What happens when a man brings a friend to a CMN men’s event? Maybe something that changes history. This is an amazing story.
Years ago, a friend brought Robert Kalatschan to a men’s event in Southern California. Robert had been living life on a fast track to disaster. Hooked on drugs, in and out of prison, dancing with death. Then a friend invited him to hear Ed Cole.
He didn’t want to be there. At a break, he snuck to the back of the venue to smoke a joint. But God was working on his heart. He didn’t light up … walked back inside.
Dr. Cole told the men, “If you’re on the fence with one leg on one side and one leg on the other, and you fall … it’s gonna hurt.” The Holy Spirit grabbed Robert’s heart. He gave his life to Christ.
Robert was fully committed to follow Jesus. He went to church, met his beautiful wife Dorothea and settled down to be a successful business owner.
Soon they adopted a baby boy of Vietnamese descent and named him Tommy.
Later, when they wanted a sister for Tommy – they traveled to Vietnam where they found little Kristina – rescuing her from a overcrowded state-run orphanage.
Robert and Dorothea brought Kristina home from Vietnam and thought they were done. But day after day they were haunted with the images of the children left behind in that dead end orphanage.
So they went back to help the children … soon they took other friends and then started, “Giving it Back to Kids,” a non-profit ministry to help at-risk Vietnamese orphans and fatherless children. Dorothea went to be with the Lord in March of 2015, yet Robert continues to lead this expanding ministry.
Today, that ministry has paid for ten thousands of life-saving surgeries, distributed 187,000 wheelchairs, taken orphans all the way through college, taken orphans all the way through college, and become one of the most effective NGO’s in the nation of Vietnam.
Robert saw Vietnam’s greatest need was fathers. He helped launch the Christian Men’s Network Majoring in Men discipleship ministry, now used by hundreds of churches across Vietnam. Young leaders like Phoung Le in DaNang, are leading a new generation of men that are taking Vietnam for Jesus Christ, raising up thousands of men and dads. It is a powerful movement of Godly men in Vietnam!
A man invited a lost friend to a CMN event.
That friend became God’s man to transform a nation.
This is what happens when we care about the man next to us. Our neighbor, co-worker, the man sitting next to us at church, the man who coaches our kids … this is who we are.
Men who follow Jesus and bring others into this great hope.
Watch Robert’s story by clicking below.
