sustained. I believe I can make it where others have failed. Help me to win the battle. Please Lord; help me to stay in Happy Valley..."
Lucius:
"Lord, I want to remain here in Happy Valley. I do not wish to take the easy way out as others have done, and as Jacob spoke of this morning. The world outside is all too tempting but let me use the wisdom that my years have given me. Let me withstand the course. Lead me not into temptation Lord, as you know I have been led. No; I have allowed myself to be led. I must take responsibility for my actions and so I do. I have allowed myself to lust and it is burning within me. But so is my desire to remain in Happy Valley and serve the cause. Lord, help me to make the right decision..."
Emily:
"I cannot believe I have made it this far Lord. I have seen people who I thought were much stronger leave this village behind. People who arrived here full of faith and the confidence it inspires. I came Lord... I’m not sure why I came. I needed a spiritual discipline, guidance I suppose. I do not know if I ever had faith in you before. But I do now and I realize that my survival here depends on how much I wish to stay. How much I need to be here. How much I need to spiritually survive. I pray Lord that you will help me to withstand the world that beckons and I want to pray for our leader Jacob. I thought he was too arrogant at first. I didn’t think I could trust him and I know the other villagers, some now departed, felt the same. We thought he was a snake in the grass, speaking your name with his mouth but denying you in his heart. But I believe him now and feel he truly wants to help us all... I also need to pray for Joel who has become my friend yet I cannot deny that my feelings extend further. I believe very strongly that he feels the same... or is it all a trap? Can I trust him and any offers of love he may give? Or is he just playing a game and toying with my emotions?"
Pamela:
"I’m the eldest member of the village Lord and as such, I may have created the feeling that I’m superior to the others. Please help me Lord to not create this feeling in others, but help me to win their trust instead. I need them and we need each other. Help me to know, however, who can be trusted and who cannot. Jacob is either the most truly spiritual man on your green earth, or else he is a trickster. If the latter, then help me to be as wise as the serpent but as gentle as a dove, as you speak in your Book..."
Bess:
"Lord, it is not easy to pray for only myself and not consider my fellow man. I therefore pray for us all, that you may help each of us, all united in a common cause, to be helped according to our needs. But I have come to a crossroads Lord, one that requires a road to be taken. I must choose between pleasures of the flesh and needs of the spirit. Lord, you know of that which I speak... Lord, help me to withstand the pressure... help me to stay the course..."