"A country boy from Kentucky, a farm girl from Alabama—just ordinary people serving an extraordinary God。"
In 1958, Eugene and Ellamae Elder "tied the knot" and dove headfirst into full-time ministry。 For the next twenty-six years, they faithfully served in churches and missions from Arizona to Mississippi to New Mexico with "Gene" as a pastor and Ellamae as a Bible teacher。 But in 1986, God called the couple to their most challenging assignment South Africa, a country caught in the throes of Apartheid and social unrest。
But how could they leave their children, their home, their country? And in this heated political climate, how could a white couple make a difference among racially torn people groups and tribes? These and other questions remained。
They said "yes" anyway。
When Ellamae Elder was a young girl, little did she know that God had a big plan for her life and a good man to go along with it。 After marrying Eugene Elder, she became a missions volunteer, pastor's wife, school teacher, Bible teacher, and ultimately an international missionary。
Along the way, God blessed her and "Gene" with three children, twelve grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren。 Ellamae currently lives in New Mexico and treasures time spent with the Lord, nearby family members, and long-time friends