21 Feb 2025

We took our seats at 1030 and the procession came.  Hands waving, 1,000 spectators dancing and calling, music blaring, and graduates dancing, led by Dr. and Mama Mulli.

This took nearly 15 minutes with so much excitement.  The spectators came from all over Kenya, even from the most remote isolated areas because their people were graduating with skills to reintegrate back into their communities.  Without MCF these young people would have been sentenced to poverty, early death, illness, and suffering.  MCF has broken the wheel of poverty!  No wonder there is so much excitement and positive energy.  Often these young graduates were the first ever in their family to have achieved this level of training and education.  The areas such as the north west, around Lake Victoria, and towards the south west in Maasai land remain under serviced with poverty levels so high schools are sometimes a luzury.  Food and water and survival are priorities, hence so many are kept in the cycles of poverty.  Education is the way out, and MCF gives these graduates the way out.  And so here they are, 213 plus all the many well wishers overjoyed at the future that MCF has opened up.  So the communities come very long distances often dressing in their finest very traditional celebratory dress to witness these achievements.  Kairos!

The parade would stop for photo ops, shrieks of congratulations from the spectators.  Once the grads had moved to their spots, we remained standing for a great opening prayer and then the Kenyan National Anthem and the East African Anthem.  Note the flags in the background.  Never prouder of seeing our flag supporting this astounding celebration.

After the opening remarks and welcomes by the Mully College Board, the students showed off.  There was the choir from MCF Yatta singing three pieces.  I have videos of many of these performances.  The still photos show a bit, but it does not quite capture the movement, energy and the music/drums that filled the air and all of us.

By this time it was nearly noon, yet time today was being measured in Kairos not Chronos so nobody cared.  Nobody cared!  Perhaps the best way to describe this suspension of normal space and time in the celebration is to note that  a “Kairos moment” is the time when the Holy Spirit is moving and ready to act. A Kairos moment is an invitation to cooperate with the Holy Spirit now. 

The next Kairos moment occurred with these brilliant dancers, with the beat of the African drums in the background.  The heat of the sun was of course extreme, yet MCF was prepared with all kinds of water stations, everyone was sheltered under UV protected tents, even people walking up to the dais were escorted under sun umbrellas.  People like me were mopping their brows, and yet we were so riveted on the celebration we did not notice at the time.  Kairos! 

After the interlude of shows the girls of Malindi gave their heartfelt valedictorian address and a very touching personal thank you to Dr. and Mama Mulli.  It was evident to all that this indeed was a time in Kairos.  We all knew that there is no way any one human being could have brought about the transformation of these girls.  Their backgrounds in any country, including and maybe especially in the west simply defy the odds of the positive outcomes that we are seeing here and now at MCF Yatta.  It is incomprehensible, and yet here we are!

This was the MCF Ndalani Karate Class show.  I have video.  MCF Karate is famous through the Kenyan karate shows, taking title after title.  Their main team was competing this weekend in the Kenyan nationals and are considered the frontrunners.  MCF grads in Karate have competed on behalf of Kenya at the Olympics.  Determined, focused, smart and with perseverance beyond understanding.

By this time it is about 1245.  Look carefully and you will see an acrobat in mid air and near horizontal, executing a flip.  I have video.  

This athlete has been working on his techniques, strength and dexterities since he was 10.  He is 19 in this photo.  He is a happy beneficiary, who likes to tease me for my long nose and nasal sounding words.  Smart in mathematics, deeply devout to his Christian faith/practices, and a passionate singer in the Christian Union choir.  His background should have landed him in jail before he came to MCF, but as he said, he got lucky dodging police and other violence, surviving in violence and nefarious activities of the street.  He thanked me for seeing beyond the street urchin in him and indeed entrusting my own grandson in his class, grade 12.

To God be the Glory 

Sung by us all well led by the choir.  It is 1330.

