Gentle and quiet spirit??

I should already be deep in my sleep instead of writing this post, but I thought I would get it over with while it's still fresh in my mind.

OK.

I WILL SHUT UP.
From now own, I won't say anything unless it's necessary.

It's yet another one of my "slip-ups", I suppose. I reckon if I continue with this, it might just ruin my life. I don't know what it is with me, but sometimes I can't seem to keep my trap shut. I really wonder if this really is what constitutes my lack of friends. I can't help it! I don't know how!

In the midst of my remorse, I was reminded of this verse:
"Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel— rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

Ha, yes, both the things I am not.

I am neither gentle, nor am I the slightest bit quiet.. at least not around my friends/the people I'm familiar with. At group meetings, I do not hesitate to express my opinion, without thinking twice. In daily conversations, I do not hesitate to ask rash questions and/or make unnecessary remarks without thinking thrice. I hate not being able to be quiet. I hate making stupid comments and asking silly questions. I hate acting smart when in reality, I'm making myself look dumber by the second.

I resorted to my old Facebook posts when I would strike up status conversations with other people and I thought how freaking, FREAKING stoooopid I was back then! I mean, I still feel that way now at times when I'm usually too late to realize the damage has been done. I wanted to act smart and strong when I really wasn't.

Beauty is skin deep. Cliche, but it's probably true. It doesn't matter whether you adorn yourself with jewellery, nice clothing, or even exceptional intelligence – it's the insides that count. I've been too proud with myself. Pride has driven me deeper into the gutter. I've lost good friends, my relationships have been strained, and keeping up with it would lead me into more trouble. I don't know how many people I have hurt through my actions, and how much beeswax about other people I have probed into.
If you happen to have witnessed this careless and shameful endeavour of mine, I AM SORRY. And if you happen to be the one(s) I've hurt, I apologize from the bottom of my heart.

There are still a few things on which I need more clarification, but what I DO know is that this is NOT my character. It's not who I really am. I am not this kind of person. The aforementioned behaviour is simply a product of my experiences – what I have been through in life. I used to vehemently refuse to be viewed as a weak person, especially since I am a woman. No, I am not a feminist. But I hated the sexist and gender stereotypes people make when specifically comparing men and women. The remarks I've heard, seen, and taken in are the catalyst that has "helped" me in developing this new persona, which I am indubitably starting to despise.

But I concur.

I, as a woman, should assume the quiet bench. Why? Because it's the right darn thing to do. No, it's not because women are weak, but it is our ability to stay quiet in the midst of turmoil that determines our power.
Listen more, talk less.

A dear lady by the name of Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Do as you will with this quote, but I have my own piece of mind. You are who you think you are and you don't need to justify it with mere talks. You need only prove yourself TO yourself. Real ladies don't show off. Real ladies exude. I think that's all it takes to prove who you really are.

>>Seriously, I make too many promises on my blog that I don't even remember writing.<<

Let us all remind each other how important it is to be who we are without trying too much. While you reflect upon this post, it's time for me to get back on the books.

Remember, read a lot, listen carefully, and speak only when necessary.


Cheers,

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day IX

Oh my goodness, it's been over two years since this mission trip, and I'm only posting the last of the episodes now! I'm so sorry for my lack of discipline. But I am very happy to announce that I have finally finished undergraduate studies, which leaves me with an honours bachelor of arts degree in humanities! I'm definitely utterly blessed and very grateful to my parents who have been very supportive of my studies. Next, on to the other BIG things in life!!

I have mixed feelings about this episode. I'm glad the series is almost over (which means I can focus on something else), but at the same time, it's been a fun ride posting about the trip. Nonetheless, I hope all of you have been enjoying my mission blog posts. I encourage everyone to do something extraordinary at least once in life and share it to the world. It truly is a satisfying experience. For my loyal readers, thank you for sticking by me through the end. I always appreciate your feedback. God bless.

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Sunday, May 29, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

Today we had our 2 Sunday services – the morning one at 7AM and the afternoon one at 5PM. At around 4:30 this morning after our morning prayer and devotions, I went up to the rooftop to take pictures and record a video of the pig slaughter to take home as hardproof evidence. Unfortunately, I attempted to no avail since I could not get a clear shot. It was still extremely dark and the distance between the abattoir and where I was standing was quite far. Instead, I settled for the excruciating sound of the crying pigs and images of the slaughterhouse, as well as the pigs before and after they were slaughtered (see images from the last post here).

