Yesterday, Lakeside Bible Camp on Whidbey Island in Clinton, Washington celebrated its 50-Year anniversary. I was extremely sad to miss it. The memories I’ve formed and friends I’ve made have been uniquely special and profoundly integral to my life. One friend that changed my life profoundly was Mike Jovich.
Mike was the camp manager at Lakeside, handling every maintenance request and wearing many other hats. His knowledge of the camp and wide-ranging expertise made him likely the most indispensable of the full-time staff (I’m pretty sure Kevin Craig and Steve Balee would agree with me). A few weeks back, Mike Jovich went to be with Lord quite suddenly. I had the privilege of working with Mike for an entire summer when I was TCL Projects Coordinator. Mike was a shining example of the Lord in everything he did. He showed the utmost patience when dealing with teenager after teenager struggling with work projects. He never raised his voice, never made anyone feel small, and never uttered an unkind word. He viewed every moment as a teaching moment; he knew he had the privilege to shape lives every day. I could go on and on about his prodigious strength, hitting the camp bell during a softball game or lifting half of the new ski shed with 6 TCLers on the other half, or his unbelievable knowledge when it came to fixing anything, but the one thing I’ll take with me the rest of my life was how much he cared for every single person he came in contact with. He saw the best in people and took seriously his responsibility to treat them the way Jesus would have. I’ll miss you Mike.
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