Milo Adventist Academy (MAA) in Days Creek, Ore., lost the basketball game. As students loaded onto the bus, Milo’s principal, Randy Bovee, and his wife, Carol, headed home in their car along the remote, dark and slippery highway.
At the bottom of a long hill, they spotted taillights over the bank.
Stopping, the Bovees found a woman shaken, unhurt and very worried about getting her car up the embankment.
Surveying the car with the woman and another man who stopped to help, Randy Bovee said, "Don’t worry. We’ve got a whole team coming along in our bus — they’ll be happy to help you out!"
Calling the bus, he suggested the driver ask the students if they would like to help. The moment the bus pulled to a stop, the doors opened, and the basketball players spilled out and headed enthusiastically for the bank. After checking for safety, the teams pushed and shoved.
The car came up so quickly that the woman and those watching had to scurry out of the way. The players cheered, high-fived the woman, wished her a safe trip home and loaded back onto the bus.
In less than 15 minutes, they were back on the road again.
The woman, as well as the man who stopped to help, brimmed with questions for the Bovees about MAA and the happy, helpful kids who could be so joyful after losing a basketball game.
Teamwork? Unity? Helpful Christian attitudes? You bet.
Grabbing God-moments to help others in need? Absolutely.
Losing? No way!
As Jonah Wilbanks, a junior and varsity center, says, "That was awesome … way better than winning a game!”
Jonah Wilbanks takes a shot, knowing that helping others is even more fun than winning a game. (Carol Bovee)
