Ruben Gustavo Maltez, age 18, of the El Salvador Union, became the top winner of Inter-America’s territory-wide 2020 Bible Connection competition, held online today. The event became the 17th annual Inter-American Division (IAD) competition after hundreds of thousands of children and young people throughout the territory studied assigned Bible books in an effort to enrich their spiritual lives and promote a lifelong habit of studying the Scriptures.
Maltez, with a score of 900 total points, beat 23 other regional finalists in the annual event. He answered 72 questions correctly in a time of 15:14. He was prized with a four-year scholarship to the Antillean Adventist University in Puerto Rico.
Luisa Maria Briceño, age 27, of the South Colombia Union, trailed behind with a score of 890 points in 18:36. She has been offered a tuitional scholarship to Montemorelos University in Montemorelos, Mexico.
Emerson Agustin, age 18, of the Haitian Union, took the third spot with a total score of 890 points completed in a time of 22:37.
Twenty-four finalists from Inter-America’s 24 unions, or major church regions, were tested on their knowledge of the 42 chapters of Job as well as several corresponding chapters from Ellen G. White’s book The Great Controversy. Finalists answered 78 multiple choice questions of 5, 10, 15, and 20 points during the three-hour finale competition event.
The grand finale competition program included music, prayer, and spiritual messages before finalists answered five rounds of questions.
To view Inter-America’s grand finale competition this year, go to webcast.interamerica.org
This article was originally published on the Inter-American Division’s website