Hello Friends,

This coming Sunday is Easter Sunday which ends Holy Week. Today is Good Friday, when Jesus was hung on a cross and put to death (oddly enough, it is usually dark and rainy on this day). The Bible teaches that Jesus had no sins, but he was condemned to death. Christians celebrate Jesus' resurrection on Easter Sunday. For Christians, this holiday is God's triumph over death and cements the relationship between God and humankind. This Sunday is the fulfillment of John 3:16-17

 16 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

The fasting of Lent is over. This is a reason to celebrate!

Easter comes with secular traditions: You can now wear white shoes. Celebrate the beginning of spring with Easter egg hunts. Dye eggs in bright colors. Hunt for candy and small gifts. Shop for a new dress; buy a new hat. It's time to spruce up in bright colors. 

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:30, room 100.
We read some great stories in Luke 8:26-56. Jesus casts a legion of demons from a man and raises a girl from the dead and heals a woman from 12 years of bleeding (menstrual bleeding-women were seen as "unclean" and had to stay in seclusion during this time). Jesus restores these people. We also read Luke 9:1-9. Jesus gives power and authority to the Twelve apostles to drive out demons and cure diseases. He sends them out to tell people about the kingdom of God (the gospel). He tells them that if they are not welcomed, they are to leave. The disciples went out on this training mission. There is so much excitement and rumor that Herod now wants to see Jesus.

March 29: Let's read Luke 9 beginning with verse 10...

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We dyed Easter eggs and talked about spring traditions.

March 29: Let's prepare for spring severe weather! 

Join us as we talk about severe weather in Indiana and the midwest. What do the different announcements mean? What should we do to prepare? What actions can we take to keep safe?

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classrooms.
We enjoyed simple loaded nachos, Carolyn style. Spread corn tortillas on a foil covered baking sheet and top with taco meat, a can of kidney beans and shredded cheese. Broil until the cheese melts and the nachos are hot. Top with salsa, sour cream, sliced black olives, jalapeno peppers, lettuce. You can use chicken, pork, beef, seafood. You can substitute black beans for the kidney beans. Put your toppings in a bag of Fritos and eat with a fork and you have "walking tacos." Put everything on a bed of lettuce and you have taco salad! How versatile!

We talked about taichi as a self defense tactic and as exercise. We held a pose for 5 minutes. That was hard: not the pose itself, but the being still for five minutes!

We shared past jobs we held.

March 30: Let's continue our talk about our careers

We will review Units 20 and 21.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
It was great to visit all of the classes this week. I enjoyed having individual conversation with so many of you. Level 2 showed their crafts. What a talented group of people! There is so much improvement in English! 

Please remember that you can ask your teachers or me or for help with English and understanding life in the United States. We are here to help you talk and express yourselves. Don't be worried about offending us in expressing your views or in your conversation.

oddly enough: strangely
resurrection: come back to life after dying
holiday: can be a vacation, in this case it means Holy Day
cements: seals, finalize, completes
fulfullment: compeletion
believe in: have a firm conviction as to the goodness of something
perish: to die; there are disagreements as to the severity of death. We also talk about "perishable" foods which mean foods that decay
condemn: find someone guilty and sentence them to death
secular: not related to religion
spruce up: decorate
broil: cook under high heat
versatile: flexible
pose: hold a particular position
being still: not moving, being quiet
review: go over, talk about the main points of something
shy away: avoid