by Stephanie McDorman

Today is the official two-year anniversary for the Creation Museum. I was asked to write something “reflective” for the blog related to the anniversary, so I started reminiscing.

Eight or nine years ago my husband Perry and I visited Answers in Genesis while we were passing through town from Tennessee. We shared a dream of one day working at the creation-based museum that Ken Ham had been talking about. The staff we met at AiG were gracious and gave us a tour of the headquarters in Florence and even told us how to get to the property where the museum was to be built.

We picked up lunch on the way, and I remember sitting in the car in the middle of this 50-acre property wondering what the museum would look like. Since we were later hired, in May of 2001, we’ve been able to observe the museum’s building literally from the ground up. Change has been the theme around here ever since, but a few important things have stayed the same.

In 2001, the museum was literally a hole in the ground. After excavation was done, the foundation walls were laid down in 2002. I remember how excited we all were when the first fire hydrant was installed. We’ve come a long way! By early 2003, taking pictures of the process was one of my jobs. I remember that the steel was erected in April 2003 when someone else had to take the pictures because I was home with a new baby. Change comes in many forms!

Gradually the museum began to take shape. Eventually the museum team moved our operations into temporary trailers at the construction site. This brought at least two important changes. First, we could watch the building of the museum on a daily basis. Secondly, we started giving museum tours. That’s right, we were giving museum tours in 2003, four years before the museum opened! It was not planned, but people just kept coming by. Everyday supporters from around the world would stop in. I loved meeting brothers and sisters in Christ and sharing the excitement of the project.

Our boss Mike Zovath asked Perry and me (mainly Perry) to lay out the future nature trail for the museum. I remember hacking through weeds as tall as I to make our way around the lake and spending the rest of the afternoon removing the ticks that had caught a ride. We soon found that winter was a great time for this work. One day Perry spray painted the future layouts of the bridges and boardwalk on the ice when it was extremely thick on the lake, and the museum team walked along the future trail.

If you’ve been to the museum, you now know the drastic changes the area around the lake has undergone. The weeds and ticks are a distant memory, and the bridges are a reality. Tim Schmitt and the landscaping team have tamed the wilderness and brought out its potential with an array of shrubs, trees, flowers, waterfalls, and other features that make the museum’s outside as popular as its inside.

Now the museum has been open for two years, and the fun has never stopped. Over 700,000 people have seen the museum so far. I have to admit that, back in 2001, I had no idea that so many people would be impacted by the museum.

Walking through the museum and on the property and remembering the journey to get to this point, I can’t help but praise the Lord. He used so many people over the years, some of whom have come and gone, to make this museum what it is today. Only the Holy Spirit could have orchestrated this whole project in the way that it came about.

I mentioned that some important things have stayed the same in spite of all of the changes. First, the opposition is just as fierce as ever. From the zoning and other legal battles that slowed the building in its early stages, to the protesters on opening day, to the humanist anti-God bloggers of today, opponents of the Creation Museum have not relented. We take that as a good sign.

Secondly, Answers in Genesis continues to hold the bar high in terms of quality. The Creation Museum was built with volunteer help, discounts and donations whenever possible, but we never compromised on quality. Even now, as new exhibits are added, they are held to high standards of excellence.

Finally, the dedication of this ministry, and Ken Ham in particular, to the mission has not wavered. From the very beginning of being on the “inside” at Answers in Genesis, I have been so impressed with the genuine passion to get the Word of God and the resources needed to defend His Word into the hands of anyone and everyone possible. Trust me, when Ken Ham says there is a “fire in my bones,” it is so true. The sacrifice and generosity that permeate this ministry are evidence of that. For example, have you ever heard of another museum that offers four continuously reusable guest passes with every lifetime membership? Surely most museum administrators would caution against such a program because it’s like giving five lifetime memberships for the price of one. Maybe it’s not the best return on investment in economic terms, but if those lifetime members bring their friends and family, then that many more people will hear the gospel message and that the Bible can be trusted. That is what it is all about, as I have heard time and again over the last eight years.

Tags: Anniversary, Milestone