Being a student at Grace involves both learning and unlearning. For James Paet, a Master of Divinity student in the Philippines, the past two years have been an eye-opening experience. “I have learned a lot of new things and also unlearned many teachings that I have believed for a long time when I found them to be incorrect or inaccurate once I delved deeper into God’s word.”

Although challenging, James enjoys this learning and unlearning process because it helps him gain more confidence in teaching the men at his local church, knowing that what he is teaching is based on solid biblical and theological foundations. This newfound passion for learning more about God has also fueled his eagerness to serve the Lord in every way he can. He is a member of a group of cyclists who are conducting feeding programs for street children and bringing the gospel to the urban poor in Manila and surrounding areas.

It is definitely not easy juggling several ministries, maintaining a full-time professional job, taking care of his family, and obtaining a master’s degree. That is why James really appreciates the accessible education that Grace provides. He fondly recalls a time when he was able to attend a class delivered by Dr. Peter Oh while he was on a train in Singapore during a mission trip. 

James is very inquisitive and prefers to attend classes real-time so he can participate in the discussions. However, the 14-hour time difference sometimes prevents him from joining the classes live. Still, he is grateful to have pre-recorded lectures that he can go back to without worrying about missing a class when there is a conflict in schedule or the time difference is simply not manageable. James was also one of the first students to experience the new BlueJeans video conferencing software while it was still being tested. He likes this software because it allows him to view the class uninterrupted even when the internet connection is slow. One key improvement of BlueJeans over our previous video conferencing software is the ability to include many students connected live online to the classroom. Now that Grace has officially implemented the use of BlueJeans, James is even more excited for the interactivity in the online class experience.