There was one event from 2002 that I excluded from the last chapter because it needed a section all of its own. That event was known as the Summer School of Truth. Each year, the church we met with in Dunn Loring, VA would host a four day bible camp for kids all across the Washington DC area. I hadn't heard about it beforehand because I wasn't old enough to go, but this year I was of proper age and Wesley's family invited me to attend. Now this meant being in another state and away from my parents for longer than a day. Normally, my anxiety would throw a hissy fit and prevent me from going. But since I was going to be staying at Wesley's house the whole time, my anxiety backed off just enough to allow me to go. I'm so glad I was able to do that because missing out on that would've been easily one of my life's regrets.
Now if you recall, Wesley's house was a little over 1.5 hours from mine. So how was I going to get there? My dad drove me. We reached Wesley's house and he stayed just long enough to talk with Wesley's dad for a bit before saying goodbye and then driving straight back to Pennsylvania. As a kid I didn't realize what a big deal that was, but many years later I sure did. It was also a bigger deal because I would be away from home for more than a few days. And I had know way of knowing when and how my anxiety would strike, but I knew the Bishops and to be able to do something like this was a big deal for me.
I wasn't the only one staying at Wesley's house that week. Aside from him, his parents, and three siblings, there was a gentleman who was going through a bit of a rough patch and was living with them for the time being. There were also 4-5 other people all slightly older than I. To say it was a full house was a bit of an understatement.
The week had a daily routine with some variance to it. There would be a morning meeting with everyone together for some singing and a short message. Between then and lunch we would break into small groups. Lunch followed and then an afternoon activity (these were my favorite). After the activity another break-out group followed by a break. Then came dinner and to finish the day off, a final evening meeting.
There is something I forgot to mention. The summer school of truth ran for two weeks. I was joining during the second week. That meant everyone had a chance to meet each other and gel a bit. I did have my cast of familiar DC area faces in Andrew, Rebecca, Asher, and Morgan, but there were a over 100 kids there. I did have the disconcerting thought that I was going to be a bit of an outsider while riding Wesley's coattails. That thought was crushed in less than 24 hours from when my brain gave birth to it.
My plan was to stick with Wesley as much as possible. In doing so I found Wesley bantering with a young man slightly older than us. He had curly blonde hair, had a big smile, and a big voice. His name was Michael. I joined in the conversation to find that the two of them loved to engage in random battles of wits, which was what they were doing when I interrupted. Michael's personality rubbed off on me pretty quick and I had made my first new friend.
They planned the first day back to be fun and relaxing. We were all split into multiple groups with chaperones. One of our chaperones was someone I mentioned in the Camp Wabanna chapter, but I didn't really say enough about him then. This man was Solomon Reed. I was really happy to see his large smile and willingness to serve youth for two weeks. As a young child and into my teenage years, this man made an impression on me. He was always happy to see me. He listened intently to my babbling, would take interest in things I was interested in, and would playfully jest at me now and then. And he was part of the group that took us bowling.
If my memory serves me well, that was the first time I had been bowling ever. Wesley, Michael, Michael's brother, and I all had a lane. Non of us were very good and I don't know if I ever broke 100, but we sure went nuts when anyone of us hit a strike. After a couple rounds, we had some time left and the chaperones gave us each a little change to play an arcade game or two. I chose Crusin' USA because it was an N64 game I had known well. This one was a stand up version with a steering wheel and gas pedal, but no seat. Solomon and another chaperone came over to watch. They took turns taking jabs at my crazy driving. Then at one point, I mashed the gas pedal and the screen glitched out. "What happened?" the other guy asked. "He's driving through a snowstorm now," Solomon quipped. I kept hitting the gas pedal and turning the wheel hoping the game would un-glitch, but it never did. "Uh-oh we lost him", Solomon laughed. I chuckled, shook my head, and had to leave the game to its glitch.
That afternoon had more surprises involved as all the guys were invited over to Wesley's house for a cookout and pool party. I've spoken highly of the Bishop's hospitality before, but this was a moment that made me appreciate them all the more. Not only were they hosting a houseful of people, but they welcomed 40+ rowdy teenagers into their home. It didn't dawn on me then, but that is an insane thing to do. I recall crazy flips into the pool, big beach ball battles, chicken fights, and not getting yelled at once for any of it. If a boy did go to far, Brian would get everyone's attention and say something along the lines of "While we all thought what [boy's name] did was cool, if he would've landed the other way, we may have needed an ambulance. Try doing it this way next time." The way he handled situations like that was noteworthy.
