It is abundantly clear that one of the ladies in our church has a love for children. She and her husband have seven children together. The mother had a daughter before the couple married, and the father had two daughters. Of course, the lady’s expressed hope before they married was to have twelve children.
Whether that is still a dream, I don’t know. I do know that Alyson has a heart for serving children. As an outreach option for our church, she suggested we support The Foster Village in Dripping Springs, an agency providing wrap-around services to foster parents and the children they serve.
Last night, to prime the pump, so-to-speak, as an activity, our church watched the movie “Mully”, the life story of Charles Mully in Kenya, Africa. It powerfully portrays the unmet needs of children and the possibilities of what one person can do.
I have been involved in child welfare service all of my adult life. I had never heard of Mully or of the Mully Children’s Family in Kenya, Africa. Wow! The documentary is powerful.
In watching the documentary of Mully’s life, the words of a song written by Stuart Hamblin came to mind: “It Is No Secret What God Can Do”. The song was autobiographical for Hamblin. Though Hamblin was highly successful and widely recognized as a singing cowboy, entertainer, actor and Hollywood stunt man, the “thorn in his flesh” that threatened his undoing was alcohol.
Although Hamblin’s dad was a Church of Christ minister, it was not until Hamblin attended a Billy Graham crusade in Los Angeles that the presence of Christ in his life became clear. It turned his life around.
Charles Mully could also attest to the truth of God’s ability to intervene in the toughest of circumstances and life-threatening realities. During the midst of childhood, his family abandoned and left Mully to fend for himself.
His was the plight of an improvised orphan, for all intents and purposes. He found himself a kid on the streets where gang violence and overwhelming difficulties became his constant companions. The life expectancy of a child in those circumstances is minimal.
At the age of 17, Mully walked into a church and made the personal discovery that it is no secret what God can do. He subsequently found work in Nairobi in the private home of a family. He scrubbed their floors, cleaned their home, did their laundry, cooked their meals and proved himself capable of more.
The family eventually offered him the position of a farm assistant where his responsibilities included oversight of 800 farm employees. It was there that he met his wife. They subsequently had eight children.
Mully subsequently became an independent businessman; operating a taxi service with the sounds of Jim Reeves and other country music celebrities filling his vehicles. His is definitely a “from rags to riches” story. In the midst of great wealth, he questioned the meaning of life and felt led to rescue other orphans from the streets. If you’ve not seen the film, I highly recommend it.
All My Best!
Don
Carpe Diem 