Bible Bee 2012 recap

So, as of November 17, Bible Bee 2012 is history. For me, it was a bittersweet year. On the one hand, I was glad to be able to make it to Nationals, yet knowing it was my last year as a competitor added a different twist.  However, through it all, God has been teaching me lessons about humility and trials.
So, what is the Bible Bee? The Bible Bee is a competition that is run by the Shelby Kennedy Foundation. Started in 2009, the competition was inspired by the life of Shelby Kennedy, a young woman who died at the age of 23 from cancer. She was known as an incredible Christian who loved serving others, and studying the word of God. Every year, people across the nation sign up to be Local Competition Hosts. Their responsibilities are to oversee a Local Bible Bee Competition, which is basically a preliminary for the National Competition. Typically beginning April 1st, contestants register for the National competition. Each contestant must be from 7-18 years of age at the time of the National Competition as well as a legal U.S. citizen.
For me, the Bible Bee season began back in the spring when we registered for the competition. Contestant registration began April 1st and continued to the end of May. On the first of June, the study materials were released. Each contestant was given twenty-five memory verse cards with passages that ranged in length from one to nine verses. Additionally, each contestant was given a study guide for the book of II Timothy, which was our study book for the summer.
All summer, I studied the verses and II Timothy. Studies for the verses included memorizing and reciting them, looking up the context of the chapter they were in, and, for the verses in the New Testament, looking up Old Testament quotations in the verses. As for the book, studies included reading the book as a whole, investigating the various people mentioned in the book as well as geographic locations, studying Greek words and cross references, learning about history over the time the book was likely written, and more.
Finally, August 25 arrived, and I went to my Local Competition in Hamburg, NY. After registering, we had a general assembly, from which we were dismissed to do our testing. First, we did our written test, which is a 200 question multiple-choice test to be completed in one hour. We were tested on how well we knew the book, general Bible knowledge, as well as questions pertaining to the verses we memorized. After that, we went to the chapel to wait for our Oral Test. When it was time for me to go, a runner came and escorted me to the testing room. Here, I was given ten minutes to recite up to twenty of the passages that I had learned over the summer. It was difficult in the sense that you did not want to go to slowly or you might run out of time; yet if you went too fast, the tendency to error was much higher. Thankfully, the Lord enabled me to pace myself with the help of a clock in the room, and I was able to recite my passages without too much trouble.

Me waiting for Locals to start.

After both tests were completed, the contestants and their families took a lunch break while the tests were scored. After lunch, we gathered for an awards ceremony, where each contestant in each division was recognized for participating in the local Bee. Also, the contestants in each division were ranked from 5th to 1st. First they called out the names from the Primary division, and then the Juniors. Finally, it was time for the Senior Division. Heart pounding, I waited while the names were called. First fifth, then fourth, and all the way down to second. Then, they announced that the first place winner was Thomas Youngman! The adrenaline and emotions that I was feeling at that time are almost impossible to describe! I did not really know how well I placed in comparison to the other Senior contestants, so it was a little unexpected! Praise the Lord!
After the Bible Bee was over, I received my score from my host. However, I did not know how I was ranked in relation to the other contestants nationally, as this information was not released until the following Wednesday. Finally, Wednesday rolled around. At a certain time, the scores and rankings from each of the contestants were released. I sat down at the computer, and found the rankings for the contestants. I began to scan my way down the contestants. Then, I saw "Dundee, NY"! Praise the Lord! I was thrilled! I have had the privilage to participate  the past two years, but it was still a joy to be able to qualify again. I was also happy to see that Hannah Messerschmidt and Hannah Leary, two of the other contestants from my local bee,  qualified as well.
Well, now that I was a National contestant, I had a LOT of work ahead! During the next months and days, I studied hard. Each Senior contestant was given an additional 600 memory verses, and the book of I Timothy to study, all in addition to the materials we received over the summer. By the grace of God, I made it through the weeks from Locals to Nationals. Along the way, I learned many interesting things from the word of God.
Early on the morning of November 14, Dad and I left for Sevierville, TN. Contestant registration was from 2-5pm, with a later registration for contestants who were delayed. After registration, we went to a photo booth and got our pictures taken. The evening was spent relaxing and settling in.
Thursday morning, the Senior contestants were scheduled to begin testing at 10:00. We were escorted into a large room where we took our written test. Like the Locals test, it was a 200 question multiple-choice test to be completed in one hour. Talk about challenging!We had about eighteen seconds to read the question, choose the answer, and fill it in on the bubble sheet. It was difficult, but I did my best, and left the rest up to the Lord.

Waiting for Orals!

After lunch, we assembled while we were waiting to be called for our Oral Testing rounds. Starting with the beginning of the alphabet, the contestants were called in groups and ushered to their testing booths. We were seated in alphabetical order by our last names, so I was the last of the contestants. After waiting for a bit, myself and the remaining contestants were escorted out of the room. Finally, Dad and I were escorted to a testing booth. My oral judge was a man that I had met before, so it was nice to have him as my judge. After a bit, we began the test. It was more challenging than I anticipated, so I had to recite quickly. However, the Lord helped me to get through them all, and I felt satisfied with how I did.
In the evening, we went to the opening ceremony and processional. All the contestants met in the room where we assembled for our Oral Rounds for the processional. The Senior division went first, then the Juniors, and then the Primaries. Each contestant went up onstage, where they were given a medal, and then had their picture taken. In addition, several of the contestants were honored by the AWANA program, and Professor Grant Horner from The Master's College spoke to the group. Also, Mr. James Kenniv organized a choir open for anyone interested in joining. The selections were arrangements of songs that were already written, or new songs that Mr. Kenniv had written. It was a wonderful experience, and very uplifting!

