Feeding the Widows and Orphans

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Our first from Lithuania, he weighs 123 kilos, The Russian Nightmare, Nikita Kolob. Now, The Devil's Nightmare. Welcome back to another episode of It's Time to Man Up. Today, I have the pleasure and the privilege of having a precious couple in with me. So even though it's time to man up, sometimes we love to get women on the show as well, just to get another perspective on life.

And with me today, this precious couple, Dar and Andrew Draper, welcome to the Man Up show. Well, the pleasure and privilege is all ours. Yeah? Yeah, because we're with you. Oh, you are too kind.

Dar, welcome to the Man Up show. Yeah, it's always fun. And I mean that it's always fun to have a female voice on, you know, this, you know, this show goes worldwide, certainly on all the podcast platforms and the 88 countries to date that that it's been downloaded.

But it also goes on around the country on the Truth Radio Network. So I want to get your message out there far and wide. It's why I wanted you guys on the show and in studio with me. I appreciate you guys coming in. I really do.

Thank you so much. Our friendship goes back a number of years. No stranger to anyone who's listened to the show on a regular basis, Jay Stewart, The Refuge Church, I think is where we probably maybe first connected. Would that be? I think so. Yeah, a long time ago. Long time. All the way back to the, do you remember the fun park days? Remember you doing a thing at the fun park way back? Yeah, it was a long time ago. I do actually though.

Yeah. And I don't know people out there wondering what is the fun park? It's a whole place in Concord from a long time ago. Which is no longer there. The fun has left the building.

The fun left. Now it's a medical something or another. Yeah, a medical facility. But so for our listeners out there, I mean, just Dar, maybe I'll just start with you. Just give a little backstory on who Dar Draper is.

Yes. Well, we did meet you through church and Andrew and I were, we were staffed with The Refuge for 10 years. We were the children's pastors and we loved the time at the church and God really ignited us.

We just, with a love for family and a love for kids. And, and, you know, sometimes when you're in ministry for a long time, you get a little stirring that there's something else, like something else is on the horizon. And then we started getting this little stir, like maybe there's more.

We're in our mid forties and, and, you know, you can get comfortable really in any ministry that you're in. But there was a stir, like there was more. And I prayed this prayer. I was like, Lord, give us more of a heart for the world, for kids in the world. And I heard the Lord say, okay, but you'll cry a lot.

And I was kind of surprised at that because I wasn't much of a cry. I was more of that celebratory rah rah, you know, rejoice with those who rejoice, but not one, maybe even with a great heart of compassion. I really loved people and had committed my life to the love walk because I'm like, you know, I kind of committed my theology to be love God, love people. And I thought I could go to the rest of my life and just be working on the greatest commandment, you know? And so when I asked the Lord for more of a heart for kids in the world, he presented an opportunity, which is what he usually does.

He answers our prayers and he sent an opportunity to host an orphan from Ukraine, and this is 2015, and a 16 year old orphan at first actually didn't even want to do it. I was like, you know, we had a very busy, very full life. We had our own four kids.

We had all the reasons of why we could say no to this. But, you know, I prayed this prayer for a heart for kids in the world. I also was looking for a mission trip for my boys to go on.

I'd heard Bob Weiner say actually years ago, give your kids a heart for the nations and they'll never love the world. So I was like looking for a missions trip, then this chance to bring a missions trip into our own house came. And so we said, yes, we said, I was just thinking as a father, like, you know, having a 16 year old boy come into your home and you've got a young daughter. You know, just my radar is going off. Oh, I don't want to do that. You know, I'm worried what could happen. You're all this fear. But yeah, the Lord just totally just dispelled all that. He made it clear that we should say yes. And, you know, we're not fear people either. We're like the kind of people that, you know, perfect love casts out fear.

And so we like to let love displace any fear that we have. But still, it was a lot to say to say yes to. That's a big step. Yeah.

Yeah. And we're a children's pastor. How do you say there's no room for somebody in the end at Christmas time, you know, that's kind of the other part. I'm sorry, I wasn't yet. Come here. But you never know when these little, you know, you're in your American mindset, your American ministry, you're doing your thing, which there's a place for all of that. And all of us, all ministries, all yeses to God are significant and doesn't really matter.

