IONA SEWELL
Indianapolis, IN

1. What years did you quiz?
   1958-1963



2. Where and for what church did you quiz?
   Columbus (IN) FMC.



3. What were the highlights of your quizzing years?
   Meeting wonderful people; having those "ahha" moments when the scripture begins to make sense and come together; taking trips; making life-long friends; growing as a Christian; and my coach!



4. Did you or your team win any championships? If so, what and when?
   We never won any conference championships because that was when the "Benson Dynasty" from Winona Lake was in effect in the Wabash Conference. They were always the winners! Our team did, however, win many quizzes.



5. Did you receive any other special quizzing awards? If so, what?
   I received several trophies. One of the wonderful things that my coach's husband did for me was to make them into bookends for me as I went to college.



6. What was your favorite scripture? Why?
   There are so many: John 1:1-14; I Corinthians 13 and 10:13; John 8 (the story of the woman caught in adultery); Matthew 5-7 (Sermon on the Mount); John 14; and the Book of Luke. The reasons these scriptures are so important to me are because of how they've come back to me over and over again right when I needed them-I never forgot them.



7. How did Quizzing affect you as a teen?
   Bible Quizzing for me became the avenue through which I realized what Christ desired of my life. Since I was not born into a Christian home and did not attend church until the 5th grade, I knew nothing of what the Bible said about needing a Savior or of walking with Christ after salvation. Learning the scriptures in Bible quizzing opened up an entire new life of trusting myself daily to a Friend that loved me more than any of my family, communicating constantly with Someone who understood me completely, growing more deeply committed each day to following His wonderful plan for my life, and seeing that no matter what I went through in my life, He was constantly by my side.
   
   Bible Quizzing helped me establish a regular time of reading, studying, and memorizing the Word to find guidance for my daily walk with Christ. My Bible quiz coach became more than a friend to me. She became my mentor and second parent who greatly challenged and influenced me to be all that Christ wanted me to be-a better student and one who practiced the gifts God had given me to better serve Him-and she gave me the vision to believe that I could go to college and excel-something no one in my family had ever done!



8. What difference has quizzing made in your life to this day?
   Bible quizzing began a quest for learning the truth about everything..creation, how to identify godly and ungodly characteristic in myself and others, "tying in" all of scripture to get a complete picture of God at work, who Jesus is and how He is the complete picture of God at work, who Jesus is and how He is the complete representation of who God is, discovering how archeology and historical events support the stories of the Bible, and learning how to apply the words of scripture to my life daily.
   
   Several scriptures that I memorized as a teenager have come back to me again and again as an adult at the exact moment I needed them. I Corinthians 10:13 has encouraged me so many times when I was being tempted; John 14 has been such an encouragement to me, especially when my sister and mother died. I've never feared dying because I know that my Heavenly Father has a place prepared just for me. The Book of Romans has helped me as I've endeavored to lead individuals to Christ by knowing the "Roman Road" scriptures. As a Sunday School teacher for many years for children and teens, I've retold and acted out the parables, miracles, stories I learned as a quizzer to excite my students toward living for Christ. When my children became old enough to quiz, I became a quizmaster so that I could continue to participate in the Bible Quiz program.
   
   The best thing that quizzing has done for me is that it's given me a real love for God's word in my life. As I've seen the living Word, Jesus, work in my life over the years, I've been reminded again and again how He has worked through His word to bring about His will for myself and my family. One example of this is that several years ago, I felt the Lord impressing upon me to memorize a meaningful passage when anything significant happened in my life. So, I began to do this. As my mother and father-in-law died in the 1980's, I memorized some chapters in the Old Testament. When my son was diagnosed with cancer, I memorized a psalm and so on. It's proven to be an exercise that has blessed and enriched me more than anything else.



9. Are you presently involved in Bible Quizzing in any way or have you been since you were a quizzer? If so, how?
   I am currently a coach. I've quizmastered over the years when my children were teens and involved in Bible Quizzing.



10. What ministries are you currently doing? How are you presently active in serving the Lord?
    I teach Sunday School, and we take our lessons right from the Bible. I serve on the local Mercy Committee, and coach the quiz team. I also serve on the Conference Historical Committee, the MEG Board and the MAC for the Wabash Conference, and am the delegate for the Columbus (IN) FMC. I am also a General Conference delegate.