BraveMen S3E80: Robert Kalatschan - Drug Dealer / Dealer of Hope

One of the most remarkable men I've ever met is a man who owns a pizza store in Southern California His name is Robert Kalachian and Robert and his wife Dorothea Adopted a young man. He's we're gonna do his whole story. It's gonna be amazing Dot the young man in Southern California Tommy and then Needed to adopt a sister wanted the same ethnicity, which was Vietnamese. He ends up going to Vietnam and And ends up starting a ministry that's one of the most powerful across that nation and now going all through Southeast Asia with me as always is Chris our producer and Chris Shields and Chris is an amazing guy and you wrote a book and we're gonna talk about it called what if yeah What if you go ahead and do something? Yes, it's a man of action and yet when I say he's an unassuming He doesn't brag about his stuff. He's very humble man. Yeah, he's like, I'm just a pizza guy No, dude, you're you've got places you got giant 30 40 people on staff and denying You've got you've helped thousands of people get surgeries across Vietnam You've given away over a hundred thousand wheelchairs. I mean, it's incredible what he's done Yeah, what I love about Robert is the first time I interacted with him. He was saying Hey We need you to come in for the Vietnam live recording. We're doing here in our studio here in Cullyville And he said what why would I come in? I don't have anything to say I don't have anything to say but you know Paul It's fun to open the door. Yeah, and it's funny though because what I've learned from you know working with you and guys That you bring in with us is oftentimes the ones that have the most wisdom or the ones that say that they don't have anything to say You know man, there's something right there and because they're not all they're not all taken by themselves exactly And they allow their message to be voiced without their I don't have any words to say because I live it I don't have to say it, you know, and that's what I've learned you know from being around the guys that you bring into the studio and even a guy like Robert And that's why he can take the time to write a book like what if what if you do something? Yeah, what if you just step out and so here he is Robert Collagen. This is a remarkable story It's got ups and downs a number of things have happened in his life And I'm so excited for you to meet today on brave men and Robert Collagen He has got a story that is literally changing a nation and that's what that's what really blows me away is it you know any of us if we just take a step Can change the world around us today Robert Collagen the story of a man's moved towards grace on brave men It's brave men with Paul Lewis Cole Wisdom encouraged for the journey I'm talking with Robert Collagen Robert is the Director and founder of giving it back to kids in Vietnam and it's an amazing outreach I've seen it with my own eyes. I've held kids with my own hands. I've seen lives of Hundreds and thousands of people radically changed Because a guy who made pizza for a living Went to Vietnam and helped sorry helping orphans and people who needed help And one thing you say in your book and you wrote a book about it Robert What if you took a step and you talked about being in this one orphanage and was after you had adopted A christine and and and you're in this orphanage and you go god somebody ought to do something about this Tell me about that and you heard a whisper behind you. What happened? Well, you know it it's funny During the process of adopting my daughter We all ended up in different handicapped schools and different orphanages and I was wondering god Why are we seeing all this stuff? You know, I mean, why don't I go see the kuchi tunnels or the You know, the old pope held a A tourist guide open and said why aren't I seeing this stuff the palace? You know on one day my wife met somebody and we ended up at it. It was a Buddhist temple And my daughter just backtrack a little bit my daughter came from my communist run orphanage The kids there they had newer clothes, but They were dirty. They were just chill. There was no discipline. I came into this this temple And and another orphanage, okay, and there's 112 girls there But I was looking at it and all the kids had discipline. Wow. They they had Then clothes they were old clothes, but they were all clean Yeah, all these kids would go to school and they would come back and they had little classrooms set up And they were tutoring the other kids all the way down to the youngest. They all had jobs And I remember standing by these two water tanks and saying God You need to get some Christians in here Somebody needs to do something, you know, and and I heard God's voice, you know, and I really did this way only a few times and it was He says you're it You're it, you know, I've got my wife and said come on. Let's get out of here Yeah, we're getting out of here I was freaked out Yeah, I think it's some kind of demonic voice here in this booth But it was God speaking to you Robert talking to Robert collatch and giving it back to kids and you were an investor a businessman You guys had a highly successful business your wife had a business You're living in Huntington Beach your wife Dorthia and you you adopted a young man and And he named him Tommy From Huntington Beach, is that right correct correct his his background ethnicity is Vietnamese yes Okay, and then you wanted a a sister No, no, no, Paul. I didn't want it my wife wanted a other child, okay I was content with a single child, okay, you're good wife had this undying desire to have a second child Yeah, happy wife makes a happy life And I said yeah, yes dear You know, and what happened is you know, we tried we started the adoption process three years past I came back from a C.M.N. event and and and uh and someone there's on I forget exactly where And I said honey, we can't keep reaching for the golden ticket. We have to send an end date You know, she said okay, let me pray, you know, I said it's not fair to the child really. I'll stick it about me You know, of course You know, I'll say it's you know, you know, I