Day 1 wrapped up and it was back to business for day 2. My bouts of anxiety were nowhere to be found as I kept meeting people, enjoyed the large group meetings, and was having a blast. Meal times were great because they allowed us to unwind from the schedule. We told jokes, learned strange and interesting things about each other, and at times created playful mischief. One night during dinner, Wesley was being a bit of a butthead. To get back at him, one of the boys we were joking with stuck a small apple chunk in his slice of cheesecake. Wesley glared at him like he had committed a royal sin. Wesley decided to keep his nonsense up and so the boy stuck a pretzel piece in the cheesecake. Then another boy slide a carrot through the dead center. I decided to get in on the fun and when Wesley wasn't looking, I pressed a piece of fruit into it. He caught me last second and started erupting. He called a serving one over and started ranting. "Look what they did to my cheesecake! They murdered it! They should be punished for these crimes! My cheesecake is destroyed!" The serving one examined the fruity slice, looked at each one of us and then said "Mmm looks tasty!" Wesley went ballistic. The rest of us at the table were laughing so hard we couldn't breath. Realizing the situation was hopeless, Wesley threatened revenge while disposing of his ruined dessert.
The singing times were some of my favorite moments. Because I came from a small town, I didn't often experience singing contemporary Christian songs with large groups my age. But when 100+ voices came together, I felt alive. One particular song stood out to me during that week and it was written by a man named Howard Higashi. The song was titled What Made You Lord To Die For Me. It tells the story of someone who was an enemy of Christ, but Christ's love overcame that and saved the man. Really enjoyable.
While the schedule stayed mostly the same the rest of the week, there were some variances here and there. Like a field day at a local park. I remember playing hard, getting sweaty, and getting a kick out of the serving ones playing as well. The rest of the week went pretty smoothly. My anxiety didn't attack once, I met more fun people, and being able to hang out with Wesley, Andrew, and the rest of the DC area crew for more than just a weekend was a treat.
The last night came quicker than expected. I blinked and the week was over. As a closing for the week, we had the privilege of watching a brand new documentary that was not yet shown anywhere else. It was a documentary on Howard Higashi. As we were gathering to watch it, I had noticed the man who had driven us from the Bishop's house to the meeting hall had left. My brain scrambled wondering how I was going to get home. The anxiety that I had managed to keep at bay came creeping in. I wandered through the crowd of people and up to Wesley who was in the front row. I asked him for his dad's phone number and he gave it to me hastily. I tried to memorize it but missed a few numbers so I came back and bugged him again. He wasn't thrilled. He rattled off the numbers in a hasty tone again and this time I got them. I made my way into the service office where I knew a landline existed. I picked up the phone with my shaking hands and dialed the Bishop's house. Five rings. No answer. Hung up and tried again. No answer. The anxiety pounced. I broke down fearing I was going to be stranded or forgotten about. As I was a blubbering mess, Solomon suddenly appeared. He must've heard my sobs and came to see what the matter was. I explained the situation through slurred words and tears. That man, in the calmest tone, told me not to worry, I had been great all week, and they would make sure I got back to the Bishop's that night. If there was a golden standard for human beings, Solomon fit that bill.
I left the service office and stopped into the restroom to clear my face. I then rejoined my friends and enjoyed the rest of my evening. Then as the night was ending and people were headed home, there through the door came Brian Bishop. But he wasn't alone. With him came both my mom and my dad. I had no idea they were driving up and staying the night. Seeing them made me feel dumb for letting my fears get the best of me, but also brought a sense of peace. I ran over and began to ramble about my week. As I did, I noticed a big smile from Solomon. Everything was alright.
And so ended my week in the summer school of truth. I learned some things about myself, met many swell folks, and even had some growing experiences. As early as a year before, I would've never agreed to do something like this. I had come along way, but still had a long way to go. And in the year to come, my will would be tested. But for now, I had a week to remember for a lifetime.
