Contestant Interview: Lidija Westfall

Our next contestant interview is with Lidija Westfall, a senior in 2021 who has been competing since 2013.

Enjoy reading! (If you’re feeling nice, leave a comment below. 🙂 If you’d like to participate in a contestant interview, send an email to biblebeemagazine@gmail.com with subject line “Contestant Interview”. Include your full name, BB division in 2021, and how many years you’ve participated in the Bible Bee.)

Favorite BB moment?

That’s actually really hard, given that BB is REALLY fun, so I’ll just say all of them! But there was this one time where we had a TV in the bathroom mirror (imagine my mom’s confusion at so many kids piled up in the bathroom), and another time when one of the Benham brothers asked Olivia Davis if she’d been to finals before (this was 2016, after she’d won again).

Share a BB “inside” joke or event, something no one but BBers will understand.

  • Oooh it’s the bacon room people! (my mom had fried bacon, apparently our room smelled like bacon)
  • LFW (Andrew “ant” nicknamed me this for my billions of facepalm emojis)

What do you love the most about the Bible Bee?

Ummmmmm……………………………………..everything!!!!!

But seriously, I love the fellowship it brings, the opportunity to learn more about God’s word, and — of course — the competition (I’m a very competitive person, as y’all know).

What is your “before-Prelims” (or “before-Semis”, if you’re a previous semifinalist) routine?

I usually start by poring over my CliffsNotes version of my notes (they’re easier to remember that way). Then I recite passages to myself (I pick a passage with my eyes closed; you see, sometimes I have problems remembering which one is which), all while pacing so much I leave holes in the carpet (yes, a hyperbole, I know :D).

Favorite verse/passage and why?

That’s a hard one! Maybe Isaiah 6:1-9 or Psalm 119:9-16? Honestly, it’s really hard to explain why I like what I like (those of you that know me know I’m really weird).

Who is a Bible character you look up to and why?

Jesus, for obvious reasons, but I also look up to Paul. He had everything he could want, and yet he turned from persecuting Christians to being an apostle for Christ, willing to suffer and undergo horrible ordeals (even death).

If you could travel through time, which Bible period would you want to land into?  Why?

The times of Jesus, I think. Like Titus said, there’s so much we don’t about what He did and so many unsolved mysteries (y’know curiosity killed the cat? I’m that cat). And as John (another awesome biblical figure) said, not all the books in the world could contain all of what Jesus did.

If someone asked you, “What do you believe?”, how would you answer them?  Or, “What is faith?”

I have a ton of answers, but I think it would basically be: I believe Jesus rose from the dead to atone for our sins, and I believe that grace is the only way to be saved. What else I would say would depend on the person, such as their faith/religion. Like, I’d talk of grace to an LDS, or God and Jesus are One to a Muslim, etc.

Favorite place to study and memorize Scripture

On a chair or recliner with arms

Favorite snack

Blueberries

One thing people can always bribe you with

BB game nights and books

Favorite game to play with BBers

Zonk

Favorite subjects

Math and Physics

Favorite book(s), excluding the Bible, commentaries, and Bible Bee programs

Hmmmm………….Chronicles of Narnia and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

Topic you could talk/argue/discuss about for hours

Faith, Abortion, Justice, Politics, Music, Technology, etc.

Favorite song

Anything that’s Mozart, Vivaldi — you get the gist

Personality type or types (MBTI, DISC, anything)

ENFP-T (Campaigner)

Your hidden talent

I’m a red belt in Taekwondo (not many people know that)

How would others describe you?

I quote Charis Brown: “a crazy person

Fun fact, or facts, about you

I play the violin, speak three languages, love spicy stuff, and do not see in 20/20 despite being in 2020*.

*Editor’s Note: The interview was completed in 2020.

Future plans after Bible Bee?  (e.g. college, career, etc.)

Err……..college, I suppose. I wanted to be an FBI special agent or an astronaut, but I realized that — nope, since apparently I’m unfit for service (I was sure there were astronauts with glasses, but apparently not). So I think I’ll either do Forensic Science or Rocket Science (yep, dead bodies and heat shields).

What do you usually do for off-season?

I know this sounds kinda boring, but I usually follow someone else’s lead. Last off-season, I read the whole Bible (or tried to; I didn’t finish, but maybe I’ll try again this year) and studied Timothy.

What is your favorite quote – be it spoken/written by you or others?

“Not yet. But you are growing more like it. It is not certain that some wicked one of your race will not find out a secret as evil as the Deplorable Word and use it to destroy all living things. And soon, very soon, before you are an old man and an old woman, great nations in your world will be ruled by tyrants who care no more for joy and justice and mercy than the Empress Jadis. Let your world beware. That is the warning.”

I like this quote (maybe I don’t like the fact that it’s true). Honestly, I’m not a favorite quote kind of person, but I’ve recently reread the Chronicles of Narnia, and I couldn’t help but think how true Aslan’s warning to humanity is given today’s circumstances. (I won’t say more because I don’t want to talk politics.)

Not wanting to sound morbid, I’ll give you another one:

2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith

This is something hopeful for me, that by the time all is said and done, I will have fought the good fight, kept the faith, and finished the race.

7 Comments

  1. This was great to read 😂🤣
    I think I have a screenshot of us playing Zonk over zoom xDD that was so much fun!
    LFW………………….I remember this…

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