On Saturday, August 15th I was scheduled to work at Chick Fil-A at 5:00 p.m. so I had the majority of the day to myself. I decided to go for a walk at a place I have not been to since 1983 at my brother's High School graduation. Smithtown High School West. Right next door to the high school is my Middle School (Accompsett). I took a few hours and went for a nice walk. I walked around the track a few times then the baseball field. I walked past the tennis courts where I used to play tennis and then walked around by the front doors. I then headed over to Accompsett Middle School and walked around that campus and then walked around the field then back to the Smithtown West track and to the tennis courts where I parked my car. So much has changed, especially around the fields. All the parking lots had metal coverings over them and, to my surprise the handball court was taken down. There were new scoreboards for soccer, baseball and softball and new signs on the buildings. A flood of memories filled my mind as I walked. Some good and some not so good. I thought about the great teachers I had and the fun I had playing in the school band. Walking around Accompsett I thought a lot about when I was asked to be in the Stage Band. I also thought about the times I was picked on by other kids because I was very quiet. I struggled in school and did my best in every class. When I went to high school I did have a lot of friends but I can't honestly say I had a best friend. My first two years I made a lot of friends at our church's youth group and also at Coffeehouse. Most of my friends were much older than I was. I will have to say that my Senior year there I felt like a fish out of water. I really felt alone! I could not wait to start Bible College and I counted the days until graduation and my first day as a student at Northeastern Bible College. As a senior, I decided I had to make the most of it so I filled my schedule with loads of classes. I took a class on how to operate a ham radio and a class on how a radio station operates. I also took a class on flying (obviously an airplane). I'm sure I shocked a lot of people when I announced that I wanted to go into full time ministry. You see I was quiet...VERY QUIET! During my senior year I do need to confess one thing. I developed a burden for my fellow students. I was never the kind of guy who got mixed up with drinking on the weekends or abusing drugs. I was always at church. Saturday nights I was at Coffeehouse and Sunday mornings and Sunday evenings I was at church. It always bothered me when I saw kids my age drinking, or coming into class "high as a kite" or just being "difficult." It was then I decided to do one thing. PRAY! I prayed for my fellow classmates and for the teachers. I walked through the halls on my way to class and prayed. When I was on the bus, I prayed for the rowdy kids in the back of the bus and prayed for them. I asked God to show himself the each student and teacher. It was just a simple prayer. Nothing fancy just a simple "God, let every student and teacher in this school discover how awesome you are!" I graduated in June 1982 and left for Bible College 2 months later.
I didn't think much about my prayers during my senior year. I never realized it was prayerwalking before prayerwalking was ever a "thing." I never knew how effective those prayers would become until years later. Being the children's pastor in the same town I went to high school in was a rarity for many pastors. One by one I started seeing people from my high school class and high school at my church. While in our auditorium I recognized a guy named John. I went over to him and asked if he attended Smithtown West and he said yes and also recognized me. We became very good friends. An answer to prayer! I remember at one of our Vacation Bible Schools there were two ladies talking. I looked at them and thought "Wow, they look so familiar" only to discover they were fellow classmates. Although I recognized them they did not recognize me even after looking at my yearbook picture the following day! Both ladies faithfully had their kids attend VBS and one of them made SGT their church home. Another answer to prayer! Through the years I met many others who attended my high school and all were walking with the Lord.
I am not saying that it was only because of my prayers that many came to church and came to know Jesus in a personal way. I am just so happy to know that a simple prayer I had said each day in the hallways of Smithtown West made an impact on many only because our God is an amazing God who wants to change lives! 😊
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