Elvera Denning, is a wonderful Christian woman of character. In her nineties, she has taken the energetic steps to reach one of her dreams... to tell her story.
Thank you for stopping by. At ElveraDenning.com you will be able to learn about her and her family, not to mention her new book, "The Lord Knows The Way Through The Wilderness (...All We Have To Do Is Follow)", and any other book releases that she may have on the horizon. For her children she has told the story of their 'roots' in 5 other unpublished books.
How is one assured that God knows how to guide you thru this great maze of life? Because- when you've lived as long as Elvera has and you reflect back...you see the steps of His directing, guiding, protecting and orchestrating a symphony of musical notes that blend many ups & downs into a great master piece...and you KNOW God was there to write each note! So this is a book to help encourage you to trust God when you cannot see further than that step in front of you.
"Baby Girl For Sale" the Chicago newspaper read- that cold, wintry January day in 1916. Elvera's parents were quite excited. They had always wanted a child but weren't able to have any. That morning Albert Pettis read the paper during his lunch break at the Stockyards where he was a Livestock Inspector. Soon as his shift ended...he hurried home to see if his wife Opal was interested in finding out about this baby for sale... where was she, why was she for sale?
As a child, Elvera was full of mischief and energy and showed some of it by jumping out a 1 1/2 story window at the age of 4 after being shut in the bathroom to meditate on her wrong doings. During the same age period, while her mother was entertaining guests in another room...she cut off her long ringlet curls and then decided to redesign (with scissors) the new dress she was wearing, which her seamstress mother has just created. Tossing the ringlets & the dress pieces out the window, she then proudly showed herself off to her mother and guests. Which of course, brought horror and shock to all present. As she grew older her tomboy spirit gave her a love for the outdoors and hanging from trees. Even through her fiery, free spirit- Elvera became a woman who carried herself with elegance and poise and taught her children to be ladies and gentlemen. She and her husband Carl, had a home whose doors were always open to students, friends & guests all their lives. In college her children were frequently bringing home schoolmates for holidays, especially Missionary kids whose parents were across seas, and at one time-- the whole soccer team made it to the Denning Home! Now at 94…Elvera still loves having fellowship, meals, overnight guests & Bible studies as part of her home. Her desire is that any who comes through her doors will experience a presence of God and leave refreshed.
Elvera and Carl also have 4 little ones in heaven through miscarriages. One little girl is buried near Wild Bill Hickok and next to Calamity Jane in Deadwood, SD.
They have 6 living children- 3 boys and 3 girls, Carl pastored churches in Wisconsin, Illinois, California, South Dakota, North Dakota, Wyoming, Iowa and West Virginia. They had a marriage of 44 1/2 yrs and the past 27 yrs she has continued serving her Lord. There is no doubt in Elvera’s heart and mind that…the Lord truly does know the way and He will never forsake His children, no matter how the circumstances appear. She has watched His constant provisions coming in a variety of ways and has found that true contentment comes in believing the one true God and allowing the Holy Spirit to live through us by faith and trust in Him.
This book is her story over the last 5 years of her and Carl’s life together on top of a West Virginia mountain in the old Berkley homestead. No one had lived in it for 31 years, had no running water, and a mother bear & cubs had been living under the house. Year around they used an old bronco with no sides, no top and no lights to get up and down the mountain road to their home- which was so full of rocks and boulders no ordinary car could make it. For these adventuring pioneers nearing 70 yrs old they saw life as EXCITING and their years at the Berkley homestead as ‘Almost Heaven’!
