By 9:30 a.m., she had an American flag-patterned lawn chair placed firmly under a tree. Franklin Graham wouldn’t speak at the Montana State Capitol for another two-and-a-half hours, but she wanted to get a good seat.
Kathy Jensen and her sister, Enid, drove three hours from Cut Bank, Montana, Monday night after months of waiting for the Decision America Tour to come to their state. After visiting 32 states in six months, Franklin Graham’s tour took a short break in July, but came back with a fire Tuesday as the tour ramped up again in Helena, Montana.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we need our voices heard,” Franklin Graham’s voice boomed from the State Capitol steps.
He pulled passages from the Bible about Nehemiah’s plea for his nation and Daniel’s faithfulness to God, demonstrating how important it is to take concerns to God, be obedient to Him and not ignore our country’s state of affairs.
“Regardless of whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, we need to vote,” Franklin Graham said, encouraging the crowd to do what they can to elect godly leaders this fall.
An estimated 2,700 people filled the Capitol grounds, an electric energy flowing through the crowd as they worshiped and prayed together for America to remember God. Some were teary-eyed, others waved American flags high as they expressed love for their country and cried out in desperation for God’s mercy and intervention.
As the fourth largest state in the U.S., Montana is Big Sky country, home to clear rivers, windy plains and the pine-covered Rocky Mountains. With just over 1 million people statewide, communities are often separated by long stretches of beautiful wilderness, but Tuesday, hundreds came together with a common purpose and realized they’re not alone in their beliefs.
“Sometimes you feel like, ‘Am I the only one? Am I the minority?’” Enid said.
Her sister, Kathy, said she felt “empowered” seeing so many people voice their faith in Jesus Christ and their desire to put God back in everyday American life.
Kathy lives in a small community where many people don’t vote, she said. But after the tour, she said she’ll encourage them to go to the polls. Kathy is also praying those elected will listen to their voters.
Up front near Franklin Graham, three boys ages 14-17 talked about the prayer rally. One of them, 15-year-old Thaddeus Van Note said he can’t vote yet, but he can pray.
He joined others as they prayed for government leaders, teachers, law enforcement, their families and the state as a whole.
“We’re crying out for a return to Judeo-Christian values,” Joan Carlson said, standing by her husband, Gary, and their Siberian husky, Boss. “That doesn’t mean everyone has to be a Christian,” she said, but added that there’s an “emptiness” and aimlessness to life when those values are missing.
The Carlsons drove to the rally from Bitterroot Valley, Montana, a few hours away. Both were lighthearted and smiled constantly.
“The evening news can get you in the wrong frame of mind,” Joan said, referring to so much chaos and division hogging the headlines. But there’s hope to be had, she said, evident in the number and passion of the people who showed up at the rally.
Washington, D.C., may be out of control, Gary said, but average people aren’t to be underestimated. People tend to be silent when they feel they’re alone, he went on, but Tuesday is proof that’s not the case.
“This tour does that—it motivates people to do more and to stand up,” he said. “This should show everybody that good days are ahead yet.”
The Carlsons have been involved in politics for years now.
Gary, a Vietnam veteran who remembers attending a 1954 Billy Graham Crusade as a kid, once worked for President Ronald Reagan, running a defense agency. He later ran for the House of Representatives in 1984 and the Senate in 1996 and remains active in politics, along with his wife. They also keep an online newsletter focusing on current issues from a conservative perspective.
Joan specifically has a heart for young people and the issues facing their generation. She says older believers have a responsibility to pass on their values and the importance of getting involved in current affairs.
“You’re not done just because you’re retired from a job,” she said. “You’re not done until you get to heaven.”
Their grandson turns 18 next month, and the Carlsons already told him he better register to vote.
There may even be people from Tuesday’s rally on future ballots.
“You never know where the next leadership is going to come from,” Gary said. “We look to D.C., but there could be people at each of these rallies that step up and take leadership positions.”
