Gateways to Joy

It is cold in Houston and I love it!  I got up this morning, ready to design. Instead of going to my office, I decided to work in the living room on the couch. When I went to check my email I saw where someone had left me a message and referred to me as Val. Actually this happened a couple of days ago, and I sent a reply asking the lady if she wanted me or Valerie.  This morning when I checked my inbox I saw where she had responded and said she wanted Valerie, so I sent Val the information. It has been a while, I think May was the last time we corresponded, since I heard from Val.  Anyway, I sent her an email and then went to FB to message her.  While on her FB page I saw a picture of Valerie and this pretty lady.  Now Valerie has a lot of pictures on her FB, but for some reason I was drawn to this lady so I clicked on the link and was taken to her blog and other things. Here's a link to Juana Mikels  and I will give you a hint: photo credit: Juana Mikels It se

Today is Favorite Blog and Ministry Friday!  I am happy, happy, happy to have something to tell you about this person.  It is with great pleasure that I feature this new author.  She is certainly no stranger to us, and is none other than Jim and Elisabeth Elliot's daughter:  Valerie Elliot Shepard. The name of Val's book, as I'm sure you've figured out is, ' Philipinto's Happiness .' Many of you who follow this blog love Valerie and her family just as much as I do.  The majority of you are familiar with her story.  However, I am starting to get more emails than before from people all over the world asking who she and her mother are. I want to keep dear Elisabeth Elliot words, books and her ministry alive so that all Christian women young and old will be blessed by her message as so many of us have been. Thrilled is what I am that Val has decided to write this book.  It is good to know that she's keeping her parents memory and legacy going.  I

I sent an email to Valerie Shepard {Jim & Elisabeth Elliot's daughter} today to get an update on her mother.  So many of you have written me inquiring about our dear Elisabeth.  Here's what Valerie has said that I can share with you all—my dear friends: Our family has 3 sisters (our daughters) getting married this summer! One in June, one in July, and one in Sept!! We are very thankful for each new fiance and see how God has given them to our girls. We are continuing to plant Christ Coastal Church here in Southport, and we're thankful for the Lord blessing us with a faithful few. Would appreciate prayers for God to increase our number and for us to find another facility to rent (we meet in our living rm. now) and for God to send at least 2 other couples who are committed to our vision- that of reaching un-churched people here in Brunswick County. Theo is planning on going to a Christian college in the fall, not sure which yet. Sarah has one more year of high schoo

 FYI: ' Walter & Valerie Shepard  As many of you know, I love Elisabeth Elliot.  It is through Elisabeth Elliot, my mentor, that I came to accept and learned how to accept God's will for my life.  Last year, Valerie, Elisabeth and Jim Elliot's daughter honored me by letting me interview her.  She was vague because she has plans on sharing her family story in some manner in the near future, but knowing how I felt about her mother and how much this interview would mean to so many of you she spoke with me via email.   How does your family celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas? We had company often for Thanksgiving, and we always had a " Pilgrim reading " and saying what we each were thankful for around the table. For Christmas we were not often inviting people for dinner because our older children wanted " just family ". We always opened stockings around 7-8 AM, had a Breakfast of baked apples, and either a sweet bread or their favorite "s