A Team Week 123: #belikemike

This week started off like any other, but on Tuesday night a bright light in the world went out when our dear friend Mike Hryshkanych went home to be with the Lord after battling pancreatic cancer.  We were joyed for his pain to be finished and his spirit to be with Jesus, but also heartbroken by the loss of such a great man on this planet. 

From before I was born up until two years ago, Mike served as the camp director of Lake Lundgren Bible Camp in Pembine, Wisconsin along with his wife Ruth.  Together, they ministered to thousands of children and adults by sharing the gospel, selflessly serving, faithfully praying and loving without conditions.  The impact that they have made in this world is matched by few others, including that of my own life.

As a young child, I grew up in a Catholic family.  We were baptized as babies, went to church every weekend, participated in all of the Wednesday Catechism classes, studied for and completed our first communions and more, but throughout it all I had no idea what it meant to have a relationship with Jesus Christ.  I thought as long as I was a good person (which basically meant I was nice most of the time, didn't hurt anyone and didn't steal), I would go to heaven after I died.

In the early 80's my brother was invited by our neighbor's daughter to attend a week at Lake Lundgren for the first time and our family was changed forever.  He loved his week at camp, and a few years later when I was old enough to attend I headed out for my own first week.  There, I enjoyed playing at the Lake, singing all of the new camp songs that I learned (which I continued to sing all the time at home afterward) and learning about Jesus and what it means to have a relationship with Him. Near the end of the week, I can remember sitting on the swing down by the lake with my counselor Janet Kipp and good friend Bethany who had joined me for the week, when Janet asked me if I would like to have my own personal relationship with Jesus.  I did, and together we prayed and I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior, thanking him for dying on the cross and raising again so that I can spend eternity with Him in heaven.  At the end of that week, I went home a changed person as my relationship with Jesus truly began.

In the years that followed, my brother (who had also given his life to Christ) and I continued to go to camp every summer.  Every year we couldn't wait until it was our week to go and often I would even attempt to pack months in advance prior to being reminded by my mother that I would need those clothes before it was time to go.  Lake Lundgren became my favorite place in the world, and it still is.  The sights, sounds, smells and presence of God are like nothing I have experienced any place else and without Mike and Ruth I do not believe camp would have been the place that it was then and is today.  They filled that place with love, devoted all of their waking hours to it and made sure that every camper that they came in contact with knew that they were loved by them and Jesus.

Some friends and I ready for the night game at LLBC during our teenage camper years.

Morning sun over Lake Lundgren.

Sunlight through the LLBC pines.

The cross up on LLBC's Big Rock.

While the years went by, my brother and I also began attending Awana at the Evangelical Free Church in town, where we continued to grow in our faith.  By the time I reached late elementary school, my parents had recognized the difference in our lives as our relationships with Jesus grew and decided that our family would give the "other church" a try instead of the Catholic church in town that my entire mother's family had attended for decades.  In a short time that new church became our home and the place we spent a large part of our week.  I also quickly realized that it was the home church of some "celebrities".  The Hryshkanych family (Mike, Ruth and their two children Jason (who was my age) and his sister Sarah) also attended my new church.  I did not know them well, but I knew that they were very important to camp and thereby very important to me.

My family continued to grow in faith at CEFC and we continued to grow in our relationships with those that attended there.  Since before I could talk I have loved to sing and my passion for singing and praising the Lord grew as I did.  I began singing special music at my church and sharing my love for singing with my love for the Lord, and I was continually being encouraged by those in the church.    One of those people was Mike.  I will never forget a Sunday in my teenage years when after the service in which I had shared a song, Mike pulled me aside.  Like so many times before in my life Mike told me that it was a beautiful song and thanked me for sharing it, but then he said, "Tracy, that was great, but do you know what would have made it even better?"  With the immense respect that I had for this man who for years I had witnessed loving on others, faithfully serving at camp, fathering his children and cherishing his wife I hung on his every word and eagerly responded, "no. what?"  Mike continued to tell me that the next time when I sing I should share some words before the song to explain what the song means to me and help others to understand it and appreciate it.  Then, they will be ready to praise with me and the song will be even more than something pleasing to the ears.  I never forgot that moment or the feeling of his hand on my shoulder as he pulled me aside.  He had a way of speaking to you that made you feel like you were of utmost importance and loved.  From that day forward, despite my disdain for public speaking (yes I will sing in front of a huge crowd but make me talk in front of a select few and I will break out in hives) I always strived to share a few words before sharing a song to help others move beyond the music in their ears and dig deeper into the words and meaning of the song.

From there, life continued.  I adopted my life verse: Psalm 104:33, "I will sing to the LORD all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live."  I continued sing.  I continued to grow in my faith.  I continued to go to camp every summer from that first time through high school also attending four weeks of LDC (Leadership Development Training) and when it was time to graduate, I continued attending my favorite place on earth by becoming a camp counselor for the summers of 1998, 1999 and 2000 and getting baptized right there in the lake in August of 1998.  

