Weather and Potholes in Indiana

Hello Friends,

Monday it rained cats and dogs with spring showers. Tuesday reached 75 degrees and we enjoyed a bit of summer. Bundle up again on Wednesday; winter isn't over. This type of thaw-freeze-thaw weather plays havoc with our roads. Have you noticed the potholes? When they are filled with water, you can't tell how deep they are and can bottom out your car, blow a tire and even damage your rim or knock your car out of alignment! Even when they aren't camouflaged you can come up on them unexpectedly and not be able to take evasive action. The Indianapolis Department of Public Works (DPW) is hard at work. You can view and map them on the Indy Pothole Viewer. You can check the status of a hole and even report a hole by clicking on "report a hole" at the bottom left of the screen. You will be directed to a page where you can touch the map to identify the location of a hole or type in an address near the hole.

Technology tip: Did you know that your computer will read aloud to you? Go to our International Friends web page and right click on the first work at the top of the page. One option that pops up is to read aloud. There isn't much inflection or emotion, but the pronunciation isn't too bad!

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
"Righteousness," the quality of being morally right or justifiable, was the first idea we discussed from Matthew 6. It includes both the idea of acting in accord with divine law, as well as moral law. Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount that when we do righteous acts, we should not do them to win the attention or approval of others. When we do good things for others, it needs to be low key that we don't draw attention to ourselves. It needs to be motivated by love for others, not by rewards that might be gained for oneself.

In much the same manner, Jesus urges his followers not to pray in a way that brings attention to themselves, but to pray in a quiet, solitary place. He says that in our prayers we should not be babbling on and on. We talked about repetitive prayers, and how they lose their meaning when we pray thoughtlessly. Some of the people in our group shared the "one and done" approach to prayer, which means that we bring a request to God one time, and then we place the issue into God's hands and trust that He will take care of it, and we are done. That takes strong faith!

We finished verse 8 with this beautiful thought: "Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him." It's so good to know that our loving God cares about us that much.


February 27: We are looking forward to discussing the Lord's Prayer. We would love for all of you to join us!
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We learned to play Bunco: a social game using three dice. This fun and fast moving game is an excellent mixer for parties and as well as the reason for the party! We found out that different continents use different customs for counting using tic marks:

The Rules for Bunco are easy. You can also watch this You Tube to learn how to play. You only need four players. You can also play as a round robin type of game (where players move from group to group and change partners). I hope you have a chance to enjoy this fun game.

February 27: Join us as we make chicken and dumplings American style. There are basically two types of chicken and dumplings. Join us to learn to make these hearty and comforting meals.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.

Join us to talk about more than the weather. Bring what's on your mind and let's kick around some ideas!

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms. 
We offer a number of classes and levels. Space is always available!

rained cats and dogs: heavy showers
bundle up: put on your hat, coat, mittens and warm clothes
plays havoc: disrupts normal operations 
bottom out your car: when the bottom of your car hits the pavement (like when you go too fast over the speed bumps in the church parking lot)
blow a tire: when your tire breaks and goes flat
unexpected:surprised
alignment: mechanical adjustment to your car that keeps your car moving straight ahead
camouflaged: hidden
evasive action: avoid
check the status: find out the current state of something
low key: not elaborate, showy, or intensive; modest or restrained
babbling: talking rapidly and continuously in a foolish, excited, or incomprehensible way
solitary: (of a place) secluded or isolated

Hello Friends,

Have you been for a walk lately? We have had some spring-like weather followed by winter. As a result, the crocus and daffodils are beginning to shoot up.

I've heard from a number of people that they are finding mice in their houses! The icy temperatures have encouraged them to move in where it is warm and comfortable. There are many ways to catch mice. You can check Amazon to see the vast variety of options: poisons, spring traps, no kill traps, sticky paper traps and traps that remind me of a diving board that drops the mice in a bucket! The question is whether you want to kill them or catch and release them. If you decide to catch and release, remember to take them far away from your home and other houses...mice can travel far. Conventional wisdom says that if you have one mouse you can count on having 10!

Finding out how they come in is important. Mice can get in a crack as thin as a nickel or keyhole. Basically, if you can stick a pencil in a space a mouse can come in that way. Usual entries are the gaps around pipes and cracks between doors or in walls. Use steel wool to plug holes around pipes under sinks or use spray foam (although they might chew through this) and make sure your dryer vents have a screen. Mice will climb your downspouts and come in cracks around your room through your gutters, even!

