As is her role as police dispatcher and call-taker, Antonia Bundy answered the call and rendered help where it was needed. But her caller presented an unusual request.

“You had a bad day at school?” she asked the young boy on the line. “Yeah, I just called to tell you that.”

Nine times out of ten, such an admission might be met with a scolding for wasting police resources. But for Bundy, something seemed different enough to take a different tack.

''When he told me he was having a bad day and I asked him what was troubling him he told me that he had homework," Bundy explained in a local TV interview. "And at that point, I was able to determine that it was more of a 'I need help with homework' than an actual emergency."

Fortunately, Bundy was cheerfully up-to-the-task. "I've always been good at math. All the way through high school I enjoyed it. So it was something I was very happy I could help him with." Bundy walked him through an arithmetic problem, calling it a nice break in her busy day.

As it turns out, her decision not to scold the child paid off, as he seemed to be aware that his problem did not qualify as an emergency.

"I'm sorry for calling you,” he said. “But I really needed help."

Bundy’s response?

"You're fine. We're always here to help."

Potential Preaching Angles:

No request is too small for God, and if we are God’s creation, God will take care of us, so let’s have the boldness of children and ask God for what we need.

Source:

Caitlin O'Kane, “ 911 dispatcher helps child who called for math homework help,” CBS News (1-29-19)