Cultural Lessons from Death and Funerals

Death is much more a regular part of life in Malawi as compared to the United States. In the US, I probably went to about 1 funeral every 3-4 years. Most of those involved grandparents or great-grandparents or other elderly people. It has been pretty rare during my life in the US to attend the funeral of a young person or young man or woman. I can think of 3 that I personally was a part of over the 26 years I lived in the US before coming to Malawi.

Malawi however, is quite different. In an average year a person can easily attend a dozen funerals or more of people who range from babies all the way up to the elderly. Many factors affect this difference including poor health care systems, malnutrition in children under 5, presence of tropical diseases including Malaria, the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poor road systems and emergency response systems leading to a higher number of traffic accidents and fatalities, and I'm sure the list goes on and on.

There is another factor, culture. Culture may or may not affect the number of deaths-that's not the point of this post, but it certainly changes the number of funerals an average person is expected to go to.

In the last week, 3 people I was somehow connected to died. The first was a man of not yet 40 years who was a part of our church small group. He had been battling a degenerative brain disorder for some years and finally lost that battle on his way to see a specialist neurosurgeon in the southern part of the country.

The next 2 both died together (along with an American woman who I didn't know) in a car accident coming back from a Young Life meeting in Zimbabwe. Both were young men in their 20s. One had been married less than 2 years, the other only 7 months. You simply cannot escape being close to death in Malawi.

As I was at the funeral for the man in our church small group, I made a few observations about funerals in Malawi that speak volumes about Malawian culture.

1. Malawi is a communal society.

We learned this as new Peace Corps Trainees when I first came to Malawi and I continually learn it as I live and work here. The difference between the US being an individualistic society and Malawi (and Africa in general) being a communal society.

In the US, generally speaking, close friends and family attend funerals. Funeral arrangements are all about what the deceased wanted or would have wanted. Immediate family tends to be the main focus. Thus, why I as an American, attended so few in the US. Very few people who are directly connected to me die in the US.

In Malawi however, EVERYONE attends a funeral. If you work with someone who is connected with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you go to church with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you live in the same neighborhood or village as someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you are in any way, shape, or form related by marriage or blood to someone who dies-you attend the funeral. If you once attended school with someone who dies-you attend the funeral. As you can imagine, this leads to funerals being huge events in Malawi with people coming from all over to be there. It's a cultural obligation. If you don't attend, it means you don't care-not just about the deceased (who you may have never met), but about the people you do know who were connected to the deceased.

Malawi is communal, it's about everyone being present to support people in their time of loss. Very few excuses are acceptable in place of absence.

2. Malawi is a fatalistic society

In the US, your average person doesn't come into contact with death very often. It happens for sure, but not nearly as often as it happens in Malawi.

As I said before, the average Malawian probably attends a dozen or so funerals each year. They are constantly being reminded about the frailty of life. That death can happen any day at any moment.

It's difficult to find a middle-aged Malawian who has not lost at least one or two siblings already.

All of this death has to be explained somehow within the cultural psyche. Thus, Malawi is very fatalistic. By contrast, the US is mostly deterministic.

Americans believe in self-empowerment, self-determination, self-examination, self-improvement, and all the other "self" statements. Americans believe it's mostly their own choices and efforts that determine the course of their life. Malawians are different though, they tend to be more fatalistic. Most things are outside of a person's control. It's either fate, spirits, culture, authorities, or God that pretty much determines what happens in life. Thus, they are comforted in times of death knowing that it was God's time and God's will for it to happen, what could be done?

As an American living in Malawi, I struggle with this. As a Christian, yes I do believe in God's control over our lives, but as an American I also believe in the responsibility to take action as well. So when a child dies of a preventable disease like Tetanus, it's hard for me to simply say, "It was God's time, what could be done?" Well my answer to that of course is, "They could have had a tetanus vaccine, that's what!"

I'm still learning to balance fatalism with determinism.

3. Malawi is not detail-oriented, it is people-oriented

This was illustrated to me at the funeral during the carrying of the casket.

In the US, at a funeral you have people who are appointed to be the official pallbearers. Usually about 6 or 8 men, dressed in suits, each assigned a specific place and handle on the casket. I imagine they probably even rehearse beforehand though I've never been one so I don't know. It would be strange for someone else to come up and try to help carry the casket during the funeral.

