Nelda Bedford Gaydou was born and raised in Argentina by missionary parents from the U.S. Growing up, she lived in Rosario, Comodoro Rivadavia and Buenos Aires. She attended Baylor University and the University of Texas at Austin, earning degrees in English Literature, History, and Spanish Literature. Nelda speaks several languages and works as a translator in English, Spanish, French, and Italian. Nelda and her husband, who have three children and four grandchildren, live in the mountains of Córdoba, Argentina. Her book, To the Ends of the Earth: High Plains to Patagonia, won the 2017 International Book Award for General Biography.