The good news is that wild mice (like deer mice) prefer to live outdoors and do not choose to eat human food. The bad news is that wild mice (like deer mice) aren't easily trapped because they don't eat peanut butter or cheese or other usual bait. It's hard to put bird seed in many traps. Mice travel around the edges of a room, so set your traps against the wall and under furniture or in the cabinets where you see evidence (chewing or poo). Make sure to clean up evidence so that you can be sure they are still using that route. Don't forget to check your traps daily. You don't want the smell of a rotting rodent!

Unfortunately, even after you catch (or kill) the your current residents more will come as long as you have space attractive to them more will come. To help with rodent infestations:

• clean up pet food and bird seed and keep it in a sealed tin or plastic tub
• leave a radio or tv running when you aren't home because they don't like the noise
• leave lights on to deter them
• avoid eating on furniture and leaving crumbs behind
• sweep floors and wipe down surfaces after eating to clean up bits of food

There's no shame in having rodents...they come in the cleanest and tidiest of places this time of year. Just be sure to nip the problem in the bud!

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
Our Bible Study group loves linguistics! We also enjoy digging into the meanings of words and phrases in Bible passages we are studying in various languages. This week we were discussing Ephesians 2:8-9, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast." We zeroed in on the tense of the verb "have been saved," which is called present perfect tense in English. It is showing that the action of the verb is in the past, but also that the result of the action continues on to the present time, and that it is likely to go on into the future. The verb in Chinese shows no time attachment and implies that the idea of being saved already exists. How fascinating!

We also returned to our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5: 38-42, where Jesus urges us to love our enemies and to pray for the people who persecute us. This teaching certainly goes against the natural inclination of our hearts. We want to hate our enemies. God is telling us to be "love" people, because He loves us perfectly. Ash Wednesday (also Valentine's Day this year) is the start of the "I LOVE YOU" season of Lent in the Christian Church. It is a period of repentance, prayer, and fasting that prepares believers for Good Friday, when Jesus died on the cross, and ultimately for Easter, the joyful celebration of Jesus rising from the dead.

February 20: We will talk about helping people in need. Join us as we begin Matthew chapter 6!

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100. 
We went to Mudbugs to celebrate Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. We heard a little bit about Carnival in Brazil. When I got home I turned on the news: there were snippets of footage from Mardi Gras in New Orleans and Carnival! How apropos!

February 20: Join us as we play bunko, a fun parlor game.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.

as a result: so...

shoot up: plant sprouts coming up out of the ground or when plants (or children!) begin to grow quickly

a number of people: more than one person

encouraged: helped, supported

check: look at or confirm

vast: large or many

catch and release: live trap and let an animal go outside

conventional wisdom: common knowledge

can count on: trust

even: also

wild: not pets

bait: food or other objects used to attract some living thing

daily: every day

current residents: someone or something that makes someplace a home

rodent: mice, rats, chipmunks, squirrels, etc.

infestations: large populations of pests or nuisance animals, insects, etc.

shame: embarrassment

tidiest: most tidy or most neat and clean

nip in the bud: stop early before conditions become worse

linguistics: the science of language
to zero in on: to focus on, to concentrate on
to persecute: to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious beliefs
inclination: a disposition or bent, especially of the mind or will; a liking or preference
a little bit: not much

snippets: little pieces

footage: video or a length of film made for moves or news

apropos: appropriate (from French) pronounced ah-pro-pro

Hello Friends,

You may have heard about the changes to federal taxes passed several weeks ago. As a result, there have been changes made to Tax Withholding Notice 1036. Withholding has changed, so you may see a difference in your take home pay. In talking about home economics, our legislative branch was working on setting a budget for the country. You may have heard about a looming government shut down where federal offices would be closed and nonessential staff and contract workers do not report to work. A two year budget was passed so offices will continue as usual on Monday. 

The Olympic competitions started on Thursday with opening ceremonies on Friday. NBC is televising the games and human interest stories. That's the best thing about the Olympics: the backstories. You can livestream or just watch the highlights on line at nbcolympics. Do you think they have an app for that? 

