George Mueller, Orphanages Built by Prayer
This is an electronic version of our Glimpses for Kids children's worship bulletin inserts.
These are designed to present Christian biographies for Children's church, educational or worship ministries.  George
Mueller, a man of faith and prayer.
"The children are dressed and ready for school.
But there is no food for them to eat," the housemother of the orphanage
informed George Mueller. George asked her to take the 300 children into
the dining room and have them sit at the tables. He thanked God for the
food and waited. George knew God would provide food for the children as
he always did. Within minutes, a baker knocked on the door. "Mr. Mueller,"
he said, "last night I could not sleep. Somehow I knew that you would
need bread this morning. I got up and baked three batches for you. I will
bring it in."
Soon, there was another knock at the door. It was the milkman. His cart
had broken down in front of the orphanage. The milk would spoil by the
time the wheel was fixed. He asked George if he could use some free milk.
George smiled as the milkman brought in ten large cans of milk. It was
just enough for the 300 thirsty children.
The Boy Was a Thief
George Mueller was not always a person of such great faith and good character.
As a young boy growing up in Germany in the early 1800s, he often stole
money from his dad. As a teenager, he sneaked out of a hotel twice without
paying for the room. One time he was caught by police and put in jail.
As a Bible college student, George loved going to bars, drinking, gambling,
and being the life of the party. He also loved making fun of people, especially
Christians.
Surprised by a Bible Study
One day, a friend invited George to go to an off-campus Bible study. He
went only because he wanted to make fun of the Christians later. But to
his surprise, he liked the Bible study. For the first time, he saw people
who really knew and loved God. He attended each evening. Before the end
of the week, he knelt at his bed and asked God to forgive his sins.
 George's
friends saw a change in him immediately. He no longer went to bars or
made fun of people. He spent more time reading his Bible, talking about
God, and going to church. Soon he found that his friends did not want
to be around him anymore.
When George told his father that he had decided to become a missionary,
his father became very upset. He wanted George to have a high-paying job
and not be a poor missionary. He told George that he would not give him
any more money for school. George knew he had to do what God was calling
him to do, even if his dad didn't support him.
 An
Hour after He Prayed, the Answer Came
George went back to college without knowing how he was going to pay his
tuition. He did something he thought was a bit silly for a grown man to
do. He got on his knees and asked God to provide. To his surprise, an
hour later a professor knocked on his door. He offered George a paid tutoring
job! George was amazed! This was the beginning of George Mueller's dependence
on God.
 Almost
Dying Turned out for the Best
After finishing college, George was ready to begin his missionary work
in London, England. But there was one problem: Germany required all healthy
men to serve at least a year in the army. George wanted to get to his
mission as quickly as possible; however, he became very sick. His illness
was so serious that he almost died. It also made him unable to serve in
the army. He was now free to go to England as a missionary.
What gifts did George Mueller give to kids when
they left the orphanage? Find out in part 2 of this "Glimpses for
Kids" children's worship bulletin insert.
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