can't be too old and she says let me pray about it When my wife prayed it usually better here, okay? The next morning she said by my birthday You know, and uh, you know, which is only a couple months away. I said we're done. We're done Yeah, I'm good. I'm skating through. You know, we're done. You know six years for we got one boy You know, you know, I'm done and um next thing I know I'm getting off a plane in Ho Chi Minh City Hit by heat humidity sites smells sounds Everything I was on a custom too. I grew up in the 60s, right? Yeah, we had no almost not a place to visit No, you know, and I looked at my wife when we landed. I said What if you got me into what you do? Yeah, I mean, so you're like Adam with Eve All on her okay Anyway, yeah, so I blame my daughter now. Yeah, yeah, Christine So you end up at this orphanage In Ho Chi Minh City was it correct correct stay run communist. Yes from that's it's the it's the socialist republic of Vietnam And and you find this precious little girl. Yeah, well, you know, I remember the day we we met her that day And you know, she had scabies she had red warm honor cheek You know, and um and I remember holding her up and saying you have won the lottery You're going to a country in a family where you're gonna have every opportunity and going back to America Wow, and you know, she's looking at me like, you know, who's this man? Because yeah, I'm gonna run you know, and um You know, what happened Paul with what was started the whole thing is you know We were supposed to fly home September 11, 2001. I couldn't wait to get out of the country I had my bags at the door and I turned on CNN one the only English speaking channel And uh, I see the second plane go into the powers You know, we were delayed another five days You know, and we finally got out of the country had a second flight out Um, I remember looking at my wife as we're just getting on the plane and said I will never come back To this bleep hole again. I use the word hell. I guess I could say that. Okay. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It's is a podcast for men's brave men I'll never come back to this hell hole again. I'm sure I'm confident that Jesus said Peter James This one you might want to see this one. I'm sure they got a good chuckle You know, but would return what happened is when I got home I was haunted My all the faces that I saw The little kids that were still there little kids that were still there That weren't gonna have the opportunity at that time. I thought trafficking was you know 14 15 16 years old Today, I know it's five six years old. I've seen braffles with six children You know, and I said we got to do something. You know, I'd rather be a fool Called a fool one more time than miss something that God has called me to do So now you had now you had that and you had that voice whisper from God You've got your businesses going you've got employees. You're in Huntington Beach, California where you live And you're from that that region and your wife's got her business. You guys got all kinds of stuff going on And you decide to go back now now let me go back a little ways Because you didn't just grow up with some sort of sensitive. I'm gonna go to the world And save the world Not at all. Not at all That was the last thing on my on my plan. What was that? What was that? Okay, let's let's thank you back Let's go back to high school Robert Kalachian Coming through or do we want do we want anybody to know about this? Well, I think it's pretty clear It's called what if you took a step Robert Kalachian yeah tell me you know, I grew up with drug addiction Smuggling and you know my goal in high school. I remember sitting in my parents house Look at in the mirror as I was going into high school And saying when you get to your high school, you're gonna be the biggest drug dealer that hit there That was holes, you know, and You know, I did 17 somebody invited me to a Bible study You know some girl that I wanted to get to know yes You're speaking, you know, unless you bet baby you bet baby, you know, and I had me pray Took me up because you want to get prayed for and he's shaking me, you know And got his hands on me and you know, what's this guy gonna let go of me else into Anton Leves black church Yeah, you know, and uh any finally that goes me and You know, and I had to lean against the piano because I felt such a rush of power. I said god if you're real Prove it to me, but what I what happened is I took the things of god and made him conform to my lifestyle Yeah, you know, I was continuing. I was praying for planes and trains and and ships to come in now You're you're praying for your drug deals for my drug deals. Yeah, I was tithing off of my drug sales You know, it's a cocaine to people and said this isn't the way Jesus Christ the way two people God could use it a donkey There's another word for donkey. Yeah, or anything. Okay, two people gave their life to Christ Now you're delivering cross to your Clients and telling them hey, you know, this is not the right way and people except Christ You know, and I walked into a had coal meeting, you know, and And he said how many of you men understood I walked out as at the fashion island It was a 52 hours of courage. I'd I walked out to smoke a joint and for some reason I didn't feel like it. I put it out. I'm walking in a couple minutes late of course fashion brigade and and Dr. Cole says and you know the chuckle he had He says we're all men here How many of you guys understand that if you're walking offense With one leg on one side and one leg on the other and you fall down. It's gonna hurt Wow, I double my man says table on But I heard it in a way that I could understand it. Yeah, he went on to pray Went on to teach that weekend that you would pray for wisdom when we get wisdom. We get a strategy You know, and that's what happened. I realized I had to change my life, you know, and I've been cleaned in sober since august 19th 1986 Come on, man That's a testimony right there, bro That's fantastic and you've got two amazing children because how long ago was it that How's Tommy now? Tommy's 24 just turned 24 graduated from Baylor