Me with one of my cabins of girls.

Me as the week's worship leader directing a fun camp song around the camp fire.

My brother and I after getting baptized in Lake Lundgren.

In the fall of 2000, I became a Wolverine and moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan and on my first day of classes in the Architecture program I met a boy with blond tips and a cocky way about him that irritated me to no end. We were assigned in Studio F together where we spent countless hours together as I tried my best to ignore him despite his attempts to get my attention.  By the end of the semester, he had become tolerable and he and his friend Kevin were determined to get me to hang out with them.  They told me to name any place/activity and we would do it.  Thinking I might get them to change their minds, I chose Chuck E. Cheese.  I was wrong and instead, the three of us along with our other studio mate (and my friend Jessica) headed there for a night of kiddie gaming and terrible pizza.  I was not sure how that night would go, but we all had a lot of fun and as the night went on my perspective on the blond-tipped boy changed.

The Blond-Tipped Boy & Kevin

The next semester, that boy and I became friends and got to know each other better.  When it came time for Spring Break he asked me if I had any plans and I didn't (other than visiting my parents for the week).  He then told me and he and some friends (one of which was a mutual friend from school) were going to Florida for the week and asked if I wanted to join them.  To this day, I am not sure why I said yes, but I did and the rest is history.  I went down to Florida with no plans other than to get a tan and catch up on my John Grisham and ended up falling hard for that blond-tipped boy, who I later learned was what he was hoping for all along.  When we came home from our vacation, I agreed to go out on our first actual date with him and he took me to Stucchi's (out for ice cream).  We had a great night together and were almost inseparable since, but after a couple of weeks went by the nagging feeling that I was having pushed me to put things to a halt.  Throughout my life growing up in the church, attending camp and youth group, I had learned something...a Christian was not supposed to be unequally yoked.  I began to ask Eric (the blond-tipped boy if you haven't already figured that out) questions about his faith and beliefs and quickly realized we were not entirely on the same page.  We had lots of long discussions and disagreements and in the end, during a very uncomfortable conversation at Max & Erma's we decided to break it off.  I was terribly sad and even called my ex-boyfriend and long-time friend to talk about it with me (who I'll give him credit that he was very patient and understanding), but I knew what the bible said and didn't know how I could continue the relationship.  As time continued, we tried to go back to just being friends (while seeing each other for hours on end every day in the architecture building), but we just couldn't do it and despite what I know the bible says about being unequally yoked we continued our relationship.  I can't say I am proud of this, but I can honestly say that there was a very deep feeling in me that told me this relationship was like no other and that I would regret it forever if I did not seek it out.  Now, I don't know if that feeling was from God, but I do know even if it was I disobeyed His Word which was wrong.  For some reason though He still blessed our relationship and we quickly fell in love and after a few months of dating and me sharing my faith with Eric he asked me how he could ask Jesus into his heart and on that summer day in my apartment we prayed together and he asked Jesus to be the Lord of his life. 

The crew on Spring Break in Florida

Eric and I in the first few weeks of our relationship.

With that hurdle taken down our relationship sprang forward.  I took him home to see where I grew up at the end of that summer and even took him out to Lake Lundgren to show him my favorite place in the world.  By the time the fall semester began we knew we would be together forever.  Nine months after we started dating, Eric proposed to me on New Year's Eve and eight months after that we were married.  

Eric and I on Big Rock at during his introduction to Lake Lundgren.

Life continued.  Eric continued to grow in his relationship with Christ and in 2007 we found a church that we liked after one year of living in Kenosha.  We quickly became very involved in the church and considered membership but membership required that Eric be baptized and he was not quite ready for that yet.  A few years later, however, we spent a long (amazing) weekend at camp for a staff reunion and Eric began to feel a tugging on his heart to be baptized.  When it seemed the weekend was over he found out that our friend DH was going to be baptized in the lake and Eric wanted in.  The wonderful weekend praising Jesus and catching up with old friends culminated by witnessing the love of my life proclaim his love for Jesus in front of everyone as he was baptized in Lake Lundgren by camp director Mike Hryshkanych himself...another moment in life that I will never forget.

Me leading the camp fire sing at the staff reunion.

Eric & I back on Big Rock 9 years later.

Eric being baptized by Mike H. in Lake Lundgren.

So as you can tell, Mike meant a lot to me and countless others.  As I said, on Tuesday of this week he went home to be with the Lord and the world felt a little bit darker.  I spent the entire week thinking about the man that I knew, the life that he lived and the legacy that he left behind while continuing my own legacy and caring for my family.  (Click Here to learn more of Mike's life in his obituary).

Asher & Avery on Tuesday morning reading together.  I couldn't help but pray that they will always be the best of friends in this moment.

Asher on Tuesday morning, excited to show off his new coat since he grew out of the old one.  I keep telling him to stop growing up, but he just won't listen to me!  ;)

Wednesday Morning.  Love this little face.

