My Wife Mally Wrote a New Book! Here’s the Backstory.

1. We all know that America celebrates the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence this year, which was, in essence, the birth of the US.
2. It’s also a celebration year for AiG, as it’s the 10th anniversary of the opening of the Ark Encounter. We have some special events happening at the Ark on July 9, 10, and 11 to commemorate this special time (more on that later).
3. It’s also a celebration of what I call a miracle! Well, I consider it a miracle! Those of you who know my sweetheart wife, Mally, will understand why I said it’s a miracle when you hear that . . . she wrote a book! Mally wrote a book? Yes, she did!

Mally is very shy and always likes to stay behind the scenes. She doesn’t want to be the focus of attention. And she’s not a writer or a speaker. Yet she wrote a book—a powerful book. Let me tell you some of the background.

When we were visiting the facilities of Master Books (the publisher of all my books) in Arkansas last year, their top executive, Randy, approached Mally with an idea. He said he thought it would be fantastic if Mally could write a book about her life as a wife, mother, and grandmother, being married to Ken Ham, and how she coped and has always supported me in this ministry. He thought she would have some great advice for wives in ministry and for women in regard to family and marriage. After all, she had five children and now has eighteen grandchildren and two greatgrandchildren.

When I heard this, I thought, “There is no way he is going to get her to do this.” I can still see the horrified look on Mally’s face. She immediately dismissed it as impossible. When Randy asked her, he and some other staff from the publishing company had taken us to lunch at a quaint restaurant. As we were leaving, Mally saw one of the items for sale at the restaurant and commented on how much she liked it. It was a beautifully finished log seat with the words: “An old bear lives here with his honey.”

Neither of us thought any more about the seat or the book. Then sometime later, we were called by a shipping company who said they were delivering a seat. We were perplexed, “We didn’t order any seat.” After the truck delivered this very large package, we opened it and to our surprise found it was the seat Mally had made a passing comment about in Arkansas.

I then realized, “Oh, this is a bribe to get Mally to write this book they want!”

Mally said something like, “They can bribe all they want, but I can’t write a book.” She kept talking about them sending this seat and how she was not a writer, so how could she write a book?

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So I started putting some pressure—gentle and persistent pressure—on her. After all, I knew it would take a miracle, really, to get her to do this. After a lot of persuading and conscripting our daughters to also coax her, we came up with an idea. Master Books would send a list of questions they would like her to answer in the book. Mally would sit with two of our daughters, and I would have one of our best writers, who has written many of my radio scripts and articles for me and has edited a number of my books, sit with her while she tells her life’s story.

As I read the manuscript and helped Mally add in things she wanted to say, I was amazed at how special this book is.

And so, while protesting right up until the day, she told her story to our writer, Avery. Avery recorded everything and wrote Home Fires, keeping Mally’s words. What a powerful book. It’s emotional and convicting. As I read the manuscript and helped Mally add in things she wanted to say, I was amazed at how special this book is. When Heidi St. John—podcaster, author, speaker, and a very special friend of ours—heard about the book, she offered to write the foreword! She knows Mally enough to know this book would be such a unique and important one. After she read the book, she sent the foreword. Here is just an excerpt from it:

In a world that often celebrates the loud, the visible, and the instantly viral, Mally Ham stands as a quiet treasure—a woman whose life whispers the beautiful truth that God delights in using the ordinary, the shy, and the unseen to accomplish the extraordinary.

I love Mally Ham. She’s the real deal—and in the pages that follow this introduction, I have a feeling you will come to see her, like Ken does, as the “real” VIP at Answers in Genesis. It is a profound honor to introduce this book, not merely as a chronicle of one of the most influential ministries of our time, but as a heartfelt invitation into the beautiful, faithful partnership between Mally and her beloved “Kenny Darling,” the man God used to launch Answers in Genesis.

Mally will insist that she’s not “an author”—but I disagree. Avery writes Mally’s story beautifully—but God is the one who deserves the credit for what you are about to read.

In the pages you are about to read, you’ll see for yourself how Mally does far more than recount history. She opens her heart to teach timeless biblical truths on parenting, marriage, and faithfulness in ministry, while gently calling every reader (and reminding herself!) to finish well. This is not a book for spectators; it is a roadmap for those who long to walk humbly with their God, trusting that He who began a good work will be faithful to complete it.