It's not like this better thing. But the Lord was said, you're ready. You're ready for the next step. And so we had this boy in our home at Christmas and about a weekend to it, the tear started because I had never really considered the orphan before I had. I just hadn't thought about what it meant that this kid had no parents and he was from this country, Ukraine, which I never considered this country. I'm like, I guess it's somewhere over there near Russia.

I don't know. You know, we didn't have a heart for Eastern Europe. It was just like the Lord came and surprised us with this brand new call, this brand new love. And so through having a heart for this one kid and just the gravity of considering that he has no parents, he gave his heart for the orphan. By the end of the four weeks, our whole family was wrecked. We were in love with this kid. We had to send him back to an orphanage in a country at war with Russia because the war really started in 2014. And he was already an evacuated child. His orphanage was evacuated from the east and occupied territory. He'd already been through so much, you know.

And so we had to wrestle with what it meant to care for somebody in this new part of the world. And so that's kind of how our journey with Ukraine started. OK. And we're going to get to more of that story. But let me just pause.

Let's pause right there to Andrew. Let me say to you. So already our listeners sense a pretty amazing woman.

Absolutely. How did you meet this woman? Tell that story.

Oh, man. Well, I was working with a crisis pregnancy center in Boone and I was speaking for them and we were doing an abstinence rally and I was their featured speaker. The Lord had set me up to where I started speaking in college.

And, yeah, just like gave me a heart for ministry and children and kids and high school kids and trying to help them not to go down the, you know, these roads that can be so detrimental. And there was this beautiful woman lady doing Christian drama out there to open the whole thing up. And I definitely noticed her. And afterwards we talked.

And yeah, it was great. I didn't think a lot. I didn't think a lot of it. Just, you know, she was attractive and, you know, they're doing really cool stuff with a drama. But I was dating somebody. She was dating somebody.

But she went home and she told her mom, she said, I met the type of man I'd like to marry. And yeah, then we the Lord just kind of orchestrated the rest. And yeah, we that next summer came up to Boone and started going to the same church she was going to. And yeah, we saw each other in church and went back and had lunch with friends. And we spent every day together after that. We were dated six months, engaged six months and then married.

Dated six months, engaged six months. Now I'm going to put you on the spot because most guys are like, OK, so how many how many years ago was that? And so how many years? Ninety two. So that's that's 30 years. Thirty years.

Yeah. But it was, you know, it's so cool because God showed. So I was a kid that was brought up with my dad left when I was one. And so the Lord just really showed me I always had a heart for him, even when I didn't know him, I had a heart for the Lord, which it sounds pretty wild. But and he just always looked after me, always took care of me. And so when I was I think I was 11 years old, gave my heart to the Lord at a camp because this man was like a father to me in my church, sent me to camp.

That's where I gave my life to the Lord. But even through everything like needing money for a ring, needing, you know, everything I need, the Lord just showed that he'd provide. And so he was he was such a father to me when I had no earthly father that was around. So yeah, father to the father. So he was so true with me. Wow.

And so we bounce back to Dar for a moment here. So he mentioned drama. And one thing I know about you is you are incredibly, as he said, incredibly creative.

It's not just drama. Tell our listeners, just take a minute and tell them what else you've done in the world of creativity. Yes, I, I love accessing the Father's heart through creativity. You know, the first verb in the whole Bible is create, you know, in the beginning, God created and then 26 verses later were made in his image. And so I can't even stand it when people will say, I'm not creative. And I just want to you know, that's that's my soapbox.

I'm like, give me the Russian sickle off the top rope, off the top rope, Russian sickle off the top rope. I will just lecture them and tell them that, you know, the thing is, we, we all need to return to a creative connection with the Lord. Creativity kind of ushers us into this closeness with the Lord. And, you know, Jesus said, I also and we love kids. And really, I feel like the verse doesn't get preached on enough that unless you change to become like one of these, you can't enter the kingdom of heaven. So it's kind of where children's ministry, creativity all tied together for me. And I thought the Lord told me one time that every, every person needs a children's pastor, because every chart, every heart needs to be pastor to change and become like a little child. And I think part of that creativity is that tool that the Lord uses. So as you create with him and as you just dream with the Lord and he uses creativity. So, yeah, we did a lot with drama kind of and it's not so much that I love theater, but theater is an amazing tool. It's the back door to the heart. So I love to tell stories and, you know, I love to help people discover their gifts and talents and use them in ways that will ignite them.