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day VIII

May 28, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

I am a very curious person. When curiosity strikes my conscience, most of the time following through becomes compulsive. That is what happened to me today. This morning I braced myself to actually visit the slaughterhouse in the flesh. I had been waiting to do this since the second day I got here (because on the first day, I arrived after they had finished butchering the pigs). I hope my photo-taking skills were subtle enough as not to have offended the workers there. The experience was more emotional and psychological rather than physical. But of course, I dared not making any tangible contact with the animal's dreary and gruesome remains. Still, my insides were churning as I allowed my mind to conceptualize the notion of consuming this animal as tonight's dinner, and the fact that back in Canada, I had been indulging in the scrumptious, mouthwatering tang of this animal in the form of a succulent rack of BBQ Baby Back Ribs. Now it has definitely given me the heebie jeebies. Here are some visuals to feed your lingering curiosity. May I warn those devout pork-eaters, however, that after seeing these pictures, you might not be as big of fans of pork anymore (or not, if you've got "less of a heart" for "that kind of stuff"). Proceed at your own discretion.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day VII

May 27, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

This morning, the pigs were yet again, screaming at the top of their lungs, ruthlessly and endlessly crying for mercy (if you don't know what I'm talking about, refer to the post here). 

It was Kak Ester and Kak Elyda's turn to present at today's seminar. Their topic was Children's Ministry. Kak Ester did the first half and Kak Elyda took the second. Their presentation was highly interactive and fairly engaging! We got to do a really neat tie-dye artwork nearing the end.

DongHaeng Flash: Footprints

"Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the Lord your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you." ~ Deuteronomy 31:6

 

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day VI

May 26, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

I gave a 2-part, 2-hour lecture today at STT AIMI (School of Theology). I had not fully finished my PowerPoint presentation, so last night I had to stay up later and woke up later to finish it. As an unfortunate consequence, I missed my daily morning devotions today. Anyway, I was fairly nervous to give my lecture, as I had never done anything alike in my life. My seminar series was entitled "Relationship With God Through Songs". And yes, the whole thing was successfully conducted in Indonesian (praise the Lord), even though there were a few glitches here and there with the vocabulary (I promise I'm still a native speaker!). But overall, the students very receptive and welcoming to what I had to say. Whenever I struggled with some of the Indonesian words in the middle of the lecture, the students would always help me figure out the right words – their English was surprisingly good! And they were hilarious!! Because of this, I had such fun and greatly enjoyed leading the seminar, and the whole 2 hours of lecture went by in a breeze! It was more of a casual lecture as opposed to a formal one, which was better for me because I had been worried that I would bore the students to sleep (typical me).

The Raid: Redemption: Salvation

On Good Friday last week, my church friends and I went to see the new, internationally acclaimed Indonesian action film, The Raid: Redemption. This blog entry, despite of its title, is not meant to review the movie. Then again, I would not want to be spoiling any juice to anyone who is planning to see it.
Following the movie, we made our way to a nearby bubble tea place to calm down the mood after such a ________ (fill in the blank) movie.

The clock already struck past 12 when we decided to end our exuberant rendezvous. In the middle of our conversation about this behind-kicking movie as we were stepping outside onto the walkway, a mid-age lady came to approach us. It was a particularly cold night in April (thanks to Canada's obscure weather changes). Her voice slightly stammered when she asked us if we had any change to spare. Here is where the controversy may surface to some of you.

I'm not one to easily give change to homeless people because I don't know what they would turn the money into. However, are we still right to judge them for that? Second, opening my wallet in public, especially in front of a homeless person who is begging for change was and is never my favourite thing to do. My mind would generate cynical thoughts and convince my consideration to believe that this pitiful solicitation is a solely staged attempt to mug an innocent passerby like me. Please. Are we still right to judge them on this?

That night was different. I was different. When the person came to us for change, one of my friends was the first one to react. He reached into his pocket and gave her what she wanted. Initially, I was hesitant as to whether I should do the same. From what I could remember, I had used up all of my coins to buy food the few days prior. But instead, I dug into my purse, took out my gigantic red wallet and peered into it. I detected a $5, $10, and $20 bill before slipping the $10 into her hand. As I was handing it to her, I challenged my friends aloud – in Indonesian, of course – to pray for her together with me. None of them budged. They all stood motionlessly while staring at me in pure confusion. Knowing that I was the only one who was up for this, I gathered the remaining courage in my system and asked her if she would like to be prayed for. Much to our relief, she gladly accepted the offer! And so the prayer team, which consisted of me, JT, and his brother Justin, went ahead and did our thing. Her name was Shanna (spelling is likely to be wrong).