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
Discussing philosophy, religion, politics, history, etc. is not always an easy thing for people who are learning English to do. It's not always easy for native speakers of English to do either! As
we continued our study of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, we found ourselves having some wonderful discussions about some very basic and extremely important questions, like:
          What exactly is "sin" anyway?
          Does following God's law make you a  Goody Two Shoes?
          Do you believe in heaven and hell?
          Do you worry about where you will spend eternity?
 It's always interesting to hear from the members of our study group, who come from various countries, as they explain their views about these topics. The passages we read from Matthew once again show that Jesus' teachings about the laws of God show a deeper understanding than ours. When He talked about justice, He quoted the Old Testament concept of "an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth," but His explanation of how to treat someone who has treated you badly was almost the opposite! He urged His followers to go the extra mile, to give more than expected to people who make demands of you. No matter how hard we try to be good, we cannot earn our way to heaven. Jesus did that for us. We love God because He first loved us, and if we try to follow His laws, it's because we love Him and want to live in a way that glorifies Him.

February 13: Please join us on Tuesday for more wonderful discussions!

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We had a wonderful time celebrating Raina's 10th birthday. We played classic party games: Gossip (also known as telephone), Fruit Basket (a Japanese favorite), and Feed the Apple to the Donkey (a spin on the old favorite Pin the Tail on the Donkey). Raina's favorite cake is chocolate with strawberry icing! I called her mom and she pointed me to this great recipe. It's easy to make.

February 13: Let's celebrate Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday with a field trip to the delicious Mudbugs Cajun Cafe, 20 West Main Street, Carmel. Meet at the church to carpool/caravan at 1030 or meet us at Mudbugs. The restaurant opens at 11:00.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
Of course, we went off program with our conversations. Instead of talking about the newspapers and 101 Characteristics of Americans, we ended up having a comparative linguistics talk. We discovered that Arabic in Venezuela borrowed Spanish words to make them their own. These words are unknown in Jordan! This is a common occurrence throughout the world when cultures and languages meet. In order to communicate, vocabularies are exchanged and a new dialect is born.  We worked on fixing pronunciation and grammar and listening:

• We go home. We go to work, to the store, to the doctor, etc. But, we simply go home.
• I was gone for a week.
• You lose or gain weight. Unfortunately, you don't find weight. I lost weight. I need to lose weight. You gained weight. You need to gain weight. You are gaining weight. (Gained rhymes with "rain")
• Wedding sounds a lot like wetting.
• You can be right or left handed or if you use both hands equally, you are ambidextrous
• Not all languages have "vowels." Some languages have symbols that indicate pronunciation, others have the sounds incorporated in the written symbols.
  

February 14: Happy Valentine's Day! Come and talk about this holiday...and who knows what else!

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.

federal: pertaining to national

as a result: because

tax withholding: a deduction from pay for taxes; you may receive a refund of a portion at the end of the year

take home pay: the amount of money on your paycheck

home economics: hahah! Get my pun? Home economics is the name for studying managing the money and resources of a household! In this case, I am using it in a broader sense to include our home in the United States.

legislative branch: the arm of the United States government that is responsible for making laws

looming: threatening (a storm is looming in the west)

nonessential staff: people whose jobs aren't critically important

contract workers: people hired to perform a specific job for a limited time; not an employee

passed: approved

continue as usual: 

The Olympic: yes, The is an important title for these important and popular games.

opening ceremonies: formal and grand public procedures to begin an event

human interest stories: a close look at the history and personality of the athletes, their families or people in general that tug at the hearts of and allow us to feel emotionally connected to our athletic heros

app: pronounced a-puh like apple without the "pple".

Goody Two Shoes: a phrase that came from a children's story published by John Newbery in      London in 1765. It's used to describe an extremely virtuous person, a do-gooder.
An eye for an eye: the principle that a person who has injured another person should be punished or penalized to a similar degree. These days people will say "that's Karma" when people have an unfortunate event following committing an offence against someone.
to go the extra mile: to put forth more effort than required to accomplish something
to glorify: to praise, honor, or worship

icing: frosting

off program: not according to plan

comparative linguistics: originally known as philology or "comparing languages to establish their historical relatedness"

dialect: a specific form of language that develops in a specific region or social group of people (idioms fall under dialect rather than a new language).

February is the shortest month...but full of fun!

Hello Friends,

February is a short, but fun month. Is it because we have to get through these last days of the winter? 

February 2 is Ground Hog Day. The official pronouncement from Puxatauny Phil was six more weeks of winter! Brrrrr. That forecast is accurate.

February 4 is Superbowl Sunday. This is a great American holiday. The Philadelphia Eagles are pitted against the New England Patriots. The game will be played in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Important talking points for football and non-football fans:

• Tom Brady (the quarterback for The Patriots) is 40 years old and yet he looks younger than ever! He is also the "the most winningest" quarterback in Superbowl history. "Deflate Gate" is Tom Brady's last Superbowl scandal where the footballs used in the weren't inflated to the proper pressure.