So they'll use them in ways to bless and encourage other people. She's, let me say this real quick. She's like a magnet for creativity. Like, I wasn't even, I don't think, I mean, I was kind of creative, but I didn't know how creative I was until she would pull it out of me. Yeah, like we were going to do this play and she's doing this directing this play at the school. And she was like, could you paint a set for me? And I was like, oh, yeah, I guess I could. And this painting and stuff that came out was like just it was almost like God just used her to pull this creativity out of me. And I did all this stuff for this, this set. And it was just awesome. And she comes back, she looks and her mind was blown. But it was like, because this creativity exudes out of her, she pulled it out of me.

So, wow. Well, and I can say for the record, you know, when you guys were the children's pastors at the refuge, the sets that you guys built there, the things you did there. I mean, if any child came to one of those services or attended anything you were doing there and weren't blessed, they were missing it. But because just to see what you guys created there was astounding.

It was just phenomenal. And so, so you've so you've not only done drama, you've already done plays and creative arts camps for a long time and brought in guest speakers in different areas of creativity so they could the kids could dabble in different projects and discover what was inside of them. So, yeah, it was a beautiful season of creativity and working with kids. And then, you know, like it is in our work with the Lord, there's always more, there's always a deeper yes, there's always something more He's calling us into. And books, have you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wrote four books, three children's books and one allegory that it was my life, like really my favorite creative project that I ever did.

It was an allegory, kind of like a program's progress called Jasper, and then we turned that into a play, used that to raise funds for a trip in Ukraine. And so, yeah, we just we try to just keep being creative. Yeah. Can people can people find, I mean, are those books available? They are.

They're really more available through us. And we gave them all to GLOW to our ministry. So through GLOWmission.org and through our email, they can get those books.

GLOWmission.org, GLOWmission. So Andrew, let me come over to you. So God's stirring your hearts, so we'll kind of fast, so 10 years, children's pastors, but God's stirring your hearts that there's something more. You guys are looking for what that is. Brings this orphan from Ukraine into your home. He wrecks you. And you mentioned children too, four, you said four children.

And you have to send him back. So is Andrew, is that word the GLOW ministry, which GLOW stands for what? What is it stands for?

Go love others well. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Nikita Kolof here, and I am excited. Did you hear the huge announcement, the big announcement?

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Go to www.kolof.net and donate today. You're listening to the Truth Network and truthnetwork.com. Go love others well. And so was that time of hosting that orphan in the home where GLOW was birthed? Let me just start with you and then we'll bounce over to Don. Yeah, we I'd felt like a stirring. And I think, you know, many believers are out there. Sometimes you feel this stirring and that's something that more is coming. Something's something's on the horizon and you don't feel like you're going to be in the same place. This started like two years earlier, like I was feeling this stirring. I'd even, you know, a lot of times we would talk in the bathroom. We have this two sink thing, you know, where, you know, you're you're always side by side getting ready. And so I just remember telling Don a couple of times, like, I really feel like we're not going to be where we are, that God's going to call us to something different.

I had no clue what it was. But then, like I said, when Sasha came to our house, something happened. And then it started to lead us on this journey of like, what are we going to do about him? What are we going to do about his life? Like he, like Dar said, he has no parents.

He has nobody to teach him, nobody to vent journey with him. And that's where the orphans get in trouble. They get in trouble because there's no one there for them to go, hey, what should I do in this situation? And so they get in trouble with organized crime. They get in trouble with people loaning them money. They get in trouble, trafficking, trafficking. You know, hey, there's this job I'll give you in the United States.

And they just very naive because they don't have anyone to help them with these decisions, to help and guide them. And so that kind of led us on this journey to where we, you know, we started going over there and we did a camp for Sasha's, his whole class. And the Lord blessed that. And a bunch of the kids gave their lives to the Lord. They actually said, this is the greatest week we've ever had. Like, this is like one of the greatest weeks of our lives. I'm like, oh, my gosh, are you kidding me? Wow.

I mean, that's quite a statement. And and then when we left that week and also all we did stuff for the little kids and every single one of them gave their heart to Jesus. Like there was like 30 of them and they all raised their hands at the same time. I want Jesus. So then there became this weight of responsibility, a good weight that the Lord was like, OK, what do you can't just say goodbye to somebody? Like, hey, have a nice life. You know, I'm glad you received Jesus upon a week.

