This is the Truth Network. Nakita, destroy, crush, demolish all competitions. Does he want it? Here it is! Yeah, and Mr.
Koloff once again made his feelings very, very apparent. It's been a long time, but the win is over. That's a bad man. No, that's a bad man. No, that's a bad man.
It's time to man up with Satan's nightmare, Nakia Koloff. Welcome to the Man Up Show. It's time to man up. And if you have a heart. For rescuing girls one by one you're not going to want to go anywhere.
Stay tuned to the show today. With me, all the way from up in the great state of Ohio, Ryan Rogers. Ryan, welcome to The Man Up Show. Thank you so much. Thank you very much.
That was a great intro. I really appreciate that.
Well, I appreciate you taking the time out, carving some time, to talk about 914 today. We're going to dive into that here shortly. And before we do, let's just share with our listeners a little bit about Ryan Rogers and where you're living, and tell us a little bit about the family. What's going on up in Ohio, Ryan? All right.
Well, Ryan Rogers is uh Uh A flawed man, a flawed Christian man in a small town of Jewett, Ohio. Um I have a small farm, about eighteen acres. I've been a salesman. Um my whole career. And Um I have a wife and two daughters.
And My wife. uh like many wives Makes me a better man, for sure. And she's a very strong in her faith. She's a very strong Christian. And She is the the lifeblood behind 914.
And 91.4, we'll just get right into it. It's from Psalms 91.4, which I'm not a big quoter. Of scripture because I just don't memorize it very well. But I have it written down, but I know it. And it's he will cover your.
Cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge. His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. And 914 is From that psalm is where 91.4 came from.
So you got an 18-acre farm.
So do you literally farm, Ryan? I I am a gentleman farmer.
Okay. It costs me more money than than it makes me.
Okay. All right.
Um it started that we had uh so my wife is from The biggest city around where I grew up, okay, because it's very rural where I grew up.
So she always wanted horses and she always wanted a farm. And so when I moved back around this area, I met her And One thing led to another, and of course, you know, I decided that I couldn't live without her. Nice. And so we got married, and then from there on, it was how do we get a farm? because she wanted horses.
And then our youngest daughter, we thought she was going to show horses.
So, you know. What do they say? The first time you buy a horse is the most exciting day of your life until you sell it, and that is the most exciting day of your life.
Okay. Yeah, so Uh w but we had horses and um actually Uh, we used to ride all the time. Uh, we bought the farm, and um, like I say, it's 18 acres, and so I had delusions of grandeur that I could have cows, more cows than I have, um, and so I. The only money that I made was selling it to the guy that sold me hay because selling the cows to him because there wasn't enough land. Yeah, it's a it's it's a it's a little slice of heaven, if you will.
Um really, really love uh Living. I've lived, I mean, I lived in Manhattan before, and the fact that I live where there's 300 acres around me and no one else. It is. The piece is unbelievable. Quite a chase from Manhattan, for sure.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Then again, I was 19 when I was in Manhattan, so you can only imagine. You know, by the grace of God, I'm here talking to you. I'm reminded of, now I'm going to age and date myself here. I'm reminded of the old show, Green Acres, where the wife actually wanted to stay in Manhattan, but it was the husband who wanted to go to the farm, right?
So it was kind of a reversal there of sorts. But yeah. Funny little caveat there, a little story, is I had a surgery. It was an outpatient surgery. My wife was in Columbus, and so it's like about a three-hour drive back.
And so I'm in the car, and she had to stop at Cracker Barrel. Yeah, a little plug there. She had to stop there to get a gift in a little gift shop. And I said, I'm coming in. And of course, I was.
Medicated to the hilt, she's like, You can't get out of the car. And I'm like, I already come in.
So, fast forward to the next day, and there's a DVD of Green Acres. And I'm like, what's this? And she's like, You wouldn't leave without mine.
So, I love that show. Oh, my gosh. How funny is that? That's pretty good.
Well, I did too in the day. Like, back, you know, I was growing up. That was one of my favorites. And so, you know, you mentioned the horses. I'm just curious.
So, so they are a lot of work, huh? Oh yeah.
