The 2022 Pathfinder Bible Experience kicked off Jan. 29 at the Fort Collins Adventist Church, with nine RMC Pathfinder clubs working for a spot so that they could advance to the Mid-America Union competition on Feb. 19.
The annual event is similar to a Bible Bowl where teams study and memorize a book of the Bible. This year, Pathfinders are studying 1 Kings.
Nine teams were reduced to five after the first round of competition. They regrouped a week later to compete to the Mid-America Union Conference PBE. Aurora Las Aguilas and Loveland Cougars teams advanced to Lincoln, Nebraska, to compete in the Mid-America Union Conference PBE.
Competing in the PBE is deeper than just another competition, explains Aurora Las Aguilas team captain Clemente Martinez Jr. “We feel like the main focus of this experience isn’t just the competition itself or the amount of studying that each one of us does. It’s all about learning that certain stories and experiences that the people of God went through [can be] used by us as examples of how we should live our lives, and to reflect on the power that God has shown throughout the Bible.”
Martinez Jr. explained the process the Aurora Las Aguilas Pathfinders use to memorize Scripture. “We always have one method to study for PBE, and that is to memorize the majority, if not all of the chapters. We ask ourselves questions like how, when, where, and why of every chapter. Every question that is presented to us, we analyze before answering because sometimes there are simple ones and sometimes, confusing ones. Analyzing has proved to give good results.”
The two RMC teams competed along with 17 other teams to try to advance to the North American Division PBE on April 22 and 23.
The Aurora Las Aguilas came in first and are preparing for the NAD competition.
Reflecting on the 2022 experience, Lonnie Nelson, Mid-America Union Conference PBE coordinator, said, “We added 13 new job positions utilizing more staff from each conference than ever before. This year was a team effort that was enjoyable to be a part of. My hat goes off to all leaders and staff at all levels for helping PBE run smoothly.”
–Sue Nelson is RMC Pathfinder co-coordinator.
