MUSIC MUSIC CLOSED CAPTIONING FOR, "HOMEKEEPERS" IS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE STAFF OF THE CHRISTIAN TELEVISION NETWORK IN CLEARWATER, FLORIDA. >>ARTHELENE: HI THERE AND WELCOME, AND WELCOME TO HOMEKEEPERS. I AM SO GLAD TO BE WITH YOU TODAY AND THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE. I'M SO GLAD WE CAN CONNECT FOR SO MANY GREAT REASONS, WE ARE BRINGING YOU THE GREAT CHRISTIAN GUESTS COME FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD, WITH THE DIFFERENT MINISTRIES. AND WHAT COULD BE A GREATER PRIVILEGE THAN THAT? AND WE HAVE GOT ONE FOR YOU TODAY. AND IN A MOMENT, AND YOU KNOW, I HAVE MET VALERIE SHEPHERD ELLIOTT, MANY OF YOU, AND YOU WOULD BE AWARE OF HER STORY OF JIM AND ELIZABETH ELLIOTT TO ECUADOR, THEY WERE MISSIONARIES AND JIM HE WAS SO YOUNG, THE ECUADORIAN INDIANS KILLED HIM, AND HE WANTED TO MAKE FRIENDS WITH THEM SO HE COULD TALK ABOUT JESUS, AND VALERIE WOULD BE THE ONLY DAUGHTER THAT THEY HAD. SHE WAS 10 MONTHS OLD AT THAT TIME WHEN HE DIED. AND YET, I THINK, SHE MIGHT KNOW HIM BETTER THAN MOST YOUNG PEOPLE, FOR SOMEONE WHO HAS LOST A FATHER AT THIS IS WHAT HER BOOK WOULD BE ABOUT, IT IS CALLED, "DEVOTEDLY." I READ SO MANY BOOKS AND THIS WOULD BE A CATEGORY ALL BY ITSELF. I THINK ALMOST MIRACULOUSLY, YOU KNOW, THE LETTERS WERE PRESERVED AFTER SO MANY YEARS AND THE JOURNALS WERE PUT TOGETHER, TO GIVE YOU THE STORY OF THEIR LOVE RELATIONSHIP AND THE MARRIAGE, AND MORE THAN THAT AND WHEN YOU WOULD PICK UP OF THE BOOK. YOU WOULD REALIZE, THERE IS A DEVOTION TO GOD, I HAVE NOT SEEN IN MY LIFE AND WE WELCOME OUR GUEST VALERIE TO THE PROGRAM. I WOULD BE JOINING STEPHANIE FOR A VERY GOOD ONE BOWL, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE ONE BOWL, IT IS CALLED THE CREAMY CHICKEN LEMON PASTA--- YUMMY. I LOVE LEMON SO WE DO THAT AND YOU KNOW, I WANT TO GO, TO WATCH HER PUT IT TOGETHER, AND BEFORE, AND BEFORE I WOULD DO THAT SO LET ME TELL YOU THAT WE ARE OF YOU WERE SUPPORTED. THAT MEANS, THROUGH YOUR OFFERINGS, AND WHEN YOU WOULD ORDER OUR PRODUCTS THAT WOULD KEEP US ON THE AIR. YOU COULD WRITE A CHECK OF THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY, LIKE I LIKE TO DO. YOU CAN WRITE TO OUR PO BOX IN CLEARWATER FLORIDA, OR YOU COULD CALL THE TOLL-FREE NUMBER. CALL THE NUMBER ON YOUR SCREEN. I THANK YOU, FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART AND WE THANK YOU SO MUCH. I HAVE JOINED STEPHANIE AND SHE DOES NOT WRITE CHECKS. >>STEPHANIE: AND YOU KNOW I WRITE ONE A MONTH, AND YOU KNOW THEY CHARGE YOU ONLINE, SO I DON'T PAY IT, THEY CHARGE YOU $2.75 FOR THE PRIVILEGE OF THE PAYMENT OF THE BILL. SO I GIVE THEM ONE WATER BILL PER MONTH, WRITTEN BY CHECK. AND YOU AND I'M NOT THROWING ANY MONEY OUT OF THE WINDOW. >>ARTHELENE: YOU ARE COOKING UP THE CHICKEN BREAST. >>STEPHANIE: AND WE HAVE GOT ABOUT A LITTLE BIT OF A POUND HERE, TO BE COOKING IT UP. