The friends and family of the Anastasia Sloan gathered to celebrate her immensely impactful life in the Ezell Center’s Swang Chapel Wednesday night.

“She was such a ray of sunshine,” Walt Leaver, vice president for university relations, said.

Ms. Sloan, a 2013 graduate of Lipscomb University, lost her life in an auto accident late Monday night.

“As we have all mourned greatly in the past couple of days and will continue to do so over the days and weeks ahead, the purpose of tonight is to bring a message of hope,” said Mark Jent, the director of missions outreach for Lipscomb.

Jent and his wife Beth were Ms. Sloan’s team leaders on two mission trips to Australia in 2010 and 2011.

“She has been a blessing and joy in our life,” Jent said.

During the service, those in attendance joined in worship, prayer and reflections of Ms. Sloan’s life and impact.

“I think the greatest blessing for me is knowing her heart,” friend Kaylynn Allen said. “She loved people.”

Shuen Lim, of Brisbane, Australia, came to know Ms. Sloan during one of Lipscomb’s mission trips.

“I was just blown away by her adventurous spirit,” Lim said. “She was so brave to go and bless the world.”

Dean Scott McDowell, senior vice president for student life, recounted reading some of Ms. Sloan’s blog posts on the website for the World Race, a mission trip she was planning on going on later this year.

He recommended that everyone in attendance go back and read Ms. Sloan’s powerful words.

“You will be blessed by doing that,” McDowell said.

Various memories were shared from the audience of Ms. Sloan’s life, ranging from humorous dorm stories to fun encounters at the Loveless Cafe, her place of employment, to accounts of her loving influence on others.

Friend Marki Mascolo noted the impact that Ms. Sloan’s character and faith had on others.

“She showed her love for everybody,” Mascolo said. “She was so full of life, and it’s something that I have really learned from her. She was so faithful, just believing in God, believing that He was going to take care of her, and that is something that I have learned from her.”

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