Gigi Graham
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21 September 1945
Gigi (or GiGi) Graham[1] | |
|---|---|
| Born | Virginia Leftwich Graham 21 September 1945 |
| Occupation | Speaker, author, evangelist |
| Alma mater | Mary Baldwin College[citation needed] |
| Period | 1978–present |
| Genre | Christian non-fiction |
| Notable work | A Quiet Knowing (W Publishing, 2001), Currents of the Heart (Multnomah Publishers, 1996), Passing It On (Word Publishing, 1993). |
| Spouse | Stephan Tchividjian[2]: p.95 (d. 2010)
Chad Foreman[when?][3][4] Jim Wilson (2012-)[4][5] |
| Children | 7 |
| Relatives | parents Billy Graham and Ruth Bell Graham; siblings Anne, Ruth Bell, Franklin (William Franklin III), and Nelson Edman (Ned).[2][6][7] |
Virginia Leftwich “Gigi” Graham Tchividjian,[citation needed] also known as Virginia Leftwich “Gigi” Graham Foreman[4][1] (born September 21, 1945), the eldest child of the late Billy Graham and the late Ruth Bell Graham,[2]: p.95 is an American Christian author with more than 10 published books, who has, in addition, a developed "speaking... ministry".[4] Her book-length writings include several coauthored by Ruth Bell Graham.[8][9]
Virginia Leftwich Graham[5] was born in 1945,[4] in Montreat, North Carolina on September 21 of that year, to Billy and Ruth Bell Graham.[2]: p.95 In addition to Gigi, the Grahams had four more children: Anne, Ruth Bell, Franklin (William Franklin III), and Nelson Edman (Ned).[2][6][7]
Just prior to her thirteenth birthday, Gigi left to attend a boarding school,[1] Hampden DuBose Academy, in Zellwood, Florida, where Billy Graham's close friends and colleagues, the brothers T.W. and Grady Wilson, had sent their children (and where one of Gigi's best friend was going).[2]: p.250 After four years, there Gigi returned home, but soon transitioned to begin college, at Wheaton College, in Wheaton, Illinois, which she began, with boyfriend Jim Wilson (son of T.W.), shortly after her seventeenth birthday.[2]: p.298
In that same year (1962), Stephan Tchividjian, son of a wealthy Swiss-Armenian convert to Christianity from Montreaux, Switzerland, who supported Billy Grahams ministry and had hosted the Graham family in the summer of 1960, reached out to Billy and Ruth Graham family, seeking their permission to be in contact with their daughter, with a proposal for marriage.[2]: p.297f (Seven years her senior, and thinking it "unseemely to approach a girl so young", Tchividjian had for some time "hesitated making direct contact".[2]: p.297f ) Gigi's parents delayed communicating the proposal until the Christmas holidays of that year, leading to Gigi's insistence that she be allowed to meet with Stephan, which led to his invitation to join the Graham's for Christmas; after a time which she described as "days either on my knees or sitting in my window seat... seeking God's direction", she concluded that "the Lord has told me to say yes", and arranged, to the surprise of Stephan, in accommodation with the elder Graham's ministry schedule, to be married the following May, in Switzerland.[2]: p.298f
In addition to having attended Wheaton College,[2]: p.298 she is reported to have attended Mary Baldwin College.[clarification needed][when?][citation needed] Sometime after their wedding, Stephan and Gigi returned to the United States.[4]
Career
After leaving Switzerland for America, and in the course of having and raising her children (see following), Gigi, then married to Stephan Tchividjian, began writing out her thoughts during a period of depression, "on scraps of paper between household tasks".[4] This began a process that culminated in her completing more than 10 books (see following), and her "develop[ing] an inspirational speaking and writing ministry".[4] She began writing down her personal experiences, which later grew into a career of sharing stories from different life backgrounds. She used her early notes to create a collection and organized her work around themes like personal struggle and faith.[4]