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW ME KNOW THAT YOU LADIES ARE SO BUSY AND THIS IS WHY WE LIKE TO FIND THESE ONE DISH MEALS. >>STEPHANIE: IT IS SUPER SIMPLE, IT IS JUST GOING TO BE SO GOOD. I HAVE GOT SOME FRESH LEMON, WE'VE GOT SOME LEMON JUICE. AND ALSO WE HAVE GRATED LEMON. ALL RIGHT WE HAVE OUR LEMON JUICE. I HAVE GOT SOME CREAM CHEESE THAT I WANT TO PUT INSIDE. AND WE HAVE BEEN COOKING THE PEAS, AND YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD BE BOILING IT, AND YOU KNOW THEY HAVE BEEN COOKED. >>ARTHELENE: ALRIGHT SOMETIMES WE HAVE TO HURRY UP, FOR THE SAKE OF TIME. >>STEPHANIE: AND YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD COOK THE LINGUINE RIGHT AT THE END, OF MAY, AND YOU JUST WANT TO ADD SOME COLOR. >>ARTHELENE: YES WERE ADDING SOME COLOR. WILL THIS GO ON THE TOP? THE PARSLEY? >>STEPHANIE: YES, SURE. YOU KNOW AND I WANT TO MELT DOWN THE CREAM CHEESE. I'M WORKING ON THEM, I HAVE THE LIQUID -- AT WE HAVE GOT THE PARMESAN, AND WE HAVE GOT SOME LIQUID FROM THE LINGUINE. AND YOU KNOW THERE IS NOTHING LIKE THIS AND THIS IS SO FRESH AND GOOD. >>ARTHELENE: ALSO LAST NIGHT, YOU HAD YOUR GYMNASIUM CLOTHING ON AND DID YOU GET YOUR WORKOUT? >>STEPHANIE: I GO TWO TIMES PER WEEK, IT'S GOING VERY WELL UNDER THE DOCTOR'S ORDERS. AND PEOPLE SAY THAT YOU WOULD BE ADDICTED TO WORKING OUT BUT I'M NOT SO SURE ABOUT THAT. AND I WOULD GO EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY. >>ARTHELENE: I DO IT EVERY EVIL ONE NIGHT AT HOME. AND YOU KNOW I AM A GRANDMOTHER. >>STEPHANIE: AND CAN I TELL YOU A FUNNY STORY? I WANT TO TELL YOU MY FUNNY STORIES. ARE BUT WE HAVE GOT OF THE FLOOR DIRECTOR AND HER NAME IS BROOKE. SHE IS 27. AND SHE WENT TO THE GYMNASIUM. SHE DID 100 CRUNCHES. ARTHELENE WOULD BE LIKE WELL YOU KNOW, I DO 125, EVERY SINGLE NIGHT OR YOU HAVE A PROBLEM? >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW SHE COULD BE MY GRANDCHILD. >>STEPHANIE: SHE DOES NOT COMPLAIN ANYMORE, NOT AROUND ARTHELENE. >>ARTHELENE: YOU KNOW IT WILL PAY THE BIG DIVIDENDS. ALRIGHT, COME ON, AND I DO NOT WANT TO SAY THIS AGE... AND YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AFRAID OF MY AGENT OUT TO BE 85 NEXT YEAR. >>STEPHANIE: I HOPE I LOOK HALF AS GOOD. I HAVE GOT SOME LEMONS AND SOME PARMESAN AND THIS IS REALLY HOT, OKAY, AND I LOVE THAT STORY. >>ARTHELENE: THAT WAS A FUN STORY AND I KNOW BROOKE WOULD NOT MIND. >>STEPHANIE: AND YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE SHE COULD DO THAT. AND YOU KNOW, AND YOU KNOW MRS. RIPPY DOES 125-WHOO. >>ARTHELENE: I COULD GO MORE BUT I'M LAZY. >>STEPHANIE: AND NOW WE ARE DONE. ALRIGHT, I'M GOING TO DO THIS RIGHT HERE SO