Jairo Caleb Rodriguez Bustamante, from Peru, only planned to work in another city but God had other plans and brought him to a country on the other side of the globe. In 2016, Jairo came to the Philippines to study Master of Divinity at APNTS. His decision was inspired by his desire to learn about theology to help him in his ministry, especially because his background is in sociology and not theology.
Jairo grew up in a Christian home. His father is a Superintendent in one of the districts of the Church of the Nazarene in Peru. Jairo was a member of the NYI Board in their district and most of his ministries involved the youth. As a minister, he wanted to equip himself even further especially in theology.
During that time, Chino—a student from APNTS—visited Jairo’s church and told him about the seminary. Jairo became very interested but he did not go right away. Instead, he took English classes and after finishing the them, he applied for a job in another city to earn money. However, he did not pass the interview. When he got home from the interview, Jairo received an email from APNTS regarding his application.
Jairo then discussed it with his family and they supported him to go to APNTS. Although he struggled at first to adjust to the culture, Jairo eventually learned to adapt to the new environment. He learned how to be patient and understanding towards others. More than gaining knowledge, what Jairo considers as the most important lessons he learned from his experiences in APNTS is to be humble and to always depend on God. 
Upon his return Peru, Jairo has planned to start the process of his ordination. Although it was not his original plan to become a Pastor, he sees that this will open new doors for him and allow him to have more opportunities to serve in the church. He also wants to pursue a doctorate degree and eventually become a Professor.
Through APNTS, God has expanded and widened Jairo’s horizons beyond his plans. “I did not expect to come to the Philippines all my life but I am grateful to APNTS because, in some sense, it opened the doors for the world.”
