Valerie Shepard - Devotedly: The Personal Letters and Love Story of Jim and Elisabeth Elliot

This book is riveting. It unveils something weve always yearned to see: the deepest recesses of Jim and Elisabeths hearts. From the first few chapters, you become enthralled and fascinated by the worshipful way they turn every awakening emotion into a cause for celebrating Christ. Rather than allowing breathless passions to escape the stall, they prayerfully measure each desire against their devotion to their Savior. (Who does that nowadays?!) Jim and Elisabeths amazing journey of love shows the reader what a sacred romance is all about. Devotedly is a should-read for those of us who grew up on Elliot books, but it is a blessed must-read for todays young Christian couples.

Joni Eareckson Tada Joni and Friends International Disability Center

Tim and I had the privilege of studying under Elisabeth Elliot (and we still refer to notes from her class often, even after forty-five years). To us she was a woman of iron principles, one who did not suffer fools, gladly or any other way! What we learned from her has shaped my life and understanding of my role as a woman to this day. This book invited me to see an entirely new side of her, one of passionate commitment to her Savior and to Jim Elliot, in that order. I recommend this book to anyone who desires to know what a holy, fierce, and passionate love between a man and a woman, both committed first to Christ, could look like, as well as those who want to know more of Elisabeth Elliot.

Kathy Keller

Devotedly is a daughters personal, powerful memorial to the love affair her parents cultivated between themselves and the God they servedfrom their early days together in college, their times of separation, their missionary journey to Ecuador, and continuing into their marriage. They wrote often, fortunately for us. And now, through their carefully preserved letters, we can share their commitment and insights directly from these two remarkable souls, gaining a window into the formation of power and love in their relationship and their work in the world. So I am pleased to recommend this compelling view of lives lived warmly. And well. Many thanks, Valerie. Well done.

Donna Otto

In a tinny time of tweets, emojis, and snappy chat, this book is a rich symphony of language and power, wit and wisdom, longing and passion, temptation and truth. Read it, and youll find a feast for heart, mind and soul... one that you may not have even known for which you hungered!

Ellen Vaughn New York Times bestselling author

Copyright 2019 by Valerie Elliot Shepard

All rights reserved

Printed in the United States of America

978-1-4336-5156-4

Published by B&H Publishing Group

Nashville, Tennessee

Dewey Decimal Classification: 266.092

Subject Heading: ELLIOT, JIM \ ELLIOT, ELISABETH \ MISSIONARIES

Photography of the letters is by Randy Hughes.

Main Scripture reference is King James Version, public domain.

Also used: New King James Version ( nkjv ), copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Also used: New American Standard Bible ( nasb ), copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 22 21 20 19

I dedicate this volume with deep love to the Shepard children:

Walter Dorman

Elisabeth (Martin)

Christiana Ruth (Greene)

James Elliot

Colleen Amy (McKinnell)

Evangeline Mary (Smidt)

Joy (gone to heaven in October 1990)

Theodore Flagg

Sarah Abigail (Ibanez)

With these words from my fathers journal:

Mayhap, in mercy, He shall give me a host of children that I may lead through the vast star fields to explore His delicacies whose fingers ends set them to burning. But if not, if only I may see Him, smell His garments, and smile into my Lovers eyes, ah, then, not stars, nor children, shall matteronly Himself.

Jesus, Thou art now my end;

Thou my starting, too, has been,

Oh, be Thou my present friend,

I would walk and on Thee lean.

I am indebted to him for the desire of a large family, which God answered by giving me eight unique, intelligent, and beautiful children. This book is dedicated to them, as well as little Joy, who was stillborn at four months. God gave me the verse, In Thy presence is fullness of joy, when I was thinking of a name for her. I trust we will all meet her someday and find out His purpose for her, which will be, as ours is, to bring glory and praise to His name.

If there is one thing I know Im most like my dad in, it is this love of Gods creation and the desire to show others how awesome He is. I hope I have given this same love to each of you. May this book show you Gods glory and purpose too and encourage you in following His leading. He is the Perfect Shepherd!

Acknowledgments

First, I want to thank God, and His Son, my Savior and Redeemer, for arranging and planning this wonderful union between my parents so that I could be their daughter and be given the privilege of delving into almost all their letters and journals. My parents have become even more treasured in my heart after reading through these marvelous writings of their walk with Christ as well as with each other.

I want to thank Marion Redding, my dear Maid of Honor, who chronologically organized and helped with many findings of quotes, the filing of documents in the right places, and patiently showing me what to do over the phone when I was falling apart! She also made some suggestions of how to write some of the sentences I struggled with, and understood the huge and precious legacy I carry.

I am so grateful for Margaret Ashmore (a dear friend of my mothers before Margaret and I even met) for editing, deleting, and rephrasing many words or sentences. I am just as grateful for Lawrence Kimbrough, my editor and collaborator at LifeWay/B&H. Lawrence and Margaret have been very patient with this baby writer and have shown only kindness, patience, and humility toward me in their suggestions.

When I first began the writing in 2013, another good friend, Samantha Caroway, found, marked, and labeled many sections of Shadow of the Almighty that I wanted to use in this book. She loved the book, as have so many, and appreciated my fathers deep commitment to following Christ alone.

I also want to thank Anthony Solis who is working on a book of my mothers letters to her mother and is still helping me understand (because of my non-computer brain) how filing and folders work in a PC and has sent me my mothers letters from his findings at the Wheaton College Archives.

Two other friends, Julie Cochran and Shelley Hendry, have helped read through the journals and letters my parents wrote, and transcribed many of them for me, taking care and time to do it well for this book.

In reading these letters and journal entries, I hope each of you readers will be as affected and blessed (even awestruck) as we were, and as a result, give yourselves more fully to the cause of His kingdom. I also thank the many sisters in Christ, and my family, who prayed me through the last four years! There are too many to name, but each of you knows who you are and I am so very grateful!

How often, Lord, our grateful eyes

Have seen what Thou hast done,

How often does Thy love surprise

From dawn to set of sun.

How often has a gracious rain

On Thine inheritance

When it was weary wrought again