We feel blessed to be able to report on the Themba Quiz competition held on the 10th of April 2017. It was indeed a memorable day with a lot of activities that were exciting for the Themba children. Our theme for this year comes from John 3:30, “ He must increase and I must decrease ”.
The objective of the year’s Quiz event was to reinforce our theme through different activities that encouraged the children to hide God’s Word in their hearts. We were looking forward to experiencing God’s fullness in our lives as the Themba family.
The children this year came in great numbers as compared to the previous year and this was encouraging to see. This increased the number of groups participating for the competition. What was also encouraging was to see our university students, Gracious Lupahla and Njabulo Mguni, sacrificing their time to come and help in running the program. Their presence meant a lot to us and to the children. This made our day more lively and joyful as they gave back to the organization in offering their services as well as their support.
The competition grouping was 8 children in each team, structured with 5 high school students and 3 primary students. Each group was led by a high school student and showed their creativity by choosing group names and chanting slogans. For example, Jeremiah Mimo’s group’s name was ‘We lead and they follow’. This motivated the group members to strive to win.
The activities during the competition had 4 rounds, including memory verses, sword drills, puzzles and Scripture searches.
One of the youngest children, Thulisani Tshongwe, could not participate in the competition in the selected groups because he is under the age limit, yet when he was asked questions he managed to respond with enthusiasm by quoting the exact scripture in the Bible.
One child in particular, Veron, was an outstanding competitor who had all the verses in his mind as if they were on his fingertips. The other leaders were Jeremiah Mimo, Sanelisiwe Moyo and Simangaliso Moyo. Each proved they knew their Bibles very well.
The scriptures used as memory verses during the competition were challenging, and we saw the children starting to apply them in their lives. Psalms 141:3 was the children’s favorite verse and it says ‘Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth, keep watch over the door of my lips’. This taught them to be slow to speak and pay attention to what they say to others. Many children testified on the impact of another scripture, 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to cleanse us from all our unrighteousness”. This scripture brought them closer to God rather than living far from him in condemnation and guilt.
The competition prizes this year were slightly different because we added certificates, as well as the school supplies we gave as prizes last year. The certificates were awarded to the most outstanding male and female participants, as well as to the groups that came first, second and third. The prizes excited the children and made them look forward to next year’s Quiz competition.
The outcome of the competition showed that programs such as the Friday Bible Clubs have a huge impact in the spiritual growth of the children. For example, Sanele Mguni showed great improvement and interest in the things of the Lord this year , as evidenced by her participation in the Quiz competition. She won the prize for the most improved participant, given as a way of encouraging her to continue working hard.
We would like to thank all Themba sponsors and friends for the financial support that made it possible for the program to be successful. We love you and are praying for you. May God bless you for the good work you are doing.
God Bless!
Similo Thebe
Themba Children’s Pastor