In Malawi, this is totally different. A large group of men, way more than can actually fit around it, all go to pick up and carry casket. There is no rhyme or reason to how they carry it or where they are placed along the casket, they all just go at it at once. Often, a person will get pushed off the front and then they will walk to the back and start again. Finally the casket makes it to where it is supposed to be-and really, that's the goal. It's more important for each man to have his part in carrying the casket than for it to be an orderly, planned out exercise. Each man can feel he had a hand in helping.

I see this same concept happen during meetings or the like. I'll be sitting in a room with a group of Malawians and there will be a couple empty seats but let's say none of the empty seats are close to the door. Well when a new person walks in, about 2 or 3 people will spontaneously get up and rearrange themselves (maybe even sitting on the floor!) just to make sure the person who walks in can immediately sit in the closest seat to them. Makes no logical sense, the new person could have easily just walked across the room to one of the open seats, but this doesn't matter. What matters is that the person who comes in feels important and is given a nice seat right away. It's about the people, not the details.

4. Malawi has deep rooted gender-related customs

You see this a lot more when you are in the rural areas, visiting more traditional villages. Men and women have very separate roles in the home, in the community, in the church, etc. When you are in the city, you see it less, especially among more educated, wealthy Malawians. But when funerals happen, no matter where they happen, it all comes back.

During the evening before the burial, women sit inside the house on mats on the floor crying, wailing, and singing. Men on the other hand, are outside on chairs, stools, or logs chatting in groups, sometimes around a fire. The next day, during the service and burial, men and women are separated. Women on the ground and men on chairs (if there are any). In can be a bit strange for an American. In the US, a husband and wife would normally sit together at a funeral and be able to comfort one another. In Malawi however, you must maintain the gender separation and find comfort in being around other men or other women. I think no matter how gender-neutral Malawi may become in the future, I have a feeling funerals will always maintain this distinction.

5. Christ still makes the difference

Cultures all over the world conduct funerals in different ways. Regardless though, there is still a difference within that culture when the people who are mourning are believers in Christ. There is a hope present that is not there in other cases. We don't always have answers to the specific questions surrounding certain people's deaths: Why so young? Why such a violent death? What will his widow do now? As believers in Christ though, whether in the US, Malawi, or somewhere else, we always have the ultimate answer to what happens next...Hope.

I Thessalonians 4:13-14

13 And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.


What are the different funeral traditions from your cultural or national background? Share in the comments!

Many Thanks as 2013 Draws to a Close...