Well, you know what? I mean, i it was worth it. My I came from uh So my grandparents raised quarter horses whenever I was a kid. And my grandfather was like the head of every parade, holding the American flag. And um I would ride horses with him But to say that I was a horse enthusiast would not be true.
I was like, you know what? That would be an overstatement. I don't want a horse. That'd be an overstatement, right? Right.
So but she always wanted them. And yeah, I mean it was work, but it was And I'll say this. I used to drink. I haven't drank in 16 years, but you know. Before I was saved, I did a lot of, you know, as we all do, I did a lot of things that you know, could work the best.
But I can remember my grandmother, God rest her soul, who was the one who used to raise horses. And she goes, Do you know how expensive horses are? And I said, Do you know how expensive it was when I was drinking? She went, Well, you got me there. Right, right.
Well, let's touch on that for a moment.
So, so you did a lot of drinking over the years. You've been 16 years sober, right? And so let's take a minute. Just talk about your faith. Like, when did you come to faith?
Like, when did that become real for you? And was that the catalyst, that decision for you to stop drinking? You know, I would say, um And I know there's a lot of people that have like an exact date and time when they were saved. I prayed a lot as a child. I always had.
My heart, um, and and I mean, you know, I I don't I don't want to say it like I'm like, ooh, look at me, patting myself on the back, but I always had a heart for people and um I wanted to Like my dad's dad died when my dad was six, so I would pray about that, you know what I mean? Um, but as far as being saved, because I thought I was that guy that thought, well, I'm a good person, I'm gonna go to heaven. You know, I didn't know about the relationship with Jesus, which everyone, which are a lot of people out there, the that actual phrase, I'm a good person, right? My good outweighs the bad, so I know I'm gonna be in heaven. Right, exactly.
Okay, so keep going. And it's a fallen world, and I by no means, well, I mean, there's no one that's perfect except for him, right? Not but one. That's right. Yep.
And so I, you know, I struggle daily. I don't struggle with alcoholism anymore. I came from a family that. was uh uh that that had quite a few alcoholics throughout the years. And They always said that my dad missed the curse because he if he would drink, he would get sick.
And so, um you know, that my uncles would always say, you know, he he he he beat the curse, he beat the curse. And so then, you know, I when I started um you know, drinking, I thought, Well, I I have a handle on this. It's not a you know, it's not everyone does everyone thinks that. Yep. Yeah.
And I can remember my uncle, God rest his soul, calling me when I moved back around. I could see no one knew. Like, I mean, I wasn't hiding it. You know, it wasn't like I wasn't the guy that put it in the back of the toilet, you know, and hid the bottle and drank it. I mean, I was very social.
You're all from part of it. Sure, me. You're all front. Yeah. Right.
Yeah. Okay. As you know, as time went on, I I it it took a while for me to realize, 'cause I can remember my uncle calling me and saying, you know, your mom wants me to call, 'cause my dad had passed whenever I was twenty three, I think. And so He's like your mom called and I hate to do this, but I want to ask you some questions. And I'm like, sure.
And he said, Can you have a beer and walk away from it? And I go, I do it all the time. Because at the time, I was like a member of the Chamber of Commerce. I was the guy that would bring people into the Chamber of Commerce.
So do you have after hours with drinks and dinner and everything? And I was like, I do it all the time. Got to entertain everybody. Right.
Exactly.
So I'm like, I don't have a problem and he's like, What about whiskey? And I was like, oh, well, now there. I'm like, there's something there. I said, because. Come drink the whiskey, I know what I want to do.
I want it to make that click. I want it to numb me. You know what I mean? Like, I want to feel really good. That's why I do it.
And I like the taste of it, which was really bad because, I mean, I really did like the taste of it.
So that's, you know, that makes it even more of a. Of an issue, if you will. And I'm not trivializing it. I'm just saying it did. But So I, you know, I always thought I had it under control.
He was like, well, you know, I know your dad was really hard on you because he was always worried about this. And I was like, yeah, I'm cool. I'm golden. You know, like, don't worry about me.
Well, as time went on, There were some court-ordered things where I had to go do some things because. It became a problem, you know what I mean. I, uh, you know, I had to get from one place to another to the next bar, and so. Those things, you know. Caught up with me.