A fairly similar occurrence happened 2 years ago in 2010, as I was leaving the Indonesian Consulate building. Everything went down comparably accurate, except their names (the other person's name was Stella – read her story here), location of the incident, and the amount of $$ being given. JT half-jokingly suggested that they could be the same person, but I do not reckon they are. Even if they were, she must have gone through a major plastic surgery to change her looks.

When it was over, I wondered how two very similar incidents could happen to me within the span of less than 2 years. I told myself I could have given her the $20 bill instead. I mean, if she really were to use the money for purposes other than those alongside food and/or clothing, so what? We're feeding her poison? I realized it is not the value, but the thought that counts – and not anybody else's thoughts, but our own. My thought says so long as she could afford to buy something to keep her stomach full throughout a cold spring night, it would not matter how much money we give her. If she did not wish to spend the money on these things, but rather on something detrimental to her health, who are we to judge? We did not know this. We would not be able to assume or deem our irresolute assumptions to be correct without a basis of fixed certainty. The least we could do is to keep our positive thoughts out of the gutter.

I am not trying to go against the gospel of Matthew – precisely Matt 6:3-4, which reads, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing..." This post is simply a reminder and encouragement to all of us who often have second thoughts when making decisions. I have learned that some actions do not require any further thoughts. Just do what you have to – and surely, do so wisely. The reason why I believe this is because wisdom does not always equal to prolonged judgment. On the contrary, sometimes the more you think, the greater the chances that logistical rationalization would defeat preliminary thoughts, which could have well flourished out of your inherent wisdom. Like many of you, my faith in humanity is not lost. We could see that altruism still very well exists in our world and all around us if we would only look deeper.

I am thankful for Shanna. I am thankful that she came to us in her helpless state, humbly asking for a spare of change, regardless of what she was intending to spend it on. Most importantly, I am thankful that we had the opportunity to pray for her, with her. She was very kind and open-hearted. It undoubtedly is nice to meet people who are not hostile toward Christians. I pray that she would always remember how much she is loved; no matter what state of her life she is in – God is always on her side. And I pray that her brief encounter with us has introduced her to a path, which will lead her to God's promised destination that is eternal salvation.


With lots o' love,

<< Click here >>

JESUS LOVES YOU
AND HE HAS FORGIVEN YOU.

I pray that each of you will find what you are looking for in life. All of your unanswered questions will be answered in due time... His time :-). Meanwhile, I invite you to meditate upon the following passage (Matthew 6:25-34):

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."


And remember,"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23

Image from Flickr, personally edited. No copyright infringement intended.

With love in the Merciful One,

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day V

May 25, 2011

Jagalan, Surakarta

Today we returned from Muneng, back to Jagalan in the afternoon. In the morning, Ibu Suryani (Mas Urip's wife) took us to their carrot and mustard cabbage plantations to help harvest the ripe ones. But because I was holding the camera, I did not get my hands dirty from plucking out the vegetables. I do not remember the exact hours we spent there, but it was productive and we managed to harvest quite a big number. Ibu Suryani, out of the kindness of her heart, even let us take some of each to bring home to Jagalan.

NEW YEAR 2012 + Important announcement

Happy New Year 2012 to all!!! Wishing everybody a healthy, prosperous, and successful year. Keep moving forward. Don't let past mistakes hamper you from reaching and accomplishing your set goals.

"Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead..." ~ Philippians 3:13

Indonesian churches in the GTA are holding a belated Christmas event called "Christ, Our Source of Peace and Unity", on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at 5PM, located at the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (129 Jarvis Street). Doors are open to everyone, as you are welcome and encouraged to come. The cost is free and there will be a Christmas service (our band is in charge of the Praise and Worship) as well as some entertainment and icebreaker activities. Dinner is provided. Please keep in mind, however, that the service and most of everything else will be conducted in Indonesian.

If you have any questions and are interested to come, please refer to the email listed at the bottom of this poster. Should you find it more convenient, you may also inform me of your arrangements. Repondez, s'il vous plait.

Have a blessed one.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day IV (Warning: picture heavy)

Muneng, Central Java

May 24, 2011

We left for Muneng around 7 AM today. From what I was told, the village at which we are staying is located behind Mount Merapi. We took a few pictures along the way as we were reaching to the top. We were able to see Mount Merapi from a good distance.

The mission crew + Mama Damaris in the van

Thoughts and prayers: Somalia case

WORLD

Somalis Waste Away as Insurgents Block Escape From Famine

By JEFFREY GETTLEMAN

Published: August 1, 2011

The Shabab Islamist insurgent group is imprisoning displaced and starving Somalis who were trying to escape Shabab territory.

