Dear Friends,

I hope that you had a great week. We wrapped up September in style. You should be beginning to see Halloween decorations in the stores and popping up around the neighborhood! This is one of the favorite holidays for children and adults. It is fun to dress up in costumes. Children trick or treat from house to house. Adults enjoy costume parties. Bigger kids love to go to the haunted houses for a scare. Keep your eyes open for the fun!

Be sure to check our Things to Do list for Halloween events. If you find a good idea, share it with all of us in the comments.

Have a great weekend!
Carolyn

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30 in room 100.
We read the Luke 2:41-52. This story is a wonderful story of family relations and misunderstanding. Jesus is a young man. The family went to Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish Passover (when the Jewish people left slavery in Egypt. This is another great, dramatic story. You can read it in Exodus 12). Young men Jesus' age

October 3: Let's read Luke 3:1-19. 
John the Baptist is Jesus' second cousin. God had great plans for John: he was born to Zechariah and Elizabeth in their old age. He bring back many of the Jewish people to believe in God. You can read the predictions about his life in Luke 1:15-17. Luke tells more of John's story in Luke 3.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00 in room 100
The International Friends risked rain and set out to Stuckey Farm. We were successful in our apple picking and were surprised to find quince trees. For people new to quince, this is a popular in the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries and was a popular fruit in England. Quince turn orange when they are cooked, and since they are very acidic and sour, you want to cook them. You know when they are ripe because they are soft. You can ripen them by placing them in a bag until they are soft and yellow.

October 3: Let's talk about having babies!
Joette Morris a nurse at St. Vincent Hospital Maternity Ward and Adina Nelson a Duela will come to talk with us about having babies in Indiana and in American hospitals. Come and join the conversation. Bring your questions. Bring your stories to share about having babies in your home country. Let's compare notes!

Wednesday Casual Conversation, 4:30-6:00 in room 200
We finished sharing our "maps" of our lives and played a game where we were different people in different jobs speed friending. We enjoyed delicious Turkish baklava! What a delicious dessert and snack.

Let's talk about travel. You can prepare for talking about travel by looking over Unit 2 (pp. 9-16). Bring questions about the material. Think of some interesting travel stories to share.

October 4: Let's talk about travel.
Join us as we enjoy each other's company and learn more about each other. We will enjoy Turkish baklava!

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00 in the upstairs classrooms
It is great to see so many friends at our classes. I hope that you are practicing your English at home and when you go out. You can engage your cashier in friendly conversation when you check out at the grocery store. You can ask for advice from the other shoppers, in English. Costco is a great place to listen to English and have a little chat. As you taste the food, you can make small talk.


dramatic: full of excitement and emotion
Jesus': when a name or noun ends with an "s" and you want to show belonging, you do not add an "s" (not Jesus's). 
compare notes: share stories and information to see if we have had a similar experience
speed friending: speed friending is not an official word. It is a play on the idea of speed dating where people meet and talk for several minutes to decide if they would like to date. A bell rings and they move to the next person. The idea is to meet as many people as possible.
looking over: reading, reviewing
material: the study information
engage: involve, participate
chat, make small talk: talk to people in a friendly way about small matters: the weather, the food, their outfit, etc.