One of ten siblings raised by parents who instituted harsh, militaristic conditions, Emma knew about pain. Her first husband brutally abused her. At one point, she was forced to raise three daughters alone-and she couldn't even feed them.

But this isn't a "Woe is me" tale bemoaning the evils visited upon Emma by an uncaring world. Instead, it extols the grace and mercy of a loving God who revealed to Emma the possibility of refinement through affliction.

Years later, she now pursues God's calling after having received two college degrees and traveling to more than a dozen...