My first encounter with Billy Graham took place in Poland.  In October of 1978 at the invitation of the Baptist Union of Poland, Billy, as he preferred to be called, conducted a ten-day crusade in a country with a predominantly Roman Catholic population. Since I was born in Poland and speak the language fluently, the Baptist leaders invited me to translate for Billy Graham and his team. In preparation for the crusade, I spent a lot of time re-reading Polish history and preparing ten pages of appropriate sermon illustrations taken from Polish history and its rich classical literature. Unfortunately, Billy never saw those illustrations.

For ten days I travelled with the team throughout Poland and translated for them during their many encounters with government officials, priests and rabbis. Following each crusade meeting, Billy would immediately leave the sanctuary due to his exhausting daily schedule. Cliff Barrows stayed behind to answer any questions people may have had concerning the Christian faith.  I translated for Cliff.  The line of people was always quite long. It was during such an encounter that I understood one of the reasons for Billy’s great success as an evangelist.  

Following the evening crusade meeting in Wroclaw, Cliff remained in the sanctuary to answer questions. After the last question was answered, we stepped into the street. It was already dark and the street was deserted. We shook hands and I watched, as Cliff turned up the collar of his black coat and disappeared into the darkness on his way to the hotel. I have never forgotten that moment. It spoke volumes about Cliff’s humility and total commitment to God. Whenever I recall this scene, my eyes fill with tears. Billy was always surrounded by large crowds, not so with Cliff. Why do I mention this?

Most people didn’t know that Cliff Barrows was an accomplished evangelist himself. He held evangelistic crusades in many USA cities. He could have had great success as an evangelist. The same could be said of other members on Billy’s team. Yet, they gave up their own ministries in order to help Billy with his God-given mission of worldwide proportions. Simply put, they died to their own ambitions for the sake of a greater harvest of souls. It takes great humility and great strength to die to self-ambition for the sake of a greater cause.

The team travelled throughout Poland by bus while Billy rode behind in a car. I sat next to Ruth Graham to make sure that she always knew what was happening. Ruth was a very gracious lady with a terrific sense of humor. On one occasion a stop was necessary. At that time, rest areas in Poland were non-existent. How to announce the stop?  Since Poland is known for its delicious mushrooms, I announced that we’ll be stopping to pick mushrooms. The ladies will turn to the left and the men to the right. After Ruth returned to the bus, she handed me a handful of mushrooms!

During his crusade Billy usually preached in large Protestant and Roman Catholic cathedrals. But he also spoke in three Baptist churches located in Warsaw, Wroclaw and Bialystok. In Wroclaw Billy preached in a large Roman Catholic cathedral, as well as in the Central Baptist Church pastored by Rev. Alex Kircun, my childhood friend. Only members of the church were allowed to attend this meeting. It was probably the only time in the church’s history that all the members were present. Everyone wanted to see and hear Billy Graham! I will never forget what he told them. Billy said that if they would work as hard as they did in preparation for his crusade, it would not matter who would come to conduct the crusade.    

When Billy preached in the large Roman Catholic Cathedral in Wroclaw, I witnessed a rather amusing scene. At the end of his message Billy gave an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Savior. Many people raised their hands. Among the crowd there were many Roman Catholic bishops. Their red hats made them quite visible. When they saw the many raised hands they, too, raised their hands! Was it a genuine response, or fear of losing their sheep?  Only God knows. Hopefully, for some it was their moment of true repentance. 

I was especially pleased that Billy was able to preach in the city of Bialystok, located in Eastern Poland. The meeting was held outdoors in the yard of the Baptist Church, which my father had pastored for fourteen years until the advancing Red Army forced our family to flee westward. My older brother Alexander and I were born in Bialystok after our parents fled Russia. During Billy’s visit to Bialystok, I was able to share with him and Ruth the story of our family.