Dear Friend,
My heart is full of gratitude and thanksgiving for you. Through your prayers, sacrifice, and support, you come alongside this ministry as faithful partners in the proclamation of the Gospel. In a confused and chaotic world, you are making an eternal difference as the lost—those who are wandering through life without eternal hope—find the truth of Christ. They’re discovering their peace, purpose, joy, and security in Jesus.
As you know, we live in a unique time in history. Whether in the United States or on the other side of the globe, people’s attentions are stretched like never before. We seemingly have direct access to all the information known to man through small devices that fit in our back pockets, and yet we are more confused than ever. We’ve allowed athletes, musicians, movie stars, and politicians to define what is right and wrong. As a result, we’re drifting further and further from the Biblical truth of the Gospel.
Because of this reality, we must continue to do everything possible on both a personal and corporate level to continue shining the bright light of the Savior in the midst of the darkness. We must be faithful in directing people to “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6, NKJV).
The last time I wrote to you, I was preparing to preach in Albania, a formerly communist country that was the first one in the world to openly and constitutionally declare itself an atheist nation. It was illegal to be a follower of any religion. Local Christian leaders told me that when communism fell in 1990, fewer than 20 known Christians existed in the entire country. Nearly three decades later, 30,000 believers live in Albania. We praise the Lord for that incredible growth, while also recognizing that in a country of nearly 3 million, many are still eternally lost.
Into this spiritual climate, God called me to become the first evangelist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) to proclaim the hope of Jesus Christ in Albania. It was a historic gathering and we saw many respond to the invitation, surrendering their lives to Jesus as their Savior.
I went straight from Albania to Montana, where we held the Big Sky Celebration, a three-city effort that brought the hope of the Gospel to more than 12,000 people across western Montana.
God is incredibly faithful. Every night as we proclaimed the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection, it pierced hearts and many chose to follow Him. One of the audience members in Great Falls, Mont., was a 23-year-old young lady who had experienced abuse and who now battled anger, depression, and addictions. As I gave the invitation, she clearly heard God speaking to her, saying, “Come to Me and I can help you.” Though she had taken the wrong road in life, she was ready to repent and rededicate her life to Jesus. “I didn’t let go fully of the stuff until now,” she told one of our team members. “He is living in me now—the love, the peace.”
As I was in Albania and Montana, my father, Franklin Graham—along with many of our team in Charlotte—were preparing for a multi-city tour in our home state of North Carolina. By the time you read this, the Decision America Tar Heel State Tour will be over after stops in eight pivotal cities from one end of the state to the other.
Even before the events began, it was clear God was moving and at work in North Carolina. We know this because we’ve seen and heard numerous “God stories” already during our preparation and planning.
One of our team members spent several weeks in a hotel in one of the cities, helping to organize our event there. As he visited with a front desk clerk, she shared her story. Two years ago, she found herself in a dark place—empty, lonely, and without hope. As so many do when they’re searching, she logged on to the internet and landed on PeaceWithGod.net, the main portal for our internet evangelism efforts. She chatted with one of our volunteers through the site and ultimately gave her heart to Christ. She got involved in a local church where she is now growing in her faith. To top it all off, she participated in the Christian Life and Witness Course leading up to the Tar Heel State Tour, and now—Lord willing—she’ll be the one praying with a fellow North Carolinian as they begin their walk with Jesus!
After asking about our organization, the waitress said she believed in a “higher power,” but had no idea how to find it or what it was. The BGEA representative boldly explained who Jesus is, what He did for us, and how we can have hope in Him. He then asked the server if she would like to invite Jesus into her heart, and—with tears streaming down her face—she prayed and asked Him to be her Savior. It was another example that we must be ready to “preach the word … in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2, ESV), even at dinner!
Please pray with us for God to work mightily in people’s lives as we proclaim the Good News of His Son in the coming months. Following the Tar Heel State Tour, my father will be preparing to preach in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Dec. 7–8, and we will take the Decision America Tour across Florida in January 2020.
My friend, though we’re inundated with bad news, the truth of the matter is that God is still at work today. He’s still opening doors for us—for the ministry of BGEA and for you and me personally—to share the hope that is found in Him alone. Thank you for investing in the proclamation of the Gospel so that lost souls in this country and around the world can hear the Good News and be born again in Christ Jesus.
May God richly bless you,
Will Graham
