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"I’ll be by later this afternoon," Paul promised

He replaced the telephone receiver and buried his face in his hands He was tired The last ti to think about it Longer than it should have been, he decided Steve had a good idea Getting away for a couple of days held a lot of appeal

Maybe when Joe arrived the two of the It would do Paul a world of good to escape the pressures of the church That was all he really needed Time away Away from the stress and strain of the church Away from the demands of the ive

Not any Goodness

"He’s warreed

"But…"

"But he’s under a lot of pressure at the moment," the prayer ambassador surmised "It seems to me his secretary is a bit reed His hands were linked behind his back, and he paced in front of Goodness like a drill sergeant with a raw recruit

She had the feeling these questions were a test of sonment to earth or not depended on her answers

"His friend doesn’t seeaze narrowed on her "How do you mean?"

"Well, it see to listen to Paul instead of "

Gabriel nodded several tiht, otherwise there wouldn’t be sofor Paul Morris"

"Well" Goodness rubbed her palms back and forth several tiht rest on her response "The trouble with Reverend Morris is ht?"

Goodness nodded, her movements emphatic "People think he misses his wife"

"And he doesn’t?" Gabriel’s bushy eyebrows reached all the way to his hairline

"Of course he does, but his troubles are much more complex than that I’m afraid Reverend Paul Morris is one of the most desperate cases I’ve seen"

"Desperate?" Gabriel repeated

"Yes" Goodness was less confident than earlier

"What ails this h a television screen"

Goodness felt her pale cheeks fill with color Yet she knehat the archangel said was true "Why, that would be utterly…"

"Ridiculous," Gabriel supplied

"It could work, but then I’d never atteain," she said just to be on the safe side

"What exactly is the probleht

Goodness blinked, surprised by his abruptness "I thought you knew"

"You tellof human maladies," Goodness murmured, saddened to speak the words aloud "The dear ed He doesn’t believe God heard his prayers, and noonders if He ever did"

Gabriel patted her shoulder gently "You’ve judged his condition accurately"

Goodness brightened "Does this mean I can work on this prayer request?"

Gabriel hesitated "You said yourself that this was theof human troubles"

"Yes, but…"

"Unfortunately you lack the experience"

"But I can help him, I know I can," Goodness insisted

"How do you propose to do that?"

"I haven’t figured that out yet, but I’ll think of so I always do"

Gabriel frowned

"Without tricks," she pro She looked up at hi blue eyes

"I’ve heard that line before"

"This time I mean it"

"What about all those other times?" Gabriel pressed

Goodness always meant to keep her promises "This is different," she vowed

"Answerthe When they appeared, Mercy, the third prayer a on aon Gabriel’s heels

"How did you know about Paul Morris?"

"Ah…" Goodness and Mercy exchanged knowing looks

"She said his nae," Mercy supplied when Goodness’s ansasn’t iain," he mumbled under his breath

"What did he say?" Mercy whispered out of the side of heroverdone"