A long, long time ago, back in 2002, a couple of newly-married twentysomethings turned up at South Plains. They joined the college group, since one of them was still in college, but the other one of them wanted to be involved in childrens ministry, since that was what she had done since the dawn of time.
And then behold, there came to my searching eyes a notice in the bulletin: Bible bowl interest meeting today at 5 PM in the Bible bowl room. Contact yadda yadda yadda, etc.
So, I went that day at 4:45 PM to South Plains, where I wandered around a bit until I found an adult class and went in to ask the one person I knew where the Bible bowl room was. She handed me off to someone else, and we had this amusing conversation:
I: Where is the Bible bowl room?
He: (didn't understand the question): Are you looking for a Bible class?
I: No, there's a meeting in the Bible bowl room I want to go to.
He: (determined to finish his line of questioning): The class you go to depends on how old you are. Are you in middle school or high school?
I: (shocked silence while I try to remember the last time I was mistaken for a middle schooler)
He: (still waiting for an answer)
I: (pull myself together) I'm an adult, actually, and there's a meeting for people interested in helping with Bible bowl in the Bible bowl room. But I don't know where that is.
He: Oh! I'm so sorry. Here-- (stops a woman who was destined to become one of my best friends) Rebecca knows where it is.
Rebecca: What are you looking for?
I: (sighing to myself) I want to go to the Bible bowl meeting, but I don't know where the Bible bowl room is.
R: Okay, just come with me. I'm going there, after I get (etc.; I stopped listening because I was so happy to be on the right track at last)...
So, I followed Rebecca to the Bible bowl room, met all the then-teachers of Bible bowl, and was on my way to becoming friends with some of my favourite people on the planet. It wasn't until much, much later that I discovered that they all had been friends since college (or since I was in primary school, as I enjoy reminding them) and are still all in the same Sunday morning Bible class.
But here's how great that meeting was: Chad & I stuck around for six years of Bible bowl, thus opening the door for other people who didn't have kids in the program to likewise be teachers. (I don't say that to brag; it had just never been done before we turned up and we are tenacious.) And the even more amazing part is that of all the people we had over for dinner in these past few weeks before leaving Lubbock, four families were people that we met that very evening at a fun-filled Bible bowl meeting.
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