When the publisher read the manuscript, Randy sent me this message:

I don’t want to scare her but I think this book will reach more people than she could ever imagine. . . . When I saw you walking together in the warehouse when you visited the press . . . I was so impressed with the word legacy. When people read this, they are going to want more of Mally. And honestly, this next generation needs to hear what she is saying. It’s counterculture but in a great way. She has the scars but also the proof. I see this project as a real testimony to that.

And then he said, “I don’t know if Mally would be willing to do any publicity if it was alongside you. . . . I do think you and her together talking about the book would be a great interview.”

I thought, “Okay, I know what it took to get her to have this book written . . . to get her to do an interview? That would take more pressure than President Trump put on Iran!” So stay tuned for what happens regarding this request!

I wanted to let you read a very short excerpt from one of the 12 chapters of the book as it does pertain to our 10th Ark anniversary year:

This is actually happening! God enabled us to do this!

“What’s your favorite exhibit at the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter?” I’ve been asked this question over the years and my answer is, well, all of them! I remember standing beside Kenny when the museum—his dream since the 1980’s when he stood on a little piece of property in Queensland, Australia and prayed for a creation museum— finally opened in 2007 in Kentucky. Certainly, we could never have dreamed in the 1980’s how God would answer that prayer, but he did in his way and in his timing. When the Creation Museum opened, I had to pinch myself in a way as I thought, “this is actually happening! God enabled us to do this!” To this day, every time I go to the Creation Museum or the Ark Encounter, I think, “Wow. Look what God did.” I truly get amazed every time at how big our God is and how blessed I am to be a part of a major ministry impacting tens of millions of people each year.

When the Ark Encounter opened in 2016, I had the same thoughts as I had when the Creation Museum opened. It’s so hard to believe God would use Kenny and Mally Ham from Australia for such an important and impactful ministry. I am truly in awe of what God has done and feel so inadequate for what God has used us for.

It still amazes me to this day how God brought these two Christian themed attractions about and how he’s using them to impact families and individuals from around the world. So, I like all the exhibits because of their impact and how each exhibit impacts people differently. But I especially love The Ham Family Legacy Exhibit in the Legacy Hall lobby area at the Creation Museum.

This exhibit features Kenny’s Dad’s Bible, a little Noah’s ark his Dad made for him, and a bit of history regarding the Ham family. The teaching in the exhibit really challenges people to pass on a spiritual legacy to coming generations. Whenever I see it, I am reminded of the impact Kenny and his parents had on me spiritually, concerning understanding and standing on the authority of God’s Word. Kenny’s spiritual leadership has contributed greatly to my own spiritual growth. I have so loved his leadership in our marriage and family. And if you talk to our children and grandchildren, you will quickly discern how Kenny’s spiritual leadership has impacted them as they boldly and uncompromisingly stand on God’s Word.

I hope that thought challenges you to consider what kind of legacy you are leaving. The most important legacy is spiritual!

So this year, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of the nation, we also celebrate the 10th anniversary of the opening of the leading Christian themed attraction in the world—the Ark Encounter. And as we have stated before, our extensive guest surveys show that around 70,000 people a year become Christians as a result of visiting the Ark and 30,000 per year at the Creation Museum.

To celebrate this 10th anniversary year, we are hosting a number of special events at the Ark on July 9, 10, and 11. On July 9, I, along with Steve Green (president of Hobby Lobby), will give presentations. On July 10, Ray Comfort will join me to speak, and there will be a special dessert people can register for to meet Ray Comfort and myself. Also on July 11, we will have another Astronaut Encounter with three astronauts, along with myself and Ray Comfort. That evening, we’re hosting a special dinner (limited tickets available) with the three astronauts. For detailed information, go to ArkEncounter.com/anniversary.

Also, to celebrate this year’s 10th anniversary and help continue the impact of AiG’s various outreaches like the Ark Encounter, I ask you to prayerfully consider a generous gift today. You may give online at AnswersDonate.com.

Your gift of any size is a great blessing! Thanks for being part of our Answers in Genesis family and for all you do to help us reach so many people each year with God’s Word and the saving gospel.

Ken