QUICKLY AND WE HAVE GOT A VERY EXCITING GAS TO GET TO TODAY. AND WE HAVE ALREADY MADE THE LINGUINE, WE COOKED THIS. ALL RIGHT. >>ARTHELENE: THIS IS A GREAT ONE, AND STEPHANIE WOULD BE SO GOOD TO TELL YOU WHAT TO DO, AND TO TELL THE GALS HOW TO PUT IT TOGETHER. >>STEPHANIE: THIS WOULD BE SIMPLE AND YOU COULD MAKE YOUR CHICKEN, YOU COULD HAVE YOUR ROTISSERIE CHICKEN AND NOT EVEN MAKE IT. ALRIGHT ARE YOU READY? AND YOU KNOW, THIS WOULD NOT BE THE BEST. >>ARTHELENE: ALL RIGHT HERE WE GO. I DON'T NEED TO TASTE IT, I KNOW I WILL LOVE IT. >>STEPHANIE: RIGHT THERE YOU GO, LOOK PRETTY. >>ARTHELENE: AND GET AGAIN I THINK MAYBE YOU COULD DO THIS FOR THE LITTLE MORE FINESSE AT HOME. >>STEPHANIE: WE HAVE TO RUSH. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW, THE LEMON, AND YOU KNOW I THOUGHT THAT WOULD BE A LOT OF LEMON THAT WILL GIVE IT A KICK, IT WOULD BE WONDERFUL AND AWESOME AND IT IS FRESH. IT IS THE CREAMY LEMON CHICKEN PASTA AND I DO NOT WANT TO TALK WITH THIS FOOD IN MY MOUTH, AND THE RECIPE WOULD BE COMING UP ON YOUR SCREEN, AND I WANT YOU TO MEET MY VERY SPECIAL GUEST. >> IF YOU WOULD LIKE A COPY OF THE RECIPE FOR THE DAY, YOU CAN GET IT THROUGH SOCIAL MEDIA, AND THROUGH THE MAIL, BE SURE TO INCLUDE YOUR STAMPED ENVELOPE AT WE THANK YOU AND REMEMBER WE APPRECIATE HEARING FROM OUR VIEWERS. >> MUSIC >>ARTHELENE: YOU KNOW, I WANT TO WELCOME YOU, VALERIE ELLIOTT SHEPHERD, I THINK, I THINK OF YOUR MOTHER. AND YOU KNOW, AND SHE WENT TO HEAVEN A FEW YEARS AGO? >>GUEST: IT WAS IN JUNE 2015. YOUR STORY, AND YOU KNOW,... >>ARTHELENE: AND A MOVIE WAS MADE OUT OVER THE HIS LIFE STORY FOR YOUR FATHER? THAT WOULD BE CALLED OF THE TIP OF THE SPEAR. >>GUEST: AND YOU KNOW AND MY MOTHER DID A DOCUMENTARY THAT IT WAS 38 MINUTES LONG. AND THERE WAS A STORY ABOUT THE TIP OF THE SPEAR. IT WAS ABOUT THE INDIANS, AND THEN THERE WAS A DOCUMENTARY THAT MY FRIEND MADE, CALLED BEYOND THE GATES. >>ARTHELENE: ONLY HEAVEN SHALL TELL YOU, AND WHAT HAS HAPPENED UPON THE LIVES OF THESE MEN WHEN THEY WERE CUT DOWN AT VERY YOUNG AGE. AND FIRST OF ALL AND MY SISTER, SHE LIVES OVER INTO BOCA RATON. AND YOU KNOW SHE JUST LOVES YOU. I TOLD HER ABOUT IT AND SHE LOVES THIS BOOK, SHE PURCHASED IT RIGHT AWAY AND SHE SAID IT IS MASTERFUL. NOW, THIS WOULD BE YOUR PARENTS LOVE STORY? AND YOU KNOW FEATURING YOUR FATHER, MAYBE YOU NEVER MET THEM, BUT YOU MUST HAVE, AT A MAYBE YOU HAD A SENSE OF KNOWING HIM, AND FOR HIS WRITING? >>GUEST: AND YOU KNOW AND I HAD MET HIM WHEN I WAS A BABY, I HAVE A FEW SWEET PICTURES OF HIM AND ME. HE WAS FULL OF FUN, HE WAS FULL OF ADVENTURE, BUT ALSO VERY SERIOUS ABOUT THE LORD AND HE KEPT A JOURNAL, FROM THE TIME HE WAS A JUNIOR IN COLLEGE UNTIL MAYBE WHEN HE DIED. I WAS INSPIRED WHEN I WAS 14 WHEN I KNEW WHAT IT MEANT TO FOLLOW CHRIST I