Pastor MG Busi Khumalo
Elected as the new GC Youth Director.
The story of my life and ministry is best demonstrated in how God has led me from infancy to this point. When I was a small boy, I used to be fond of preaching. This passion was executed in the form of preaching to the chickens that we reared at home. Later, my mother told me that when she was pregnant with me, she pleaded with God that if the child she is carrying is a boy, she would like to dedicate him to the service of God. As they say the rest is history.
Pastor Khumalo, just as all other human beings, we tend to make promises to God in our lives and sometimes we promise Him heaven and earth and forget it all belongs to Him. Did you also make such promises, if so, what vows did you make with God?
DR. PAKO EDSON MOKGWANE
Dr. Pako Mokgwane is a product of Adventist Education, from primary school to graduate school. He obtained a Bachelor of Theology from Andrews University (MI, USA), a Master of Theology, a PhD in Leadership from the Adventist University of Africa, Nairobi, Kenya. Prior to joining the Youth Ministries team of the General Conference, he served as the Youth, Stewardship, and Communications Director for the Botswana Union Conference, and as a frontline pastor in both North Botswana and South Botswana conferences. Dr. Mokgwane is an endorsed chaplain (SID) and an ordained minister.
DR. ANDRÉS J. PERALTA
Chaplain Peralta is a native of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He graduated in 2003 from Antillean University with a Bachelor of Arts in Biblical Theology. He graduated from Andrews University Theological Seminary with a Master of Divinity in 2006. He concluded Doctor of Ministry in 2009 in Urban Ministry and Teamwork. He completed four units of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) with Emeritus Hospital, Hagerstown, Maryland. As a volunteer Chaplain, he offered spiritual guidance and pastoral care to patients and their families at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, NY. He has also been trained in Police chaplaincy and endorsed as University Chaplaincy by North American Division. He is National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) and Victim Relations Certified.
MARIA A. MANDERSON
From her start as a teenager in Kingston, Jamaica West Indies, to coming to Silver Spring, Maryland, Maria has seen every position the Lord has blessed her with as an opportunity to serve God through serving others. Maria lives with her family in Baltimore, Maryland. The mother of three young adults, she enjoys traveling and being with her sons Andrew, Jonathan, Nathaniel and his wife Kalandra. Her hobbies are cooking, driving and reading and her favorite ice cream is grapenut.
“Over the past years I have learned many lessons and truths, but one of the most important ones is this, that, ‘God’s gifts and God’s call are under full warranty—never canceled, never rescinded.’ (Romans 11:29, Message Bible). That is sometimes a very scary reality, but it is also humbling because it makes me realize that each of us have to walk in the calling that God has called us to, and His way is always the best.”
KENIA REYES-DE LEÓ
Kenia Reyes-de León was born and raised in the Bronx, NY. She is of Guatemalan and Honduran descent and is the eldest of three sisters. She attended Lehman College and majored in English Literature. During her childhood, she was taught to always give her all when it came to serving the Lord and that He had great plans for her life. Since then she has dedicated her talents and centralized her passion to serving young people. In her ministry, she hopes to always demonstrate God’s love so that love for Him may be awakened in others. Kenia is motivated by the words found in Romans 12:11-12, “Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”
She has been a Master Guide for 10 years and during her time at the Greater New York Conference she served as a Pathfinder and Adventurer Area Coordinator, Drilling and Marching Instructor, and Drilling and Marching Coordinator. At her local church, she served as Adventurer Director, Pathfinder Sub-Director, and A.Y. Sub-director.
During her spare time, Kenia loves to read, take walks in nature, watch documentaries, and sing. Above all, she truly enjoys speaking life into others and motivating them to fulfill their God-given purpose. As a true Pathfinder, she seeks to always be a servant of God and a friend to man.
She is happily married to Pastor Wilson de León. They enjoy working together for the Lord and his church. They currently live in Silver Spring, Maryland.
MWENYA MPUNDU
Mwenya Mpundu is a young adult who is passionate about Jesus, serving others, and Young people. Mwenya was born in Zambia and moved to New York at the age of 8. Mwenya Studied Business Administration and Communication in her undergrad classes. She loves to read, is very competitive, a lover of all things nature, and is terribly afraid of heights. In her free time, she enjoys being surrounded by those she loves.
At a young age she realized her love for ministry, she acquired her Master Guide and AY Leadership certification. She also served as a director for several ministries in her local church as well as being a coordinator in the Greater New York Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Mwenya assisted in the planning and executions of Congresses, Camporees, and other events for the conference and union. She helmed the digitalization of the department using smart technologies.
In her own life, 1 Timothy 4:12 has served as her guiding verse of what she hopes to achieve through her ministry: “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.” Mwenya hopes to show everyone the true love of God and his unyielding Mercy through all she does. Her largest passion is introducing youth and young adults to the lover of her soul, Jesus Christ.