[4] She moved to Hiroshima in 1887, as a missionary teacher under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South (MECS).

[7] After she retired as principal emeritus, she left daily school work for missionary travels around Japan, Korea, and Taiwan.

During a 1914 furlough in the United States,[11] she persuaded her mission board in Nashville to fund an automobile for her work.

[16] A statue of Gaines was erected on the campus of her school, but it was removed and recycled as scrap metal during wartime.

[18] Hiroshima Jogakuin University (HJU) reopened at a new location away from the city's center; it is still an educational institution for women as of 2024.