Every semester we meet students whose lives have been transformed by listening to the Lord and taking courageous steps of faith. Today, we want to share one of those stories with you.

When Ariyiana Haynes fully surrendered her life to God in early 2024, she had no idea how dramatically He would begin redirecting her steps. At the time, she was working as an attorney in Atlanta, successful by every measure yet increasingly unsettled. “I just wasn’t where I was supposed to be,” she said. As she prayed, she felt a growing awareness that God was preparing her for change.

She reached a point where discontentment was undeniable. She fasted and prayed. She asked God whether she needed a new job, a new city, or an entirely new direction. She did not receive a clear answer, but she did receive peace. It was just enough to keep listening.

During a conference in October of 2024, everything began to shift. As she prayed, a simple phrase rose in her spirit: go to seminary.

Her first reaction was honest, “I don’t want to do that. Why would I do that?” But the prompting did not go away. It repeated until she could no longer ignore it. So, she opened her laptop, having already felt a call to Texas, and searched for schools.

That is when she found The King’s University… by accident.

“I thought I was on another school’s website,” she said. “Then I realized, wait, what is this place?” The King’s drew her in. She loved that our beliefs were clear, centered on the triune God, rooted in Scripture, and openly welcoming the work of the Holy Spirit. She also noticed the Women in Ministry Leadership concentration, something she had never seen expressed so confidently elsewhere. She returned to the site again and again until she finally filled out a request for information.

Within fifteen minutes, her phone rang. On the other end was a King’s student worker with a story strikingly similar to hers. They talked and prayed together, and that connection opened the door for her to meet the admissions team and attend our virtual Discover The King’s event.

At that event, she heard from faculty and staff and learned more about the programs offered at The King’s. Part of the experience included participating our Wednesday Chapel service online. During that service, Dr. Irini Fambro preached a message that spoke directly to the things Ariyiana had been fasting and praying about earlier in the year. The connection was so unmistakable that she felt her hesitation give way to trust. “That was the moment I said, ‘Okay, God. I will go to seminary.”

She applied, was accepted, and packed up her life in Atlanta to begin her journey at The King’s.

Now beginning her Master of Divinity studies, Ariyiana is following God’s leading step by step. She does not know whether He will bring her back to law or into an entirely new calling. What she does know is that she is exactly where she is meant to be.

“I am excited about the journey,” she said. “And I am excited to be at The King’s.”

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