On Tuesday, the official Facebook account of Billy Graham, remembered 105 years ago when Ruth Bell Graham, wife of Billy Graham, was born in China.
"#OnThisDay in 1920, Ruth Bell Graham, the wife of Billy Graham, was born in Qingjiang, Kiangsu, China, to medical missionary parents," the account wrote.
Ruth Bell Graham came into the world on June 10, 1920, as Ruth McCue Bell, according to the official website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). She was delivered by her father, L. Nelson Bell, who served as the third president of the Qingjiang General Hospital, or the Love and Mercy Hospital, a "Presbyterian hospital 300 miles north of Shanghai". Her mother was Virginia Leftwich.
"It was while working with her parents in the hospital as a young girl that Ruth first sensed the great calling to abandon all for the sake of the Gospel of Jesus Christ," said the official Facebook account of Billy Graham.
She spent her childhood there with her siblings Rosa, Virginia, and Clayton, but saw the turbulence in China and the people's suffering during the Chinese Civil War. At an early age, "the suffering she observed only strengthened in her the conviction of mankind's need for the Savior. Into her early adult years, she dreamed of serving as a single missionary in a far corner of the world — the mountainous nation of Tibet," BGEA wrote in a biographical article entitled "Ruth Bell Graham."
"At the age of 13, Ruth was sent to boarding school in Pyongyang, in modern-day North Korea, where she studied for three years. Under terrible homesickness, Ruth learned to overcome the loneliness of being far from loved ones by taking care of the needs of others, a skill that would serve her well in the coming years," the article said.
She completed high school in North Carolina, and in 1937, she enrolled at Wheaton College, outside Chicago, Illinois. Three years later, she was introduced to "Preacher", the nickname other students gave the strapping Billy Graham from Charlotte, North Carolina.
The article continued, "The couple began courting, and so also began a struggle in Ruth between what she thought was her calling to the mission field and her blossoming love for the driven young evangelist. In late April 1941, after much struggling in prayer, Ruth realized her life's mission was to be bound up in Billy's passion for evangelism. Shortly after their graduation from Wheaton, the two were married in Montreat on Aug. 13, 1943."
"For a brief period, Ruth served as a pastor's wife in Western Springs, Illinois, before Billy moved on to serve as an evangelist with Youth for Christ, as president of Northwestern Schools in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and eventually as evangelist and president of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association."
"Ruth treasured her role as the strong woman behind 'America's Pastor' and was Billy's closest confidant, most trusted advisor, and dearest friend. She loved to move behind the scenes, away from the spotlight, and helped him craft and research sermons and even books."
When asked, "Who do you go to counsel for spiritual guidance?" Billy Graham answered, "My wife, Ruth. She is the only one I completely confide in."
With ties with China, Mrs. Graham encouraged her husband to visit China several times and prayed for this for many years. On April 12, 1988, the Grahams stepped foot in China together, starting the seventeen-day, five-city trip in China. "The Grahams spent a wonderful two and a half weeks in China preaching in churches and schools, meeting with Chinese believers, and visiting Ruth's birthplace in Tsingkiangpu (Qingjiang)," Billy Graham recalled in his autobiography Just As I Am.
In 1996, Mrs. Graham suffered from spinal meningitis. Her condition rapidly worsened. In the following years, she was bedridden and wheelchair bound, not able to join her husband's ministry. Even so, she supported her husband with her prayers. She died on June 14, 2007.
At the funeral of his wife, Billy Graham spoke, "She was an incredible woman. We were married for nearly 64 years. I wish you could look into that casket because she's so beautiful. I sat there a long time last night just looking at her and praying because I know she had a great reception in heaven."