2013 Coming to a Close I want to start off by saying a special thanks to all those who have partnered with Madalo and I in 2013. Your financial support and prayers have provided for our needs and strengthened our faith. We could not be here serving through Children of the Nations (COTN) without your partnership. THANK YOU! So much has happened throughout 2013 and though I don’t get as many e-mail updates out as I would like, I hope the updates I’ve sent have been helpful in keeping you updated on our work here in Malawi. Here are a couple highlights from this year:   COTN Malawi’s Financial Self-Sustainability COTN Malawi has done a tremendous job this last year in bettering their ability to generate funds in-country. They are increasing rental income by hosting various local church groups and organizations for conferences and meetings at their facility. This has really helped to complement the funding coming from COTN International. The extra funding has allowed COTN Malawi to construct, completely on their own, a beautiful, brand new Children’s Home! Previously, some of the full-time residential children were staying in a rented home, but now they have one of their own.   The COTN Secondary School also opened up their enrollment to private, fee-paying students from outside COTN. The extra income from these fees has made it possible for COTN Malawi to purchase their own 30 passenger coaster to use for the school and other transportation needs! It’s amazing to see an organization in Africa take on so much local financial responsibility. Now that’s partnership!   Two Clean Water Wells in Chilombo Another great accomplishment this year is that COTN USA was able to raise funds for drilling two new clean water wells and the rehabilitation of a broken well in one of our Village Partnership Program areas, Chilombo. We currently support about 360 orphaned or vulnerable children in the Chilombo area.   Before this year, the residents of Chilombohad only one functioning clean water well that for many included walking a round-trip distance of up to 2 miles. For most families, this was just too much, and water was instead drawn from shallow wells closer to their homes that were not covered and protected from contamination. With these new wells strategically placed, that distance has been dramatically reduced and water-borne diseases in the community will decrease. Water committees within the communities were also set up to manage the wells and collect small fees from the residents for well and pump maintenance.   Plans for 2014 As we move into 2014, COTN Malawi has a lot of great plans that I am excited to be a part of. In the same Chilombo area, a third and final well is planned as well as the construction of a Children’s Center to be used for nursery school, feeding programs, after school tutoring, and other community meetings. We are currently in the process of hiring a Spiritual Development Coordinator in Malawi who will be responsible for planning and coordinating spiritual development activities for all of the children. I look forward to working closely with this new hire as youth spiritual development is a personal passion of mine. Increasing agriculture output is also a big priority for 2014. We currently operate two farms and have started a piggery project at one which will increase in 2014 allowing a lot of good animal protein to be available for the  children’s nutrition needs. We are in the process of purchasing a machine that will allow us to turn sunflower seeds into cooking oil which will then be used for the children as well as to sell, increasing Malawi’s financial self-sustainability even more! Through my connection with the US Peace Corps, I was able to get an agriculture volunteer placed at one of our farms. She will be there well into 2015 and will help with increasing income generating activities for the farm.   The COTN Secondary School continues to improve, our girls’ dormitory is almost complete and in 2014 we will move on to constructing additional classroom space as well as an administrative/library building. The teaching staff is complete and includes great teachers for all subjects. I recently had the opportunity to start a leadership training class for the secondary school student leaders. There are fifteen of them, called School Prefects, and I will be meeting with them on a weekly basis when school is in session to cover various scriptural based leadership principles. I’m very excited for where this group will go over the next year! These and so many other great new projects will be happening over 2014, but what is important to remember is that they are all geared towards helping Children of the Nations achieve the vision of “Raising Children Who Transform Nations.” I am very fortunate to be part of such great work!   One Example of a Changed Life To help you see the actual impact that all this work has on the children themselves, I’d like to introduce you to one girl, Alefa, who has just entered the program this year so you can see the impact COTN has on a child’s life-even in just one year! You can read her story byclicking here.   Partnership As most of you know, my work with COTN is 100% dependent on financial support from people like you. Again, thank you to everyone who has been donating financial support on a monthly basis. I pray God blesses you for your effort and allows you to continue in 2014. Also, thank you to everyone who gave a one-time donation-it added up and made a difference! In reality, we do need to add to our partners and increase our support base. My salary goal for 2014 remains at $1,800/month. We are also trying to raise additional travel funds for a trip back to Seattle for vacation as well as some work and meetings at the COTN International Office for later in 2014. This brings our total goal for the year to $27,000 or $2,250/month. Please join us in praying for God to provide! I ask that if you are reading this, you prayerfully consider whether God is asking you to become a financial partner in my work with Children of the Nations. If you belong to a church who loves to support overseas missions, please consider bringing this need to your pastor. If you are a pastor of a church, please consider “adopting” us as missionaries supported by your church. If you belong to any community groups or clubs that like to support charitable work, please consider presenting this need to them. Any amount is helpful: our current partners individually give anywhere from $20-$500/month and all of it adds up to make a difference! You can partner with us either with a one-time donation or through monthly support by clicking this link: Support Jeremy and Madalo. If you prefer to donate by check, you can send it with "MACIAS" on the memo line to: Children of the Nations P.O. Box 3970 Silverdale, WA 98383 We really appreciate you taking the time to read this update and consider partnering with us. Finances aside, we are always so grateful to all of you who pray for us and keep in touch regularly. In addition to all the great things that happened this year, we also experienced some tough circumstances as well and we know it was God and your prayers that gave us strength and perseverance. Thank you and may God bless you in this upcoming holiday season and in the New Year!   Much Love,   &    Jeremy and Madalo Macias Children of the Nations (www.cotni.org) is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit and is rated as a 4-star organization for financial management by Charity Navigator. All of your donations will be accompanied by a receipt and are tax deductible in the United States.  Prayer Requests COTN Malawi as they recruit a Spiritual Development Coordinator and an Education Coordinator. Jeremy and Madalo as we raise our 2014 budget. Praise God for his provision in 2013! Click here to financially partner with Jeremy and Madalo! Please feel free and be encouraged to share this newsletter with a friend who may be interested! Thanks!

