Mully Ways

Dusk settled around me as I meandered through Ndalani on that pleasant June evening. It was 2022, and the privilege of travel, after the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were lifted, had recently been restored. I felt the gift of renewed freedom that night. A chorus of branches swayed in the gentle breeze above me, lifting my eyes, while a choir of children’s voices lifted my spirit, pulling me toward their joyful melody. The four-part harmonies echoed throughout the property, as if heaven sang to earth, and earth echoed back.

I had seen MULLY, the documentary, and it moved me. I had read Father to the Fatherless, and it touched me even deeper. But as I walked the prayer-soaked grounds, spoke with MCF beneficiaries, worshipped God with them, and witnessed firsthand the impact of the Mully family’s surrender and faithfulness, I experienced God’s goodness in a way that words struggle to express. Psalm 34:8 exhorts us to “Taste and see that the Lord is good.” Tasting is something we must do up close and in person, and I sensed His goodness firsthand that evening.

I traveled to MCF with a team of five, including my mother and daughter. What a privilege it was to experience the world’s largest family with part of my own at my side — three generations walking through a story of hope and restoration. Each of us had a unique experience on that trip, each perspective valuable. As I reflect on our time there, I hope you will get a sense of what a visit to MCF is like. But more than this, I pray you will sense the heart of God in the ways of MCF.

Long before Mully Children’s Family began, Charles’ entrepreneurial spirit gave rise to MULLYWAYS, a transportation business that reflected his deep integrity, work ethic, and joy. MULLYWAYS carried Kenyans across the country, but it also carried the heartbeat of Daddy Mully. From his diligent work ethic to the music that filled his vehicles, his business was an expression of his God-centered culture — a culture that would later transform countless lives. Richard Rohr says, “The way we do anything is the way we do everything,” and when Daddy Mully and Mama Esther said “Yes” to God and began MCF, Mully’s ways, rooted in God’s ways, created a culture of beauty beyond words. I felt this culture everywhere we traveled across the MCF sites. Each location was different, but the same spirit of faithfulness, connection, and joy remained consistent.

Mully Children’s Choir

We flew into Nairobi, where MCF leaders greeted us with warm hugs and guided us with care through Kibera. They drove us to a city ministry and a boys’ home started by one of MCF’s earliest beneficiaries. We worshipped with them, listened to their stories, and encouraged one another. Later, we traveled to the Ndalani campus, where we would spend most of our trip. Each morning, we began with a healthy meal and a shared devotion. Whether it was Daddy Mully or one of his trusted leaders, we were welcomed, embraced, and engaged as we visited schools, spoke to children, and witnessed the ever-growing impact of MCF.

Left to right: Mama Esther joining us on a tour of Yatta, Seedlings ready for planting

During our week in Ndalani, we walked through the largest MCF location, observed students in classrooms, connected with children, listened to their stories, and marveled at their achievements. The glorious songs of the choir filled the air as we explored the fields of growing crops and admired murals welcoming every visitor. At the Charles Mully School, we saw how MCF’s influence extended beyond its walls, benefiting the surrounding community. We spoke to staff, exhorted the students, and while I’m not sure if we impressed them, they certainly impressed me.

In Yatta, we saw the hospital under construction and walked through state-of-the-art poultry farms that will soon supply eggs to the community. At the Vipingo school, we served lunch and watched a play that reenacted Daddy Mully and Mama Esther’s story. I’ll never forget the love the students expressed through their drama or the way their attentive eyes drank in Mama Esther’s words. In Malindi, we were greeted by a smaller group of young ladies, all dressed in outfits of their own making, gaining skills that would enable them to start businesses and improve their communities. Each had a story, and each had a beauty all her own.

The Charles Mully School

Warm Welcome at Malindi

Students at Vipingo gather around Ndondo Mully

Faithfulness Over Time

Daddy Mully and Mama Esther’s “Yes” continues to unfold in countless ways. Their earliest beneficiaries are now changing lives. The seedlings they planted have grown into shade and produce, and the communities that once questioned their intentions now partner with them to expand their impact. At the Charles Mully School, children who were once rescued from the streets now thrive academically and in the arts. The once-barren landscape of Ndalani now flowers with vegetation, and the community benefits from MCF’s faithfulness. As we visited the various sites, I was reminded that each “Yes” they gave to God bore both blessings and challenges. Yet, they moved forward in faith, and their faithfulness continues to change hearts and communities.

The Power of Connection

At MCF, every person has a role to play. Coming from a more individualistic culture, I was deeply impressed by the communal strength I saw at MCF. No one person carried the whole load; each child and staff member contributed their unique gifts for the benefit of everyone. Whether learning in formal classrooms or from one another, these children learn family, love, and the value of connection. I saw this in the teachers at Malindi, who taught sewing and cosmetology to young ladies gaining skills for their futures. MCF is not just an organization; it truly is a family. Connected through love, their worlds — and the world around them — are being changed.

Left to right: Crops at Yatta, Yatta Hospital in its early stages

Joy

Joy is a small word with big implications, a gift we experience but cannot muster without a source. Like Jacob’s Well on the Ndalani campus, joy seemed to flow freely throughout MCF. I experienced joy in countless ways — in songs of praise, in carefree play, in the bright eyes of children who invited me to share in their world. This joy comes from safety, from healing, from love. It’s a joy that transforms trauma into wholeness, loneliness into connection, and sorrow into laughter.

Part of our team with Mama Esther and Kaleli Mully

Mully Ways

I can still hear the words in Daddy Mully’s voice: MULLYWAYS. Over time, God has used the ways of the Mully family to grow a movement that touches lives and even transforms a nation. Faithfulness, connection, and joy — these are the Mully ways. They are God’s ways, lived out on earth as they are in heaven. As Jesus prayed in Matthew 6:10, “Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” In experiencing Mully Children’s Family, I walked through a beautiful expression of that prayer.

Left to right: Mama Esther with one of her favorite students, Bwana Asifiwe from Ndalani

Now, I invite you to be part of this incredible story. Whether through sponsoring a child, volunteering your time, or simply sharing this story with others, you too can make a difference. Together, we can continue to support the world’s largest family as they transform lives, restore hope, and bring heaven to earth.

Will you join us in walking these Mully ways?