Wednesday morning science fun together.

Wednesday afternoon...a new Light Pegs dinosaur.

Wednesday Night: My little guys happily show of their new suits from Grandma & Papa!

Video: Ooooo!! Lovin' the New Suits!

On Thursday, I went in to work for the first time since learning of Mike's passing and cried the whole way there as I thought of the world without him.  That morning I had seen that Mike's daughter had posted the song Great Are you Lord by One Sonic Society on Facebook and when I arrived at work I decided that I would post on Klove's morning show Facebook site to see if they would play it, knowing that there were likely others around the world listening to Klove that morning and missing Mike.  I posted on their site as I waited for my computer to turn on and when I was finished I turned on Klove to listen.  As I did, I realized that as I was posting my request, that exact song was already playing.  I don't know if they ever did anything regarding my actual request but I knew that God was there nonetheless.

Friday: Asher paints a picture while dreaming of warm vacations at Daycare.

Friday Night: We tried out the new Mod Pizza and Asher happily made his own pizza covered in pepperoni and black olives!

I tried the "Tyler" (A Hawaiian style pizza)

Avery & I enjoying our pizza together.

After continuing through the rest of the work week, on Saturday it was time to head home to celebrate Mike's life and give some love to his family.  That morning, we packed up and headed to the UP where we played the rest of the day with my parents and my brother's family.

Avery enjoying a donut before we left on Saturday morning.  It was a football donut and he ate it like a piece of watermelon...Hence the line of mess across his face!

Mom and Avery sledding down the hill.

Avery and Gabriel getting a ride around the yard from Aaron.

All of the boys enjoying Grandma & Papa's hilly yard.

Grandma & Gabriel

Avery & Daddy

Caleb & Asher working together.

Micah

Hudson & Aaron

Asher & Caleb beating up on Grandma...or maybe the other way around!  :P

Mischief!

Micah, Asher & Caleb being pulled behind the gator.

(2) Videos: Gator Ride!

Gabriel enjoying some fun in the kitchen sink.

Leave it to Grandma to make chocolate chip cookies with 5 little boys right before bed!

On Sunday we went to church in the morning and then in the afternoon we headed back to church for Mike's visitation and funeral.  As far as funerals go, it was amazing.  It was a wonderful time of praise, celebration, sharing of memories and reflection on both Mike's life and my own.  It was filled with smiles and tears and I wouldn't have had it any other way.  I already knew that Mike had a very large impact on others' lives, but as I listened to the stories of his life and watched my hometown church fill with people that loved him and wanted to pay their respects my understanding of his legacy continued to grow along with my desire to enhance my own.  The song Legacy by Nichole Nordeman kept flowing through my mind and I knew then that the world would only grow darker with Mike's death if we let it.  Mike's life showed brightly with the love and light of Jesus Christ and with him no longer here, it was our job to pick up the slack.  It is our job to do the work of Christ that we have been called to do, just as Mike did so faithfully, prayerfully and lovingly.  It is our job to #belikemike and thereby Be Like Christ.

I sat in my seat and tried to soak everything in, recognizing that even in his death his life continues to make an impact.  At the end of the service, the LLBC Youth Ministries Director went on stage with Mike's guitar to finish things off with a camp song as requested by Ruth, and he invited the camp "kids" in the congregation to join him.  The stage quickly filled up with several ex-Lake Lundgren campers and staff that grew up singing the song Walkin' (myself included) and together we led the rest of the church in words and actions to close out a service that I can only believe Mike was smiling and singing along as he stood looking on from heaven, praising our Risen Lord.  I couldn't have imagined a more perfect way to end the service and it just so happened that that very song was one of the songs that I learned my very first week at camp and came home singing again and again until a year had gone by and it was time for another week at camp!

If you would like to see the service for Mike, click Here.

Video: Walkin'

In closing, here is the song that Mike and Ruth picked to share at his funeral.  A song picked by an amazing couple and a man that showed us not only how to live, but also how to die.

Legacy performed by Nichole Nordeman and written by James Newton Howard

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me

And I enjoy an accolade like the rest

And you could take my picture and hang it in a gallery

Of all the who's-who's and so-and-so's

That used to be the best at such and such,

It wouldn't matter much.

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights,

We all need an 'Atta boy' or 'Atta girl'

But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides

The temporary trappings of this world.

I want to leave a legacy,

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love? 

Did I point to you enough?

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace 

Who blessed your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy.

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile

To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy

It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile

Where moth and rust, thieves and such

Will soon enough destroy.

I want to leave a legacy,

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love? 

Did I point to you enough?

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace 

Who blessed your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy.

Not well-traveled, not well-read

Not well-to-do, or well-bred.

Just want to hear instead,

Well done, good and faithful one';

I want to leave a legacy,

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love? 

Did I point to you enough?

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace 

Who blessed your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy.

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me.