What does it take for a street kid from a Bulgarian orphanage to become a lifeline for families huddled in Ukrainian bomb shelters? Meet Rosen, a pastor whose life reads like a map of hard places and a ledger of relentless grace. Born with a severe double cleft palate and abandoned at birth, he survived on glue and grit until a stranger flew him to Amsterdam for world-class surgeries. A missionary family later adopted him to the U.S., where daily devotions, not pressure, kindled a quiet, certain call: serve the ones he once stood among.
We travel with Rosen through YWAM schools and back into Eastern Europe, where he learned to forgive doctors who failed, parents who left, and a system that bruised more than it held. He turned statistics into stories—teaching graduating orphans real skills in carpentry, cooking, and media—replacing despair with paychecks and purpose. Burnout nudged him to China, where language class met underground worship, and a leprosy ministry opened behind guarded gates. There, he cut wood for winter, harvested fields for those without hands, and shared audio Bibles with those without sight.
Then came an unexpected detour to Bethel in Redding, and a tender chapter of service, mentorship, and favor. In Bulgaria, he found his biological family, led with forgiveness, and left with closure. He married Oksana, a Ukrainian YWAM leader, and rooted in Ternopil. When war erupted, everything changed. Their daughter was born during air raid sirens. Blackouts shape meals and laundry. Drones and missiles scar neighborhoods. Ministry pivoted overnight to chaplaincy in hospitals, housing refugees, veteran transport, and simple, stubborn presence in the dark.
Rosen offers hard-won clarity on why Ukraine matters—identity, language, and the black soil that feeds nations—and how hope survives under martial law and midnight alarms. He asks for three things: pray for the exhausted church and relief teams; intercede for leaders, soldiers, and families; and, if you can, give to sustain fuel, food, and practical care at give.ywamtyler.org and specify if possible for Rosen K. or you can give your gift through YWAM accounting and designate for Rosen Klepel at YWAM ACCOUNTING // PO BOX 3000 // GARDEN VALLEY TX 75771 Make sure to specify for Rosen Klepel
Subscribe, share this story with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review with one word—Jesus—to help more people find it. Your voice helps carry theirs.
