Meet Our Board of Directors
Kisongo Mbeleulu, Chief Executive Officer
Pastor Kisongo Mbeleulu has had a heart for the poor of Congo for 40 years. After graduating from seminary in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), he served 10 years as a chaplain pastor for university students. He served for 4 years as coordinator of the peacemaking program in the Great Lakes region related to the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
In the USA, though many who escape the poverty zone of the DRC would focus on thriving in their new life in the land of plenty, Kisongo’s calling to Congo has not diminished but has been refined. He chose to study what makes communities flourish and earned a Masters degree in International development in 2015. In 2010 Kisongo began ALERT and regular ministry trips to DRC.
Kisongo has a passion to see the Congolese church grasp the revolutionary power of the Gospel as their ‘wisdom template’ for all aspects of life.
Kristy White, Chief Operating Officer
Kristy White was born in Nigeria and raised in Kenya as a missionary kid until the age of ten. After returning to the states and finishing a Bachelors of Arts at Bethel University in Community Health she joined the Peace Corps and continued her love of learning languages and caring for others. In 2001 she began as a volunteer supporting Global Horizons with administrative tasks. In 2002 she began part time and grew with the organization from administrative assistant to finally the Program Director after 12 years of service. Also during this time she married a wonderful man and became a mom of 4 very different and vibrant daughters. In 2013 she took her whole family to see Daystar University in Kenya and share her love of Africa with her family.
Currently she supports a team of insurance agents at a local State Farm office in Minnetonka and is discovering a love of gardening.
Gavin Knowles, Board Chair
Gavin Knowles works in the banking industry as a financial analyst and has a degree in finance from the University of St. Thomas. During his time at St. Thomas, Gavin developed a passion for microfinance as a way to serve underserved communities. In 2022, Gavin married his wife Madelynn and they now reside in Minneapolis. Gavin and Maddie also serve in their local church in a variety of ways.
Philip Friesen, Board Member and Project Specialist
A life-long missionary with experience in Taiwan, Argentina, East Africa, and the Middle East, Philip has during the past 20 years devoted majority time in ministry with foreign scholars at the University of Minnesota. His greatest privilege during that time has been teaching Biblical content to atheists from China. He is a credential minister with the Central Plains Mennonite Conference, is married to Vu Thi Thien Kim Friesen, a foreign student from Vietnam when they met in 1972. In 2010 his book, The Old Testament Roots of Nonviolence was published by Wipf and Stock, and he also has authored many articles published in church periodicals.
Judd Kile, Board Member
Judd Kile was born to missionary parents and grew up in the Belgian Congo (now the Democratic Republic of Congo). After graduating from Rift Valley Academy in Kenya, he returned to Minnesota and began working in the print shop at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA) headquarters in Minneapolis. This marked the beginning of his career in the printing industry.
While continuing his work at BGEA, Judd attended Hennepin Technical Centers for training in Graphic Communications. During this time, he met his wife, Sandi, while they were both working at BGEA. In 1975, Judd returned to Congo as a missionary assistant, helping short-term with printing operations in the city of Bukavu, where he had grown up.
Judd later returned to the United States to attend Northwestern College, where he completed his four-year degree with a B.A. in Ministries and a minor in Business Administration. In 1987, he and his family returned to Congo, where he assumed responsibility for managing the mission print shop.
Throughout his career, Judd has worked extensively in the printing industry, operating printing presses and bindery equipment, as well as handling estimating, customer service, and production management. In 2016, the Lord led Judd to join the Publish4All organization (http://www.publish4all.com/), where he served as an international installer and trainer for the “Micro-Print” system. In this role, he traveled to Rwanda, Uganda, Mali, India, and Myanmar to install Publish4All printing systems.
Judd and his wife are now retired and operate a small print shop from their home. Through this work, they continue their passion for getting Christian literature into the hands of Congo-Swahili–speaking communities.