---

This article is linked directly from the New York Times website. PLEASE, PLEASE spare some time and give the article a brief read to inform you (if you haven't already been so) of what is currently ongoing in our world today. No, we cannot go there and physically be present to witness this horrific phenomenon due to the extreme danger, to which we could all be vulnerable. I know there's nothing we can do at this point, as aid is pretty much impeded, thus rendered ineffective, but we could always remember to bring this issue and the people into our thoughts and prayers. Some of us may not bother and are too hard-pressed living their frantic lives, which is completely reasonable. But if I could ask each and every one of my blog reader to just burden yourself with this kind of deliberation in your everyday life, perhaps it would make a substantial bit of difference.

We, as Christians, believe in the power of prayer. Nothing is impossible with God. Nothing is impossible for those who believe. Right now I'm asking all of us to gather ourselves, join together in unity, and act upon our belief by praying for these people and their nation. In Matthew 18:19-20, Jesus says, “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.” I think this is fairly straightforward of what is clearly laid out in the bible. Should we refer to the notion of practicality: is this feasible? Yes. Simple enough? Very. Everything seems impossible, but we must remember that GOD MAKES THE IMPLAUSIBLE POSSIBLE. This is not about your erudition in sociopolitical affairs, nor is it a case of how much comprehension you have of global matters. It is plainly a question of whether or not you CARE. And I'm making a modest request to my blog readers to participate in this consideration.

REGARDLESS OF WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE A CHRISTIAN, please make some contribution by keeping them in your thoughts, raising awareness, and/or being knowledgeable – anything counts! This is the LEAST we could do to make a difference. When you pray, please do not forget to include Somalia and the people who are inflicted by this gruesome calamity.

Thank you for taking your time. It is greatly appreciated.

Love always,

Hazel

"Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does." – William James

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day III (ii)

Here is a continuation from the earlier blog post I posted with respect to the mission trip, dated May 23, 2011. Oh, by the way, Happy 1st of August! It's Civic Holiday here in Canada, so we get a day off :-). The intention of this holiday is to 'not work', but on the contrary (as ever the case with me), I will be working on my essay. I hope everybody's been enjoying their long weekend.

Previous post: click here for pt. i

Part ii

Subsequently, we dropped by a plantation in Malanggaten. There were other miscellaneous crops estates, ranging from corn, wheat, etc. Our church intended to oversee their project, which was to build a plantation block house (I don't know what it's called in both English and Indonesian – maybe Gubuk Sawah? If anyone does, please do let me know). I just received confirmation from Ko Steven, saying that they have successfully built the house. I will try to ask for pictures, so I can post them here. In the mean time, here are the ones that we took:

Silly me! I must have forgotten to take a full-sized photo of the house by itself. I apologize.

For reference purposes, it is that house behind me (and the one in which I took this photo).

On The Road

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

~ Isaiah 40:28-31

Though the fig tree does not bud...

I've figured out how to edit pictures and add text to them. Hiyahh!! Stay tuned for more :-).

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day III (i)

Dear my lovely readers,

I sincerely apologize for the lack of updates on my mission trip series. I've been utterly (and honestly) busy with summer school, as it has kept me occupied for the past 3 hectic weeks. Right now I have a little time to transcribe the next entry from my diary onto the blog before I start doing some school work :-). Enjoy!

P.S. Because the entry for this particular day is quite lengthy, I didn't want to bombard you with you with an extensive post. On that note, I decided to divide it into 3 parts :-) and this is the first. Warning: this one is picture-heavy.

Jagalan, Surakarta

Monday, May 23, 2011

One of the things I've noticed from this trip is that with each day, there are more and more activities, hence more amazing experiences. Today we left the house at 7 in the morning and visited a Kindergarten school in Pucang Sawit, called Taman Kanak-Kanak Tunas Bangsa. The school is part of Nafiri Kasih Organization, which was founded and is now headed by Ibu Mary Hartanti. Because Ibu Mary is staying in Jakarta at the moment, the person who currently runs the school is Ibu Mary's sister, Bunda Herti. As the name suggests, this school only consists of two separate classes: a Junior and a Senior kindergarten class. I can't recall how many kids there were in total. When we arrived at the school, the kids were very excited to welcome their unexpected visitors. They were running around, just as kids their age would. The two groups were then combined into one big class for our presentation. Ka Ester shared an interactive story, Ka Elyda taught them a new song, and I had my allocation of teaching them a bit of English. Two kids stood out to me the most: Michael and Moris (unfortunately, I don't have a picture along with them :(). At this school, we distributed books and milk. There was a swarm of warmth sweeping us off our feet to see these kids so happy with what they received. Not to mention, they were bright students! Their English was surprisingly GREAT. They were able to answer me back in English. When we were about to leave, the kids set out to see us off and shook our hands. Some kids had even done it 3 times. I thought, how different the situation would be to that of the city! Rural kids sure know how to put a smile on our faces with their amiable presence and childish, yet genuine disposition.

