A Legacy Worth Leaving

When she moved into the nursing home, she was only allowed to take a few personal things with her—a family photo and a couple of other items. I remember her saying to me something like, “I look around the room, and now I hardly have anything of the earthly possessions I once had. But I’m looking forward to my heavenly home.” She also said, “It only seems like yesterday I was a little girl growing up at Bartle Frere, North Queensland, then I was married, had children, and here I am ready to go to heaven. It just seems like a blur, it’s gone so quickly.”

Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. (James 4:14 LSB)

As she was telling me this, I was thinking on some of the things she taught us, like:

“It’s only what is done for Jesus that lasts.”

And, “Always put God first, others second, and yourself last.”

And He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37–39 LSB)

Then I began to remind her about the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter and the spiritual impact on millions of lives that was all part of the legacy she was leaving—a legacy that was really priceless. After all, we can’t put a value on just one soul who receives the free gift of salvation! And our research indicates tens of thousands of people (and who knows how many more?) have become Christians through the AiG ministry and our attractions. Now that’s a legacy!

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? (Matthew 16:26)

I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Luke 15:7 LSB)

So why did I start my letter to you this way? I was watching the news and hearing of wars and rumors of wars, Christian persecution, violence, the cruelty of dictators (like the one in North Korea), earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunami warnings, destructive tornadoes, murders, and other sad news items. It made me think about those conversations I had with my mother. I thought about the fact that this world is so permeated by sin, but it is only our temporary home.

The time we spend here, compared to eternity, is almost nothing!

The time we spend here, compared to eternity, is almost nothing! And that reminded me that my mother understood this, and she also knew the vital importance and priceless value of seeing souls saved for eternity.

All this brought to mind the parable Jesus told:

A nobleman went to a distant country to receive a kingdom for himself, and then return. And he called ten of his slaves, and gave them ten minas and said to them, “Engage in business until I come back.” (Luke 19:12–13 LSB)

The lesson for us is that Jesus has entrusted us with resources. Those resources could include gifts of teaching, art, music, material resources, and so on. We are to use those gifts/talents/resources until he returns. We are to invest those gifts/resources for the Lord. And there’s no better investment for them than in someone’s eternity!

I believe God has given me a gift of teaching, of communication. He also called me to be a visionary with a fire in my bones to step out in faith to be a part of building a ministry to impact millions with God’s Word and the gospel. And God brought many others along with various gifts to make all this happen. And really, it’s all a legacy of parents who taught me to always put God first and that the message of the gospel is the most important and vital message in the universe.

God also brought along you, our supporters, who pray for us and support this ministry financially to enable it to accomplish what God has called us to do. We are all part of this big family, using our resources (talents, gifts, finances, etc.) to reach as many people as we can with the saving gospel message.

As most of you know, we conduct an end-of-year campaign to raise funds for special projects and initiatives to continue to expand the evangelistic reach and impact of the ministry. For the past few years, a family foundation has generously given us an $8 million matching-gift challenge to encourage our supporters to match the amount. And each year, you, our supporters, have done that. Praise the Lord!

Well, as I mentioned in my September letter to supporters, we presented projects for both the gospel-proclaiming Ark Encounter and Creation Museum to this family foundation that totaled $20 million. And the foundation committed to make a $10 million matching-gift challenge for our supporters (every dollar given to the end-of-year campaign will be fully matched up to this amount). Wow!

We have been faithful in using what God has entrusted us with to honor him, his Word, and his Son as we proclaim the gospel boldly.

We have been faithful in using what God has entrusted us with to honor him, his Word, and his Son as we proclaim the gospel boldly. Now God is entrusting us with even more. Will we be able to see this amount matched? I must admit, it stretches my faith. But I know “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

We are all going to have to pray that God will raise up people to enable this matching-gift challenge to be fulfilled just as our supporters have faithfully done in previous years as the family foundation continues to give us a matching gift.

Let me summarize again some of what this year’s end-of-year campaign is for. You can also find out more details on our donate page.

1. Creation Museum expansion. Now that we’ve moved our main offices out of the Creation Museum, we have an opportunity to do some major renovations to make more space for guests and pave the way for an eventual children’s museum with interactive exhibits to fill the previous office space. Part of the end-of-year funding will also provide for the research, design, and plan development of this children’s interactive area.
   

2. Ark Encounter expansion. With an intention to impact and bring more guests to the evangelistic Ark Encounter, these expansion initiatives include the addition of two major exhibits and expansion/infrastructure activities for future family-engaging attractions at the Ark. As the new Welcome Center at the Ark will open later this year, we will be able to free up half of the large lobby of the Answers Center to prepare it for the displaying of traveling exhibits.

   The first special exhibit that will be available to us in about a year is the amazing Megiddo Mosaic exhibit. This exhibit includes the mosaic floor from a third-century church (excavated from under a prison in Megiddo, Israel) that has the oldest inscription found (excluding manuscripts) stating that Jesus is God. There are various artifacts and a documentary film that goes with this exhibit. We are able to do this by special arrangement with the Israel Antiquities Authority.

   

   We will also be fitting out a large room (currently unfinished) in the building that will house our first-century Jerusalem model (coming 2027) to exhibit and display over 100 artifacts dating to Israel’s Second Temple period (also under arrangement with the Israel Antiquities Authority). This exhibit will show how archaeology confirms the Bible’s history and goes along with the stunning and archaeologically up-to-date Jerusalem model.

   

   These kind of unique exhibits have drawn great numbers of people, and we expect them to do the same at the Ark Encounter, where people will hear the truth of God’s Word and the gospel. The special traveling exhibit space will then be able to display something different every year or so.

You can keep up-to-date with the campaign by watching the giving campaign thermometer on the donation page of the Answers in Genesis website. Thank you again for praying for us and financially supporting this ministry to enable it to accomplish what God has called us to do!

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken Ham