AJ Villanueva has been an avid musician since he was young.

When he completed his music degree from a top university in the Philippines, he had already set his eyes on a path that would fulfill his musical dreams. But he would soon discover that God had bigger plans for him.

AJ dreamed of going abroad to study with a virtuoso teacher as is the practice for classical musicians. He applied to study overseas three times, but each time he was rejected. “As an achiever ever since I was young, all three times disappointed me to the point of depression,” shared AJ.

But during those moments, AJ began to see God’s hand at work. He felt God calling him to equip church musicians, not only with skill but also with sound theology. AJ heeded God’ s call and sought to equip himself with the training he needed to better equip others. “I chose Grace for my training because it’s very convenient for people like me who work a lot,” AJ said. Aside from leading the music ministry at his church, he also teaches church music in a local Bible college. AJ was also pleasantly surprised by how affordable it was to get the training he needed at Grace.

AJ has been pursuing his Master of Ministry degree for the last two years and recently became the first Grace graduate from the Philippines. Looking back at his journey, he is in awe of the grace of God. “This is what I realized in my studies at Grace. We cannot really worship God if we do not know Him. Grace became a springboard for me to more deeply understand this grace that surpasses all understanding,” AJ shared.

And as Dr. Dave Anderson says in his class, ‘the more you know, the more you don’t know.’ True enough, the more I know, the more I am in awe of how and why God chose to love me even at my worst. Since entering Grace, everything has leveled up. I am doing things I never knew I could do. It’s a very fresh experience.”

AJ has been pursuing his Master of Ministry degree for the last two years and recently became the first Grace graduate from the Philippines. Looking back at his journey, he is in awe of the grace of God. “This is what I realized in my studies at Grace. We cannot really worship God if we do not know Him. Grace became a springboard for me to more deeply understand this grace that surpasses all understanding,” AJ shared.

And as Dr. Dave Anderson says in his class, ‘the more you know, the more you don’t know.’ True enough, the more I know, the more I am in awe of how and why God chose to love me even at my worst. Since entering Grace, everything has leveled up. I am doing things I never knew I could do. It’s a very fresh experience.”

It is an experience that he would never trade for fame or fortune. “I believe in Grace not only because it is the name of the seminary, but because the professors are also full of grace. The lessons are full of grace, and in every class, every lesson, every book, you will experience more of His grace. You will realize that God’ s grace is enough for everything. This experience has helped me minister with more grace because the world needs more Christian musicians like me to make music with God’s grace as the primary inspiration.” What a blessing to see God releasing spiritual leaders like AJ into the world to share the love of Christ. Join us in praying for his ministry in the Philippines and around the world.