My Trip to see Franklin Graham at Decision America tour Burlington Vermont

The Decision America Bus in Burlington Vermont, May 21, 2019.

I took a little trip to Burlington, Vermont the other night. I wanted to attend the Franklin Graham event and hear him preach.  It was to be on the fairgrounds and we were to bring chairs and blankets.  From what I understand, there were 3,400 people in attendance.  I have never been to anything like this before. But I dearly love reading about the old tent revival meetings in our nation's history. My grandfather was a revival preacher. My uncle was also a preacher in the rural south. He would have week-long revival meetings every summer. We went to these preaching services throughout my childhood.  It was such a blessing to hear.  This Northeast Tour by the Billy Graham evangelistic organization was an incredible opportunity for me to see.

One of my sons (in his 20's) traveled with me for an overnight journey.  It was a 2 hour drive to get to Burlington from our home.  We have some family in the area, which made it easy to spend the night after the event would be over.

It started at 7:30 at night. There was to be Christian music by "Crowder," a sermon by Franklin Graham, and then fireworks at the end.  The weather was a bit cold and we worried it might rain. But with our coats and picnic blankets, we were comfortable.

Walking towards the event from the parking area.

There was an enormous crowd of thousands.  We walked up on the side and sat on the outskirts of the event.  We sat right beside a small blue tent where there were chaplains, staff, and prayer volunteer workers. They were so kind and welcoming.

Our view on the outskirts of the crowded audience.

The music was beautifully done.  There was a stage in the center, with large television screens on either side for everyone to see.

When Franklin Graham appeared, there was hearty applause. So many of us were so grateful that he came here to Vermont to give us a very precious sermon.  I video taped about 2 minutes of his introductory remarks and will share a transcript of it at the end of this post.  The entire sermon was encouraging and such a blessing to hear!  I was not able to get a video of the entire sermon, but was happy to at least get the 2 minutes in the beginning.

I remember watching Billy Graham crusades on television in my childhood home. To this day, whenever I watch a classic video of his invitations, or "altar calls," I always cry when I see the response from the audience as they stand and come forward to accept the Lord.  At the end of Franklin's message, he gave a modern-day altar call, there in the fairgrounds in Burlington, Vermont.  Many stood to accept the Lord. It was incredible to be there to see and hear it all.

After a prayer, it started to rain.  Franklin paused and told us that rain was a sign of a blessing from God.  There was cheering and applause.  The gentle rain only lasted about a minute or so.  It was a precious sign.  Just before Franklin finished his message, he told us that he didn't know if he would ever be back in Burlington. He told us his age. He is in his mid 60's.  He said, if he was not able to come back to see us here in Vermont, he would see us in Heaven.

The musicians returned to the stage and there were to be fireworks to celebrate the precious souls who came to Jesus.  Many packed up their things and got ready to leave.

As the crowds began to head out to their cars, the fireworks began.

Mrs. White watching the fireworks at the Franklin Graham event in Vermont

 

It was such a gift and a blessing to have been able to attend this event.  Below is my video, followed by the transcript, I was able to get of the beginning of Franklin's message. 

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Here is my Transcript of Franklin Graham's opening remarks before his sermon:

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(Applause) You know a Lot of people have kind of written Vermont off. I haven't. (Applause)
You know, when you think about the history of New England, and
what happened up here spiritually. . . over the centuries, how
God has used this area of the world to produce some of the great
preachers. . . and the great missionaries that have gone to other parts of the world,
and I think about the seeds of the gospel that have been sown,
the prayers of the saints of past generations. . I don't think those
prayers just disappear. I don't think they just disappear. We're gonna
watch tonight what God's gonna do, I believe there'll be many people tonight,
(Applause) will come to faith in Jesus Christ. And that's what this is all about.
If You're here tonight. . and you're not sure that you're saved, If you're here
tonight, and you're not sure that if you died that you'd go to Heaven,
I want you to know tonight how you can be sure and confident. I'm going to
invite you tonight. If you've never done this, I'm going to give you an
opportunity to invite Christ to come into your heart, to tell God you're
sorry for your sins, and by faith to believe on the name of His son
Jesus Christ, who took our sins on the cross, who died and shed His
blood for you and me, who God raised to life. He's not dead. He's right here.
(Applause) He's here in Vermont tonight. (Applause) He'll come into your heart and
your life if you're willing to trust Him.  God's got a plan for your life. He loves you.
But the only way we can find out God's plan, is to turn from our sins and by faith
to believe on the name of His son Jesus Christ. If you haven't done that, You get ready to do that. But before we get started, I've got a message tonight. It's titled,"Would you invite Jesus to your house for lunch?"

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(I will add this to my Tour of Vermont Series.)

Blessings,
Mrs. White


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Some help for those Sad Days  - Domestic Happiness.

Managing Money - The Housekeeper's Budget.

A Simple Life - Poor and Pretty Living.

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