Yeah, it was awesome. You know, now, you know, Jesus was like, there needs to be a weight of like, OK, now who's going to disciple them? Who's going to help them? And so the Lord had put it on our hearts like we need to take these guys on and take them all in as our kids. And so that led us on the journey of glow. So we started this ministry.

We came home, quit our jobs and like not even the refuge design from the greatest. One of the greatest jobs I've ever had in my life. It was, you know, being a children's pastor was I loved it. And you were great at it by the way. Dude, I was. Yeah, I've got the mind of a child.

So that kind of helps you. So, yeah, and, you know, resigning from that, not having insurance, not, you know, not knowing where our next paycheck was going to come from, all this stuff and just having to go through the grind of God meeting you. You're yes to him. He's like he he showed us I'm going to meet you when you say yes to me.

It's going to be tough. I'm going to take you to the end of the wire and I'm going to I'm going to teach you what faith is all about. And now we're we just know now because of this journey that he always has a story in mind that he wants us to tell of his greatness, his love and his mercy and his provision.

So, yeah, trust and faith and belief are three of the words that pop up in my head. You reminded me of a story I want to tell real quick. And Dar, I want to come back to you when you talked about they all raised their hand. I remember and I know recently, I think recently you guys just made your first trip to Moldova.

Is that correct? So so I did a mission trip with Joe Phillips, a mutual friend of ours and my oldest daughter, Taryn. It was I was chaperoning youth. And I remember speaking, sharing the gospel to all those kids.

We were doing youth camps and I was like 100 kids there or something. And so I got to the point of it with the translator, ask him who how many want to give their life to Jesus like they all raised their head. Right. I looked at the translator and I went, I don't think they understood the question. Let me ask the question again.

Right. So I asked the question again. They all raised their head again. I went, this is unbelievable.

I love this. Every one of them wants to know Jesus and apparently they never have. So anyway, so all right. So Dar, let me come back to you then. And hearing that, so Glow has launched and I mean, you guys are fulfilling the Bible. It says, take care of the widows and the orphans. Right. And I know in addition to the orphans, you guys are ministering to the babushkas. Is that right?

Is that how you say it? The babushkas. Yeah.

Babushkas. And so the widows and the orphans. And so so give us kind of a little insight on on the last few years now that what you guys have been doing over there.

Yeah. Give us some insight on that. We started working with kids in the orphanage.

We had a great favor with the orphanage director and built relationships and would help these kids as they graduated. But then it's amazing being a Christian. Like I've been a Christian since I was four and I don't think James 127 ever stood out to me. Like I never noticed really that true religion is taking care of widows and orphans and keeping yourself from being polluted by the world.

Like the gravity of that didn't. You can kind of gloss over things and the Holy Spirit highlights that to you. While we were there, really through a friend having a passion for older people, we went to visit this little village near Chernobyl in the Chernobyl region with a ministry, a man named Maxime who ministered to the widows and the elderly there. And this ministry was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life.

Like to see the one on one, the people who journey with people and they get in their world. And I mean, this the people in villages in Ukraine, they don't have indoor plumbing. Like they have they're like, if you use the bathroom, use this outhouse.

It's the nicest one in the village. You know, it's like you're this is where our friends are ministering. They took us, they would start taking us with them. And we developed such a heart for these ladies.

And these people would live with like 50 to 80 dollars a month on their pension. And they then you'd visit them. They'd want to give you everything they had.

They're like, here's all of our apples and our compote we made and our eggs. And you're like, no, it's OK. Like, it's just unbelievable the hearts of these people. And so I saw a side of just the heart of God, the people ministering in these ways I had never experienced. And we're like, we have to do this. We're like, oh, yeah, that's part of that James 127 verse, too. You know, this this is true religion. And and we got to be there. I felt the Lord let us see this one moment.

And it's all through translation. But we got to see this one lady. She was probably there was despair in the house, like despair. This woman couldn't get out of bed. They actually had a padlock on her door to keep you from stealing things. She couldn't walk once a day.

Someone would come kind of clean her up, give her something to eat. It was so sad. She was rejected by her own family.

Her son was a lawyer in key wouldn't come see her, just wanted her to die. And it was so depressed in that house. And our friend Maxime got to lead her to Jesus. And we were there.

We're like witnessing it by the door and and not to. And you felt like all of us there, the missionary. We were like, you felt like her day is coming soon. But like this heaven came in that day. It was this the most tangible light was different in there.