University and He's a brilliant young man and then you've got a budding filmmaker in your daughter Right Christy that's correct And she's amazing young lady and we've been friends for many years now And and so you you start this thing you and your wife you go over there's these all these photos that are on your website giving it back to kids Is that giving it back to kids daughter work? Yes Yeah, giving it back to kids dot org So all these photos Of the kids and you start it's like you show up to help and I remember the first things were there were children who had Feet that were when they were born they were deformed right Right those orthopedic surgeries, you know, you know, I want to I want to just I Don't I don't want to miss this part, you know, I am forever indebted to Dr. Cole Because I didn't know what but he picked me out of a crowd wow I left early one time when I was still running and gunning and he told the guy next to me. Don't lose that guy Wow, you know and and doctor Cole took me under his wings, you know, he let me set up book tables sell but sell his books You know, what I was getting so money, you know, yeah get hold of money, you know You know, he let me do, you know, clean coffee cups at times if those coffee cups involve whatever it was He's got me to be a service, but he was preparing me You know, I remember hearing speakers and that's kind of what this book is about is you know I got a feeling I heard a pastor say this a long time ago is that God has given us the answers For most the problems in the earth. Yeah The problem is we receive that answer and we FedEx it back to God Wow, I'm too old. I'm too young. I'm just getting married. We have a million different excuses You know, I still why I can't do it, you know, and um, you know, it was Winston Churchill and I shared this on one of our Monday night men Telecasts that's on YouTube Every Monday night and it was a Winston Churchill quote. He said most men stumble over the truth He said, but then they pick themselves up look around and keep going You know, so at a Christian men's and that work event your life was radically changed And that's my father, Dr. Ed Cole and he became a mentor for you. Yes in your life Again, you know, and so there are It's amazing is somebody you invited you to an event. How do you end up the first event? Jay Prather Jay Prather. Wow. Yeah, Jay Prather. He had a business across the street from me Is so it's a business guy up here. Hey, hey, you need to come to this thing to men's deal. Yeah, great. It's about what's it about? It's about success Yeah, being a better guy. Okay, I'll go and you go outside to smoke a joint Just kind of limber up between sessions. What I did as one does Yeah, and a Holy Spirit just begin to work on you man And Dr. Cole spotted you and now that started something you and your wife then Begin to go back to Vietnam and you begin to just help With I mean in one sense wasn't it just the first need you saw Robert? Well, you know what what happened was is When I felt it on my heart, you know, and and I want to mention Dr. Robert Bariger You know, I was at another event and And I was walking by and he just got done speaking and I was gonna go tell him Hey, great talk, you know, and as I got up there He was talking to two of the men that were supporters and some of the heavier hitters of the ministry And I said well, I'm just gonna I'll say hi to him later, okay? And just as I walk by and I've been home only two weeks Just as I walk by he goes Well, that's the problem with orphanages And I got probably five feet down past that where they were standing and I turned around and walked by and I said and I looked down I said What's the problem with orphanages? Okay, because this thing's brewing inside of no And he looked at me and he said well staffing and then he walked between these two guys and got really close to my face And he said do you know the difference between a burden and a calling Hmm, and I said no I wanted to say yes, but he says a burden is where you go to a country or somewhere and God uses you and your blessed But the stomach sickness there, you know, you get all the stuff I had right And but you come home and you hear about somebody else going and you say brother. I'm gonna pray for you Here's some money, okay, but a calling is when you come home And you get you know, you had the stomach sickness all the same stuff But you're haunted by the faces of the kids What happened to me as I was haunted by the faces You see Paul I thought my calling and I'd had people prophesy over me that my calling will be in the local church only Okay, I was sure That I would be walking with guys and God had used me to walk with guys through addiction and you know some pretty heavy stuff And still does yeah, yeah, and you know, and it was actually in Dale Bronner was speaking and at an international christian men's event and And and God spoke to me. I'm not sure what Dr. Bronner was talking about But but God spoke to me is he said you have been called to the international You know at that same event Somebody sent me a picture and we had flags that from all the different nations Somehow I ended up with a flag to Vietnam. No Yeah, just randomly That's crazy You know, Robert Berger who's on the board of christian men's network and pastors of significant church in Lima, Peru and has huge influence in all of Latin America Hundreds and hundreds of churches that they help mentor to health stronger men Uh, they've got um, but it'll maximum Maximized manhood across Latin America and uh, I remember him saying it's got to be one of those early meetings Robert when he said The Bible says at the end of Matthew Jesus said go and make disciples He said I've often wondered what we mistake about what we don't understand about the word go Sure, that's right I told him many times with that. Yeah What do we not understand? So you went and I remember some of the first photos that came back Now because we were pastoring it planted a church that that my son Brandon pastors now see three church and four worth And I remember he came back with some photos of kids who had a misformed feet. They just needed