Charlotte, NC - Parenting Seminar, White Water Rapids, The Discovery Place & Billy Graham Library!

As I mentioned in my last post, I am about a month behind on our travels, so I am trying to catch up on the blog over the next week or two! After we left Raleigh, we drove to Charlotte, North Carolina. We had a great week exploring the area, doing school, and holding a seminar at Sharon Baptist Church. Again, we were so blessed to have the chance to spend the week on the church property in our RV! YAY!

One afternoon, the boys and I visited the U.S. National Whitewater Center, which is located in Charlotte. While we were there, we had the opportunity to watch the olympic kayaking team during their practice time! It was so cool!

On another day during the week, we visited The Discovery Place, a hands-on science museum full of fun activities and programs. This museum is a part of the Travel Passport Program, so with our  Evansville Museum membership, our admission to The Discovery Place was FREE!! We paid $50 for the Evansville Museum membership last year, and it has saved us hundreds of dollars as we have visited several of museums that participate in the program! What a blessing!

We also spent one afternoon visiting a very special place...The Billy Graham Library. We were SO impressed! It was very inspiring to experience and learn more about this man's journey as God led him from a young boy living on a dairy farm, to an internationally known preacher.  It was also encouraging to see how the focus of the library was to glorify and honor God for all He has done not just in Billy Graham's life, but in the lives of millions of people around the world.  It took us a couple of hours to tour all of the exhibits in the museum. It was well worth the visit! Oh, and by the way, admission to the library is FREE!

As you tour the exhibits, you travel through time and experience the dairy farm where Billy grew up, his marriage and family life, and how his ministry grew throughout the years.  I found one exhibit with this interesting story about Richard Nixon.  Apparently, Nixon was sitting with Billy Graham at a crusade event when he realized he did not have any cash for the offering plate. Obviously, it would be terribly embarrassing for him not to put any money in the plate, especially since he was sitting on stage in front of thousands of people! So- he leaned over and asked Billy Graham for a loan! Some time later, he sent Graham a check to pay him back (along with a commitment for future financial support of the ministry). TOO FUNNY!!! :)

Another exhibit described the events of the Berlin wall coming down, and how that opened so many doors for the people in East Germany to hear the Gospel.  There was a display with pieces from the wall when it came down in 1989...

We also toured the inside of the boyhood home of Billy Graham, which was moved here close by the library.  

There is a lovely garden next to the library where Billy's late wife, Ruth, was laid to rest.  Ruth was born in China where both of her parents were missionaries.  On her gravestone is the Chinese character for "Righteousness".  Many years ago, before she passed away, Ruth was riding down the highway when she noticed a sign by the road that said, "End of Construction - Thank you for your patience." Ruth stated (with a smile) that those were the words she wanted to be carved on her gravestone.  What an amazing lady...

It was a very special day at the library and a great week overall visiting Charlotte. Our next stop was to Winston-Salem, North Carolina for 4 days and then we crossed over the border into Virginia!

Blessings to you and yours,

Jill and the boys:)