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Graduates, Interns, a Visit From Dad, and 1-Year of Marriage!

Sept 2013 Graduation Four years ago, Children of the Nations (COTN) decided that in order to properly educate the children in their program, they would need to start their own secondary school. It began with a handful of students learning in a dormitory-converted-into-a-classroom. The teachers were COTN staff members and anyone else who could volunteer their time. Now, four years later, that original class has  become International Christian Academy’s firstgraduating class! The school campus is being built one building at a time and a staff of professional, full-time teachers is working hard to provide the children with quality secondary education. There is still a long way to go, but it was great to be here to be a part of this important milestone for COTN Malawi. Sadly, one of these graduates, Isaac Zgambo, recently passed away. It's not known what exactly he died of which makes it harder on the other children and the COTN staff members. He was a great guy with a heart to serve and was one of the best players in the COTN Football Club. He had a bright future. In times like these we don't always have answers, but simply are here to support each other and share the love of God. A big project that I have worked on this year is helping the school to develop a 5-year business plan as they are now opening up enrollment to private, fee-paying students from Lilongwe. This extra income will help to subsidize the cost of educating the children in our program as well as meets a need for families inLilongwe to have a good private school to send their children to. Interns Every year the Children of the Nations U.S. office recruits interns to come and serve in the COTN countries. They do everything from leading mentorship groups and Bible studies to setting up soccer tournaments and school tutoring but most importantly, they create lasting relationships with the children in our program. For the last two summers I have had the privilege of working with the interns who come to Malawi. I facilitate their cultural orientation session and village-life immersion, their introduction to Chichewa language lesson, work closely with the intern leaders to help them navigate the Malawi national office, and the best part-I get to take  them to Lake Malawi for a debrief retreat at the end of their internship. It’s one of the favorite parts of my job during the summer months (though it’s actually cold  season here in Malawi!). If you know of any college-aged students who would be interested in serving orphaned or vulnerable children with COTN in Africa or the Caribbean next summer, let me know or have them visit the Intern Programpage on our website! Dad’s Visit Another blessing this year was my dad’s second visit to Malawi! He had a great opportunity to teach a class on leadership at Uganda Christian University and he was able to stop by Malawi for a few days beforehand. In typical African fashion we  experienced a car breakdown and were stranded on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere for three hours while trying to get to my old Peace Corps village! But as we say here in Malawi: Zimachitika! (Things always happen!) Either way, it was great to have my dad here and spend time with him! Anniversary As I write this, Madalo and I are just six days away from our one-year wedding anniversary! It’s amazing how quickly this first year has gone by. We are so blessed to be together, living where we are living and serving in the way God has called us. We are so thankful to all of our friends and family who continue to support us through love, prayer, and finances; we could not do it without you! We thank God that he has called us and our partners to serve Him in this way. Prayer Requests The recent Secondary School Graduates as they wait for their government exam results and plan what will be next for their lives. Jeremy and Madalo as we finalize and start raising our 2014 budget. Malawi as the country enters presidential campaign season. Elections are in May 2014. Click here to financially partner with Jeremy and Madalo!

