Travis grew up in Moline and started working in Christian camping at Camp Anchor Point in Hopkins. From 2000-2002, he served at Camp Michawana during the summers and year-round after school and on the weekends. He remembers sharing the Gospel with a camper outside the RV Chapel on Birthday Night, thinking to himself “this is what I want to do for life!”

He met his wife Jen at Michawana, where she was lifeguarding for a rental group while he was flipping pancakes for Deb in the kitchen. Travis and Jen both ended up joining the Marines and got married soon after, starting their new life together at Quantico, VA. They soon welcomed three kids, Tim (now 18), Jack (15), and Hannah (13 next week).

Travis and Jen wrapped up their time with the Marines and Travis finished his studies (undergrad in Business, then Master of Divinity), and they felt the time was right to follow their dream of returning to Christian camping. They served for two years at Windermere Baptist Conference Center in Missouri, before serving at Michindoh Conference Center in Hillsdale, MI, where they have been serving and raising their kids for the last 11 years.

Travis shared his thoughts about coming back to Michawana, “I sat through a Michawana chapel service recently. I watched engaging staff act out a Bible story. I heard almost 200 excited campers reciting scripture to a catchy ‘sword jam’. I listened to a message about God’s love expressed toward us through Jesus and saw that message reinforced in the way counselors engaged their campers. I quickly understood the same Michawana I fell in love with 20 years ago, a place where Christ is First and God’s Word is faithfully planted into the life of each camper, was the still the Michawana of today. And it’s still where I want to be!”