The Lost One (also known as the Olivia arc or One of Three Will Fall) is an arc focusing on the spiritual journey of Olivia Parker as she goes through a period of questioning her faith. The main portion of the arc was written by Marshal Younger, who had wanted to do a similar storyline with Mandy Straussberg (in the episode #615: “Only By His Grace”) but had been previously unable. One episode each was also written by Phil Lollar and Abigail Geiger, with Phil writing a prologue foreshadowing the events of #924: “Higher than Our Ways” and Abigail writing a “bridge” episode that focused on Zoe Grant. The arc consists of 8 episodes, most of which aired in 2021.
When Marshal Younger created the arc, he wanted to use a character who had previously professed faith but who he could see doubting that faith, depending on the circumstances that happened. He settled on Olivia Parker, who had been on the show since the "reset" in 2010. In each episode of the series, Marshal used Rhonda Adelaide (Olivia’s teacher) and Leonid Sepanov (a voice in her head) to introduce doubts, and he made sure those doubts were addressed by Wilson Knox, Connie Kendall, or John Whittaker when they arose.
The Lost One arc was praised by critics in the AIO fanbase. David Hilder of AIO Update called it “dramatic and compelling as a story,” and “a powerful addition to a show that has been telling great stories for decades” ([1]). Fans of the show also consistently expressed appreciation of the episodes. However, Marshal mentioned in Official Podcast 396 that he had seen feedback from parents about their kids doubting their faith after hearing the first few episodes. Because of this, the AIO team released #928 – #929: “The Lost One” on the Adventures in Odyssey Club before Album #71: A Slippery Slope began airing on the radio, and they aired the two-parter immediately after the airing of #927: “Worth It”, long before the CD release of Album #72: The Long Road Home. This was one of the first times the airdate of an episode preceded its CD release since 2010.
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Jason and Wilson tell Zoe the story of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, the author of a famous Christmas carol. It’s a story filled with joy, tragedy, and ultimately truth about God’s role in difficult circumstances.
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Olivia Parker and Zoe Grant are excited when money mysteriously shows up for a class ski trip, but Jason Whittaker and Wilson Knox worry that the trip could be connected to a premonition of danger.
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Olivia finds that putting together her personal testimony for church is more challenging than she realized. Friends give advice that is both helpful and harmful.
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Zoe hopes that a winter retreat at Camp What-A-Nut will be a good time to reconnect with Olivia, but plans for a time of fellowship and renewal are continually thwarted.
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Whit sends Olivia on an Imagination Station adventure to find a blind beggar named Ezra, his mother Lydia, and the one person who could change all of their lives.
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After she learns that Zoe left her out of a special part in an upcoming play, Olivia must decide if she’ll help her friend get a prestigious job on the school newspaper.