It's like it was it was a tangible difference when we left. And then not too long later, she went to heaven. Would your company, business or you personally like to partner with me in supporting Kolof for Christ Ministries, The Man Up Show and Man Up Minutes? Go to kolof.net and click the donate button.

You can give monthly, annually or one time. God bless you for making a difference around the world. But if you imagine like you got to see the picture of this, like this lady was locked in this room and she used the bathroom and the bed, like in some way, like she said, someone can clean her up. So the smell was just like it was rancid. And this guy goes in and holds her hand and leads her to Jesus. And just the most precious way, his face up to her face.

And it was just it was one of the most beautiful scenes we've ever seen. So I don't want to bury the lead on that for those who are listening. If you if you caught what these guys said, 50 to 80 dollars a month, they live off of. And here in America, you know, we can run down to the local food line, you know, in a whim or open up a refrigerator that's full of food. Right. And yeah, you guys are making such an impact and such a difference.

All over the world and more specifically in Eastern Europe now. And before we run out of time, people, if people want to learn more about glow ministries, I mean, where do they go? What's the website? I know you mentioned, but let's mention it again. Yes, please go to glow mission dot org. And I'm glad you brought up about the babushkas, because under our website, you'll see all the different projects we've been involved in rebuilding. You know, we're about the people.

There's a lot of political views on what's happening in the Ukraine. But despite all that, there are people that are hurting and the church is being activated to help. And the church is growing and thriving. And we were just there. We just got back last week, actually, from being there three weeks. So we've seen it. We see the church growing.

It's amazing. But Maxime in particular, we met with all of our team. We had a retreat. We're strategizing with future like what they should do. And he has 60 babushkas he needs sponsors for like to get them just they just need like 50 dollars more.

The basics, the basics. And so that's something if you go to glow mission dot org, and that's something you want to do is so into an elderly person, we are starting a campaign for that very soon. But Maxime under the funds under the donate, there's there's different funds, but you'll see elderly care babushka. So that's something you're into giving recurring is glow mission dot org.

Thank you so much. Yeah. And I know you guys are very hands on. If you're not getting the picture out there, you're very hands on. I know at one point you had for a thousand dollars that you could bring in these like like these, almost like a little mobile home unit or whatever. Right.

And be able to do that as well. And so for those. So a babushka just explained to our listeners out there, just that's just a great word for grandma. So, hey, these guys are hands on.

If you're not catching the drift of their message today, please listen, go to their website if you if the Lord puts it on your heart to contribute, whether it's to the babushkas and help support a babushka or these these temporary homes or these mobile type homes units that are being brought in. You guys are boots on the ground there in Ukraine. You just heard him say they just got back from three weeks over in Ukraine. The warfare is real, both physically and spiritually as well.

Right, guys? The warfare is real. And if you ever wanted to, maybe you'll never leave your home in America, whatever country you might be from, I can assure you, just to reemphasize their story. I've been in 36 different countries and outside of America, you know, there's a lot of a lot of need right in America.

But outside of America, you know, they don't have the conveniences that we have. And so Darren Andrew Draper, glow ministries dot org, go check him out. And I'm praying and believing that God's going to put it upon your heart to support them in some way. You may never leave your home.

You may never leave your community, but you can so and invest and have a part of kingdom building by investing in this precious couple that sits before me today. And I just appreciate you guys appreciate you. You've you've you've you're going to do it again.

You've always brought me to tears. But what you guys are doing is amazing. So thank you.

Yeah. Thank you, guys. And appreciate you guys being in the studio. It's such a blessing for us. And it's totally all the Lord. He's done all this. Well, you guys have stepped out on faith, as you said, and just said yes to the Lord.

And God is providing and making a way where there seems to be no way. And so now I want to thank all of you out there week in and week out tuning into the man up show. Appreciate you and go support these guys. At very least, pray for Darren Andrew Draper and the glow ministries.

And if you can financially support, please do that as well. Have a God filled, God blessed day today. This podcast is made possible by the grace of God and your faithful prayers, support and generous gifts.

May God bless you for your continual contributions. Go to Koloff.net and donate today. I, Nikita Koloff, be sure to check out the man up show now available on television, broadcast and podcast. Go to MorningstarTV.com or the Truth Radio Network. Check out your local listings or better yet, download the Truth Network app today. If you are enjoying the man up show, would you help us spread the word? Tell your family, tell your friends, tell your neighbors to download, subscribe and leave a comment. Nikita Koloff here.

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