And when I got married, my wife was like, you know. we need to stop this, you know? And I'm like Okay, yeah. And at the same time, my faith was growing. Her faith was strong.
You know what I mean? And I don't know if that's the norm, but it really was. And I. There were times in my life where I I even kind of railed against, like I can remember when my sister's faith got really strong and she was like seven years older than me. And I'm like, you know, I was asking questions, and I'm like, well, how do you believe this?
How do you believe that? How do you believe this? You know, because she stopped. you know. Doing all the partying that we were doing, you know what I mean?
And it, like I say, it was just socializing, but she was like, I don't want a part of that. And so Then Tara was like, you know, we need to stop this. And So, I mean, by the grace of God, because again, I, you know, I was driving, I was stopped, I had to go to a program. And Um, the the irony of the whole thing was I was on vacation when it happened and uh And this I shouldn't make any light, but this is one of the funniest lines I've ever heard.
So I was freaking out because I was outside sales and I was with my in-laws. And they took me inland 'cause we were at um well, we were around your way. We were at um Where are the where are the horses on the wild on the island? Um that's uh You know, where where people come and look at the wild horses. Anyway, um it was Nagshead.
I was in Nagset, couldn't Lord, I couldn't remember. And so my father-in-law had to come and pick me up. And it was my anniversary. We were going out just to eat and we had drinks and then, you know, one thing led to another and so Um And so I was like, this doesn't happen to me. I said this to the magistrate.
I'm like, this doesn't happen to me. Like, I have a job in outside sales. I cannot not have my license. And He he was like Son, you're going to get yourself a lawyer. You're going to be fine.
That's what he said to me.
So then I called an attorney and I'm like, look, this can't happen to me. I mean, I could lose my job. She said, this happens all the time. She's like, people come here on vacation, they leave on probation. You're going to be fine.
Oh, my God. And that line, I mean, I'm sorry. It's still funny. I mean, it is. Oh, yeah, but it is, but it isn't, right?
But it isn't. Never heard that before. It's truth and jest. But um Nieta Koloff here, and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement?
The big announcement.
Well, maybe it's a minor announcement. Anyway, Facebook, go look up my new fan page, Nikita Koloff Fans, and like it. And follow today. If you would like to support Koloff for Christ Ministries, for a gift of $25, Nikita will send you his two CDs, Adoration and Declaration. For a gift of $50, Nikita will include his book, Wrestling with Success.
And for a gift of $100 or more, Nikita will include a signed copy of his newly updated life story, A Tale of the Ring and Redemption. Go to www.koloff.net. and donate today.
So, anyway, uh so I I I kind of moved from that and then we started, you know, we started attending church faithfully and I just was reinforced, and then once I got, once I found. That relationship with Christ.
So you're married at this point, and a few years into the marriage, which is what leads to you now being 16 years sober. Was there a point? Because I want to make sure we have time to cover 914.
So we want to wrap this part of the story up.
So was there something pivotal, or was that what was pivotal that led to the 16 years of now sobriety? Um, it was you know, h honestly, I mean, I think in hindsight now, and I'm like, would I be married now? Like, my actions. You know, they weren't It wasn't very becoming of a husband, let alone a Christian. You know what I mean?
I just was. Everything was about a good time. Understand, but what what I'm trying to get to what was the turning point? Give me the synopsis of the turning point 16 years ago. Right.
I think that Uh i i i like I say, we we were There was this You know, we're in our thirties, I guess, at the time. I haven't really put this much thought into it. But It was that turning point of You know. If I go out Saturday, I'm not going to make it to church on Sunday, you know. And I will say this.
There was a pastor, and God rest his soul. I went to school with both of his boys. And um, not to out them, but we partied hard together, you know what I mean? Like, yeah, I don't want to overemphasize that, Ryan. I want to move on.
The whole party thing, let's get to the sobriety, Ryan. Come on, this is where I was convicted because we were sitting in church. And his boys had moved away, and he said, There's someone in here. He said, There's people in here that normally would be in bed on a Sunday morning. And I felt like he was burning a hole through me.
