Tim and Sarah Valiante were married in 2003 and have five amazing children. Their family is excited to have a part in equipping and training Filipino pastors, church planters, and missionaries to reach the Philippines and other Southeast Asian nations with the gospel. In June 2017, the Valiantes received a unanimous call from the boards of Haven of Grace Seminary and Pacific Rim Missions International to come and teach at the seminary located on the island of Negros just south of Bacolod City in the Philippines. Haven of Grace is situated on the Pacific Ocean (Sulu Sea) with a beautiful campus that is able to house up to 100 students. The campus has been used for hosting summer camp ministries and weekly modules for pastoral training in prior years but the desire has always been to launch a fully functioning seminary to train men for the work of the ministry.
For many years, Dr. Tim had an interest in teaching as well as missions. In 2016 he learned of the need for a full-time teacher at Haven of Grace through the ministry of J. Mark Kittrell (PRMI Director). Although his interest in the position was initially piqued, he wanted to make sure this was something the Lord was bringing about. Therefore, he waited for six months before inquiring about the position. After waiting, Tim found that his interest had only intensified. After contacting Mark, a meeting was arranged to discuss whether Tim would be a potential fit for this ministry. At this point, Dr. Tim visited the Philippines as he and his family sought to discern the Lord's leading for their lives. While there, he felt very much at home and found a vibrant, thriving work being accomplished in and around Bacolod City. He also heard from numerous pastors of the great need for further education. Seminary level education is simply not accessible in the surrounding region. In addition, Dr. Tim noted the viability and necessity of a strong, conservative, theologically sound seminary to serve not only the Western Visayas but also the whole region of Southeast Asia.
In May 2019, the Valiantes arrived in the Philippines and made preparations for launching the seminary in late June. Over the course of the first year (2019-20), Haven of Grace Seminary helped equip and train 45+ pastors for gospel ministry. Although COVID-19 disrupted their plans to continue serving in the Philippines and the Valiante family has returned to the US, Dr. Tim still has a desire to minister to the Haven of Grace students. He has shifted his focus to teaching online classes for the 70+ students at Haven of Grace now meeting in 3 locations on Negros Island. He is also teaching courses in the other PRMI seminaries.