an operation And I think they had told you that the operation impossible to get its way too expensive 60 dollars at that time 60 dollars, you know, and you know the thing is And I missed this point that I wanted to make Yes, it's being faithful to that which is another man's I called different organizations and said hey I want to start this thing. What are you doing while invariably they all said gosh, that's great You don't have to reinvent the wheel You know and but I knew that I had because of some experience. I had trust issues And I wanted to start my own, you know, I wanted to be accountable to it and and I found a guy in North Carolina Ben Wilson from Children of Vietnam and he goes He's on the phone and he says well, that's wonderful What you know, you need to make sure when you get to this office make sure you mention my name He knows me and you know, it was was was encouraging and I lived with my wife and I said honey We need to go find out where his spiritual basis is and we flew out to North Carolina And you know from the we sat down in his house and he goes now, you know, we're not on the internet or we're not in Vietnam But do you mind if we pray first? Okay, and you know, he stood up with grab hands and he started praying script trying to look at my wife said we can go home now Yeah, and and I went over there with him and started started Serving him and his ministry he allowed us to to pick what we wanted to do and and the orthopedics you're talking about worth the orthopedic hospital and he went in there and They were talking about painting a building against fans and and they showed me a stack of pictures And they said, you know, if we could have funds we could do this and and I looked at him. I said you mean if I pick six of these kids You'll be able to do surgery and next time I come back. I'll be able to meet him He said yeah, and that started the orthopedic problem, you know that the For this program, you know the cliff the club feet, you know, I saw people at you know 40, 50, 60 years old kind of sounds my age now There was that had club feet that I knew could have been fixed at early age and they're on the street corner begging and they're begging is it if I remember correctly and You they you mentioned that Well for a lot of these people it was going to be either begging or prostitution. Yeah, yeah, I mean I'm doing whatever they got to do. Yeah Yeah to get by so now tell me the reach of giving it back to kids You know, I've been there. We've seen things that I want to get into a couple other things are going on But you ended up expanding to operating on hearts. You've taken teams of people over Pre-COVID of course, but Yeah, and you've got a full staff there and denang That works day to day. I mean you've got dozens of people on staff things going on homes for What was it they called what was it they called the pregnancies are called them unwarranted unwarranted children Wow So that's basically how the government would talk about in a sense throwaway kids Vietnam actually is is one of the highest in abortion rates in the world Wow, you know, and we open a place called the father's house and and the government said you know when we were getting permission it took about three years But I kept at it and and they said well should it be called the mother's house? I said no Because these babies are missing fathers these these women these girls are missing a father and really they're missing the father Yeah, you know Father's house and God's giving you amazing Inroads in all sorts of places and great favor With people in the government. Yes remarkable Yeah Is the executive director of giving it back to kids and amazing ministry throughout Vietnam now expanding into other parts of Southeast Asia Where there's tremendous need It's an amazing work. I look at it as a You and I've talked about this is a legacy work also for your wife Dorothea Who left for the shores of heaven way too early a few years ago Tell me about your wife Dorothea Gosh, I don't even know where to start, you know He was the mom at all of these kids. Yeah, you know, I mean she had a heart I thought she talked way too much, you know I'd make dinner and she'd be in Be in the driveway for 15 minutes before I'd go and talking to somebody and I go, you know come on. Let's let's You know dinner's ready, you know, and she could just a minute, you know And and I realized at her memorial those over 1500 people you and Judy were there You know on these different women would get up and say I was her best friend. No, I was her best friend I mean almost got into sparring things, you know, and she was mentoring women You know, she had a lot of love and enough, you know, if there's any irrefutable evidence of a living God is that she married me Okay, and lived with me for 23 years You know, I mean way above my class. I mean, I just got to be honest with me No, but it was it was you know, it was a god thing because you guys were I mean you're a businessman. You knew how to get stuff done and then she brought this You both have great large hearts of compassion, okay But she brought the the touch Yeah, you know, I love the photos of Dorothea that are on the office walls in Vietnam in Denang or On the website of her Hugging kids and that was kind of it's a way I think of her see her remember her How do you walk through that and then keep going Robert? Well, what else do you do? What else do you do? I mean you know When it happened, you know, she had cancer. She went very quickly a year You know, I was angry with God. Yeah, you know, I mean, I would thought back to Job and Job's friends said You know curse God and you'll die so I cursed him. It didn't work You know, it was it was it was it was tough, you know, I gratefully I had some annoying friends that Would just call me and pull me out of the house on a regular basis, you know, and after I got past the some of the anger You know I had to recognize and trust God. Yeah, okay God. Okay God now what And it was love my kids be there for my kids raise them. Yeah, you know, walk forward You know, I couldn't I couldn't imagine having gone through that Without knowing Christ is my