You know what I mean? Okay. And so. I'd say there's where So there's where I was like, you know what, I need to make you convicted. Right, I was convicted.
Yeah, you were convicted and and from that moment you're like, this this uh this is it. I'm put I'm putting the bottle down. I'm not gonna drink coffee. My journey had begun, we'll say that.
Okay. Fair enough. And so and and being convicted, it's just like, you know, ev everything else. It's the Holy Spirit, right?
So you're that's what was convicting me. But I didn't know it then, you know, because my relationship wasn't that strong at the time.
So there's where. And I wasn't planning on talking about this, so it kind of threw me off there a little bit. Anyway.
Well, we're going to wrap it up because 'cause I want I do want to talk about Psalm 91.4. And I appreciate you, you know, sharing that. That'll testify to somebody out there. That'll encourage somebody out there. Maybe they're struggling with, maybe, in fact, you know, you're out there in listening lands struggling with drinking right now, but you know, it's just not right.
It's just not the right thing to do. Maybe you're in a marriage, got children, raising babies, and you're here listening to Ryan's story, and you're like, Yeah, I can relate. I can identify I need to stop drinking. And it starts with giving your heart to the Lord, starts with that. And if you've done that, then it's through conviction of the Holy Spirit that's going to help you overcome that.
And so we'll leave that there.
Okay. All right.
So we only got a few minutes left.
So let's talk about 91.4. This was your idea, your wife's idea, or quickly. How'd you guys get engaged in it? Her idea.
Okay. Her idea.
So she was teaching at a small public school. And she said she felt like God was calling her to go to Africa. I'm going to try to do the abridged version. And I'm like, Africa. And I gotta be honest, I was like, you're not going to Africa.
It's just not going to happen. You know what I mean? And so this was January of 2014. And she w we had we were sponsored from kids, you know, they're on the refrigerator from another another um In an organization. Organization.
Yep. And so, I mean, that was the extent of it. We're like, oh, look, there's the kid on the refrigerator. We're going to keep giving money. You know what I mean?
And so. She tells me That And it happened to be right when my mother passed away. My mother always said, Don't you let her go to Africa by herself? And I said, I would never do that, I would never do that. My mom passes away unexpectedly.
I am in this haze. You know what I mean? Like, I just can't, I can't get right. I'm just kind of, you know. And.
At the same time, and this is, I think this is how God works in our lives, you know what I mean. Because At that exact time, whenever I could I was having such issues, Um she had an opportunity to go to Africa. To Uganda with the woman who we were sponsoring the children there. And she was like, You're welcome to come with me. Very nice lady, they were farmers, kind of as a mirror image.
They were older, though, much older. And her husband was at home, and she, you know, she would go to Africa, and they had this ministry. I was we sat at the kitchen table and she said, If you tell me not to go, I won't go, but I really feel like God's telling me to go.
So I said, Go. If that's what you feel like God's telling you to do, then go. And against my better judgment, to be honest with you, I mean, I was you know, but again, I was kind of out of it.
So She goes. She comes home, this is 2014, January of 2014, and she said, We have to do something. And I said, What are we gonna do? And she said, I've never seen poverty like this in my life. And she said, The only difference between those girls, 'cause there were girls being trafficked, there were girls that were trying to get beans were falling off of vehicles.
And she's like, What are they doing? And they're like, They scrape the beans that fall off the trucks to eat. They were eating mud. It was something that, and our little, you know, our little s square box, if you will. That I couldn't imagine, you know what I mean?
And she couldn't I mean, it was her heart was just there and she was like, God's telling me to do this and we have to do something.
So we took money from our savings. That's how we started it.
So it's ours. I mean, and it's all nonprofit. Right.
It's a 501c3 nonprofit. Yep. 501c3 nonprofit. Yep. And So we took money from our savings.
And we and my father-in-law took some money and put from his, and we started it, and we got. um, because these girls were with the slums of Uganda. And so I think we got we got tw in the beginning, I think it was twenty three girls that we got off the street for six months. It was all the money we had to do it with, you know. Um but from there Uh It has grown because it was it it became a lot of time, so I'm just no we're almost out.
