By Willie Gaines
Employee, Ambassador, and Alumni of Grace School of Theology

Many times, the most seemingly insignificant events of a person’s life turn out to be the most impactful. All too often, we do not comprehend or appreciate those events until much later. Sometimes it could be years later. My journey to Grace is a classic example of this.

I grew up in an area of Houston called Acres Homes. It is a predominately lower-income area that is mostly viewed in a negative light by many. In many ways, the biblical description of Nazareth comes to mind, particularly how the rhetorical question of whether any good thing has ever come from Nazareth. The same mindset seemed to apply to Acres Homes. I decided to defy that stereotype. I overcame childhood sickness that resulted in impaired vision and 70% hearing loss. This same sickness resulted in having to take speech pathology to overcome speech impediments. Books became my best friend and I loved reading all sorts of books. I became a good student and also excelled in basketball and the symphonic band. I did well enough to receive an academic scholarship to attend Rice University as well as an academic and athletic scholarship to attend Prairie View A&M University. I elected to take the larger scholarship to PVAMU because my parents could not afford the balance needed to attend Rice.

I graduated third in my electrical engineering class, and I am an experienced engineer who has worked in multiple industries. I have had the privilege of working on the design team for the international space station, developing space shuttle crew operating procedures, and developing top-secret software utilized on all of America’s military aircraft. In addition, I have worked on enterprise software development and implementation in the petrochemical and computer manufacturing industries, and even developed safety procedures for petrochemical process facilities. However, with all the pursuit of professional accolades and worldly success, I never experienced the peace of doing what God truly wanted me to do, nor did I know the sense of true fulfillment that only comes from functioning within God’s will.

I have taught Sunday School and Life Application classes at church and always wanted people to know and understand the truth of scripture. But I knew that I did not have the knowledge or training to do an adequate job of leading them. I was also a deacon who was responsible for leading one of the largest deacon family groups at the church (more than 50 families). I decided that I wanted to help everyone focus on Jesus Christ and not on me as a leader. In order to do that, I started taking classes. I had no intent on getting a degree. I simply wanted to gain a deeper level of awareness to be a better under-shepherd for those I interacted with.

My first class was with Dr. S. Mark “Dean” Haywood, who taught Hermeneutics/Bible Study Methods. This class had 99 students enrolled and I sat on the front row. Dr. Haywood made one seemingly random statement that I seized upon. He stated “the most important thing you will ever think about is what you think about when you think about God.” That statement clicked with me because I instantly realized that our attitude and actions all stem from what we think about relative to God. Any worldly issue today should be thought about through a godly lens. If we did that on a consistent basis, perhaps God would resolve the issues we face. At the very least, He would strengthen us to address anything we face. That class created a hunger to understand more, so I took more. And I took more still. And then I took a Daniel and Revelation class from Grace President, Dr. David Anderson. It was a life-altering class to say the least. I just kept seeking to learn more. Then I made a commitment to God that I would follow His lead and trust Him to provide the fulfillment that I had been seeking all my life.

I made that decision on a Wednesday night, ironically while sitting in a Grace class. Apparently Satan decided to begin testing me. That Friday, I received word that the Orion and Constellation programs that I was working on at NASA were being cancelled and that I was out of a job. All of a sudden, this “following God” stuff was not fun. It was during that time that I started understanding why I had been taking so many classes. I was being fortified for the challenge that was ahead. I had been strengthened by the things learned at Grace. I continued studying while looking for employment. I continued teaching classes at church and ministering to the deacon families I was responsible for. It was a crazy time. With all my experience and abilities, I could not find employment anywhere. But God provided and sustained my wife and I.

Then we experienced a major plumbing leak in our home. The entire structure was flooded and we had to move out for several months. We stayed in a series of hotels during that time. So in addition to being jobless, I was now without a permanent place to live. It was hectic, but I took classes anyway. I still don’t know where I got the tuition money from. But I was certainly glad that Grace was affordable! Especially then. We eventually got our home repaired and upgraded even. This was without me even having a job. Again God provided and sustained.

Satan was not through yet. I was steadily growing through what God was providing here at Grace. My deacon family group was being strengthened because I was pouring out to them some of the things I was getting here. The Life Application class I was leading became the strongest and largest because I was feeding them a lot of the things I had learned at Grace. Then my wife was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. She had to undergo two major surgeries plus reconstructive and plastic surgery. Then she had to undergo radiation treatment. During this time, I started understanding why God had not allowed me to find employment. It was because I was needed to stand by her daily in this walk. I did not have to seek permission to make doctor’s appointments or be the caretaker needed. But I was still taking classes. In fact, I was getting recharged by the teaching that I was receiving. Very few of the students or professors even knew what was going on. But again, God provided and sustained us.

My wife continued to get better and I was still seeking engineering employment. I was helping out at Grace several days per week, with all that “spare time” I had. But I had a friend tell me something. He said that the only reason that I had not attained engineering employment is because God has closed that door and has opened another one. He told me to look at Grace, so I did. I contacted the same Dean Haywood that taught the initial Hermeneutics class and inquired about any opportunity at Grace. It took some time, but an opportunity did one day present itself. I now work in a capacity at Grace where I help other students navigate through the academic maze. Many students face life challenges, just as I did. Because God provided and sustained me, I can sincerely tell them that they will make it, too. The work is challenging in its own way. I no longer work with gyroscopes, solar arrays, thruster, pyrotechnic units, or electronic display units. I work with people who are far more complex and exciting – people who have vastly more potential than anything NASA will ever produce. And these students have eternal value to God and me.

And I continued taking classes. I took so many, that I accidentally qualified for my Master of Arts in Biblical Studies this May. To date, I am the first person from that original class to complete the degree program. The classes and ministry at Grace have made a profound difference in me directly, and indirectly to all those I interact with. I have begun a home church and have enlisted the help of the same professors who have taught me in class. Grace is about more than academic excellence. It is about ministry and getting into the lives of people. God truly provides and sustains us all.

By the way, I think I will continue taking classes.