Author of "Behind the Veils of Yemen" and "The Grip of Lions and Veils", Audra Grace Shelby prayed for opportunities to communicate Truth in impactful ways after seeing the bored eyes of college students during an evangelism training course. Swallowing back tears, Audra moaned, "Lord, these are the most powerful words on earth, but they've become cliches. Use me to communicate them in a way people will understand." Little did Audra know that that request would lead to 9 years serving as a missionary in the heart of conservative Islamic countries in the Middle East. Audra began her missionary experience as an infant, traveling to South America with her Southern Baptist missionary parents. When Audra was five, her mother died tragically in childbirth overseas. Her widowed father returned to the United States with his five children, aged seven to newborn. Five years later the family returned to a new mission field in the Caribbean, with a new stepmother at the helm. Audra met her husband in Texas, where she had served as an editor for religious curricula. The couple married and remained in Texas where their daughter and three sons were born. The family served nine years as missionaries with the International Mission Board, S.B.C., six+ years in Yemen, and two+ in Egypt. Today, Audra and her husband reside in New Mexico, where they recently celebrated twenty-eight years of marriage. An avid fan and teacher of French hand sewing, English smocking, knitting, crocheting and most forms of needlework, Audra keeps a wide assortment of projects in her lap as she travels to speaking engagements across the United States and Canada. She has been a guest on numerous radio and television programs in the U.S. and in Canada and continues to answer nation-wide invitations. When Audra is at home, she enjoys playing in the dirt in her vegetable and flower gardens, designing sweaters, talking long walks, and typing madly on her laptop.