BEGAN MY JOURNAL, OVER ALL OF THE YEARS I KEEP MY JOURNAL, I WRITE DOWN MY PRAYERS. MY FATHER WAS AMAZING, THROUGH HIS WRITINGS AT MY MOTHER'S WRITINGS, AND I HEARD MY MOTHER, I FEEL LIKE I KNOW MY FATHER. >>ARTHELENE: I THINK, I THINK, THAT THE FATHER DAUGHTER BOND WOULD BE ONE OF THE STRONGEST IN THE FAMILY. AND THEY SAY, A DAUGHTER WOULD BE THE DAUGHTER ALL OF HER LIFE. AND SO AND WHEN YOU WOULD MEET THIS MAN, IT WOULD BE SO IMPORTANT, AND I FEEL LIKE I KNOW HIM. AND YOU KNOW I HAVE HEARD SO MUCH OF WHAT HE HAD TO SAY. I WOULD SAY, THE MIRACLE I BELIEVE, OF HAVING THIS JOURNAL AND OF THE LETTERS, TO SURVIVE THROUGH THE DECADES. AND THEN, I WOULD TRY TO -- I WOULD TRIED TO PUT MY BRAIN AROUND IT ALL AND HOW YOU DID IT ALL. AND YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU PUT THE THINGS TOGETHER BY THE DAY? >>GUEST: IT WAS SO CHALLENGING AND YOU KNOW YOU HAVE A COMPUTER, AND YOU CAN KEEP THINGS IN ORDER BUT I WAS NOT SO GOOD AT IT, AND MY FRIEND WOULD HELP ME MAYBE FIND THE LINES OF THE LETTERS. IT WAS ALL KEPT IN ORDER BY MY MOTHER, AND SHE GAVE ME ALL OF HIS LETTERS BACK IN THE 1980S, WHEN I HAD MANY CHILDREN AT HOME. AND SHE SAID MONDAY YOU WILL WANT TO READ THESE LETTERS. AND 2011, I BEGAN TO LOOK FOR THEM AND I FOUND THEM IN THE BOTTOM OF THE TRUNK, I WAS THRILLED, I HAD NEVER READ THEM BEFORE AND I BEGAN TO READ THEM. I KNEW THAT MY MOTHER HAD GIVEN ME HER DIARY, FROM 1947-1956. I WAS THINKING, IT WOULD BE SO GOOD TO PUT THE BOOK TOGETHER HOWEVER I DO MY MOTHER TOLD ME HER LETTERS HAD BEEN DESTROYED. AND SHE WAS A VERY BRILLIANT WOMAN, AND THE MORE I READ OF THE LETTERS OF MY DAD, I BEGAN TO THINK, HOW CAN I PUT THIS TO GATHER? I WAS THINKING THAT HER JOURNAL ENTRIES WOULD HELP ME ENOUGH. IN 2016 I WAS IN THE ATTIC, LOOKING THROUGH THINGS, I'VE FOUND THE TRUNK FROM ECUADOR. AND YOU KNOW AND WE TOOK EVERYTHING OUT OF THE TRUNK, AND THERE WERE SOME ARTIFACTS FROM THE INDIANS, AT THE VERY BOTTOM, WAS A PACKET OF LETTERS WITH THE BLUE-RIBBON. AND THAT IS TRADITIONAL TO DO, AND IT SAID FROM JIM ELLIOTT, AND IT WAS FIVE YEARS WORTH OF LETTERS. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW, WRITING IS A LOST ART IN EVERYTHING IS A TEXT MESSAGE NOW. I REMEMBER THE LAST PERSON THAT I KNOW ABOUT TO TALK ABOUT LETTERS, WAS NANCY REAGAN, THAT WAS RONALD REAGAN'S WIFE AND HE WOULD WRITE TO HER SO SHE KEPT THE LETTERS. I WOULD WONDER, AND THE YOUNGER ONES, AND I WONDER IF THEY COULD REALLY COMPREHEND IT. >>GUEST: AND THERE WAS A YOUNG COUPLE, AND THEY WRITE LETTERS TO ONE ANOTHER, AND YOU KNOW, THEY DON'T SEND TEXT MESSAGES, IT'S A LOST ART. >>ARTHELENE: I THINK IT WOULD BE MIRACULOUS, THAT THESE THINGS HAD BEEN PRESERVED, WITH THE DATES ON THEM SO YOU COULD PUT THEM TOGETHER. YOUR BOOK, DEVOTEDLY, THIS IS YOUR MOTHER'S