STUDENT TESTIMONIAL
Tales from Paraguay
Jared Hayes
Student, Master of Arts in Biblical Studies (MABS)
I’m from a small town called New Milford which is located in North-Eastern Pennsylvania. My parents are both believers and I was raised in church. Despite growing up in church and attending Sunday morning services each week, my ability to articulate the gospel was pretty limited – thinking I had to try harder, to be better, to really believe this time, were my thoughts as a kid.
Fast forward to August of 2008, I moved to Jackson, Michigan to attend Ethnos360 Bible Institute (Formerly known as New Tribes Bible Institute). I was 17 at the time, and if it wasn’t for my parents and my future father-in-law, I probably would have left before I even finished registration! Being a small-town kid, I was overwhelmed by the “big” city. I was so fearful and felt that I didn’t belong… but I stayed, and it changed my life forever.
My wife on the other hand grew up in a family of missionaries and lived in Paraguay, South America. Her family was sent out by my home church. We grew up knowing of each other and ended up going to bible school together. We married a week after bible school ended and now have two kids, Gabriel (8 years old), and Shiloh (6 years old). We returned to Paraguay in July of 2014 together as missionaries.
A Grace Encounter
On September 18, 2018, I dropped my truck off for maintenance and was walking home on a sidewalk in a small town in Paraguay. I was sulking, honestly, and was just feeling sort of like I didn’t care to be here anymore. In reality, I was dealing with hurt, discouragement, and unfortunately other all too common ministry-related things.
Having just started classes at Grace School of Theology, I turned on the “Saving Grace” podcast put out by Grace as I walked home. That day, I listened to someone named Scot Pollok from Faith Bible Church in the Woodlands who shared a series called, “Grace Gospel.” Hearing the first message in that series encouraged me in a radical way! I remember walking an extra few blocks to finish the message and found myself welling up a number of times. It just sort of hit me where I was at.
In later weeks, Scot moved into forgiveness and other elements of what the gospel of grace brings along. I was challenged and motivated to dive back into what God had brought us here to do—reach the unreached. There were things in my own heart that I needed to fix, and those messages helped me do just that, eventually reaching out to Scot and wrote to him. It was amazing to just sort of experience the grace of God through a small “friendship” with someone I didn’t even know or had never even met.
Jared’s wife and son with a local in Paraguay.
Jared hopes to establish a thriving local church in Paraguay.
Knowing Grace
I had faced some challenges and even hurts that sort of dragged me down and seemed to zap any amount of excitement I had toward ministry. It was at this same time that we found a then golf ball-sized bone tumor in the arm of our then 4-year-old daughter. We returned to the United States as we were told through an initial x-ray that it was potentially cancerous. A few weeks later we learned that it was a benign bone tumor and that she would be just fine! This was great news! I’ll admit, however, that I was extremely discouraged that my “legitimate excuse” for leaving the mission field was now gone. I really thought that God was giving me the “honorable discharge” as it were.
The reality that I’d be returning absolutely terrified me… I knew that I needed help, and my wife encouraged me to talk to a great friend and mentor of mine who was a teacher and dean at Ethnos360 Bible Institute who was also taking classes at Grace.
He recommended Grace for several reasons like:
1) Because missionaries in today’s world are finding that degrees can help make entry into ministry locations easier, and 2) Because it would keep me rooted and grounded in the truth. I called Grace School of Theology the very next day.
I’m encouraged to have found likeminded individuals and communities from Grace. Every now and then a classmate will write something in a discussion board that really connects and challenges me. I’m appreciative of that. I think I could be more proactive in my relationships with teachers, they’ve been super open and willing to help and reach out to us. I’ve enjoyed my correspondence with them. Now, I feel more prepared and equipped to handle the challenges in the future.
My Grace School of Theology education has helped me immensely by keeping me grounded and rooted in good theology. Classes have been applicable to both life and ministry. I can take what I’m learning in the classroom and apply it to my everyday life and walk with the Lord, as well as apply it to my ministry among the people here in Paraguay.
One day, by the grace of God, we hope to see a thriving church among the people we’re serving here in Paraguay. When that day happens, Grace will have been instrumental in seeing that church established. We, along with you all, look forward to that day with excitement and great anticipation.