May 2013

May 2013 New Home For the last year and three months, I’ve been living on the Children of the Nations campus on one side of a duplex. After we got married, Madalo moved in and we spent our first eight months of married life there. It was great to have a free place to stay while receiving my small Peace Corps stipend as well as during the first months of marriage, but it never really seemed like “ours” because it was fully furnished with mostly donated items that weren’t exactly our taste. We were also sharing a campus with the COTN secondary school which could sometimes be a little loud…teenagers! Well, on May 5 we made the move to our own place! It’s about a five minute drive from COTN and just a little over a mile away from the African Bible College Community Clinic where Madalo works so she is able to walk often with no problem. We love our new little place and will be working over the next few months to furnish and decorate it to our taste and get the garden looking nice! We have a guest bedroom with a comfy double bed so if you ever find yourself in Malawi, stop on by! We already had our first house guests, some friends from my first two years in Peace Corps, Terence and Alyssa. They’re back in Malawi doing some research in Southern Malawi for the next two months. It was great to see and catch up with them! Career Coaching Two young ladies who have been raised in the COTN Children’s Homes program reached the point where they were ready to graduate from our program this last month. Both have completed post-secondary school programs, one in community development and the other in tourism. We held a graduation ceremony for them as well as a farewell party in one of the Children’s Homes. It’s so great to see the fruit of years of investment. These ladies came into the program as young girls who were in desperate situations and here they are today, ready to get out there and find their first real jobs!  Madalo and I sat down with one of these young  ladies, Yamikani, and coached her on her  resume, job hunting, interviewing skills, and  starting her own little side business to keep  herself going while job hunting. We hope and  pray that the coaching will pay off and Yamikani  will do well as she moves on from being in  COTN’s full-time care. Men’s Breakfast Something that I have been involved with over the last several months is helping to start a men’s ministry at my church, Capital City Baptist Church. I and a few other men, including the senior pastor, have been meeting every other week to pray, discuss, and plan what a men’s ministry for our church should look like. It all culminated to a kick-off event that took place this month in the form of a men’s breakfast. We reserved a room at a local lodge and ordered a great breakfast for the men to enjoy. Around fifty men from the church showed up and we enjoyed the food, chatting together, hearing from the pastor, and I had the opportunity to lead them in some songs for worship-I even did a couple songs in Chichewa, a local Malawian language! Overall it was a great morning and all the men are excited to get a structured ministry in place. We had group discussions to brainstorm ideas for how the ministry should take shape and signed up six more men to be a part of the organizing committee to plan the way forward. I really believe ministries like this are important in encouraging men to become responsible leaders in their churches, families, communities, and workplaces. Prayer Requests Yamikani and Dorica as they job search and begin to get out on their own. COTN Malawi as they build a new Children's Home with local finances. This will allow them to be on their own property rather than paying rent under a landlord. Jeremy and Madalo as we save up for a car. Jeremy and Madalo raising the last $500 needed in monthly support. Click here to partner with Jeremy and Madalo! Please feel free and be encouraged to share this blogpost with a friend who may be interested! Thanks! Share Tweet Forward to Friend Copyright © 2013 Jeremy and Madalo, All rights reserved.

March 2013 Newsletter

Well as most of you know, we spent 3 weeks in February back in the U.S.! Madalo and I had a great time catching up with family and friends, celebrating our new marriage, holding lots of new babies, going to San Diego and Disneyland, celebrating my 30^th birthday (my first one back in the U.S. in 3 years!), and trying to do a little fundraising in the midst of it all. It was quite the whirlwind and we were thoroughly exhausted by the time we finally made it back home to Malawi. We needed a vacation after our vacation!

Everyone here in Malawi says we had a great time and were treated well by everyone back in the U.S. How do they know? Because of all the weight we gained! Culturally, here in Malawi, gaining weight while away is a sign that you were well taken care of. Wouldn't it be nice if we thought that way in the U.S. too?? I've already dropped ten pounds since coming back!

Although we were tired, I quickly had to get ready for the COTN International President and founder, Chris Clark to visit Malawi along with his wife and co-founder, Debbie. The first few days of their visit they were accompanied by an international board member and his wife, Bruce and Julie Donaho. So far their visit has been great and they have shared a lot of vision, encouragement, and training with the staff here in Malawi as well as learned some things from the Malawi staff. Being the founders, and because in the early days they would spend months at a time in Malawi, the children, especially the older ones, call them “Dad Chris” and “Mom Debbie”. It's a unique organization where the president is also thought of as "Dad" by many of the children!

I feel like I am working with COTN at a key time in its history. Behind are many years of a small, family-style ministry and ahead it is developing into a full-fledged international non-profit while still trying to maintain its sense of family and community. It is definitely a great experience to be part of an organization as it grows in this way!

One of the many new babies we met,
our new nephew, Oliver!

Madalo has gotten back into the swing of her work at African Bible College (ABC) Community Clinic. She really enjoys being a nurse; treating and caring for people as God heals their bodies and spirits. She is such a light to her patients and fellow staff members, always bringing a smile and encouraging words to those around her. I’ve heard more than once from some of the “higher ups” at ABC that she is one of their best nurses!