HANDWRITING, WITH A THREE CENT STAMP. I REMEMBER THAT AND I COULD REMEMBER WHEN YOU COULD PURCHASE A THREE CENT STAMP. THEY HAD A COURTSHIP THAT LASTED FOR FIVE YEARS. AS I READ THROUGH THIS I KEPT WANTING, I WANTED TO GET TO IT. IT IS JUST AMAZING THAT 2 PEOPLE COULD WAIT UPON THE LORD THE WAY THEY DID AND THAT WAS, THAT WAS SO PROMINENT IN THEIR LIVES. IT WAS NUMBER ONE. >>GUEST: I THINK BECAUSE THEY DID NOT SEE ONE ANOTHER BETTER FOR FIVE TIMES IN FIVE YEARS, THAT HELPED THEM. AND THE LETTERS WILL KEEP THEIR LOVE GOING, AND TO MAKE IT STRONGER. AND WHEN THEY SOLVE ONE ANOTHER, THERE WAS ONLY ONE VISIT THAT IT WAS ABOUT SEVEN DAYS LONG, ONE WAS ACTUALLY 10 DAYS, AND THE DIFFERENT YEARS THEY ACTUALLY WERE ABLE TO BE TOGETHER FOR 14 DAYS. AND YOU KNOW, I DON'T REMEMBER, MAYBE YOU DON'T KNOW BUT MY MOTHER WAS GOING TO BE GRADUATING FROM COLLEGE AT WHEATON COLLEGE, THEY WERE IN A CEMETERY, AND MY DAD SAID I LOVE YOU, HE WAS PRETTY SURE, THAT GOD WAS GUIDING HIM TO BE A SINGLE MISSIONARY. AND HE SAID I DON'T KNOW IF I CAN MARRY YOU. THAT WAS HARD NEWS FROM MY MOM TO HEAR. AND MY MOTHER BEING VERY STRONG AS SHE WAS RAISED, HER FATHER TAUGHT HER, AND THE BROTHERS THAT YOU NEVER TELL A WOMAN, YOU NEED TO GET A MARRIED, AND YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T SAY I LOVE YOU WITHOUT SAYING WILL YOU MARRY ME? AND YOU KNOW HE SAID BUT I'M JUST NOT SURE. AND THAT IT WAS SO HARD. AND MY MOTHER SAID, AND MAYBE THAT THEY SHOULD PRAY THROUGH THE SUMMER, AND WHILE THEY WERE SITTING THERE, AND YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE TOMBSTONES, AND THE SHADOW LANDED BETWEEN THEM, THE SHADOW OF THE CROSS. THEY SAT THERE QUIETLY. AND THEY KNEW JESUS WAS FIRST AND THEY HAD TO DISCIPLINE THEMSELVES, MY MOTHER HAD NOT SAID, IT WAS A LONG TIME BEFORE SHE SAID SHE LOVED HIM EVEN THOUGH SHE COULD FEEL IT. THE CROSS WAS MEANING, THEY HAD TO LIVE FOR CHRIST ALONE EVEN THOUGH THEY HAD FALLEN IN LOVE, OBVIOUSLY. >>ARTHELENE: AS I SAID AT THE TOP OF THE PROGRAM I'VE NEVER READ A BOOK, ANYWHERE BY ANYONE, AND MAYBE SOME OF THE MARTYRS OUT OVER THE BIBLE ABOUT THE ABSOLUTE DEVOTION THAT YOUR FATHER HAD TO THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. THE BOTH OF YOUR MOM, AND YOUR DAD. AND YOU KNOW, YOUR FATHER WAS A FINE MAN. >>GUEST: HE WAS A LOT OF FUN, AND HE WOULD BE THE CLOWN, BUT HE WAS A SPIRITUAL LEADER. AND HE WANTED TO EXHORT EVERYONE AGAINST DATING. