Bob Roosen a humble man who impacted nations and conquered many mountains

Remembering the Life a Humble Man

In my latest book Humility The Hidden Key to Walking in Signs and Wonders I mention that one does not have to have a big name ministry to impact nations.  Robert Roosen was one such man. Even though he is no more his legacy remains through the numerous lives he has impacted all over the world. He is the only person in my lifetime whom I refer to as spiritual father. He went to be with Jesus July 19, 2010.  He lived his life for the audience of ONE.  He really wasn’t moved by what people thought of him He was only moved by what Jesus thought of him. Because of that attitude thousands are in the Kingdom of God today. To me he was one of the best role models of Biblical Christlike humility.

Proverbs 22:4 says By humility and the fear of the LORD Are riches and honor and life.  Bob was bold, secure in who he was in Christ and the call of God on his life. God showered his life with tremendous honor and favor in order for him to impact eternity.  He was prosperous and used his wealth with humility to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  He was always full of Godly wisdom to impart to the young men he mentored, I being one of them.  Bob was very athletic and enjoyed the abundant life of Jesus to fullest. He loved conquering mountains before him including many of the tallest mountain peaks in Colorado.

Bob did not have a five-fold ministry nor was he a preacher yet his life was a powerful sermon in demonstration and illustration of the life of Jesus in him. Jesus was talking about those who would be seated next to Him for eternity and how the Father would be calling the shots on who would be seated next Jesus (see Matthew 20:20-28).  Jesus gave us a hint of those who would be seated next to Him in Matthew 20:28 “just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” Those who in this lifetime serve the least of these with humility, with no ulterior motives will be next to Jesus for eternity.  I believe Bob will be one of those next to Jesus (when he is not scaling some heavenly mountain peak).

Let me share things on how he impacted me and how if it was not for Bob I would not even be close to where I am today in life and ministry.  When I was first baptized in the Holy Spirit I was attending college in Bloomington, MN.  I began to get a passion for lost souls. I started sharing Jesus with people but did not know how to bring them to Christ.  One friend was interested in Jesus. I took him to a Kenneth Hagin meeting in St. Paul. When the altar call was given my friend went forward to receive Christ. I went with him. Bob was the counselor (who I met for the first time) at the altar. From there Bob became a spiritual father to me. Despite my shortcomings he believed in me and pointed me in the direction of the ministry that I am in today.

Bob helped me lead my first soul to Christ. From there I learned much from Bob’s example in personal evangelism. At his retreat for boys in Aspen, Colorado we took to the streets in August of 1980. Every day young men were coming back to the retreat saying they led people to Christ.  Learning first from Bob’s passion for souls our ministry has now had the honor to lead more than 150,000 people to Christ through our campaigns and one on one.  Fruit to Bob’s account!

One other example of this humble life was when Bob and I went to Nicaragua to hold a campaign in 1993. He said he would only come if we could take some time and look for a building to start an orphanage. Long story short one hour before leaving for the airport to head home we found a building and Bob started an orphanage.  Bob and his business partner Troy Wiseman had no idea that they were being set up by Jesus. Out of that, a ministry was birthed called World Orphans. World Orphans, Bob and Troy went on to help finance and/or help build more than 500 orphanages in 46 nations rescuing more than 20,000 orphans, destitute and abandoned children.

The impact of Bob’s life greatly spread.  When my mother in law Renuka Frank heard a new born baby crying in a garbage dump in Agra, India she dug the baby out of the garbage and took the baby girl to Mother Teresa’s ministry center and longed to start an orphanage. Bob helped make that dream a reality by doing matching funds so we could construct and complete Karishma Girls Home in Agra in 2006. When my close friend Duncan Hill quit his full time job and started Uganda Orphans Fund (www.ugandaorphans.com) in 2002 I told him to visit with Bob Roosen.  World Orphans helped Duncan with funding of construction on a number of those first orphanages. At this time Duncan is in Uganda building their 30th home for orphans.  The humble life of Bob Roosen has spread out and greatly impacted eternity in ways many will never know.