Team Boy Temptation

By Loren Langford

The phone rang, and Mom called out that it was for me. No one called for me very often right after we moved to Wilsonville, Oregon, so I ran to find out who it was.

When I hung up I was smiling from ear to ear. “I won!” I shouted.

“What did you win?” Mom asked.

I explained that I had won a drawing to be a “team kid” at a Portland Trailblazers NBA basketball game. I would receive free tickets, a tour of the locker room, and a chance to go down before the game and be on the court with the team. Wow! I had always dreamed of meeting professional basketball players and getting their autographs. And now my dream was about to come true.

The next day when we went to pick up the tickets, I opened the envelope and learned that the game was on Sunday. My dream was smashed. I wanted to go so much, but I knew it wouldn’t be right. My family shared my disappointment. My mother called the contest people to see if I could switch to another game. I couldn’t. My parents said the decision was mine to make.

I didn’t go to the game. I went to church as usual that Sunday. I took the sacrament and listened to the talks. I went to Primary, sang the songs, and listened to the lessons. A few times my mind wandered to the basketball game and what I could have been doing. But I wasn’t too sad. Even if I never win another chance to be a team kid, I know that I made the right decision.

Loren Langford, age 11, is a member of the Stafford Ward, Lake Oswego Oregon Stake.