BY JOSHUA HARRIS

 revor Massely walks quietly across his front yard. It’s 6a.m. on an overcast Wednesday morning. It’s his turn to milk the cows. “I love working with the animals. I feel fortunate to live on this 500-acre farm with the rest of my dear family,” he says. His tennis shoes are wet from the dew-drenched grass. He swings the barn doors open and steps inside, pausing to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. Even this early in the morning, he’s alert and energetic. “You think 6a.m. is early?” he asks me in a disbelieving tone. “I’ve been up for three hours already!” Trevor always rises at 3a.m. to study his Bible and practice his violin. “If I don’t practice my violin for at least 3 hours every day, I don’t feel complete,” he admits.

Trevor has understood for some time that to achieve his goals he has to be responsible and push himself every second. “My time milking the cows is the perfect time for Bible memoriza­tion,” he says. “I’ve been able to mem­orize Genesis and Exodus just this last week.”

After feeding the goats, chickens, llamas, geese, and cows, we head back to the Massely house. His mother, who’s been up since 2a.m. preparing the the day’s lessons, greets us at the door with fresh-baked bread and homemade apple cider. “My mom’s the greatest,” he says proudly. “I don’t know where I would be if she hadn’t decide to home school me.”

At the kitchen table six of Trevor’s twenty-one brothers and sisters sit qui­etly reading their lesson assignments.

    Although some people make snide remarks about the family’s big size, Trevor has nothing but love for his family of twenty-two. “You know, I see these families of twelve kids, and I think to myself, ‘That must be so lone­ly.” I just can’t imagine having a small family like that.” But having such a large family is not without inconvenience. The Massely family, who were featured in the Teaching Home Magazine, had to appear on the cover of two issues to get the whole family on.

But the large class size has not kept the Massely home school from being efficient. “I got my Ph.D. when I was seven,” says Trevor, “but that’s only because I was held back a year in kindergarten.”

Trevor’s example is so inspiring to other home schoolers that he’s begun to speak at home-school fairs on such inspiring topics as “Home Schooling is Grand” and “My, I am Proud to be Home Schooled.” Right now he’s working on his first book which will be entitled I Love Housework. “I felt someone needed to take a stand and say, ‘Cleaning, mopping, dusting and vacuuming can be a joy!” Trevor states emphatically. “More people, especially teens, need to hear this,” he adds.

For Trevor, taking a radical stand is nothing new. While most of his home-school friends believe in courtship instead of dating, Trevor has taken the next step into what he calls “hard core betrothal.” Trevor explains, “I wanted my parents to pick my wife, but then I realized, ‘My par­ents’ parents are even wiser than they are, so why not have them pick my wife.” Trevor’~ decision to commit to hard core betrothal has not met with enthusi­asm from very many people. “Most girls are scared off by my grandmother or grandfather calling and asking if they’ll marry their grand­son, but I know the right girl will show up,” he says.

But now Trevor’s main concern is finishing his book, memorizing the rest of the Old Testament, and possi­bly picking up an additional doctor­ate. “I don’t know how I could possi­bly be happier,” he says with a sigh. “Life is grand, isn’t it?”

QUICK STATS

NAME:           Trevor Wesley Massely

B-DAY: April 1st, 1979

FAV. BIBLE VERSE: All of them

FAV. BOOK: All of them

LAST BOOK READ: All of them

FAMILY: Space does not permit...

FAVORITE THINGS: Playing the violin, milking, mopping & dusting, baby sit­ting, and instructing others on how to live their lives better.