Joyous prayers for Harlem sailor William Rios

Hero seaman William Rios got an emotional welcome home at his Harlem church Sunday.
He entered the Second St.John Baptist Church to strains of "Victory is Mine" and other hymns from a purple-robed choir, and broke down in tears as he sat in the front pew with his wife, Sherry, and 16-year-old son, William Jr.
"We thank you Lord for this homecoming because it could have been another way," said the Rev. Robert Jones. "We could have been preparing a funeral."
Rios thanked parishioners for their prayers after his battle with Somali pirates halfway around the globe.
"I'm glad I'm back home," Rios, 41, said to cheers and shouts of "Hallelujah!" "Your prayers came through."
Rios regaled the church with tales of his dramatic ordeal at sea. He said he heard gunshots as the pirates boarded the ship.
"They've got AK-47s. We don't have nothing. All we have is knives," he said.
When the four pirates found out it was an American ship, "They clapped their hands and said, 'More money, more money,'" he said.
Unable to sail the disabled ship, the pirates feigned surrender, and Capt. Richard Phillips helped them lower a rescue boat into the water. Its engine failed, and Rios and engineer John Cronan volunteered to bring the pirates a lifeboat.
The pirates didn't shoot - but they refused to let Phillips swim back to the rescue boat where Rios and Cronan were waiting, shouting, "No captain!" and "Three million dollars!"
Navy SEALs gunned down Phillips' captors three days later. The freed captain returned unhurt to his home in Vermont this weekend.
Rios said he would stay in New York long enough to see his daughter, Nikki, 22, graduate from SUNY Purchase next month before heading back out to sea.
His wife is hoping he looks for a gig that's a little safer.
"He can go back on the ship but he's not going back into those waters," said Sherry Rios, 42. "We're trying to get him to do a cruise ship."