Meet Dan Pope
Meet Dan Pope
As a retired pediatrician I tend to think in medical images. My favorite piece of spiritual equipment is what I call the “retro-spectroscope” which allows me to have 20/20 hindsight. After 60+ years of walking with God it helps me clearly see the many ways that God has led in my life. Looking forward with certainty and knowing God’s will, where He is leading, has never been easy for me.
Nineteen years ago, after 27 years of pediatric practice, 15 years of teaching BSF (and 19 years of teaching for Jane), we understood God calling us to serve Him in Africa. I served as the Medical Director for Rafiki Foundation (formerly associated with BSF), caring for orphaned children, and Jane was the director of a vocational/educational program for disadvantaged teenage girls. We thought we would be in Kenya for the rest of our lives. However, God had other plans. After only five years in Nairobi we were called home to care for Jane’s mother, Isabel, who was suffering the ravages of dementia.
When we returned to the U.S. God led us to The Woodlands and Faith Bible Church. I was certain that I would continue as Medical Director for Rafiki from the U.S., as I had done that work from Abilene prior to going to Nairobi. Now, after the time in Kenya, I thought I would be better able to understand the needs of the work. But God had other plans. After 18 months my work came to an end. Jane’s did not.
During our time in Kenya, we had recognized that the greatest needs for teenage young women in poverty were twofold: 1) They needed a safe place to live and 2) They needed a high school education. Those two conditions were necessary to provide them the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty in their culture. Through a series of amazing, God-ordained events, He led Jane to help establish Faith House Ministries of Africa. Faith House provides 1) a safe home where Jesus Christ is the center and 2) an educational opportunity that allows young women to reach their God given potential. More than 50 girls have received a high school education, nine have graduated from university, numbers of students have received vocational training appropriate to Kenya, and one finished medical school in 2020.
Through my “retro-spectroscope” I can now see that what I originally thought was God’s call to Africa for medical work, turned out to be the way He used to provide opportunity for a new life for many Kenyan young women.
Nineteen years ago, after 27 years of pediatric practice, 15 years of teaching BSF (and 19 years of teaching for Jane), we understood God calling us to serve Him in Africa. I served as the Medical Director for Rafiki Foundation (formerly associated with BSF), caring for orphaned children, and Jane was the director of a vocational/educational program for disadvantaged teenage girls. We thought we would be in Kenya for the rest of our lives. However, God had other plans. After only five years in Nairobi we were called home to care for Jane’s mother, Isabel, who was suffering the ravages of dementia.
When we returned to the U.S. God led us to The Woodlands and Faith Bible Church. I was certain that I would continue as Medical Director for Rafiki from the U.S., as I had done that work from Abilene prior to going to Nairobi. Now, after the time in Kenya, I thought I would be better able to understand the needs of the work. But God had other plans. After 18 months my work came to an end. Jane’s did not.
During our time in Kenya, we had recognized that the greatest needs for teenage young women in poverty were twofold: 1) They needed a safe place to live and 2) They needed a high school education. Those two conditions were necessary to provide them the opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty in their culture. Through a series of amazing, God-ordained events, He led Jane to help establish Faith House Ministries of Africa. Faith House provides 1) a safe home where Jesus Christ is the center and 2) an educational opportunity that allows young women to reach their God given potential. More than 50 girls have received a high school education, nine have graduated from university, numbers of students have received vocational training appropriate to Kenya, and one finished medical school in 2020.
Through my “retro-spectroscope” I can now see that what I originally thought was God’s call to Africa for medical work, turned out to be the way He used to provide opportunity for a new life for many Kenyan young women.
Posted in Faces of Faith