Jeff Williams‘ fascination with science began at a young age growing up in Winter, Wisconsin.
That fascination led him to the United States Military Academy. A stint at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School follolwed and then his selection as an astronaut.
His space career has included being the commander of Expedition 47/48, a flight engineer and lead spacewalker for STS-101, a flight engineer for Expedition 13, a flight engineer for Expedition 21, and commander of Expedition 22.
Growing up, Williams family considered themselves Christian, but they never attended church.
But after graduating from West Point and getting married, Williams said, “God put Christians around us.”
While stationed in Texas, Williams studied the Gospel of John and the letter to the Romans.
As a result, Williams said, “Christ completely turned my life upside down.”
“Instead of living for myself and without a greater purpose, now I had a purpose for myself and my family,” Williams said.
“I became aware through a growing awareness and understanding of calling in life that we’ve been created for a purpose, and that purpose is to serve God and our fellow man. So that was a profound change in my approach to life.”
Williams authored the book The Work of His Hands: A View Of God’s Creation From Space, which recounts his observations as he orbited the Earth more than 2,800 times. Every shot contains lessons about God’s creation.