savior Hey, this is Chris. I want to take a moment right in the middle of this great conversation to let you know The Brave Men podcast is a production of the Christian Men's Network worldwide and the Global Fatherhood Initiative Christian Men's Network has helped pastors and leaders disciple men for over 40 years You can find all the resources for mentoring and fatherhood at cmin.min That's the Christian Men's Network at cmin.min There's a fresh new study every week called power of potential that just started Monday night men is a new resource for men and pastors as a pastor You can follow up the 30-minute study with a digital meetup with your men for prayer discussion and teaching Some churches are using the videos as part of a group meetup This 13-week study is on YouTube and Facebook get all your books and materials at cmin.min That's the Christian Men's Network at cmin.min It will help us continue to reach the lives of many men around the world If you would like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and subscribe to this podcast and share it that is the Christian Men's Network And Paul Lewis Cole now. Let's get back to this powerful interview between Paul and Robert Kalashin The beautiful legacy of Dorothea and the legacy of your life You know we talk about a lot of christian men's network Is that what a man doesn't in life becomes history, but what he puts in the motion becomes his legacy Right, and you've built that already across the nation I see every time I'm with you and we go to be a nom there's always somebody comes up to you and says you remember me on the Well, yeah, the nine-year-old who got the heart Fixed you know valve or whatever it may be you you've done And there they are in college or post college with a couple kids and You know, it's it's amazing Robert and you know the thing is here's a deal. Let's let's do this thing right here So often we think well, I've got to be some guy that has this amazing gifting to go do something right to get stuff done But if you will and and you do have a great business acumen in a sense of leadership and all of that But God can use any of us For the calling he's put on us in other words. He's not gonna put a calling on us. That's diametrically opposed to our giftings so And then as we respond to the calling he increases the gifting You know, we're doing the dangerous nations campaign with christian men's network which came out of your friendship our friendship And what you had already laid on the ground for many years and be a nom We we started doing some Some things across Vietnam with pastors and leaders And then we were supposed to go there last september covid happened couldn't get there So it was like, okay, well, let's do up. Let's do a video thing Not knowing what that would be how would what would happen afterwards and so forth And as it turned out had a high impact and it impacted us as much as impact anybody else But you can give your testimony Bruce Bankley did gave a testimony A number of different guys rob carman spoke Vince R. Dobbins whose td jakes is men's pastor was one of the teachers Tom Lane from gateway church was one of our instructors and teachers and it ended up three days We did him three nights here in Dallas and our studios, which were in the middle of refurbish or rebuilding or building now It was kind of first thing we did there and we just kind of bootstrapped it And um and we ended up which is three mornings in Vietnam and we had i've got pictures of rooms of 2030 young pastors sitting there listening To your testimony to Tom Lane teach to Doug Stranger teach And it stirred something in us and launched the dangerous nations campaign now that now we're expect doing the book in far seat going into Iran Uh to tylan To other nations Columbia, Nigeria where Christians hundreds of Christians are being killed every month across northern Nigeria And so robert, I mean really when when I look at this whole thing uh you what you and dorthia did and then the fact that you You know picked yourself back up and kept walking After dorthia left Really is going to result in our goal over the next five years Is to uh is to help fifth is to train 50,000 pastors To disciple five million men And use the lives of millions of children around the world and in some of the most dangerous places in the world afghanistan Somalia Other places around the world. So you know when I think of Your commitment and we go back to this kid coming. I mean your goal. I mean Your goal going into high school. I'm gonna be the biggest drug dealer ever hit this high school I mean here you are now taking Jesus Through uh social effort uh Doug Stranger used to quote. I can't remember who said it But the code was um you know social work uh Or got the gospel taking the gospel without social work without helping people is impotent And so uh If we if we don't do that Because a lot of times like you've got wheelchairs which Uh again don's shorn to offer with a free wheelchair mission gym franklin great friends of ours Uh robert bearger with setting up the model of how to do it how many wheelchairs now Have you given out across the nation of Vietnam just short of a hundred and seventy four thousand Come on bro You know and and because in you know now you know in american church circles We would say just under two hundred thousand Okay It was a hundred and seventy three thousand eight hundred and sixty to be exact Wow, I mean, it's crazy and you know the thing is their lives It changes their lives it changes the family's life family You know, I've got stories But what's been unique about it is we have taken on church partners we work with the government Okay, and and you know their response will have to clear customs and you know no taxes no duties We got it all worked out you know got took what I knew how to do through drug dealing And used it today the set up systems for for keeping accountability and distribution And all that through the wheelchairs But what we've taken the the church partners Different from denominations and said okay. This is how you do it. You have to work with the government And the government has to work with you wow