Greg and Dee Jones pastor the Tartu International Fellowship in Tartu, Estonia. An MDiv student at BHCTI, Greg moved overseas before he finished all the language courses for the degree. He recently finished his New Testament Greek coursework at Tartu Theological Seminary, thereby completing the requirements for the MDiv. He shares the following:
“It’s not likely that I will have the finances to travel to Texas in May for the graduation ceremony, but I do want to convey to you all how grateful I am to have studied and completed my degree with BHCTI. When I started this journey several years ago, I knew I was very raw. I had a passion for ministry and a passion to learn. The passion to learn had already been cultivated in some sense by receiving a Master’s degree from a secular institution before my arrival at BHCTI, but I never imagined – while at BHCTI – that God would combine my passion for ministry and my passion to learn into an ability to teach and inspire others. I have learned much through my secular education and now through my theological education. That rawness has given way to a more confident individual that enjoys teaching God’s Word to others. I know this because God has me in a part of the world – Estonia – where the Christian worldview is in the minority. Estonians are very bright and intelligent in the sciences and the arts, but they have had little exposure -both inside and outside the church – to meaningful teaching from God’s Word.”
“Each Sunday, I have the opportunity to teach international and Estonian people about God’s Word and the Christian worldview. Often I’m approached by someone who says they learned something. Or, they will ask me something along the lines of, “Where did you learn about this stuff?” “I’ve never heard a person teach the Bible.” At first, I thought it was just a coincidence and I attributed it to a particular teaching, but I continue to get positive feedback and see positive results from those around me. The more I reflect on it, the more I attribute it to my desire to learn and the ability of BHCTI to make it possible. Overall, it’s God’s desire to work through me. To some, a degree is a piece of paper to hang on the wall or to use to one’s advantage in some sort of vocation. While that’s not entirely bad, I can honestly say that – most importantly – when it comes to my degree with BHCTI, I have learned, and as a result, I’ve been able to teach others what I have learned.”
