Lynne's Story

I was introduced to InterVarsity as a junior at the University of West Florida, first at a book table some members had set up. The staff member, Paul Tokanaga, was assigned to FSU, but would come once a month to meet with and disciple us. I was able to attend bible and life and missions conferences. I had felt a call to missions when I was 16, but wasn't sure what to do with it. Even after I graduated, IV continued to impact me as I went to Honduras for a summer missions training, and attended an Urbana conference. It was there I heard about Wycliffe Bible Translators and their need for teachers for the translators' children. I served in Honduras and Guatemala for two years. Paul and his wife Margaret contributed monthly to my faith support! Fast forward 30 years - when my firstborn son went to FSU, I contacted the IV staff member and arranged with him to meet my son. My son and his brother connected with a great IV group during their college years. To my delight, my former IV staff member was in Tallahassee speaking at a local church the same weekend my husband and I were visiting, and I was able to see my old friends and thank them for the impact IV had had on me and the next generation.