Adventures With Billy
BECOMING A FULL-TIME EVANGELIST
In spring 1958 I flew to San Francisco to take part in the Bay Area Billy Graham crusade. Again I worked with Billy's team to help promote minority attendance. Just as in New York, we were effective in networking with black, Hispanic, and other non-white churches to reach those populations and increase their numbers at the event. Bob Harrison, an African-American pastor in San Francisco and a superb piano player, was a key force in getting out the word to the black community. (Bob would later join me on some of my evangelistic tours.)
Immediately following the San Francisco crusade, Billy and I revisited the idea of me joining his team on a full-time basis. After more than a year of persistent prayer on the matter, I was closer to giving him a decision. God had made it clear I was to leave my pastorate in Cleveland and become a full-fledged evangelist. However, there was still the question of where I was
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being called to serve. Billy's invitation offered the tremendous opportunity to travel the world. But ELWA continued to court me, and both Wanda and I sensed that God was calling us back to Liberia.
We were conflicted: Should we go with Billy, or return to Africa?
It turned out our worries were for naught. When I told Billy about our dilemma, he suggested we do both. "Howard, we could set up your office and home in Liberia," he said. "Then you could fly out of there from time to time to join me for crusades."
I was thrilled with that arrangement. By His providence, God had answered my family's prayers about our future and given us more than we could have ever dreamed.
Part of the reason for the unique working arrangement was Billy's desire to do a series of crusades across Africa. After much discussion and prayer, he decided to visit eleven countries on the continent, including Liberia, Ghana, and Nigeria — my old stomping grounds. The meetings would launch in January 1960. A few associates and I would do the initial legwork to arrange meetings, network with local churches and missionaries, and train counselors.
When I got back from the San Francisco meeting, Wanda and I stared at each other for the longest time, overwhelmed by the prospect of our future ministry. God was so good to us. Not only would we be able to continue our work with ELWA, but we'd also have the resources and support of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) at our disposal. What's more, this time our entire family would be able to make the trip.
By the end of the summer, we had made all the necessary
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preparations for our next journey: contacting ELWA as to our expected arrival, educating the children on what to expect in their new home, getting shots, and filing all the necessary paperwork. But the hardest part, by far, was making the announcement to our family and friends.
In October I resigned my pastorate at Smoot Memorial Alliance Church, Many tears and extended hugs followed as we said good-bye to those beloved brothers and sisters who had given of their time, their talents, and their pastor to become a "world church" — one whose vision was not limited to its own backyard.
"Thank you for never holding me back from God's call on my ministry — and His call on this church," I told my loyal parishioners, as my eyes moistened. "You have given so much to the cause of the gospel. Keep on taking the good news to all the world, and remember us as we do the same."
Four months later, in February 1959, Wanda and I and our four children climbed aboard the S.S. African Glen cruise ship in the New York harbor and sailed into a bright but uncertain future. We were thankful our entire family would be able to go this time, but we were also keenly aware of the huge life changes that lay ahead for our kids. What happens when the excitement of a big adventure across the world wears off? Would they be able to adjust to a radically different culture?
Yet we knew our children's hearts and minds were securely in God's hands. As the lights of Ellis Island and Lady Liberty faded in the distance, we prayed together that God would guide and protect us during this next chapter of our family's journey.
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RETURN ENGAGEMENT
Twelve days later, our ship pulled into the docks of Monrovia. It was like coming home again. Wanda and I had grown so fond of the relationships and spiritual bonds we had established in this faraway land that we couldn't imagine not returning. This time, however, would be different. This time the entire Jones family was present — it would not be a short-term visit but a long-term commitment. This time we were asking to become a lasting part of the community.
Our close friends from ELWA were waiting to meet us at the dock. They helped us load our worldly belongings into a large truck and then escorted us into the city. As we traveled to our newly built home, our children registered fascination and mild amusement at the surreal sight of goats and cars occupying the same streets. At least it was surreal by our American standards. In time many things that seemed unusual to our Western eyes became as common as the rainbow-colored ice cream trucks that roamed Cleveland's streets each summer.
Soon we arrived at our new house (constructed with funds supplied by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association). Though it wasn't built on the same property Wanda and Sophie de la Haye staked out on that emotional day two years ago, it was on a gorgeous tract of land overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The home was an attractive four-bedroom model with a generous sitting room (complete with fireplace) and a patio that faced the ocean. There was plenty of space for our growing family. We toured the place with our ELWA friends Ray and Sophie de la Haye, Dick and Jane Reed, Tom and Cathy Lowe, and Bill and Betty Thompson. We thanked our friends for their kindness and asked them to
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join us in a prayer of dedication for the house — and for the new adventure ahead.
This period was especially adventurous for our kids, who overcame initial bouts with homesickness to settle into a productive routine in Monrovia. instead of sending them away to a distant boarding school, we chose to send them to the ELWA Academy. Cheryl and Gail, being the oldest, continued their learning through special correspondence courses. We also gave thanks to God as we saw Wanda's education degree put to good use in the development of our own little students.
Each day began with family devotions, breakfast, and the ritual ingesting of vitamins and various medications that kept our vulnerable American bodies protected from a variety of exotic diseases. The rest of the mornings were spent in study — the children with their school lessons, Wanda in preparation for the new Women of Faith radio program she hosted, and I getting my sermon themes and outlines together for my radio show and live crusades. Wanda and I also did a radio show together called Question Box, on which we answered questions on spiritual matters from our listeners.
Afternoons were devoted to outreach in the surrounding villages or programming at the studio. Wanda led women's Bible studies during the week in nearby villages and taught a Sunday school class in our living room on Sunday mornings. I made the rounds in the villages, visiting with local church leaders in hopes of adding them to our network.