The silence of respect amongst this crowd of 1,500 people, huddled under the shade descended as soon as this quintessential mother of thousands took the stage.  At age 72, she presented herself with her faith, perserverence, and love for all her children.  She is a strong calm powerful presence that is presented in kindness and compassion.  She is a soul with whom to be reckoned, advocating for the rights of her daughters rescued from terrible backgrounds to find their way back to responsible adulthood.  She continues to support MCF because, as she said, she loves God so much, and loves the children even the most marginalized. Deeply convinced that serving to transform the broken children is a service to God, she has a peaceful, yet formidable presence.   She mentioned how much the child mothers have accomplished through faith, hard-work and mutual love.  Child mothers are among the most marginalized and unwanted people due to stigma and rigid cultural norms.  Weaving into her presentation were Biblical directions about bringing the children in to God the son.  She has transcended the common belief that these children have no value and sees them the most valued.  Once again it was a Kairos moment, as it is unknown how it is that one loving mother had been instrumental in transforming so many (thousands) children (over the 35 years of MCF) from hopelessly damaged young people into into functioning contributing young adults with the capability of dignified livelihoods.

Charles Mulli spoke from the heart to the crowd and held us in his hand.  Speaking deliberately slowly in English he detailed some of the struggles he had when he gave up his affluent business life for a wealth far more valuable to him that even financial security.  He talked about his prayers were always answered, convinced that his absolute trust in Our Father who art in heaven would never let his children starve.  And he says with simple conviction that there was never a time there was not enough food to feed his ever enlarging family, never.  This he explains as miracle.

That does not mean he has sat and simply waited.  He reminded us that hard work has empowered him to make the water conservation projects that are necessary to grow food in Yatta and Ndalani.  And hence the trees, the dams, the irrigation systems, the green houses with so much produce he feeds not only all the children, but the produce income allows for free food to schools and many many special needs families in the community.

From this exposure of his struggles and challenges, he was able to encourage and congratulate the graduates whom as he said had very difficult lives before Mully College, where, without having to pay any fees, not only did they learn marketable skills, but also the values of MCF that empower the leaders coming out of MCF.

I should have a copy of the professional video of that speech available to me and hope to use his image and voice for future presentations.  There is a 1 minute sample attached.  Dr. Charles does not raise his voice, he speaks publicly much like he speaks in conversation.  The audio is not great and it might be difficult at first to understand him.  I suggest you listen a couple of times.  Right at the beginning he talks about the children who go to "the street"  Once you pick that up, it should become clearer.  He talks about leaving his own family to look for the lost sheep.  Listen carefully.

The crowd was still and silent.  His ability to command public attention comes not from great showmanship, but rather from sincerity and genuine humility.  It is uncanny to see the attention he holds, although I suspect it is simply because of what this one devotee of the Nazarene has accomplished at manifesting itself with these 213 graduates..

The last event, starting about 1500, comprised handing out the certificates to all 213 graduates.  It was well organized, grads lined up and each one was given the certificate and pictures were taken.  The MC asked guests like me to help hand out the certificates.  I was invited first (big honour) and was introduced as the representative of all the donors and supporters from everywhere outside Kenya.  Wow, even bigger honour.  I am considering putting that title on my resume.

It was now 1630 and all the guests proceeded to a tent set up with lunch comprising ugali, chapati, potatoes, beef stew, and fresh fruit.  The choir entertained us as we, the guests, had a chance to socialize with self introductions and reunions with friends from other celebrations at Mully Children's Family.

Filled full of food for body and spirit, I felt great mounting the vehicle for the 40 minutes drive to MCF Ndalani.  The road trip from Sophia to MCF Ndalani lass about 20 minutes and the it is a very rough, bouncy, rattling drive.  My hostess, the lovely Jemimah, daughter-law to Dr. Mulli, upon arrival leaned over to quip:  '"there now you have had an African massage."

And that was a day, suspended in time and space, a day in Kairos time.