with all my being. God bless you, Reverend Billy.

  GIVING IT ALL TO HIM

  It was the summer of 1963. I was thirteen and home alone one night. I turned on the TV, and a live crusade was on. We only had one channel in San Angelo then, so I stayed tuned to the crusade. When Billy Graham asked if I would surrender my life to Christ, I did. I gave all I knew of me to God. I accepted Jesus as my Savior. I ordered Decision magazine but didn’t read much of it. I do remember reading one article about the Bible and either it all being true or you couldn’t trust any of it. That made sense to me.

  At that time, in my church, I didn’t hear anything about getting saved, so I didn’t tell anyone. In hindsight, I think being a loner made my relationship with God go up and down over the next eight years. I was sincere, and I remember reading the hymns we would sing each Sunday, almost studying them. I got most of my doctrine from them. Later, I described my salvation as being in two parts. The first was emotional and the second intellectual. I truly gave all I knew to give at age thirteen. At twenty-one, I realized that I hadn’t fully given it all to Him. When I gave it all to Him, a new world opened. Scripture became alive and powerful. Now, at fifty-six, I continue to be grateful for my complete salvation, which started one night in 1963 while watching Billy Graham alone one night.

  Tommy

  A SPECIAL SPIRITUAL CONNECTION

  I was raised up and blessed in a Christian home, the youngest of five children. My siblings and I had to attend church every Sunday. It was like knowing we had to go to school five days a week. So, every Sunday, it was Sunday school and church.

  As far back as I can remember, I grew up watching Dr. Graham, with my mom and dad, sister and brothers. I was stretched out across our living room floor, “sponging” every word Dr. Graham had to say. Although I was a little girl, I knew there was something godly, special, great, and powerful about Dr. Graham. He preached in such a simplistic manner that even a little child like me could understand.

  My mom and dad would always watch his programs; therefore, my sister and brothers and I would also. When his programs were on, we all would be quiet and listen to this great man of God and every word he had to say. I thank God for giving my mom and dad the tender spirits to listen to him. Dr. Graham is like my first spiritual father. There are a few others that I became close to later on in my life also, but he was the first. Therefore, there will always be a special spiritual connection with him. He has a great spirit and made a positive impact on my life.

  I thank God for using Dr. Billy Graham to come into my life and home while I was a little girl—to share the love of Jesus Christ with me and my family. Also, my children grew up listening to him. To this day, as an adult, I still watch him on TV and listen to him every Sunday morning on the radio. His messages are as strong today as they were years ago. Whenever I am in a desperate situation, I think of a statement Dr. Graham made: “Jesus loves you, and come to Him just as you are.” I tell my loved ones and others the same thing. Thank you, Dr. Graham, for obeying God’s will to use you as His willing vessel, and for being my spiritual father to the full glory of God.

  A TRUE PROPHET OF THE LORD

  Growing up, one of the fondest memories I had was watching Billy Graham crusades on TV with my family. Throughout my entire life, the ministry of the Grahams has been a blessing to me and my family. I still remember seeing Billy Graham in person in Indianapolis, IN, about ten years ago. Even though he was physically growing weaker, his message was as strong as ever. Now as I look back on his words—or should I say Christ’s words through us, I remember the joy of the Gospel being in a place with a true prophet of the Lord.

  Even years later, I still remember going forward for the altar call when I recommitted my life to Christ—something I have done frequently before and after that day. I honestly can’t say that he brought me to the Lord, the Lord had done that many years before—but I can say that experience brought me closer to Him so that I could trust Him more and more. Even now after having received a degree in theology, I often think fondly of the memories I have of growing up with Billy Graham as a part of my life. To God be the glory, and my thanks to Billy for accepting the Lord’s call.

  THE LORD IS FAITHFUL

  While I was growing up, my parents always tuned in to Billy Graham when his programs were shown. I was born in 1952, and I remember sitting down with the family and watching the Graham ministry on TV when I was a small child. When Billy Graham went to Denver, I was entering eighth grade. It was during that summer in Denver that I went forward and accepted Jesus as my personal Lord and Savior. It was through Billy Graham’s ministry that I learned about needing to be saved from sin—my personal choices to separate myself from a holy God who loved me. I am now fifty-five years old and have witnessed the death of every person in my immediate family. I have survived breast cancer since my diagnosis in 1998. Only three days ago, I found out that I need to have a bone scan, because there seems to be a suspicious spot on my left thighbone. But through it all, I have learned that the Lord is faithful, and He is with me. He has not promised life to be easy, but He has promised to be with me through life. He is my sanctuary. Where He is, I am safe. I thank Billy Graham for his ministry, his dedication to the Lord, his commitment to God’s Word, and for the godly manner in which he has lived his life. His life is a witness to the abundant life promised to us by our Savior. He has been God’s good and faithful servant, and I thank him for allowing God to work such blessings through him.

  I SANG AT THE CRUSADES AND WAS SAVED

  My story starts in 1985. I was th
e youngest in our church choir (only fifteen years old at the time) and completely excited to have the chance to sing at Billy Graham’s crusade at the Anaheim Angels’ baseball stadium. To be honest, I think I was more excited to be at the ballpark than at the crusade. I was a huge Angels fan, and the thought of being at their ballpark made me so happy.

  With as young as I was in my church choir, where the average age of a singer was fifty, the women really looked after me. But no one could have known what I was going to undergo the very first night I was singing with thousands of people at Billy’s crusade. By this time in my life, I had been in the church for about three years. But looking back, I had never fully understood God’s love for me. That night, I did! The rush of emotion, the feeling of pure safety and overwhelming love had come over me. As the words to those beautiful songs that we had been practicing for weeks started to sink in, I started to cry. What each word was doing to my heart, it was as if a one-ton weight had been lifted off of my chest. Relief and peace washed over me as God took over and the Holy Spirit washed me clean. Billy Graham was the catalyst to my walk with Christ. He opened my eyes to the light when I couldn’t even see that I was in the dark.