Lois Souder Gave Jesus to her Generations
Having been a pastor for so many years, I rarely get to simply attend a memorial service, but today I had that privilege as we gathered to remember Lois Souder. As always happens, my knowledge of Lois increased exponentially in the space of an hour and I came away overwhelmingly blessed by the story of her life.
The Lois I knew came to church by herself and needed to hurry home because she was the primary caregiver for her aging husband who suffered from Parkinson’s Disease. As his condition worsened and her age increased the burden clearly became more difficult to bear, but I always admired the way she talked so lovingly about him. After Jim passed, her own health began to deteriorate. Yet she still regularly attended the Saturday night service with a smile on her face as she stepped off the C-VAN bus pushing her walker.
But I discovered this morning that I really knew very little of her life. I had no idea that she had 4 kids, 15 grandkids and a handful of great grandkids! Even better, each of the kids and a couple of the grandkids managed to ride the emotional swells to offer beautiful tributes to their mom and grandma. But what I found so striking is that every single person who spoke testified that Lois had a genuine relationship with Jesus and she freely shared him with everyone she knew. It likewise became obvious that many (if not most) of her family had come to share her faith in Christ. What a rich legacy!
Lois’ service has given me a fresh desire to give Jesus to the generations that come after me.
Pastor Toby
Categories: Evergreen Connection