I am absolutely exhausted but totally proud and happy this morning.
I spent the weekend up at a youth camp for the final tournament of our Bible Quizzing for the Eastern Canada district, leading 17 kids from our church. And three of our kids (including my own two daughters) made the international team! I know this doesn't mean a lot to all of you because you don't know what I'm talking about (I'll try to post a video soon), but these girls have spent this entire year, since September, memorizing the book of John. And then they quiz in teams of four against two other teams at the same time to see who knows it best.
"Will I make it?" wonders Becca.
The officials get ready.
The coaches are nervous. (Do you like the socks I knit?)
Here we go!
My three girls getting ready for a question.
Rachel when she realizes she's in!
"I made it!"
It's great fun, but the best thing is that they get Scripture into their hearts so thoroughly.
It's very stressful when you spend a whole year preparing for something, and you want so much to make the team, but you know you may not. Do you hope for it? What if you're really disappointed afterwards?
The three girls were all struggling with this, but in the end, they came out in the top 5 (they only needed to make the top 10) and all is well! And some good friends made the team, too.
Last year I tagged along with the team and watched everything, but this year I'm actually going as a coach, which I find very exciting. What I'm really looking forward to is just getting to know each of the teens better and figuring out how to motivate them and how to help them and what makes them tick. I just love getting to know my kids' friends, and honestly, I find teens a lot of fun.
There's so much negative hype in the media about how difficult teens are, and how disrespectful, and how lazy, but that's not true for this group of teens (and I'm not sure it's true for teens as a whole, either). And it's so interesting to be a part of a kids' life and to start to see what God is molding them to be.
So for the next eight weeks I'll be up to my elbows in the book of John, and coaching 10 kids to learn it inside and out. And I'll be dealing with nerves and disappointments and teenage crushes and all that stuff that happens when you get kids together in a large group (at internationals there'll be about 150 kids). But it's going to be great!
I've always been one of those parents that's been super-involved in the things that my kids get involved in. I've never quite figured out parents who are content to let their kids do something intensely, but not really watch or care very much. I dive right in. I just like being part of their lives, and I like getting to know their friends. And on the whole, I think their friends like me, which is important. They like hanging out at our house. So it's going to be an amazing June and July!
How do you feel about today's teens? Do you like working with them?
That's so awesome! Congrats! We do quizzing at our church as well, but none of our quizzers have ever made it that far ;) We're a pretty small church, which many German immigrants, so often the English just isn't there totally, or they don't put in enough effort. I still think it's an amazing program though, and I can't wait til my kids are old enough to start! Until then, we're doing Awana.
I taught teens in the public schools for 9 years before my girls were born - and I ASKED for my initial assignment (with middle schoolers). I haven't been involved with teens much since my girls were born, but plan to jump in when they get into that age. I much prefer teens to groups of little kids, actually! And, of the teens with which I have worked in recent years, I've been very impressed.
Congrats to your group, especially your children. In addition to their accomplishments, they have something that will stick with them for life: The Word of God!
That is AWESOME news! Congrats to your girls for their hard work, and making the team. But even better is the GOOD NEWS about such wonderful teens. So different with what we constantly hear about.
About Me: I'm a Christian author of a bunch of books, and a frequent speaker to women's groups and marriage conferences. Best of all, I love homeschooling my daughters, Rebecca and Katie. And I love to knit. Preferably simultaneously.
Stumble It!
That's so awesome! Congrats! We do quizzing at our church as well, but none of our quizzers have ever made it that far ;) We're a pretty small church, which many German immigrants, so often the English just isn't there totally, or they don't put in enough effort. I still think it's an amazing program though, and I can't wait til my kids are old enough to start! Until then, we're doing Awana.