• The Eagles are the underdogs of the season and of this game. Pregame picks have been against the Eagles and now rumor has it that many of the first string players have the flu!

• This is the sixth Superbowl for the Patriots. They are favored to win.

• This match is 52 but you will see the competition written in Roman numerals, only:

• Superbowl LII (yes, it's big and bold!)

February 9 is the little known National Pizza Day. This versatile dish can be enjoyed any time of day. Cold pizza for breakfast is legendary. Some other pizza trivia for your consideration:

• Pepperoni is the most popular, preferred by 36% of the people. 

• Over 3 Billion pizzas are sold n the U.S. each year. 

• More pizzas are sold on Super Bowl Sunday, than any other day of the year. 

• Halloween is the second most popular day for eating pizzas.   

• The first pizza was sold in Naples Italy in 1738.

• Americans consume over 23 pounds of pizza per year. 

February 13: Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday the "party day" before the season of Lent.

February 14: Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent (the 40 days before Easter), a season of meditation and fasting in anticipation of Easter.

February 14: Valentine's Day is celebrated in schools and homes. Recognize the one' you love. Every family looks at this holiday differently. Elementary school children exchange cards. Middle School and High School students can buy flowers or balloons as fundraisers to give to their friends and crushes. Girls in these age ranges give cards and small gifts to their friend group (also known as posse or squad).

In case you want to chase the winter blahs with more February holidays, check Holiday Insights to discover more reasons for fun.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100. 
Our study group continued our reading and discussion of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:21-32. In Old Testament times, God had given the Ten Commandments to Moses to share with the Children of Israel. They were a guide for how to live for the Jewish believers. Every devout Jew knew these Commandments well. In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus dug deeper into them.

"Do not murder." No problem. I have never seriously entertained the thought of taking another person's life. However, Jesus says it's just as bad when I get angry with someone or call someone an idiot or a fool or worse. Uh-oh! Now I'm not feeling quite so smug about my behavior.

"Do not commit adultery." I'm in good shape here, married to one man whom I've never cheated on. However, Jesus says that if I've ever had an impure sexual thought, I'm guilty of adultery. How does that make me feel? Convicted. Humble.

Jesus speaks about divorce and raises the bar on that as well. Sin creates discord. Jesus outlines how to solve the conflict and how we can reconcile our relationships with Him and with others. He tells us, "You are broken, but I can fix all your troubles."

When Jesus spoke, He expanded on what it means to live a God-pleasing life. As the notes in my Concordia Self-Study Bible explain, "He emphasized the deep, underlying principles and total commitment to it (the Law) rather than mere external acknowledgment and obedience."

How can we achieve this purity of heart that God desires? We can't. But Jesus did fulfill the Law in the sense that He gave the Law its full meaning. He kept it perfectly, and He showed His love for us by taking the punishment for our failures. Then He rose from the dead to show that He had completed the work of salvation for us.-Jan Heimann

February 6:  We are learning so much about God's Word and His promises for us. Join us next week when we finish Matthew chapter 5.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100. 
We met to plan through February. We have a lot of fun and friendly activities ahead of us. Check out what we plan to do on our International Friends Calendar.

February 6: Join us and celebrate Reina's birthday. Come and play party games and eat cake and ice cream and other snacks. Bring your kids.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209. 
Our plan was to talk about American quirks and articles from the Easy English News, but instead we talked about politics and religion. These two topics are usually avoided in casual conversation, but they are important to discuss as they are difficult to articulate in your home language, so how much harder would they be in a new language. It is difficult to talk about spiritual and emotional topics because words (in any language) are hard to find to express what we are feeling. In addition to politics and religion, we noticed that economics also falls under the don't talk category! So true. 

February 7: OK. This time we WILL talk about Americanisms and the papers! Pick your favorites to discuss.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.  

official pronouncement: a decree; making a statement that is 

talking points: important ideas for discussion

than ever: more

scandal: a morally wrong act that causes public outrage (anger)

rumor: gossip, stories that are being told without validation

first string: first or top players in a game

underdogs: not favored to win

inflated/deflated: filling (or not filling) a ball, balloon or tire with air

big and bold: larger than life, important

trivia: details or information that is often without value

winter blahs: feeling tired of the cold and gray weather

smug: contentedly confident of one's ability, superiority, or correctness
devout: earnest or sincere; pious
reconcile: to bring into agreement or harmony; to make compatible or consistent

articulate: put into words, talk about

Americanisms: words/habits of Americans