The Lena Pathfinders traveled to Washington, D.C., on April 10 to participate in the Pathfinder National Bible Challenge. The Pathfinders are a worldwide organization for youth grades 5 through 10 sponsored by the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
The purpose of the Pathfinder Bible Challenge is to promote and encourage in-depth Bible study and memorization, to increase understanding of scripture and to grow students in their relationship with Christ. Each year a new book of scripture is assigned; this year the book was 2nd Samuel.
Teams are composed of two to six Pathfinders. The Lena Pathfinders team consisted of six members and four alternates.
On Jan. 25, the Lena Pathfinders competed in Appleton with other Pathfinder teams from northeast Wisconsin to test their knowledge on a set of 90 questions drawn from 2nd Samuel.
They correctly answered a high enough percentage of the questions to qualify for the State Bible Challenge on Feb. 15 in Oxford. There they competed against 11 other teams and took home a first place.
The club advanced to the Lake Union Bible Challenge on March 22 in Berrien Springs, Mich. Competing against 17 other teams from Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois and Indiana, the Lena Pathfinders earned another first place and advanced to the National Bible Challenge.
At the National Bible Challenge, the Lena Pathfinders competed against 87 teams from the United States and southern England. The Lena Pathfinders received a second place.
Thanks to Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin, the Lena Pathfinders were able to tour the U.S. Capitol on April 11. That afternoon the group split up and explored the museum of their choice: the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of Natural History or the National Museum of American History.
With cherry blossoms at their peak, the Pathfinders and parents spent Sunday sightseeing outdoor memorials. They visited the Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, World War II Memorial, Washington Monument and the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial.
After looking at all the memorials, the group walked a few blocks to see the White House. The highlight of the trip for everyone was observing the changing of the guard at Arlington National Cemetery. Leaving Arlington National Cemetery the bus driver made an unexpected stop at the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Va.
The group left the beautiful cherry blossoms on April 14, only to return to a Wisconsin snowstorm.
Categories
