Esther Joy Shrader (née Keller) (born May 9, 1981) is the first child and first daughter of Michael Keller and Suzette Keller.
She is the sister of Rebekah Hunt, Daniel Keller, Priscilla Waller, Anna Duggar, Susanna Bridges, Nathan Keller, and David Keller.
She is the wife of John Shrader and the mother of their 12 children, Enoch, Alatheia, Timothy, Nehemiah, Agape, Elijah, Charis, Sophia, Stephen, Isaiah, Caleb, and Joseph.
Early life
Esther Joy Keller was born on May 9, 1981, to Michael and Suzette Keller. She was the couple's first child, and they went on to have seven more children after her.
Esther and her siblings were home-schooled growing up, following the teachings of Bill Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles. They were raised with strict rules, including weekly 15 minute meetings for one-on-one time with parents.
Personal life
Marriage
Esther married John Eric Shrader on November 3, 2001.
Motherhood
The couple has 12 children.
Their first child, son Enoch John was born on January 17, 2003.
Their second child, daughter Alatheia Grace was born on March 13, 2004.
Their third child, son Timothy Michael was born on August 2, 2005.
Their fourth child, son Nehemiah James was born on January 20, 2007.
Their fifth child, daughter Agape Faith was born on June 3, 2008.
Their sixth child, son Elijah David was born on February 28, 2010.
Their seventh child, daughter Charis Elisabeth was born on June 25, 2011.
Their eighth child, daughter Sophia Joy was born on March 6, 2013.
Their ninth child, son Stephen Lushomo was born on September 10, 2014.
Their tenth child, son Isaiah Kasimpe was born on June 2, 2016.
Their eleventh child, son Caleb Zambia was born on January 2, 2018.
Their twelfth child, son Joseph Tumelo was born on March 8, 2020.
Career
In 2011, Esther's husband felt the call to be a missionary overseas. An opportunity opened up to move to Zambia through TeamZambia lead by David Rea. After a survey trip in 2012, Esther and her husband made the decision to move to Zambia to pursue full-time missions. She has served there ever since.