The seniors on their way to receive medals. I am in the middle.

Here is a shot of most of the Seniors.

Finally, they began to announce the Semi-finalists. My heart was racing, and the adrenaline was flowing! One after another, the names were called. Finally, they reached the last name. I listened in suspense, waiting for the name to be announced. It was not my name, which was a bit disappointing. However, my cousin Taylor qualified as a semi-finalist, as well as my friends Jimmy Waters, Ryan Sinni, and Nathan Tappendorf.

The semi-finalists! Taylor is second from right on the first row.

Now that I knew I was not a semi-finalist, the pressure was off, and I could relax. Friday, every division had their semi-final rounds, first the Primaries, then the Juniors, and then the Seniors. One at a time, each contestant advanced to the mic and was given a passage to recite. Any error eliminated the contestant from further participation. After all fifteen had recited, the second round of recitations began. Each division went thirteen or more rounds before they ended. It was an exciting day for Taylor, as we discovered that he was one of the five Primary finalists!

The Primary semi-finalists. Taylor is second from left on the front row.

Taylor competing on-stage.

The five Primary finalists: Forrest Yang, Olivia Davis, Andrew Berry, Taylor Bontrager, and Rebecca French.

The Junior Semi-finalists. The empty chair was for Everett Chew, who was reciting at the time of the picture.

The five Junior finalists: Phillip Anderson, Hannah del Toro, Rionna Flynn, Abigail Sutton, and Kyle Tappendorf.

The Senior semi-finalists with Roy Patterson speaking.

Ryan at the microphone.

Nathan Tappendorf speaking.

Jimmy Waters quoting.

The five Senior finalists: Lucy Alessio, Anna Floyd, Rachel Gosz, Sophie Haire, and Bethany Lee.

Saturday was Finals for all three divisions. Each of the contestants recited passage after passage. We listened to each passage quoted, and then waited for the moderator to announce whether the recitation was correct or incorrect. Emotions were high as the day progressed. There was sympathy felt for those who made errors, as well as joy for those who recited correctly.

Taylor on stage as a finalist.

The Primary finalists with Mark McMahan, CEO of the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, and Roger Patterson from Answers in Genesis. From left to right: Forest Yang, 5th place; Rebecca French, 4th place, Taylor Bontrager, 2nd place; Andrew Berry, 3rd place; and Olivia Davis, 1st place.

The Junior finalists with Mark McMahan and David Waller from Institute in Basic Life Principles. Shown left to right are Hannah del Toro, 5th place; Kyle Tappendorf, 4th place, Abigail Sutton, 3rd place, Phillip Anderson, 2nd place; and Rionna Flynn, 1st place.

After the Junior Finals, we went to a lunch event with Ray Comfort as our speaker.

The Senior finalists. From left to right: Lucy Alessio, 4th place, Anna Floyd, 2nd place; Rachel Gosz, 3rd place; Sophie Haire, 1st place; and Bethany Lee, 5th place.

After finals was ended, Dad and I attended an "Around the World Dinner," with buffets from America as well as several other countries. The food and fellowship were wonderful!
That evening, we attended the Celebration Ceremony. Here, we celebrated with the other families the wonderful time we had at Nationals, as well as recognized the staff of the Shelby Kennedy Foundation, and other volunteers that made the Bee possible. Also, the Chairman's Oratory Award (given to a contestant who recites God's word with meaning), the Host of the Year award, as well as an award given to a contestant or family that has overcome great difficulties and still managed to do well during the Bible Bee season. Also, Ray Comfort from Living Waters Ministries gave a provoking devotional about soul-winning.

On our way from the Celebration Ceremony to the Desert reception.

After the ceremony, we were ushered out to a desert reception following the Ceremony. Here, we fellowshipped with other families, ate desert, and just had a generally good time. Following this, I stayed up talking to other people, and being encouraged. As a whole, the competition was a fun, family-friendly atmosphere. All in all, the time and money spent at Nationals was WELL WORTH IT!
So, why would I encourage others to get involved? Perhaps you might think, "600 verses? There's no way I could ever memorize that much!" Perhaps you don't have hours and hours each day to spend memorizing and studying God's word. That's okay! Even if you spend as little as five or ten minutes a day in the word of God, that is five or ten minutes more of spiritual growth for you. As to memorizing huge amounts of scripture, it is an incredible way for God to demonstrate His power through you. II Chronicles 16:9a says, "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him." Folks, God is longing for a chance to demonstrate His power. He is looking throughout the whole earth for a chance to show Himself strong. The Bible Bee is a wonderful opportunity for Him to do that through your life.
Spiritually, God has done so much in my life the past three years, and I credit at least part of this to the time spent memorizing and studying God's word through the Bible Bee. The verses that I have memorized are always with me whenever I need them. Through the book study, I have come to have a deeper appreciation for the scriptures studied. Also, I believe that the competition has given me a deeper appreciation and love for God's word. It is so precious, and so powerful!
Additionally, I have met some wonderful people through the Bible Bee competition. These friends have encouraged me in my Christian walk, as well as given me a different perspective on the Christian life.
If you think that this is something you would like to do, or if you want more information, please go to http://www.biblebee.org/. Registration for hosting a Bible Bee is open right now, and is scheduled to close March 31st. Contestant registration typically runs from April 1st to May 31st. Doesn't work to be a contestant or host? Consider volunteering at a Local or National Bible Bee. Many volunteers are required to make the competition successful: runners, judges, scorers, etc. If you would rather make a monetary commitment, feel free to do so. Finally, if nothing else, please pray for the competition and the Shelby Kennedy Foundation staff. It takes a lot of work to plan and run a competition like the National Bible Bee.
I realize that this was a long blog post, but I trust you were encouraged by it. Thanks for stopping by, and God bless!