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW YOU HAVE TO PRACTICE WHAT YOU PREACH. >>GUEST: AND YOU KNOW, EVENTUALLY THEY WENT TO MOODY BIBLE INSTITUTE A CONFERENCE, THAT WAS THE FIRST DATE. AND THEY DID NOT GO OUT TO DINNER AND THERE WAS NO EXTRA MONEY. THEY HAD TO TAKE A WALK, AND THEY WOULD MEET TOGETHER, AND WITHIN ABOUT 90 DAYS THEY WERE IN LOVE. >>ARTHELENE: AND THEY WAITED A PART OF THE LORD AND HIS TIMING. THIS WILL COME OF THIS MIGHT MAKE YOU REMEMBER, EXACTLY BUT WE WOULD BE TALKING ABOUT, YOUR FATHER IS SO WELL KNOWN FOR HIS QUOTE, YOU ARE NOT A FOOL TO GET AWAY WHAT YOU CANNOT KEEP, TO RECEIVE WHAT YOU CANNOT LOSE. AND YOU KNOW, HE WAS A MISSIONARY 110%. YOU WERE BORN, IN ECUADOR? >>GUEST: AND YES, I WAS BORN IN A JUNGLE HOME IN ECUADOR AT THE DOCTORS HOME. THEY WERE THINKING I WOULD BE A LITTLE BOY BUT I WAS A GIRL, AND THEY SAID MY NAME WOULD BE VALERIE. AND YOU KNOW THEY WERE CHOOSING THE NAME FOR A GIRL BUT THEY THOUGHT THEY WOULD HAVE A BOY. AND ALL OF THE FAMILY MEMBERS, A SISTER AND A BROTHER THEY HAD ALL BOYS SO THEY WERE THINKING I WOULD BE A BOY. >>ARTHELENE: I THINK MAYBE THAT WOULD GIVE THEM THE REASON TO EXPECT A BOY. AND HOW WELL DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE DAYS? AND YOU WERE ABOUT EIGHT YEARS OLD, AND I GUESS YOU WOULD HAVE SOME MEMORIES? >>GUEST: I REMEMBER, I REMEMBER THE INDIANS, I DON'T REALLY REMEMBER ANY STORIES, THERE MIGHT BE 1 OR 2. I LOVE THE JUNGLE AND I WAS TOTALLY HAPPY AND COMPLETELY FREE. WE LIVED WITH THE INDIANS, AND WE WENT WITH A ANOTHER GROUP. AND THEY CALL THEM THE WHADONNI. AND YOU KNOW, AND THEN ABLE TO CALL ME BUTTERFLY, I WAS ALWAYS GOING FROM ONE THING TO ANOTHER, AND I CONSTANTLY HAD A FUN I REMEMBER HAVING FUN AND JUMPING INTO THE RIVER, AND SWIMMING EVERY DAY. I REMEMBER RUNNING THROUGH THE FOREST. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW LIKE KIDS TODAY, AND THEY WOULD BE BOUND TO SO MUCH TECHNOLOGY. AND KIDS HAVE NERVOUS BREAKDOWNS. AND DID YOU LIVE IN A THATCHED HUT? I KNOW MAYBE YOU HAD A HOUSE LATER ON? >>GUEST: I AM MY FATHER BUILT A HOME FOR MY MAMA AND THAT LASTED MANY YEARS, WE DID GO THERE. IT WAS STILL STANDING AFTER MANY, MANY YEARS. WE LIVED IN A BAMBOO HOME, WITH SOME WOMEN THAT CAME OUT OVER FROM THE TRIBE, FLEEING THE VIOLENCE. AND THEY, AND YOU KNOW, AND THEY WERE WITH US IN THE BAMBOO HUT, AND YOU KNOW, WE MOVED INTO THAT AREA, AND WE FINALLY HAD A BIG HOME EVENTUALLY. I WAS SO HAPPY JUST WHEREVER. AND MY MOTHER, SHE WAS A VERY LOVING AND A VERY GOOD MOTHER. SHE WANTED ME TO OBEY, SHE WANTED ME TO COME IN FOR MEALS BUT I WAS ALWAYS HUNGRY. AND NO, I WOULD BE FREE TO GO AND PLAY UNTIL I BEGAN SCHOOL AND WHEN WE WENT TO BE WITH THE INDIANS. THE WOMEN INVITED US. WE CAME TO A LITTLE HUT WITH NO WALLS, MUD FLOOR, MY MOTHER WAS IN A HAMMOCK, AND I LIVED IN A LITTLE BETTER RIGHT BESIDE OF HER. AND THEN THEY WERE THINKING, AND THEY WERE LOOK AT US, AND THEY WOULD TALK ABOUT US. AND THEY SAID WE NEEDED SOME PRIVACY. >>ARTHELENE: I WOULD THINK SO. >>GUEST: SHE WANTED TO GIVE ME SOME SCHOOLING, AND THEY CONSTANTLY WERE INTERRUPTING, AND THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND THESE THINGS AT ALL. >>ARTHELENE: AND SO THOSE INDIANS KILLED YOUR DAD? AND THE OTHER MISSIONARIES? BUT YET YOU LIVED WITH THEM? >>GUEST: THAT HAPPENED WHEN I WAS 3.5, AND THERE WERE SOME WOMEN WHO HAD RUN AWAY FROM THE TRIBE, AND THEY HAD BEEN WALKING FOR THREE DAYS TO GET AWAY. AND THEY TOLD MY MOTHER, THEY ARE HERE, AND THERE MEN ARE HIDING AND THEY SHALL KILL US ALL, AND MY MOTHER WAS THRILLED, AND SHE HAD BEEN PRAYING FOR THEM FROM THE TIME THEY HAD BEEN IN COLLEGE. AND THEY HAD BEEN IN ECUADOR FOR FOUR YEARS. SHE WENT TO MEET THEM WITH A TAPE RECORDER, AND SHE BEGAN TO LISTEN TO THEM AND THIS WAS SEARCH A DIFFERENT LANGUAGE FOR MY MOTHER. AND THEN SHE DECIDED WHEN SHE WAS WITH THEM FOR A NIGHT, AND YOU KNOW, AND THEY HAD NO PLACE TO GO, I MIGHT AS WELL LET THEM LIVE WITH US AS WE MOVED INTO A THATCHED HUT. AND YOU KNOW, AND THEY LIVED WITHOUT US FOR ABOUT SIX MONTHS AND THEY DID NOTHING, THEY WOULD SIT AND TALK. >>ARTHELENE: AND HAD ANY OF THEM KILLED THE MISSIONARIES? >>GUEST: NO, AND THEY WERE NOW IN DIFFERENT JUNGLE STATIONS. ANYWAY, THAT IS HOW WE BECAME DIVIDED. AND THE WOMEN SAID YOU KNOW ABOUT GOD, AND WE HAD AN INTERPRETER FOR MY MOTHER. >>ARTHELENE: AND THEN THERE WAS SOME TRANSLATION BEING DONE FOR THE BIBLE? IF YOU JOIN ME, I HAVE GOT A VALERIE ELLIOTT SHEPHERD, SHE IS THE DAUGHTER, OF JIM ELLIOTT, AND ELIZABETH ELLIOTT, A WELL-KNOWN A MISSIONARY AND THEY ARE LEGENDARY. AND TALKING ABOUT THE BOOK, "DEVOTEDLY." I COULD NOT TELL YOU ENOUGH THIS WOULD BE MORE THAN ANY BOOK YOU COULD EVER READ, IT WILL HOLD YOUR INTEREST FOR SURE, SHE HAS TAKEN THE LETTERS AND THE JOURNALS THAT WERE MANY DECADES OLD. SHE HAS ORGANIZED THEM. YOUR COMMENTS, AND ABLE TO PUT IT ALTOGETHER. AND I WOULD SAY THAT YOU ARE A WONDERFUL WRITER. >>GUEST: I HAD A GREAT DEAL OF HELP. >>ARTHELENE: AND THAT WE HAVE THE WEBSITE UP ON THE SCREEN AND YOU COULD GET THE INFORMATION WITH THAT BE ON AMAZON? AND THE NAME OF THE BOOK WOULD BE--DEVOTEDLY. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND THE BOOK AND I THINK THIS WOULD AFFECT YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD AND I WANT TO TALK ABOUT YOU. YOUR MOTHER HAD ONE CHILD AND YOU HAD 8. >>GUEST: I WANTED 10 OR 12 BUT MY HUSBAND SAID WE CANNOT HAVE ANY MORE. >>ARTHELENE: AND DID YOU DO MISSIONARY WORK WITH YOUR HUSBAND? >>GUEST: YES FOR 3.5 YEARS AND WE WENT INTO THE CONGO. >>ARTHELENE: AND ARE YOU WORKING IN THE PASTORATE NOW? >>GUEST: WE WERE THERE FOR 43 YEARS AND WE HAVE NOW RETIRED AT WE HAD SIX CHURCHES. