“Be Thou My Vision,

O Lord of My Heart”

Father Bisoke began the ministry of the Peace Center in 2017. In a rural area 10km west of Bunia, Ituri Province, DRC, Bisoke gathered youth together to watch the Jesus Film. His mission was to reach the youth with the Gospel of Jesus. His vision was to train youth in reconciliation, forgiveness, and peace building. This, he believed, would bring peace to the war torn northeastern Congo: ravaged by tribal conflict and warring militias; traumatized by atrocities of war; tens of thousands of vulnerable people displaced. Bisoke believed that the youth were the key to future peace. The village chief was enthralled by Bisoke’s passion and offered land to be used as a center for the project. 

After a resurgence of war and unrest, Bisoke’s vision had to change. With the placement of one of three of Bunia’s Internally Displaced Persons facilities adjacent to the Peace Center, the focus shifted to feeding, counseling and housing. Sharing the Gospel of Jesus with the many displaced remains at the heart of the vision with Jesus as the bearer of reconciliation, forgiveness and peace.

Our vision for the Hearts for the Congo, Inc. has also shifted. Our Non-profit organization was officially recognized on March 13, 2024. The board first met informally on October 19, 2023 and from that time until now we have adopted Bylaws, elected officers, prepared our budget, and worked to develop our rules of governance. At the same time we were able to use our many donations for projects with Bisoke at the Peace Center and Furaha at the Bunia Children Hope Center’s Baraka Academies. In addition, physical needs for food, clothing, housing, medicine, trauma counseling, and education were addressed with your generous support. The Ebola crisis brought in a new wave of resources to meet needs for Ebola prevention education and supplies.

With the important work with which we have been tasked and expansion of the needs placed before us, our vision requires a necessary shift in our continued board formation and governance. We are actively interviewing potential candidates to expand our seven member board. We strive to build our “house on a rock”, an engaged board aligned with our mission to be “God’s hands and feet.” Our focus will continue to follow our Mission Statement: “The mission of Hearts for the Congo, Inc. is to share Christ’s love with the people impacted by conflict in and around Bunia, Ituri Province, Democratic Republic of the Congo”.

If you feel called to seek a position on the board of HFTC, Inc., or have questions about such a position, please contact:

Julia Marshall, Board Chair  juliahftc@gmail.com

Mari Fitz-Wynn, Board Vice Chair  a.psalmist2@gmail.com

Julia Marshall

October 10, 2026

Bisoke