POPLI-Kenya: Now
Arrival and Teaching at Ndori Church
In June of 2024, Dr. Verna and Brother Shane got to see their Kenyan “children” for the first time. Ndori, Kenya welcomed the POPLI team with dancing and food.
The Tito’s church assembled and planted a tree to represent the legacy, life-giving teaching and promise of community prosperity that POPLI brings. The teaching had not even started yet, but the enthusiastic welcome brought renewed life into the lessons.
The teaching began, and everyone listened: men, boys, women and girls. Children gathered too.
Dr. Verna and Brother Shane taught from The Power of People: Four Kinds of People Who Can Change Your Life. The rest of their team supported the lessons by leading discussion groups, journaling sessions and offering mental health support.
Half way through the teaching, everyone rushed indoors. It was the rainy season, and the heavens unleashed a torrent of rain onto the tin roofs of the buildings.
Despite the drumming of the rain, the teaching continued. Dr. Verna poured into the hearts of Ndori for the rest of the day.
Teaching at Kandaria Secondary School
The second full day in Kenya was devoted to Kandaria Secondary School. Nine hundred and sixty eager little faces with pearly white smiles carried their own chairs to form an outdoor auditorium to hear Dr. Verna and Brother Shane teach.
“We had no microphone, and you could hear a pin drop,” Dr. Verna said. “These students were so attentive, so hungry, so ready to listen and learn. And it was just an amazing, amazing time of teaching.”
Dr. Verna and Brother Shane introduced the youth to big concepts. What is power? What makes you powerful?
Among the near one thousand students were three girls and a boy that Dr. Verna and Brother Shane sponsored to attend high school. This was the first time they met.
Two years ago, as POPLI-Kenya was beginning, Mr. Tito reached out and said, “We have these students, they're very sharp students. They have no money to go to school, and they're in Boys of Hope and Girl's Taking Action. Would you sponsor them?”
“We got to meet them, and it was a beautiful thing.” Dr. Verna said. “You know, they're all pumped up, they're understanding that they're valuable, important, lovable people in the world.”
Four students from Kandaria Secondary School that Dr. Verna and Brother Shane Sponsor