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOUR HOMESCHOOLED EIGHT KIDS? >>GUEST: I DID THIS FOR MANY YEARS AND I DID IT ALL. >>ARTHELENE: WE LOVE THE HOMESCHOOLERS. >>GUEST: I WOULD THINK WITH YOUR PROGRAM YOU WOULD. >>ARTHELENE: WE LOVE THEM. AND THE KIDS ARE SO SPECIAL. WAS THERE ANYTHING SPECIAL THAT TOOK YOUR ATTENTION ABOUT YOUR FATHER? I COULD ONLY IMAGINE, THE LONGING YOU HAD. >>GUEST: I WANTED TO KNOW HIM AND IT WAS A LONGING. --- HE SAID AMAZING THINGS NOT ONLY IN HIS LETTERS TO MY MOTHER BUT IN THE JOURNALS. AND THERE IS A PAGE IN HIS JOURNAL THAT SAYS, HE WANTED TO LIVE BY THREE THINGS FOR HIS LIFE. WHEN I READ THIS, I WAS THINKING YOU KNOW I SHOULD DO THAT AS WELL. THE FIRST ONE WOULD BE-- DETERMINATION, NOT DESIRE ABOUT DETERMINATION CAN DETERMINE YOUR DESTINY. AND I REALIZED I HAD MANY WISHES, BUT I WAS NOT ALWAYS DETERMINED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. AND IF YOU ARE DETERMINED TO FOLLOW GOD, HE WILL LEAD YOU. IF YOU WILL READ THE WORD AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF I REMEMBER ALL OF THEM. AND THEY ALL HAD TO DO WITH TIME. I WOULD NOT WANT TO BORE YOU WITH THE DETAILS. >>ARTHELENE: AND YOU KNOW AND I KNOW THAT HE GIVES YOU MUCH FOOD FOR THOUGHT. I WOULD LIKE TO, AND YOU KNOW I WOULD LOVE TO BE WITH YOU WHEN YOU MEET HIM IN HEAVEN. >>GUEST: I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THAT WOULD BE LIKE. >>ARTHELENE: WE ONLY HAVE A MOMENT LEFT AND IN THE BOOK, YOUR PARENTS WERE QUITE DIFFERENT. >>GUEST: YES THEY WERE. I THINK I HAVE MORE OF MY DAD'S PERSONALITY, I'M VERY SPONTANEOUS AT MY MOTHER WAS SO REGIMENTED, AND YOU KNOW I HAD A TEST ONE TIME, SHE LAUGHED. SHE SAID I AM RIGID, AND YOU CANNOT CHANGE ME AT ALL. AND YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WITHIN, SHE WAS INTIMIDATING, AND SHE WOULD FOLLOW THE LETTER OF THE LAW. I GREW UP AND I WANTED TO BE GOOD AND I WANTED TO PLEASE HER AND IN MY 30S, ME AND MY HUSBAND, AND WE HAD AN ABOUT-FACE TO KNOW ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD, I HAD TRIED TO BE SO GOOD, AND FINALLY I UNDERSTOOD, THIS IS NOT HOW I CAN DO IT, YOU PUT CHRIST IN FRONT OF PEOPLE AND YOU SHALL LOVE. WHEN I SAID THAT TO HER, I SAID MAMA IS ABOUT THE GRACE OF GOD. AND SHE SAID, I THINK I NEED MORE GRACE WHEN I SPEAK. I TALK ABOUT DISCIPLINE AND OBEDIENCE. I NEED TO MENTION GRACE. >>ARTHELENE: WE ARE OUT OF TIME LET ME TELL YOU AGAIN, AND THE BOOK WOULD BE CALLED--- DEVOTEDLY. AND THIS IS VALERIE SHEPHERD, AND SHE IS THE DAUGHTER OF SOME LEGENDARY MISSIONARIES, I THINK THIS WOULD BE SUCH AN HONOR TO HAVE HER TODAY. AND WE COULD TALK ABOUT THESE THINGS SO GOOD AND SO RICH. JOINED ME AGAIN AT A REMEMBER THERE IS NO HIGHER CALLING THAN THAT OF A HOMEKEEPERS AND GOD BLESS YOU. >> IF YOU SHOULD MISS A PROGRAM YOU CAN CATCH UP, YOU CAN GO TO THE WEBSITE YOU SEE ON YOUR SCREEN. GO TO THE PROGRAMMING SECTION AT AND WATCH HOMEKEEPERS ONLINE AND ON DEMAND. >> MUSIC >> CAPTIONED BY THE STAFF OF CTN. >> MUSIC >> MUSIC >> MUSIC >> MUSIC
