This past October was a rather emotional month for me! Many of you may know I reached that milestone of turning age 59 + 1. OK, I’ll say it—60!

Yes, it’s hard to believe. It only seems like yesterday that Mally and I with our four children (we now have five kids and seven grandkids) moved from Australia to America as missionaries, to help call the American church back to the authority of the Word of God. That was nearly 26 years ago!

Today as our supporters tour the Creation Museum and see our various outreaches around the world, they have asked about the history of AiG and how it all came together.

In October, three unusual and emotional events happened to me. They ended up being occasions where I was able to share different milestones of our personal family history—in order to help people see how God works in ways beyond anything we could ever imagine and for His purposes.

Truly we can say concerning our Creator, Lord, and Savior: “For You are great, and do wondrous things; You alone are God” (Psalms 86:10).

Also in October, we saw something I never thought would ever happen—a first in our family! My wife Mally (who does not like to be made a fuss of and always tries to remain in the background) agreed to share her personal testimony. This happened at a special banquet at the museum—and (unknown to her at the time) we captured this unique occasion all on video!

Let me tell you about this event and two others that happened in October, where Mally and I shared some very personal information about our history. It was intended to show God’s hand in our lives in marvelous and mysterious ways—all a part of how the Lord miraculously brought about the ministry of Answers in Genesis and all its outreaches, including the Creation Museum (and the coming Noah’s Ark project).

Three Special Events

AiG hosted a special banquet to honor Dr. John Whitcomb and the late Dr. Henry Morris for the 50th anniversary of the publication of their classic book The Genesis Flood. It was this book that began the modern biblical creation movement that has spread around the world. Along with Dr. John Whitcomb and his wife, members of the Whitcomb and Morris families (and 200 AiG supporters) attended.

At that very special dinner, I spoke about how I was able to get a copy of this book in 1974—and how that book was greatly used in the history of the creation ministry that began in our home in Australia.

Yes, the AiG ministry and Creation Museum are part of the legacy of Dr. Whitcomb and Dr. Morris—and also of parents in Australia who taught their children to stand on the authority of God’s Word.

At a special “Date Night” banquet as part of our Answers for Pastors conference held in the Creation Museum’s new Legacy Hall, I gave a personal testimony concerning my upbringing in Australia—and about the time I committed to the Lord to go anywhere He wanted me to go, and do whatever He wanted me to do.

I then had my wife Mally, in her first-ever public speaking appearance, come up. With a microphone in hand, she told the pastors and their wives of how she made that similar commitment about the same time as I did when she was about 11 years old. We were separated by 1,200 miles at that time, and we didn’t meet each other until she was 17!

At the “Date Night,” I also spoke about when my father died in Australia while I was speaking at a homeschool conference in Indianapolis in 1995. Even though it was a very difficult time for me, I still spoke to the attendees at the conference—and it dramatically changed the life of one particular family, who are now an integral part of AiG. It was amazing.

It was a time when we saw how only an infinite God could have ever planned for these unique circumstances to come together as they did. It was mind boggling.

With the third and last event in October, which was held on the final evening of our pastors’ conference and was totally unknown to me, my family and friends organized a “This is Your Life” style surprise for me to celebrate my 60th birthday!

Many of the AiG staff came into Legacy Hall to join those attending the pastors’ conference—and then my brother Stephen began showing photographs of me as a baby, and more photos capturing special events in my life. All my children and grandkids came up on stage, and then special friends (some who drove a considerable distance or flew in) also joined me on stage.

Then, in what was quite an emotional time for me, video clips were shown of several special friends from Australia, along with Australian family members (including my 83-year-old mother), bringing greetings. And testimonies were shown on a big screen.

My mother told the attendees of some family “secrets” about me, but she also gave a testimony of how she knew the Lord had called me to this apologetics ministry. She has so missed being with her American grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And she has so missed Mally and me. But she also knows that God called us to this ministry, and she had to let us go. And what a prayer warrior she has been for us and AiG.

Then came the big shock of “This is Your Life Ken Ham.” My brother David, who resides in Australia and had just appeared on video, and his wife Thelly came on stage! They flew over to the U.S. to surprise me for my birthday. Well, that was a moment when I really did emotionally “lose it” for a bit.

Sacrifices, Blessings, and Reminders

One of the biggest sacrifices for our family in moving to the United States in 1987 was leaving our parents, brothers, and sisters to come to America. Even though we have seen them off and on over the years, our children (and now our grandchildren) have really grown up without their grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins.

But you know, what happened at these three events was a very special reminder for Mally and me—a reminder of how God has worked in ways we never realized at the time, to bring us to the place where we are now in this incredible ministry that God has mightily blessed.

As I pondered these wonderful blessings, all I could say was “Wow! Look what God has done!” Who would have ever thought all these circumstances over the years were being knit together in such a way!

As I watched my dear mother on video and as I heard the testimonies of friends and family and as we recounted the circumstances of our lives even as children, I realized that God has done something very special. And through it, so many lives have been impacted around the world as He was blessed.

Reaching Forward

I’ve never done this before—but can I ask you something unusual this month? To offer a special “thank you” to the many friends and family (and staff members) who have sacrificed so much over the years in order for this ministry to become what it is today, would you prayerfully honor them by considering an extra-special year-end gift for Answers in Genesis—and the coming Ark Encounter?

That’s what our friends, family, and AiG colleagues would all want—to see the life-changing outreaches of this apologetics ministry be funded so that many more souls could be reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Thank you so much for being a critical part of this important ministry to impact so many lives for the kingdom of Christ! We pray you have a blessed Christmas season as together we remember the birth of our Savior and Creator, Jesus Christ.