New Ruth Bell Graham Exhibit Opens

It would have to do.

She
was at Earls Court Arena in London, site of the 1966 Billy Graham
Crusade, and someone had passed her a note from a girl named Wendy, who
was asking for her help.

Ruth had first found Wendy, a heavy drug user, nearly unconscious by the stadium entrance and wanted to help.

Over
the previous nights, Ruth had been talking to Wendy about committing
her life to Christ, but Wendy was hesitant to make that decision.
Crusade staff members decided to take Wendy home, but before they did,
Ruth wanted to write her a message.

With only a Kleenex package to write on, she took out the cardboard backing and quickly wrote three lines of encouragement:

“God loves me.

Jesus died for me.

No matter what I’ve done, if I confess to Him, He will forgive me.”

Ruth then tucked the note into Wendy’s pocket just before she left.

A year later, Ruth met Wendy again in London and she told Ruth how that impromptu cardboard note had been her lifeline to God.

Wendy
corresponded with Ruth and this memorabilia is just part of the display
at the Billy Graham Library’s newest exhibit which opens July 1 and
runs through Aug. 31.

The exhibit’s title: “Ruth Bell Graham: The Heart of a Missionary.”

Focusing
on a side of Ruth that many may not know about, this exhibit displays
her deep desire to share the love of Christ with the world, one person
at a time.

“Ruth always dreamed that she would be a missionary to
Tibet,” said Diane Wise, promotions manager for The Billy Graham
Library. “Those plans were transformed when she met Billy Graham and
realized God had a different call on her life.

“Her heart for serving others never faded though and the many lives she touched over the years are a testimony to that fact.”

Born
in China to missionary parents, Ruth developed a strong heart for the
Chinese people and an even greater love for the Lord, which was evident
as she stood beside America’s most well-known evangelist for more than
60 years.

“Our team has spent hours looking through Ruth’s
writings, photos and memorabilia to compile this exhibit,” said Debra
Cordial, director of the library. “While we have a room in our Journey
of Faith dedicated to Ruth, this new exhibit offers a great opportunity
for visitors to see a different side of her remarkable life.”

One example of Ruth’s passion for all people was Velma Barfield, a convicted murderer who lived on death row for six years.

Velma
accepted Christ shortly after her arrest and Ruth started writing her
in prison and talking to her by phone. On display you’ll see a poem that
Ruth dedicated to Velma in her book “Clouds Are The Dust of His Feet.”

Ruth’s
love for others and passion to share Christ can be seen by visitors
through handwritten personal journal entries, including one from a small
book she jotted notes in during a London visit that included this brief
itinerary:

Little boy with cancer (June 28)

Lunch at Buckingham Palace (June 29)

Other
letters, newspaper clippings, awards and firsthand accounts of how she
touched the lives of others can be found in the glass display cases,
along with this hand-written poem she wrote on a card given to Billy in
1978:

“A dream fulfilled …
To walk with you
Through all these years,
Through every kind of weather,
And walk into
The setting sun
Still loving and … together.”

“The
Heart of a Missionary” also details Ruth’s impact on building The Billy
Graham Training Center (The Cove) near Asheville, which was built more
than 20 years ago.

Ruth had prayed The Cove would be a place for
retreat, rest, relaxation and renewal. She took a personal interest in
many of the construction details, including the use of stone from that
property for the outside of the Chatlos Memorial Chapel and the height
of the steeple.

Used with permission of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.