Assembly's a god and when they be got got their license for 300 churches Um Samuel the the superintendent was the first time they were ever able to meet with then several thousand people about 40 government officials there And he said one of the main reasons we were able to get our licenses is because of the wheelchair program You know, I and I I'd be remiss if I didn't say when I got on jail the last time and I checked into my PO And he had a big sign that said I can't hear what you're saying because your actions are too loud Wow, and I got a wonder how often is that with the church? Yeah, you know you we've got to love them You know when Christ he didn't tell them he didn't they just hand him a Bible He said he took care of the needs Yeah, and then they start scratching their head going why do you do this and I've had government people ask me that And I said do you want to know? I said because God has called me to do this The Vietnam and because he loves the people of Vietnam and you know The one guy that's an ambassador now and I'm not gonna mention his name because he knows all goes but uh he goes He goes well, maybe we need to goes Buddha's not working. Maybe we need to get a new deity For Vietnam. I said well, I didn't come to talk to you about this Yeah, God will give you salvation and forgiveness for everything. Yeah You know, yeah, so a lot of things you do are If you will they look on the surface like social action, but when we when we help somebody we present Christ Even if we don't say it it happens in our actions and then Then what happens after that is they they start matriculating there they meet people of faith They matriculate into a church tell me some of the stories Of uh some of you know like after People that have gotten wheelchairs or kids have done operations for how many operations have you done? Which which kind I oh man, so there's all kinds right well the heart heart we've done About 1225 surgeries with another 60 scheduled and these are heart surgeries you've paid for Yes, I can do a heart surgery roughly about 2500 hours. We use in-country doctors Goodness and that saves the life. Yeah, it gives him a chance for a full life, you know We've done 760 orthopedic surgeries, you know About 100 eye surgeries, you know, it's it's it's crazy, but to me Paul It's all just entrance points into people's lives. Yeah, you know, we really strive. We stay in touch With our early recipients. We stay we you know, I've got a mandate with my staff is 60 minutes every day when they come to work they have to call past recipients You know, we hit we make sure that the local churches when we do the water filter program They go out into communities that they were never allowed to go into, but now they can go into I said you have to go back and don't mention Jesus till the third fourth visit. Yeah with the family show them you love them You know, and if they've been able to set up churches and places they were forbidden to go into well Now the people know that there's something different about you tell me some of the stories Oh gosh, I don't even know where to start, you know, there's so many stories You know, just it's amazing, you know, it's got you kind of caught me off guard on that one You know, it's you know There was one gal. I remember one of the early orthopedic surgeries she literally her legs folded Opposite of what they what they'd be backwards. Okay, instead of folding back like our knees do first folded the other way And I said why are you sending me this stuff? You know, and uh And they said well, we can fix it. I said you kidding me, you know, it's five surgeries About a thousand dollars over the course of two years. She was in the orthopedic hospital, but now she walks She comes she's lives 12 hours from dening what I'm there. She'll take a bus in and just come in and say thank you Thank you, and what is she doing now? She's buried got two kids and as a count We also, you know, we don't just stop with with with the thing. It's like okay. How can we help you be all that you could be What happens in college, you know, what you know one of what one of you? We've got some big numbers of you know, the wheelchairs and all that But we've had let me let me let me if I got some little notes here, you know, it is our college program. We've had Uh 129 Kids through our programs or very important families graduate university with it on that 80% of them attending doing work that they did it in we've got 110 currently attending You know, it's crazy. It's crazy. What could be done, you know My biggest challenge is is building the church Yeah, building the church and taking them from hiding under the table, you know underground Coming above ground with social work. Yeah, getting mission Government told me they said, you know, why do they do things underground? I said because there's time they come above ground. You need to take their heads off You know, and they said, well, you know, if they if they did social good Yeah, and and that's what we're doing, you know, we work with about 1600 1800 churches now Yeah, 16 denominations You know, and they never played with each other before much No, I've sat in the rooms with you When we've been in Vietnam a number of occasions where men have sat down at tables They never sat down at a dinner table before together. That's right. That's right And it's amazing how um, and you know, again, I want to come back to this. I want to I just want to tell it all our friends that are listening right now you Robert This is obviously there's a grace on your life for this But there's a grace on every man's life for something Right It might be it might be working with the boys club down the street. It might be helping a bunch of People who are doing furniture outreach, you know, in your local community It might be going to Belize with us and and helping Scott and the guys and Belize with the inner city Issues and problems that they have there and one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere There's there's you know, it's kind of like the guys at Lakewood Church When the guys really started getting discipled all of a sudden They've got team after