Yeah. So from there it grew to uh We have 500 students. We have a full school there. It's in the middle of a Muslim village. There are Muslims that are sending their children to the school, knowing that it's a faith-based, Christian-based school.
And it began with it was it was mainly a vocational school. The girls would learn how to do certain trades. They would get in there, you know, the money situation, you know, they would get. Placed in a job and started off with their own business.
So they would do hair, they would cooking, things like that.
Okay, let Brian, I want to interrupt you because I want people to know where they can go to, and I apologize, but we're almost out of time.
So I want people, I appreciate your heart in wanting to share everything. And I want people to know that, so 914 is a 501c3, and that's the number nine, the number one, and then the letters spit out, F-O-U-R.org is the address. And they help these teenage girls escape from the dangerous slums of Kampala, Uganda, which I've been to three times, just a little side note there. As he mentioned, a full-time residential, three-year educational, vocational discipleship training program. For these adolescent girls.
And so, if you have a heart for rescuing girls, you're going to want to go to this website, 914.org, and sew into this ministry, sew into what Ryan and his lovely bride are doing. And, you know, the mission, I love the mission. We educate girls and children in a safe environment to provide for all their daily needs, essentials, healthy food, clean water. Homemade clothing and a bed, a roof over their head, right, in a dormitory type fashion, right? And so.
So it's pretty amazing. 500 students is amazing. You started with 23, now you're up to 500, right? And uh I can easily see with with your wife's teaching background, you know, how how um How all this ties in together. And then I like, I'm reading, and I'm reading off, you know, I'm on your website right now.
And I read: our goal is to continue to make the ministry as self-sustaining as possible while supporting an all-Ugandan staff and through the financial support of donors, right? Mm-hmm. It's very important. And like I said, there are people that are sending their children to the school, which is starting to make it so that it's not self-sustainable yet, but it's getting to the point where, you know, when this, our time is done, you know, will it continue? Can it continue?
And it will. And so now there's young children there. I mean, it's pre-K through seventh grade, you know. Before it was just extremely important to get the girls off the street. But and so, yeah, the donations are huge.
Tara speaks at churches all around. And it is, you know, it's just a. I mean, it's a moving story, to say the least, but it is, it's, it's a work in progress, right? A work in progress, and it has been blessed over and over and over again. And what is the faith of the mustard seed, right?
Yeah, that's amazing.
Well, and I'm reading too, I understand because I've been to Uganda that you know, and just reading your website, thousands have been displaced from their homes in northern Uganda because of famine, disease, and just lots of refugees forced out, right, to beg on the streets. And so, you know, you're out there in listening land, you're listening to Ryan's story, a story of transformation coming out of an addiction to alcohol and drinking, and then a vision that his wife has had for Psalm 91.4. Again, go to this website, the number nine, the number one, F-O-U-R.org. To learn more. They've got videos on there.
They got some beautiful pictures. Man, it just brings back memories, Ryan, of when I was in Uganda. Beautiful pictures of all the little kiddos there and the young girls. And you're doing your part so that they no longer have to sleep out on the street and beg for food and live under the constant threat of abuse, rape, and other exploitations, right?
So awesome.
Well, Ryan Rogers from Ohio. Ryan, last question, real quick.
So, what's the big city in Ohio that. our listeners might recognize where you live near. Steubenville, Ohio. Steubenville. Yeah.
I've actually heard of it. Dean Martin. Oh, now you're aging yourself now. Come on now. Yeah.
You know, I grew up in Caddis, and Clark Gable was born on my street. I used to say if I got famous, I'd wear a t-shirt that said Clark Who when I came back.
Well, for the young folks out there, you'll just need to Google Clark Gable and Dean Martin. Just saying. All right.
Ryan Rogers, thank you so much for being a part of the show today, Ryan. Thank you. I mean, it's a true blessing and what you're doing too. The outreach is awesome. And it's just a pleasure to speak with you.
Well, you guys, you keep the eyes on the cross, Ryan, and continue to walk that path of sobriety. I'm excited for you. And for all out there in listening land, as always, my challenge to you is go out today and just have a God-filled and design listen. Go down.
