On Saturday, I went to Lynda's funeral. Although Lynda was not a close a friend of mine, she and I laughed together often. She was one of the most joyful and energetic people I have ever met. Her smile was infectious because you couldn't help but smile being around her.

I remember one time at a college retreat, I was a judge for class skits. Lynda was in the freshman skit and played one of the craziest and silliest monkeys I had ever seen. I still laugh thinking about that time. Another time at winter camp, there were a bunch of people going innertubing. A couple snowboarders made their own jump on the slope. After they were done, I thought it would be really cool to take a sled off it. "Who's joining me?" I challenged the group. Out of the group came little Lynda who was far more corageous than me. We took off on that jump and went our separate ways in the air and tumbled pretty hard, but no injuries, so I said "Again?", and she replied "Yeah!". So again we tried and pretty much the same result except this time Lynda bit her lip pretty bad. She was stunned for only a moment, then spit out the blood, and yelled "Yeah!". She got stitches for that as I recall. That was Lynda. She was hardcore.

Lynda was hardcore in her passion for missions as well. She had been to crazier places than I had been. I remember one trip she went to Mongolia and lived in a tent with villagers on some mountain somewhere. Whenever I hear of missions I will always think of Lynda. Lynda's heart was bigger than she was. The words of her father during the memorial service: "The Lord gives and the Lord takes away. Blessed be the name of the Lord. How can a man utter this after so great a loss, yet that's what Job said after losing all of his children."

Our lives are on loan from God and one day He will take it back at the time of His choosing. Are you ready to meet the Lord? One day you will. Will He be your judge or your savior? Remember that tomorrow is not promised to you.





Lynda Joy Varner
January 31, 1979 - July 4, 2005