PART SIX – July 21, 2011 is not a day I will forget very quickly…. That was the day that my church celebrated the victory of Arvid Loewen’s Guinness World Record trek across Canada by bicycle, and Charles Mully himself was there to celebrate with us at a special BBQ. My painting of the Mully Children’s Family was on display and I met Mr. Mully in person! It was surreal being in the presence of a man who is changing Kenya’s history – and whose face and family’s faces I have become so familiar with. 

Charles Mully – from abandoned street child to millionnaire businessman. From millionnaire businessman to “Father to the Fatherless”. Over 6500 Kenyan orphans and children have been rescued, loved, fed, educated through the Mully Children’s Family. Presently they are raising over 2000 children, and MCF is called the “largest family in the world”.

Funds raised to help this family don’t just go to feed the children. MCF has worked to become self-sustaining to a great extent through agriculture, tree-planting, building dams and fish farming, raising poultry and so much more. Funds raised by board member Arvid Loewen are going toward capital projects which further help the family to help themselves and also for community development initiatives. Africa is experiencing a devastating two-year drought, and the people are drawn toward Kenya for assistance.

It was indeed a pleasure and honor to meet Charles Mully in person. When he arrived, he saw the painting which was beside the stage where the band was playing. He told me he recognized the people in the painting, and I promised to send him a print when it is finally completed. The man is genuine. His wide smile, humble demeanor and friendliness to all who meet him is amazing to observe. He and Arvid shared their experiences that evening – it is almost incomprehensible – the magnitude of what has been accomplished to help children through MCF. These healthy, educated young people are the future leaders and caregivers of Africa.

When Arvid Loewen first visited the Kenyan home of MCF, he was inspired to retire early from his job at Palliser Furniture, and he and his wife Ruth joined the board at MCF to help fundraise on a full-time basis. MCF inspired Paul H. Boge to write the book “Father to the Fatherless”, the story of the life of Charles Mully.  It was a later a video shown in my church that inspired me to paint the portrait of the family. When the smiling young girl on the screen said “We are the largest family in the world”, it brought tears to my eyes and a “picture” in my head of Charles Mully’s family. Inspiration…