“How do you feel about being celebrated?”
Alex Salstein was behind the wheel of an RV as the family of seven stopped at the gate leading to the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“Sure,” Alex answered. “What are we celebrating?”
The Salstein family was traveling home to Miami after picking up their son, Gabriel, from a Christian camp in New York when they stopped at the Billy Graham Library.
“You’re our two millionth visitor and we want to celebrate your family today,” the staff member replied.
“I was like, ‘No way!’ Alex said. “It was just excitement from there.”
“Technically the guard told us that our son is the 2 millionth visitor,” chimed in Javiera, Alex’s wife and mother of five. Laughing, she said, “My husband was the 1,999,999.”
The Salsteins had visited the Library four years ago, but since 17-year-old Gabriel is reading Just As I Am— Billy Graham’s autobiography—he asked to come back.
Walking through the cross-shaped glass doors, the family was greeted with big smiles and applause from the staff and other visitors.
To celebrate the milestone, the Salsteins received a complimentary lunch from the Graham Brothers Dairy Bar and a gift basket that included books by Billy Graham, a gift card, and other tokens of appreciation from Ruth’s Attic bookstore. The family enjoyed a special cake, and the first 200 guests to arrive after them joined in the celebration as they received a free treat from the Dairy Bar.
Their final gift was one they will leave behind—to commemorate their visit and celebrate the impact of the Gospel for years to come. The family was honoured with an inscribed brick paver, which will be placed in a path on the grounds of the Library.
Before their visit ended, the Salsteins went through The Journey of Faith tour, which tells the inspiring story of Billy Graham’s journey from growing up on a dairy farm to sharing the Gospel with millions around the world.
When Javiera was asked what they were most excited about seeing, she didn’t hesitate.
“It was just that feeling that we were looking forward to,” she said, “being surrounded by these people that love the Lord and really want to keep Billy Graham’s [ministry] going.
“The people that work here or volunteer here … there’s just such a love for Christ. All of you make it really special.
“We knew we’d have a great day,” Javiera said. “We just didn’t realise how amazing it would be.”
