Like most of us, Iva Lee Elliott has seen her share of challenges. Raised in a Christian home and married at nineteen, she moved with her husband, Jerry, every few years as his job led them to various cities. In addition to raising three daughters, she cared for her aging parents, experiencing firsthand the heartbreak of losing one to Alzheimer’s disease. Jerry lost his job three times, all when the family had no other source of income.
In a life-changing moment in her mid-twenties, Elliott knelt at the altar of her church and turned her life over to God. After that she began to feel his hand on her—and that’s when things got really interesting. Whether it was praying about how to feed her family after she’d made a mistake in her checkbook or asking God to find the right house for them, Elliott’s prayers were answered, sometimes in unexpected ways at unexpected times. Even when she had all but given up on her marriage, God led her to see Jerry in a new light, strengthening not only the relationship she had with her husband but the one she had with God.
Elliott’s faith walk includes her thoughts about miracles, healing, the role of angels in our lives, and the decision to leave her denomination of forty-five years and join another. You’ll also see how she has been touched by her friendship with Monica, a Kenyan woman with her own remarkable faith journey and story to tell.
It was pouring down rain and the wind was blowing really hard. I was driving a small Buick Skylark while Jerry was asleep in the front seat next to me, and the girls were asleep in the back seat. All of a sudden the wind started to blow the car on the highway. I panicked and stomped on the brake. The car went out of control and started to swerve all over the highway. Jerry woke up and just knew we were all going to be killed! I prayed, “Lord, help me!” Immediately, I heard a voice say, “Take your foot off the brake!” As I did, I felt a peace come over me and my arms went totally limp. I looked and saw that my hands were moving on the steering wheel, but knew it wasn’t me. Because when I tried to move my arms I couldn’t, they were so limp. The car continued down the highway, then went over to the side of the road. It went way over on its side, then came back down, and proceeded to come to a perfect stop. Jerry got out of the car to come over to take over the driving, and I cried all the rest of the way back to Tulsa.
Iva Lee Elliott was born and raised primarily in Oklahoma, where she is now retired. She and her husband, Jerry, have three children and eight grandchildren. Monica Ndinguri has been attending college in Oklahoma and plans to return to her home country, Kenya, to follow God’s plans for her.