Hello Friends,

Our spring weather will wane to winter weather. Friday's forecast predicts possibilities of  severe weather. Be prepared. We have a saying here that March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb. It looks like this saying might hold true.

Get ready for March Madness! Indiana is a basketball state. Hoosiers love their hoops! Join us as we make our sporting picks and see if your bracket can hold through the tournament. You can sign in and set your picks at CBS Sports. This makes the event so much more fun.

And speaking of sports, one of the biggest races in motor sports is this weekend. The NASCAR Daytona 500 sets the stage for the upcoming racing season. If you can't be there, you can enjoy the competition on TV or on your smart phone.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100

Our International Friends Bible Study class is a wonderful opportunity to study God's Word and ask questions about things you would like to discuss. This week we began Acts chapter 12, but we didn't get past the first few verses, because we had so many burning questions about how the Holy Spirit works to spread faith in Jesus to the world. What is the believer's role in this work? We must resist the temptation of thinking that it is "our job" to bring others to faith. We cannot know what is in another person's heart, and we cannot work faith in another person's heart, but God can! We can be loving and supportive of others who are seeking the truth about God. We can pray, and we can express the joy we have that comes from our faith in God and tell others that we want them to have that same joy. The Holy Spirit will do the work! - Jan Heimann

February 14: Please join us on Tuesday as we read about Peter's miraculous escape from prison and the continued growth of the early Christian church. 


International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100
Thank you Hadeel for teaching us to make Arabic kabsa. This is a delicious rice dish. Check our Facebook page for pictures.


Kabsa recipe:
One small onion, chopped
4 Cloves of garlic
2T corn oil
Sauté onion first then add garlic.

Add and stir constantly:
Spice mix (kabsa), dry lemon and heil (whole cardamom)  to the pan and toast.

Add cook until carrots are mushy:
6 chicken bouillon cubes
1 C chopped carrots

Add and stir until rice is coated with seasoning:
3 T tomato sauce
3 C Jasmine rice

Add hot water to cover the rice. Cover and reduce heat to low and cook 20 or until rice is cooked.

February 28: Tuesday is Fat Tuesday (the last day to feast before Lent: the 40 days before Easter). Let's celebrate Mardi Gras! Meet at the church at 10:30 and we will head to Mudbugs Cajun Café at 20 West Main Street, Carmel for some authentic Cajun.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 201
We had an amazing, ranging discussion tonight. We talked about the weather. We told about ourselves. We talked about languages and poetry. What language do you dream in? Do you ever dream in English? Shaheen told us that he dreams in English after reading poetry! Try it. Did it work for you?

March 1: Click here to read and listen to The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. See if you can dream in English. We will talk about the poem next week (and your dreams).

Don't stop there! 

Pick another poem to share.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms
What amazing and ranging discussions this week. Conversation shared wedding albums and stories. Level 2 talked about future tense and if/then statements. Level 1 had a great and far ranging philosophical discussion that included a complete Bible history but they did not solve world peace (this week). American Accent Training adjourned to Caplingers. Level 3 worked out some proverbs.

March 2: Join the fray! What interesting people. What interesting times!

hoops: basketball
picks: when you pick the winner of each game
bracket: your total choices for which teams will win each game
tournament: sporting competition between teams

hold true: be accurate
get past: move

opportunity: a situation or condition favorable for attainment of a goal

burning question: an urgent or crucial issue

resist the temptation: to withstand, strive against, or oppose something that tempts, entices, or allures

far ranging: following many paths, covering many topics

solve world peace: we use this phrase when we have weighty discussions involving philosophy

proverbs: sayings and stories that offer truth and advice for living