team after team and they've got tons to do in the fifth ward. They're in Houston, Texas And they just they love it They're fired up Most of them had never done anything like that before Sorry, and uh, and so all of us have a role to play in this and so there you were I mean, I still it it uh, you know, I I want to also mention, you know, we have two homes for for For girls that were at risk or have been trafficked in Cambodia Wow, and and you know these girls kept disappearing. I'll keep it short But these girls kept disappearing out of this village and so we we opened a couple of homes there and Just read my last trip into Cambodia. I had This girl come up. She's I think 17 years old now And she came out of a place called Poipet where It's literally Poipet is the funnel into For trafficking into into Thailand You know and and the girl's mother was the grandmother was the mayor of the village that She lived in and she came the grandmother came to a sit please take my daughter But she came up to me and she was like six or seven at the time. She came up to me in tears Speaking English and said mr. Robert Sorry, um, thank you if it wasn't forgiving it back to kids I would be in Thailand doing something. I don't want to do Jesus now. I have a chance Wow, you know, um, they're you know, there's one girl we bought back that She's I think about 17 or 18 now close siding up for university now We bought her back from a trafficker for $35. I know I'm not Yes, I know I'm not supposed to do that, but you know what? I'm gonna buy every little Yeah, you know Bruce Close friends of ours Bruce and Camilla Bankley have been a part of that Strong part of that Cambodia region and it's a you know the stories they tell me You guys you guys went together with whoever else was on your team went into a village And there were no young girls in the village and you said we're where the young girls and they said oh, they're just gone Yeah, no words they kind of covered it up, but the fact was is that all the young girls in that village have been trafficked Sold trafficked whatever stunning unbelievable, you know, yeah, it's crazy. It's great stomach turning stuff Paul yeah, I spoke with one of the higher-ups in world vision in Cambodia And he shared with me says you know 60% of the kids trafficked our boys And I said 60 percent of boys. I said how come we don't hear about it. Well, they don't lose their virginity I said yes, they do of course they do, you know, it's it's the big thing that nobody talks about you know We've got some human trafficking prevention programs set up in the mountainous areas in in in rural Vietnam You know, it's it's crazy what goes on and you know the purpose of writing this book Was you know and and you've heard we tell the story, you know I think about Peter would when the storm they're out in the boat in the storm and Peter's my guy Okay, I love I love Peter. Okay. He's a fisherman. He's all right But you know, there was a storm and and they were scared you know and and Peter got up the courage and he said if it be you God tell me to come Okay, and Peter got out and I grew up on boats. Okay, I'm a fisherman. Okay And when there's a storm out there, you don't hear what goes on out there. Okay. Yeah, he sank out because he took his eyes off of God Okay, I'll for Jesus. Okay, I get that but Jesus still pulled them up. Okay, and he got back in But I wonder about the other disciples sitting in the boat Yeah, how many of us in churches are sitting there Watching wow look what Paul's doing. Look what Robert's doing still sitting on the boat. It's got to call on their lives To do something Nice to a neighbor. Yeah, goes back to that original story It's on page 22 in your book and the book is what if you took a step and And the and that story is the whisper of God. This is your it Your it You're it God somebody needs to do something. You're it. God somebody needs to run for city council. You're it God somebody needs to be on a school board in this area you're it God somebody needs to go help feed those people in the margins and the food deserts in south for worth You're it. God somebody needs to help with these orphans. You're it. God somebody You're it We are it the church is the hope of the world. That's right. I read it. It's healthy I read an article today An interview with a man who is a sociologist studies cultures and everything and he's agnostic He's agnostic and he said He said what America needs today is another great awakening Wow the interviewer said what do you mean? He said He said the only way America survives is if people are people of goodwill and there's some sort of moral stature or moral standard and And the interviewer said Okay, don't we have that he says no apart from some sort of religious awakening. We will have a standard He said anybody can do what they want. He said that's why europe's going the way they're going He said America will go the same way. So in that sense, it's you're it You're at the only way there's going to be a standard is you're it. What if you took a step Come on, man That's right My hard cry is doing what I do in Southeast Asia, you know, Vietnam, Cambodia, and Starting in Laos You know, that's my hard cry. Okay, that's my passion. You can hear you I'm passionate about it. My secondary calling Is to reach out to other people and say how can I walk with you through this? How can I do that? You know people said I'm nuts the back of the book It's got my name. It's got my office number and it's got my mobile number You know I want to be there to help others do I mean if God can take a broke down drug addict Fisherman that had a pizza parlor And do this amazing work in countries that he never wanted to go to with church You know, I don't really like I don't like the politics of churches and I really don't like government Okay, much less common as the government. Okay, and and he's doing this incredible work You know, I just wonder what can he do with other people? Yeah, no kid. It's fed. Yeah. Okay. I see the office Yeah, you know, God's just looking for someone to say send me send me It's fantastic Hey talking to Robert Clatch and executive director giving