What you sow, you will reap

You know, what never ceases to amaze me is the fact that "Karma" always comes back around. I know some of you may not believe in the whole notion of this Karma, just as much as I refuse to. But the bible explains something of a similar idea: The Law of Sowing and Reaping. Like farmers and gardeners, you reap what you sow. In this case, I'm specifically talking about actions. Most of you, my readers, know that when I write my blog posts, I try to be overtly honest. For this one particular entry, please be patient with me as I take you through a journey of my worst vice and iniquity I not-so-rarely commit. I must admit that I am ashamed to write about this, but I hope that this entry might be able to help those of you who are struggling with comparable situations.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day II

Jagalan, Surakarta

Sunday, May 22, 2011

I thought I had the strangest dream when I woke up this morning. I heard sounds I would perceive as the excruciating screams and cries of a man being possessed by a demon. It was tremendously audible from where I was sleeping in my pastor's room. Later on in the day I asked Kak Elyda (she and Kak Ester lived in this dormitory several years ago) what those sounds were and where they came from. She casually said they were the sounds of pigs being slaughtered. It would appear that there is a pig slaughterhouse situated right behind the building in which we are staying. Well, that uh... explains a lot.

The abattoir

This morning we were supposed to wake up at 4am for our daily morning prayer and devotions. However, my roommates and I misunderstood the given information and set our alarm to 4:30 instead, so we missed this morning's devotional meeting. The prayer is usually held inside the church, which is located upstairs. The only way to go upstairs is to first go outside, where the stairs are, through the front door. At 4:30, we found that the front door was already locked from the outside. To compensate for our negligence, the three of us did our own prayer and devotion session together in our room.

INDONESIA: Mission Trip 2011 Day I

After a long and patient wait, finally!!!!! I'm back in Canada now and I'm very sorry for all the pending. I thought I could have started this blog posting series back in June, but it turned out I was kept occupied by family matters and didn't have much time to sit down and post. SO, to all my loyal and faithful readers, I offer my huge apology. I was back in Canada 3 days ago, on June 27. It's been rather a [jet lagged] rest, but now I'm ready to start this mission series. The format is simple: I will be writing in a diary mode. I brought my favourite notebook with me on the trip and I wrote down everything every day for the 9 days that I was there. I may not reference what I've already mentioned in my earlier blog posts regarding the mission trip. If you have not read them already, here are the links (earliest-latest):

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. I

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. II

• Indonesia: Pre-Mission Trip 2011 pt. III

• INDONESIA: Mission Trip {Introduction}

Jagalan, Surakarta

Saturday May 21, 2011

At 22:06

We flew from Jakarta at 11:40 in the morning by Sriwijaya Air and arrived in Surakarta (Solo) at 12:55. The first thing I noticed when I got here is that Solo is much less crowded than Jakarta. But it's HOT, and I don't mean that figuratively. It was a scorching afternoon, as the sun played her joke on us. The other 3 people who came with me on this mission trip are Kak Ester, Kak Elyda, and Ko Steven. All three have a theological title: Evangelist, Junior Pastor, and Pastor, respectively. I surely felt a bit out of place being the only one with no title whatsoever, but I didn't let that stop me anyway. One of the pastors (whose name escaped my mind) fetched us from the airport, accompanied by the senior pastor, Pak Markuat ('Pak' means 'Mr.' in English). He drove us in a mini-bus type of car. I was humbled by his car - an old, beaten down, shoddy vehicle, whose machine clonked and clanked as it went, but it was able to carry us to our destination without a single scratch. OK, maybe the car was not completely beaten down, but it was definitely not your average car, accessorized with a radio and/or a functioning air conditioning system. In exchange for those, we got to indulge in the 'natural' Solo air.. and smell.

Hillsong United - Age To Age

You gave me hope

You made me whole

At the cross

You took my place

You showed me grace

At the cross

Where You died for me

And His glory appears

Like the light from the sun

Age to age He shines

Oh, look to the skies

Hear the angels cry

Singing, "Holy is the Lord"

"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." ~ John 3:16