Dear Friends,
I wanted to let you know about what our MKs are up to here at Kudjip. As part of our school curriculum, the kids take a Bible class. This year, we decided the "class" would be teen Bible Quizzing. The first semester of school, we treated our quizzing more like a Bible study than a competitive activity. None of our teens here have ever participated in Bible Quizzing before so it is a brand new experience for them.
After Christmas, we had a meeting to discuss our quizzing and what the kids would like to do with it. The kids voted unanimously that they would like to travel to the global quiz tournament taking place at Olivet Nazarene University in Illinois this July.
Going to a competition of that level means a lot of things have to happen. First, the amount of effort the kids were putting into quizzing had to increase. Second, we needed to teach these kids how to compete in quizzing. And third, plans would have to be made to go back to the United States this summer.
The material for this year's quiz is Hebrews and 1 & 2 Peter. Once it was decided that the kids would be going, the effort they were putting into quizzing sky rocketed. They moved from a half-hearted effort to spending nearly every free moment studying. Two of our teens already have all of Hebrews memorized word for word and that is just since the beginning of January!
We have 2 coaches for the kids. As a former quizzer and quiz official, I am acting sort of as the "jump coach" for the kids helping they understand the logistics of quizzing competition. Dr. Bill McCoy is a veteran quiz coach and he handles the content side of things. The kids have official practices for an hour every Monday, Thursday, and Sunday. Dr. Bill also holds "flash practices" at 6:30 AM multiple times a week.
In order to work on our second objective (teaching them how to compete), I hold a 1 hour jump practice on Thursdays during school hours where I teach them how to jump, when to jump, and other logistics of quizzing. We also have been holding mock quizzes for the team against some adult missionaries who have been studying as well. It will be quite interesting to take this group of quizzers, who have never been to an official quiz, to compete against the best teams in the world.
The third point to work on is the transportation to and from the quiz. The team is planning to fly to Ohio a week before the quiz, and then travel to Illinois to quiz before they go separate ways to see their families or fly back to PNG. Unfortunately, the logistics of this trip are quite complicated and expensive.
If you would like to see pictures of our quizzers in action or if you would like to get involved with our quizzing ministry, please visit Dr. Erin Meier's blog: http://erininpng.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/quizzers-need-your-help.html.
This will be a wonderful experience for all our teens and they are preparing videos to share with and minister to churches they will visit while they are home. My experience as a quizzer tells me that the quiz itself will be a life changing experience and make a great impact on their lives.
Please pray for them as they continue to study God's word and prepare for this quiz. Also pray for them that the stuff they are learning will make a difference in their lives and the lives of those around them. Finally, if you feel God leading you to be more involved, please visit the link above and learn more about this ministry.
God bless you all on this Valentine's Day!
Stephen Hollenberg