Between my work with ELWA and my responsibilities with the BGEA, my days never seemed long enough. My favorite moments out on the road were those spent meeting with local people — hearing their stories, sharing Christ's
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hope for their hopeless situations. And there were plenty of seemingly hopeless situations — families ravaged by extramarital affairs, alcoholism, and domestic abuse. On the surface, the problems sound like anything you'd find in the broken lives of an American family. But each situation had its own unique issues rooted in the African context. It took long hours of relationship building and cultural acclimatization to earn the right to address many of those difficult subjects. But of course, that was part of the reason we decided to sign on for the long haul.
OPERATION AFRICA
Back in 1960, the majority of the countries on the massive African continent were under foreign colonial rule. Some nations, such as Nigeria, were on the cusp of independence, but many others were hankering for a taste of freedom. Liberia, a democracy founded by freed American slaves in the early nineteenth century, was a hopeful exception to the rule. Still, Liberia aside, the overwhelming sense in the region was one of political and social unrest.
In some ways, the mood in the air mirrored the one we knew was brewing back home in the United States. The American civil rights movement had stirred up a yearning for justice and given black men and women the hope of full citizenship in a nation that had long assigned them to second-class status. That yearning also existed in Africa. And as in the United States, the push for freedom often started in the churches.
This is the world I toured in 1957, and I now journeyed through again in preparation for Billy Graham's arrival.
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Billy's Africa crusade began several days before his arrival to the continent. In most large cities or regions, the BGEA crusade strategy often began with several of Billy's associates leading smaller "satellite" meetings in surrounding towns. This approach created buzz and inspired people to invite their friends to the larger crusade, which took place a few days later.
For Billy's tour of Africa, I kicked off the campaign with a week of preaching in Liberia where thousands turned out. The Jones Sisters Trio sang to an enthusiastic response. Billy arrived for the last two days of the week and, by God's Spirit, was often able to "close the deal" with those people who had toyed with the idea of going forward earlier in the week but didn't feel ready. A similar format was employed for Billy's next crusade stop in Ghana. Team evangelist Leighton Ford opened that rally in the capital of Accra and handed off the baton to Billy a day or two later.
Billy's mission to Africa continued through Nigeria and the Congo, Northern and Southern Rhodesia (now Zambia and Zimbabwe), Kenya, Tanganyika (now part of Tanzania), Ruanda-Urundi (now Rwanda and Burundi), Ethiopia, and Egypt. The eight-week tour hit some sixteen cities and drew hundreds of thousands of people — and not a little bit of controversy. In some countries, various groups pressured Billy to speak out on this or that political issue. But through it all, Billy managed to stay on message and focus on the business of proclaiming the gospel to a spiritually hungry land.
NECESSARY INTERRUPTIONS
Before leaving Africa, Billy honored our family by coming to our home to officially dedicate it and us to the work God
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had called us to in Liberia. Some three hundred guests attended the ceremony, including President William V.S. Tubman and Vice President William Tolbert, both professing Christians. On our patio, which afforded a glorious view of the ocean, Billy shared a brief message and then prayed over each member of our family. It was partly a symbolic moment, but it was also a real transaction between the Lord and His servants that left us feeling empowered for ministry.
A few weeks later, we were delighted to discover Wanda was once again pregnant. This time, however, the joy was mixed with a discernible trace of uneasiness. We wanted to be in Liberia, but we were not sure how well the next nine months would go for us in light of the ongoing health concerns that hovered over our family. I had suffered from the effects of malaria from time to time, and the high fever and sluggishness seemed to flare up again following my busy schedule during Billy's crusade across Africa. Wanda had never adjusted well to the anti-malaria medication we were all required to take. What's more, there was no telling how those drugs might affect our unborn child. After much prayer, and upon the advice of our doctor, we decided to return to the States — both to strengthen our bodies and to make sure the impending birth of our newest child would go smoothly.
We recorded scores of radio programs in advance, packed only the items we knew we couldn't leave behind, and returned to the United States, where we stayed with my family in Oberlin. Wanda and I knew it would be difficult to leave our Monrovia home for at least six months, but we didn't expect the sorrow displayed by our kids. By God's grace, they had settled into life in Liberia and genuinely counted it as
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home. Perhaps we had to uproot them from the place temporarily to discover just how attached they were to it.
We treated our time in Oberlin almost like a missionary furlough. We enjoyed the relaxed pace for a while and appreciated the time we had to spend with our relatives. My mother and father, in particular, seemed to have aged dramatically since we had left. It was a sharp reminder that time does not suspend itself when we're thousands of miles removed from our loved ones — it ticks on rapidly, and we must play catch-up the best we can while we have the opportunity.
Though we treasured the time with our family in Oberlin, Wanda and I were eager to get back to our ministry in Liberia. With my health improving, Wanda and I decided I would return to Monrovia soon after the birth of the baby along with Gail, Phyllis, and David. Wanda would stay behind with Cheryl and the baby until the doctor gave them the green light to make the long trip. Cheryl, a lovely and precocious girl who would soon be fifteen, could help Wanda with the baby until they rejoined the rest of us in Liberia.
Our dear little Lisa was born three days before Christmas 1960. Her tiny hands gripped my fingers tightly as if she suspected I might be going somewhere. Her sweet little face made me second-guess my plan to return to Africa so quickly. But Wanda assured me that she would be OK and that it was important for us to get back to our responsibilities with ELWA and the BGEA.
So after about six months in the States, Gail, Phyllis, David, and I returned to our home in Monrovia. Three months later we were reunited with Wanda, Cheryl, and Lisa.
The time away, while necessary and recuperative, only reconfirmed our calling to ministry abroad.
Chapter Fourteen || Table of Contents
