Sociably Surviving: junior bible quizzing

I haven't written in a while… when you throw kid #4 into the mix and new jobs, things get set aside.

But today I felt the urge to write. So here goes.

We've reached the end of the JBQ Quiz Season this year. This has been a difficult year as far as quizzing goes, because all 3 of my older kids were quizzing. While my husband worked almost full time out of town. It left a lot on my plate.

EE picked things up naturally. She's extremely shy and quiet, but fiercely competitive. It is quite the combination.

SJ did it this year so EE would have a beginner team to compete with, she didn't want to go up to juniors just yet.

SB on the other hand… She's a unique soul, not competitive, but wants to do her best. She actually does better in a smaller setting than a larger one, but that's an article for another day.

This weekend was the State Finals. Both teams qualified to compete at the National Tournament this summer. I'm very proud of the hard work they've done the last 9 months, only 1 left!

At the end of the tournament, each year the team goes out to lunch. It was pouring down rain, and I had kids and diaper bags in my hand. I'm 99.9% sure I locked my car, but since the viper keyless entry doesn't beep, without going back and checking, I had to trust that it worked.

We enjoyed a decent meal at Macaroni Grille. Not the best, but I tried to keep costs low, knowing I've got a trip to Nationals to save up for in a month.During the meal, I started to feel like it was time to go. I didn't want to be rude - the food wasn't even there yet - and the kids were having fun. Part of me now realized I probably should have just gone. Because 30 or so minutes later, when we left, I found that my car had been broken into, and my stereo was stollen.

It had been a Christmas gift from my husband, and inside was a CD that belonged to my girls. I was thankful for my husband's cousins' being there to help me; this was the last thing I would have thought to have happened. I mean, it was POURING BUCKETS!

EE took it really hard. None of our personal belongings were taken, even my computer was left alone (PRAISE GOD!!!!!). But she felt so violated, and found herself not trusting anyone or anything.

Our cousin and BQ coach prayed with her before we left the restaurant parking lot. As we were driving to see daddy at work, I asked them to think of verses they'd learned that would fit this situation: to help calm the fear, the actions of the person who committed the crime, how we should move on… I was proud. Here are the verses they gave me, and their explanations:

Proverbs 13:11 - Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Kids - Vanity is being selfish, and stealing is selfish, and so they will be punished.

Proverbs 18:10 - The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Kids - we don't have to be afraid, Jesus is taking care of us. But we still have to be smart and careful with important things. Family is the most important!

Proverbs 10:1 - The proverbs of Solomon. A wise son maketh a glad father: but a foolish son is the heaviness of his mother. Kids - I bet this guys mom is really disappointed that he does stuff like this.

But my favorite:
Proverbs 1:7 -The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Kids - They were probably told it's wrong to steal, so they're being naughty and not listening to what they were taught when they were kids. Unless they were taught it's ok to steal, which is bad. They should go to church and meet Jesus.

I'm so mad at myself. I should have gone back to check, or left when I got the feeling like it was time to go. I try to do everything myself, and it's hard when you've got 4 kids, things fall through the cracks. My family's safety shouldn't be one of them.

But I KNOW I hit the button. It never beeps when it locks, which is a feature I don't like. And in the rain, I thought I did see the front lights flash. It doesn't look like a slim-jim was used, but with all the rain, maybe evidence washed away?

I know that God had His hand over my family today. It may seem silly, but even out of this awful and violating experience, life lessons were learned, teaching moments happened, and my kids saw me turn to God instead of freaking out.

After 9 months, countless hours of study time, 9 state and regional tournaments, and finally JBQ Nationals, the Junior Bible Quiz (beginner division) season is over.

My Bella Samantha, who only just turned 8, accomplished more this year than many thought she could. Did she win a lot of individual trophies - no. Did that disappoint her - yes.

But she's taking away so much more than a few pieces of hardware from this season:

First, she memorized 191 verses, 13 chapters of Psalms. How many kid, let alone adults, can say that?

Probably the most important thing that came out of it all: in February, she was filled with the Spirit of God, and in March Baptized in His Name!

I could stop listing right now, and that would be enough for me.

This year, she made new friends. To many, she may seem outgoing, but she's really quite shy. It was nice to see her making friends at the National competition, knowing they'd probably compete against each other. And when it was done, they hugged and said "See you next year".

I watched her confidence grow this year. Not to say that she still didn't get shaken and made mistakes, but she's learning to just move past it.

We watcher her handle loss like a champ. Whether a horrible landslide defeat or a tight match, she made me so proud to watch her walk away with a smile and be thankful for the questions she did answer, or learn from the ones she got wrong.

We saw her become a much better student, understanding concepts quicker than before. Even testing into a 5th grade level in one area of study, while she's only in the 2nd grade.

I'm so thankful for the coaches, Gary, Rachel and Naomi, for teaching and encouraging her. To her teammates Ashlyn and LJ, the Junior Team Jadon and Caelyn and all the families: it's been a great season, and we were all truly blessed.

Only 3 months until next season starts, she already wants to get started studying. I told her to enjoy the rest of her summer! Next season Emmalee will be on her team, and new challenges will be faced. Emma is even more shy than Samantha, but boy is she a little spitfire...