Kikkan Randall and Jessie Diggins took Olympic gold in the women's cross country team spring at Pyeongchang this week. It's a big deal; no American has hit the chips in that sport since 1976. Norway, of course, does it all the time. But one Norwegian has managed not only to gain, but to retain fame in that crowded field.

Oddvar Bra remains a hero in his home country thirty-six years after he anchored the men's 4X10-K cross country relay squad in the '82 games. Norwegians remember him, not just because his squad triumphed, but because he really brought the drama.

Late in the race he was closing in on the leader, Andrew Savyalov of the Soviet Union. As he pulled by to pass, the two athletes collided. Savyalov tumbled to the snow; Oddvar emerged with a broken pole. He soldiered on of course but thus crippled it was only a matter of time before the Russian rose from the drifts and overtook him. Just then, a guy burst out of the crowd and handed Oddvar a pole of the exact same length of the one he busted! Though Savyalov did indeed mount a comeback and both teams received gold medals, to this day Norwegians of a certain age ask one another, Hvor var du da Oddvar Bra brak staven? "Where were you when Oddvar Broke his pole?"

It's a great story, but let's go back to the guy with the pole for just a second.

I can't find his name anywhere on the all-seeing Google. I can only discover that he was a friend of Oddvar's and that he made a habit of trotting alongside Norwegian skiiers packing spare gear. Just picture some good ol' boy huffing along the infield at Daytona with spare tires and fan belts draped around his neck. It sounds nutty. It is nutty; but the faceless, nameless fan who faded back into the crowd made one of Norway's proudest moments possible.

Where were you when Oddvar Bra's pal handed him a pole?

That guy huffing along the race course with a spare ski pole is a great image of good ministry: It works behind the scenes, is on the spot when needed, and never makes it to the medal stand! In the crux, it supplies the tools that make great ministry possible, then fades unnoticed into the mob. Now that's not just great ministry; that's ministry that defines greatness.