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b'Lupita collapsed on the ship\\u2019s deck with a shuddering gasp. The expansive crack in her helmet\\u2019s visor stood stark across her flickering navigation screen. She was just barely coming to terms with how much damage that last wave of attacks had done when she saw the blackened underside of the control panel. All the repairs she\\u2019d managed to make in that short time had been undone in a matter of seconds. Her heart sank as she realized how much time this was going to take to fix\\u2026time they just didn\\u2019t have.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I can\\u2019t do it,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she whispered as the reality of the situation began to seep in.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Finally,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d a garbled voice echoed from across the room. Lupita jerked her head up to see her newest crewmate, whose name she could never pronounce, straighten up. He pushed himself off the control board he\\u2019d been casually leaning on. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Took you long enough to admit.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153What?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Lupita coughed. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153H-how long have you been there?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I was always there.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d The alien slid over to her, sealing the crack in her helmet with the mere swipe of his hand. He knelt down and poked his head under the circuit board beside hers and began to refasten the dangling wires. Lupita reached up to finish what she started, sending him a hooded glare. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I would\\u2019ve been fine.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nHe turned one eye to look at her. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153No,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d he remarked, hands continuing to move. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You wouldn\\u2019t have.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I don\\u2019t need your help,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she snapped.\\nHe stopped. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Yes, you do.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Then he dropped his hands and pushed himself out from under the panel. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153However, I can wait until you recognize it.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nAs soon as he finished speaking, the ship shuddered, the panel showering sparks on her. Lupita shrieked, rolling from under the circuit board and swatting the sparks out. She looked up at the alien, then to the broken circuit board, then to her fragmented ship, and finally back to the alien. She sighed, her shoulders drooping.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Fine,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d she said. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You\\u2019re right. I can\\u2019t do it\\u2026please. Help me?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Of course.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d He smiled, ducking under the panel again. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153All you had to do was ask.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\u2022 Elizabeth Oldham\\n\\u2022 When you\\u2019re overwhelmed, do you ever find it difficult to ask for help from God or people? \\nAsk, and it will be given to you\\u2026For everyone who asks receives\\u2026 Matthew 7:7-8 (CSB)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nIsaiah 50:4-9; John 1:1-5; Hebrews 12:2'