it back to kids partner with christian men's network in Dangerous nations campaign and doing an amazing work and being a mom God's giving you such great favor and he wrote a book. What if you took a step and it has your story has beautiful remembrances of your wife d'Orthia who was Such a beautiful woman and a great friend and but this man this legacy rolls forward and Robert I believe if we if we hold Ourself so that standard we're talking about if we if we keep doing the stuff this legacy rolls on You know for another hundred years and touches another you know hundred thousand million people And the only way we're going to change nations is disciple men and women That's right. Amen. So Robert Clatch and giving it back to kids giving it back to kids dot oh rg And thanks man. I pray every place you put your feet will be holy ground everything your hands touch will prosper And the God will keep you deep within the grip of his favor and grace And Tommy and Christina too Thank you. Is it smoking? I received that Oh Oh wow this man was smoking weed outside of a man's meeting And then he got radically changed so you know what that tells me was it tell you he got high But then he met the real high. Oh come on man Yeah, what would it be like he was blowing smoke and then met the holy smokes. Yes, something. I don't know man Are the Holy Ghost? Oh, yeah, I'll tell you this guy this guy's full of the Holy Spirit. Yes You know and and you could tell you know all through this conversation how Humble is yeah, and yet You know when I go there with them and we've gone there a number of times He he meets government officials. He he meets the top people in government. This is a Socialist wealth communist nation, but it's called a socialist republic of Vietnam and You know, it's it's amazing how much favor he has yeah really remarkable You know, it and it's great that you you know touched on that Because when the Holy Spirit truly comes on you there is no other expression but humility Yeah, you know because you learn the art of the power is not of yourself. It's of the Holy Spirit You know, and that's why I love and acts it talks about that the Holy Spirit will come upon you You know and then power will come you know you were talking about at the the open and we were talking about and then during this We talked a little bit about the Dangerous Nations. Yes campaign of the christian men's network And you can find that at cmn.man go in there and you can click on the Dangerous Nations tab And it'll give you all the details, but we're going to the 50 most dangerous nations to be a Christian or Basically some just to be a person. Yes, you know, it's to be a to be a woman in Thailand Yes, dangerous and to be a Christian in many of these nations Iraq, Iran the places were going very dangerous. So Vietnam was the first test place that we went in and we went in live last september I think a lot of people have seen the photos We had 2400 bi actual count pastors and leaders that were part of that three-day training Yes, and so we're going to do that again in march of this year and then go back and then start Different nations around the world. Yeah, that gave us him. I mean Roberts the guy who opened the door for that And now the goal is to reach 50 nations 50,000 pastors who disciple five million men worldwide. So good. Yeah, dude We're doing this because we're fired up because we believe that every child deserves a loving dad come on man That's why we do what we do because that's the Transformation power of God he came and said hey, y'all are fatherless y'all don't know the direction you're going But I'm going to send my son so he can point you to me our point him's you know, and it's powerful Yeah point you to him. Yeah, there you go. You have me to what you got it. Do I have It's not like a president Biden thing So I know you know what I mean, you know what I mean So uh, but the fact is is that uh this whole thing this Vietnam and reaching people we're doing it with allies Yes, we're doing the partners friends allies people on the ground You know, we're not trying to do our own thing. It's a kingdom deal Everything we do is like that and you've been here with us for some time with christianism network And you see that yes, and what we do So we're partnering with people on the ground people who were getting stuff done this afternoon I'll be speaking to over a hundred pastors in south america That's what dr. Robert Baragor is lean with Peru our partner in heads up christianism is network for Latin america But he's also a pastor of a major church commuter divita He's also got A number of other organizations he's involved with and so we're partners with those guys. It's called being an ally Yes, and we root for them to be successful So the minister to men whether it's a Brian Doyle or Pat Morley man in the mirror and all the different guys doing minister to men We root for them. Yes, promise keepers with their event coming up. We want that to go well for yeah Chris brusar and his kingdom men. Yeah, and got an event coming up to yeah, let's let's crank this stuff up Because the more men whose lives are changed when we have pastors who know how to disciple men We have when we have men who know how to disciple their families when we have dads who know how to hug their kids Yes, you know how to be there for them or tell them. I love you. It's an amazing come on some amazing thing Yeah You know, so that's why we do what we do and to change the future of the world That's all we're trying to do man. Yeah, building for the king's trying to change the future of the world Hey, thanks for being with us today. I'm brave men as always the tools you need to minister to men for your own family Cmn dot men and Thank you to Robert Kalachin for being a friend and Robert we just believe the Lord is going to bless you in such a powerful way. Yes in days to come remember Hope is alive. Hope has a name. Hope's name is Jesus come on somebody bless you guys See you next time You've just experienced brave man with Paul Lewis Cole Paul is president of the Christian men's network connect with Paul at cmn.man or write to him at Paul at cmn.man