Donald and Karen Vundhla

Growing up in southwestern Zimbabwe, Donald’s early faith was influenced by his devout Catholic grandmother and mother and his teachers at the Salvation Army elementary school and Brethren in Christ middle school he attended. He continued his education at the BIC’s Matopo Secondary School where he rededicated his life to Christ. He went on to receive a certificate in theology from Ekuphileni Bible Institute (EBI) and was then hired as one of their teachers.

Growing up in Pennsylvania, Karen was influenced by the witness of her parents and church community. She made the decision to follow Christ at the age of twelve when an evangelist spoke at her church. She later attended Altoona Hospital School of Nursing and worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Lancaster for two years before deploying to serve at Mtshabezi Mission Hospital with BIC U.S. World Missions in 1974. During this time in Zimbabwe, Karen and Donald’s paths first crossed.

After three years of service at Mtshabezi, Karen returned to the U.S. to complete her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Messiah College (now Messiah University). Around the same time, Donald moved to the U.S. to study biblical studies and business, also at Messiah College. The two reconnected on campus and were married in 1982.

That same year they moved to Kentucky where Donald continued his studies at Asbury Theological Seminary, earning a Master of Divinity degree. They returned to Zimbabwe in 1985, where Donald taught at EBI and Karen worked at Mtshabezi Hospital as interim administrator and nurse in charge.

In January of 1988, Donald and Karen moved to Baltimore, Maryland where Donald became an accountant in commercial banking and conducted graduate studies in business administration at the University of Baltimore. Karen continued her nursing career and was an Oncology Certified Nurse from 1990 until her retirement from Sinai Hospital of Baltimore in 2018.

From 1988 to 1991, the Vundhlas were part of a BIC church plant in White Marsh, Baltimore. After it closed, they joined North Baltimore Mennonite Church and are also members of West Side BIC in Chambersburg, Pa. At every church they called home, they have invested in lay ministry and church leadership.

Answering a call from World Missions, Donald and Karen completed a three-year term of service as Africa Administrative Coordinators. In this role they acted as a connection point between World Missions and the BIC conferences in six southern African countries and worked with national leaders in leadership development and mentoring. They returned to the U.S. the end of May 2024. They will continue part time in this role through September 2026, based from their home in Baltimore with plans to travel back to the region several times per year.

When they have free time, Donald enjoys social gatherings, sports, politics, hiking, and reading; Karen enjoys reading, hiking, and volunteering. They have two adult daughters and a son-in-law with whom they enjoy spending time: Samkele and Kholiwe and her husband Jay Wyatt.