Billy Graham's Special Ties to China

Evangelist Billy Graham, born in November 1918, died on February 21, 2018, aged 99. He founded Billy Graham Evangelistic Association(BGEA) in 1950 and preached to 215 million people from 180 countries. 

Billy Graham had been in China several times. Besides, his wife Ruth Bell Graham was born in Huaian, Jiangsu Province, China, and spent her first 17 years there. His father-in-law Lemuel Nelson Bell was a missionary in China and named his name "Aihua" (which means loving China). He visited China the first time in 1988 and again in 1994, saying that he would "pray for China's future and bless Chinese". He also gave crusades in Hong Kong in 1975 and 1990. His son Franklin Graham and grandsons Will and Roy Graham have been to China, too.