Friday, September 15, 2017

One more first!

Dear Friends,

I had such a great week seeing everyone and meeting all of you! We have such a spectacular year ahead of us that is full of fun and surprises. Take some time to see what we are offering and be sure to take advantage of all that we have to offer. 

There is so much to do in Carmel. Check out our Things to Do Page.


International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, Room 100.

This week we read (in four different languages!) and discussed Psalm 91. The use of pronouns as the poetic device emphasizes the message of the psalm. This psalmist says that he trusts in the Lord. He says, "Surely he will save you (verse 3)" and goes on to explain that God promises to protect you from danger. Whether it's an unknown temptation that could entangle or disease or conflicts that could hurt you. In the last verse, God speaks in first person, "I will [keep him safe] and [satisfy him with long life] and grant him salvation". We listened to Josh Groban's beautiful song On Eagle's Wings, which takes its lyrics from Psalm 91 and puts a modern spin on this hymn.

September 19: We decided to start each of our Bible studies this year with a Psalm and to read and discuss the Gospel of Matthew. Join us next week when we will read Psalm 31 and begin Matthew 1! 

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, Room 100.
We talked about living in Indiana and answered questions about schools. We talked about ice cream socials and all of the options that are available to our children in our communities.  

September 19: Join us as Sayuri teaches us how to make Oreo brownies. This is your last chance for a cooking lesson from her before she moves to Japan (and we have to take a field trip to get a lesson!).


Open Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classrooms.
Our classes begin begins September 20. Join us as we gather together to practice our conversational English. All levels are welcome. This meeting costs $30 for the year. This cost covers the costs for materials.


English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
We kicked off our first classes this past week. We have some fantastic teachers this year who have come together to help you improve your English skills. Each teacher is beginning with some specific strategies to help you improve your casual English and build your vocabulary.

Level one is concentrating on basic vocabulary and grammar and conversation.
Level two is focusing on listening and mimicking speech patterns as well as sentence structures.
Level three is working on using writing as a medium for develop and expand grammar, sentence structure and vocabulary as well as enhancing their conversational English.
Level four is expanding their understanding of American slang and colorful language as well as concentrating on how to clearly communicate in their professional fields.
American Accent Training is working on tweaking and refining their individual pronunciation to improve their ability to smoothly communicate and be easily understood.

Don't hesitate to bring your specific questions and problems. We are here to help you with your daily living here in Indiana.


the Lord: God (with a capital G because that is His name); Lord with a capital because that is His name. In the Bible, whenever a word names God it is capitalized.
Surely: when someone strongly believes something they use "surely" to emphasize what they are saying
you: this psalm uses repetition of the pronouns of I, you and him to convey the ideas within the poem; notice how the pronouns focus the attention and ideas
verse: sentences or phrases that form a unit that is repetitive or rhymes; this style of poetry uses repetition (and remember this is translated from Hebrew)
takes its: comes from, is derived from
puts a modern spin: takes a tradition and puts it in a current context
first person: using the pronoun I 
[words]: brackets are used when a writer paraphrases or adds to something that is within a quote
* When writing and citing or using and referencing song using MLA (Modern Language Association) style (which is the preferred academic style) Groban, Josh. "On Eagle's Wings"

No comments:

Post a Comment