Saturday, October 24, 2015

Helping people directly and indirectly

Hello, Friends.

Today is a truly fall day. The skies are gray and leaves are flying. I find it strange that even though the skies are dark, the atmosphere is bright with the yellow light from the leaves. This is really amazing! Our life can be like that: it seems dark when there is really light all around us. It is a beautiful time to be in Indiana!

We are always encouraged to help other people, but sometimes we need to pass on an opportunity and redirect someone to others. One of our teachers and I were approached in the parking lot at the church by a woman asking for money for food. It is important to direct these requests to the church. Tell the person that they need to talk to Jill or Tina at the desk inside door number six. The church has special funds to help these people. Since they are greeting you on church property, it is right that the church should be responsible for handling this situation and not the individuals going in and out of the building. Please let me know if people are approaching you in the parking lot for money. This can become a problem since sometimes people are trying to take advantage of the great hearts and generosity of people who are at the church. This is also the correct procedure when you are approached by someone in a parking lot and are asked for money or other help (like at the shopping mall or other store, or on the street).

You can help people indirectly and practice your English at the same time by joining Janie Willenbrock and other people at the Easter Seals Crossroads at 4740 Kingsway Drive (between Keystone and Allisonville Road North of 46th Street) Mondays from 10:00am-12:00pm. They are currently getting ready by pricing and counting items for the Gift and Hobby Show to raise funds. Easter Seals helps people with disabilities. This organization was originally established to help fight polio. Since that disease and its effects have diminished, they have moved on to help with other relevant social problems.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30
We talked about when Jesus was tempted by the devil. This is a great story because it shows us so much about the character of Jesus. Jesus goes into the desert after His baptism and fasts for 40 days and is tempted by the devil. 40 is significant for it symbolizes trial or testing. The devil tests Jesus in three (the number that indicates God) ways. We noticed that Jesus doesn't condemn the devil, but teaches him using the Word ("it is written"  "it says"). We know that the devil is not finished with Jesus for in verse 13 we read that he leaves Jesus "until an opportune time." Jesus teaches from the Old Testament; He leads the devil from God's word...when we are tempted, we can turn to God to provide us with His wisdom to overcome all arguments in this world. The devil may think he has power here, but God has greater power and even the devil knows this and leaves. We can be assured that when the devil comes back at "an opportune time" we can be prepared with God's Word to overcome the temptation. We can also be assured that if Jesus (the Son of God: Luke 2:49, Luke 3: 23) would teach the devil, He would also teach us. We pray (talk to God) that we are ready to hear His Word and be teachable and recognize His great love for us. We pray that God give us the words to overcome temptations when they are presented to us and we can be sure that God will teach and lead us.

October 27: Join us to read Luke 4:14-30 where Jesus is rejected in his home town. Do you ever return home and feel like you are not accepted by your friends and family? How could this happen?

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00
We began our discussion of Third Culture Kids: these are children that are being raised in a culture that is different from their parent's culture. Many of us have third culture children, but we also discovered that within a country there can be drastic differences in cultures from one region to another. We will continue this discussion in the future and talk about what we are doing to retain our traditions and to add new traditions that make our family stronger and help us to grow together.

October 27: Let's carve pumpkins into Jack-o-Lanterns and talk about American Halloween customs.
Please bring a pumpkin to carve and a serrated knife. We will toast pumpkin seeds and enjoy this delicious simple snack that is so popular in many cultures. You don't want to carve? Join us for the lively discussions.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00
Last Wednesday we shared some Turkish foods and practiced ordering from different menus. We talked about how to ask for details about different dishes.

October 28: Let's talk about sports.
Come and share sports stories. Read Unit 5.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00
got to spend the morning with the Conversation and Accent Class this past Thursday. What a fun morning! We had a rambling conversation during the second half. I hope to visit with each of the classes over the next few weeks.

I am looking forward to seeing everyone next week.
Carolyn
_______________________________________________
pass on an opportunity: in this situation, say no. This can also mean that you are sharing an opportunity...
redirect: send someone to a different person or place
direct these requests: tell someone where to tell these requests
funds: money set aside for a certain purpose
right: correct, proper
individuals: people
approaching: talking you; asking you. This word also means coming toward.
take advantage of: use
great hearts: kindness; having a kind heart
indirectly: not a straight connection
generosity: being kind and giving
disabilities: physical or mental conditions that limit a person's abilities
diminished: gone away
relevant: appropriate or current
raise funds: earn money
serrated: a knife with "teeth" or bumpy edges
got to: had the opportunity

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