Editing Ruth Graham (section)

==Ministry==
{{multiple image
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| image1   = Ruth and Billy Graham Congressional Gold Medal.jpg
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| image2   = Ruth and Billy Graham Congressional Gold Medal (reverse).jpg
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| footer   = 1996 Congressional Gold Medal coin shows Ruth and Billy Graham in profile (obverse); the Ruth and Billy Graham Children's Health Center in Asheville, North Carolina (reverse).
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In [[1959 in literature|1959]], Graham published her first book, ''Our Christmas Story'', an illustrated volume for children. She went on to write or co-write 13 other books, many of them works of poetry she wrote as an emotional release while her husband was so often on the road through the years.<ref name="latimes"/>

Graham was a vital part of Billy Graham's evangelistic career, and he turned to her for advice and input about many ministry decisions. One of the early uses of media by the BGEA was the "Hour of Decision" radio program begun in 1950, which she named. After her upbringing in China and high school experience in Korea, she continued to have compassion for the people of Asia. She encouraged her husband to visit and later accompanied him during his historic visits to the [[People's Republic of China]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Graham|first=Billy|year=1998|title=Just as I Am: the Autobiography of Billy Graham|location=Toronto|publisher=HarperCollins|isbn=978-0-00638-611-7|page=726}}</ref>

Graham's significant role in her husband's ministry was recognized in 1996, when they were jointly awarded the [[Congressional Gold Medal]] in a special ceremony in the [[U.S. Capitol Rotunda]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref name="wash"/>