Much Love,

Jeremy and Madalo

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I Know We Are Where We Are Supposed to Be

1:00am, Tuesday, January 8^th. Madalo and I are asleep in bed. I’m woken by a noise. I quickly gain my senses as I hear the noise again. It’s an unmistakable noise. “Someone is breaking in.” I tell Madalo. “Go hide in the bathroom.” She goes with her phone and calls a COTN staff member who then calls our country director who then calls the police.

I press the panic button which calls a semi-armed security response company. Unfortunately, they usually take 8-10 minutes to respond. I go out to the front room where the door is with a metal baseball bat in hand, turn on the light and call out, “the police and security are on their way!” They continue their work of breaking the glass panes on the heavy, metal door. They reach some sort of a steel bar inside and within seconds pry off the padlock which is supposed to keep us safe. I was surprised at how easily padlocks can be popped open. The door swings open and I’m facing five men armed with machetes and clubs. There is still a security gate separating us.

What I would give to have a gun or pepper spray in my hand to scare them off or incapacitate them with the sting of pepper in their eyes. But I’m standing there helpless, knowing that within a few seconds they would also pop the padlock holding the security gate closed. I’m a big guy, I had a baseball bat. If there were just one or two of them, I probably could have held them off at the door until help arrived. I quickly made my decision though, there were at least five and probably more outside. I later learned that there were in fact close to ten or fifteen altogether so resisting would have proven dangerous. The lock pops open, the gate swings open, and the men rush into the house. I set the bat down, hold up my hands and say, “take whatever you want.”

They make quick work of gathering whatever small electronics they can find. They ended up with two laptops, two cameras, a kindle, some flash drives, a hard drive, a wallet with my passport, etc. They keep demanding, “We want dollars” but I keep telling them that I didn't have any. I gave them whatever local currency we had, which wasn't much but seemed to pacify them. Searching for more, they overturn drawers, pull up our mattress, but find nothing else. I spent most of the time standing between them and the bathroom door where Madalo was hiding, and thankfully they never try to harm me or get past me to search the bathroom. After gathering what they could, they quickly make their way out of the house, join their friends outside, and make their way out of the campus using a hole they had dug in the brick wall. All in all, they were there for barely 5 minutes.

I walk outside the front door to find one of our security guards tied at the hands and feet on the grass. I cut him loose. Within minutes, but still too late, the security response team arrives followed by the police. They don’t make much of an attempt to search or chase after the robbers. They take a look around, get some information from me, say they are sorry that it happened, and tell me to come to the station in the morning to make a full report.

In the following days, Children of the Nations and Peace Corps has done a lot to make us feel safe, supported, and helped in the process of working with the police, reinforcing doors and windows, and upgrading security systems. We've experienced a lot of warmth and empathy from our friends, neighbors, and co-workers. A number of our Malawian friends have experienced similar situations and knew that the worst thing to say in a time like this is, “It’s okay.” They know that it’s not okay. It’s not okay that someone broke in and entered your house, threatening your safety and the safety of your family. They know that trite answers aren't helpful but simply being there is. Simply offering a visit, a hug, a prayer, and a reassuring smile is enough. Despite the ugly faces that sometimes rear themselves in this country; it still remains in my heart and mind, “The Warm Heart of Africa.”

Some may be scared away, back to the relative safety of American suburbia. In the week that has passed since the break-in however, I have felt an even stronger resolve to be here. I feel it’s where I’m supposed to be. Jesus told his disciples not to be surprised when they went through trials, persecution, hatred, etc. He said, “In this world you will have trouble.” He didn't say IF you have trouble, he said YOU WILL have trouble. I believe that when you’re doing the work of Jesus, the enemy doesn't like it. He does what he can to trip us up, to scare us, to keep us as harmless sheep chomping on grass in the safety of the fold. On our own, that would be easy for him to do. Sometimes I think he forgets though, we may be harmless sheep, but we've got one bad-ass shepherd to protect us. A shepherd who has already overcome the world and he walks with us through every valley with the shadow of death looming overhead. After all, the best grass isn't in the fold, it’s out in the hills and pastures, away from the safety of what is familiar.

I have no reason to fear; he is with us and we are where we are supposed to be.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." –Jesus, John 16:33