Merry Christmas and See You Next Year!

Hello Friends,

Thursday was the Winter Solstice. Welcome Winter! Look for our day light hours to become longer. Meanwhile, take of advantage of the longer nights for those Winter naps.

Shoppers, look for last minute shopping and end of year bargains.

Have a fabulous and safe holiday break and see you next year!

Love,
Carolyn

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!" Christmas is almost here, and this beloved carol reminds us that the joy we feel at Christmas should cause us to thank and praise God for the greatest gift of all, our Savior Jesus. Our opening discussion today was about Psalm 100, a psalm that is full of joy. But sometimes during the holiday season, we can feel overwhelmed with all the decorating, gift-buying, gift-wrapping, cookie-baking, cleaning, and food preparation that take up so much of our time. We can lose our focus, get caught up in the work, and forfeit our joy, replacing it with a smoldering resentment that our efforts are not understood or appreciated. It was great to talk with other women who encouraged one another to shift our focus back to Jesus and the joy that His birth brings to our world.

We also read and began discussion of chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is the beginning of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The first 12 verses are called the Beatitudes. Beatitudes describe a state of blessedness or ultimate happiness when a person is living life the way God intends it to be lived. Jesus begins by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is followed by seven more "Blessed are ..." verses naming a group of unfortunate or downtrodden people, followed by the blessings that will come to them because of their faith. There is so much to discuss from these twelve verses, and today we barely scratched the surface! ~Jan Heimann

overwhelmed: covered or buried beneath a mass of something; overpowered by an excessive amount of anything
forfeit: to lose or give up something
smoldering resentment: a slow-burning feeling of displeasure at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult
barely scratched the surface: just got started

January 9: We will continue to study the Beatitudes when we reconvene on Jan. 9th. Please join us from 9:30-10:30 in Room 100.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We talked about mythical creatures. It was fun to compare the different creatures across the cultures. We have the tiger grandma in China, a turtle-like creature that eats cucumber in Japan, trolls and elves across Europe, and a horse that has fire for a head from South America. We talked a little about the Slender Man (a modern mythical character) and Pokémon.

January 10: Join us to share our news of the break and plan for the new year.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We met to wind up the year with John. He read us one of his clever books that takes slang literally.

January 10: Bring your words that have no direct translation in English (without a long explanation). Bring an English word that needs an explanation.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
There were some wonderful and festive holiday parties on Thursday. I hope that you had a great time! Thank you for the treats and the gifts and treasures. I hope that you have a nice break and practice your English with festive holiday greetings where ever you are traveling.

January 11: Join us as we start our new year!