Wednesday, May 30, 2018

Join us in June and July

Hello, Friends.

I hope you are enjoying these summer days. Join us over the summer for casual and fun activities to meet new friends and practice your skills. Check our pages for more information

Thursday, May 17, 2018

Ending 2017-2018 Year

Dear Friends,

I am always sad when this day comes: our last official meetings of the school year. I have enjoyed meeting new Friends and greeting old Friends. I hope that you learned a lot this year. I hope that you made friendships that will last your lifetime. I hope that you were as blessed by meeting with us as I have been blessed by meeting with you. Thank you for choosing to spend your time with us.

Thank you for my lovely end of year gifts. I am looking forward to some quality shopping (unless my daughters find my

We are very grateful to Cornerstone Lutheran Church for hosting our meetings: Cornerstone Lutheran donates the space and the childcare as well as provides us with a financial donation we use for our social events, International Bibles, teacher training and more. Why would CLC give us this good gift? Today's devotion from the Portals of Prayer explains this:

Please help me:
If you haven't already done so, please complete the end of year survey from Survey Monkey that was e-mailed to your earlier this week. It helps with our planning and improvements for next year. Your feedback and ideas are important to me and to all of our future Friends.

Keep in touch! Come to our Meet Ups, Summer Games and Friend me on Facebook! Send me e-mails. You are an important to me.

International Bible Study
Our study this week began with Matthew 8:18-22, the cost of following Jesus. Jesus invites people to "follow Him" and helps them to clear their life and schedule to make that a top priority. Dealing with the challenges of taking care of our families, our jobs, and our homes can easily become an excuse to delay this journey. He invites us to follow Him and to let Him carry our burdens.

We also discussed how exhausted Jesus must have been at the end of long days spent teaching and healing so many people. Our next story in Matthew 8: 23-27 (this story is also in Mark 4:35-40) tells about how Jesus and His disciples got into a boat to cross the Sea of Galilee. Suddenly a furious storm came up with high winds and waves. The disciples feared they would die. But where was Jesus? Sound asleep on a cushion in the stern of the boat! They woke him up, saying, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and the weather turned completely calm. The disciples were once again amazed by what Jesus could do.

We finished with a story about Jesus healing two demon-possessed men. This took place in a region southeast of the Sea of Galilee. The demons knew that Jesus was the Son of God. They begged Jesus to send them into a nearby herd of pigs rather than condemn them. Jesus told them, “Go!” and the whole herd rushed down a steep bank into the lake and died. Upset about the loss of their pigs, those tending the herd ran into town to tell everyone what had happened. The townspeople begged Jesus to leave their region.

We have enjoyed our Bible Study time so much that we decided to continue during the summer, beginning June 5 and continuing our meetings in Room 100. Join us 9:30-10:30. Please contact Carolyn Willard to learn more about this opportunity to read in your home languages and discuss in English.

International Friends
We met to share delicious dishes and our recipes. It is always challenging to try to explain how to make something familiar in a new language, especially since many dishes can't be translated...there just may not be a name in the new language. This is how a language grows! You teach us the most delicious words. Check our recipe page for instructions and to learn some new gastronomical vocabulary.

Conversation
We wrapped up the year with a little party at the Local. We enjoyed delicious burgers, tater tots and pork tenderloin. Conversation around the dinner table is so enjoyable. Eating together makes you a great family.

English Classes
Wrapping up the year was bittersweet. There were so many delicious foods and conversations outside of the usual lesson talk. I loved hearing the laughter and fun at the end of the year. Don't forget to practice over the summer!


devotion: short study
financial donation: given us money
if you haven't already done so: please do something
feedback: give your opinion
priority: a thing that is considered more important than another
burden: a load, especially a heavy one
exhausted: worn out; greatly fatigued
stern: the back part of a boat
rebuke: reprimand; scold
gastronomical: related to the practice of cooking and eating
over the summer: during the summer

Thursday, May 10, 2018

Two and One...

Hello, Friends.

Welcome to summer! I hope that you are enjoying these beautiful days. Remember that in Indiana we still run the risk of frost until Mother's Day, which is always the second Sunday in May. If you plan to go out for brunch for this special day, make sure you have your reservations in early. Brunch is a very popular way to appreciate mom. 
I am sorry last week's update didn't get posted. This week you get a two for one deal: two weeks of updates in one e-mail. Be sure to read to the end so you don't miss a word!

As we wind down the year, and wind up Summer Fun!
Because we don't want your social and snacking skills to get rusty:
  • Our first meet up will be Thursday, June 7 at Lawrence Inlow Park, 6320 East Main Street (just east of the church) starting at 11:30. Bring a snack to share! Other dates are June 21; July 5 and 19; August 2 and 16. Parks will be announced.
Because we don't want your English skills to get rusty:
  • International Bible Study: Tuesday mornings beginning June 5, 9:30 at CLC room to be announced. We have a text group that will help us organize our dates.
  • International Friends Summer Games: Jonathan will be offering a games class so you can brush up and maintain your skills at 9:30-10:30 at CLC June 7, 14 and 28. July 5, 19 and 26 and August 2 9:30 at CLC room to be announced.
  • There are free Conversation Circles at the various Indianapolis Public Libraries that are free and open to the public that are offered Mondays and Tuesdays at 6:00 PM through the IUPUI School of Liberal Arts. Beth is leading the Nora Branch (8625 Guilford Ave) meeting. These began April 23. 




International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
May 1
During the time of the New Testament, lepers were ostracized by their communities because this horrible disease created a huge fear of contamination. In Matthew chapter 8 a leper approaches Jesus, falls to his knees, and expresses confidence that if Jesus wants to, He can heal him. Jesus does want to heal him! Afterward He warns him to go straight to tell the priests of his cleansing. He also encourages the man to offer the gifts prescribed in the law of Moses.

We also discussed that, according to history, the offering consisted of two white birds, cedar wood, hyssop (a shrub used in purification), scarlet cloth and running water. You may want to read more about this fascinating ritual, which in many ways symbolizes how Jesus’ death and resurrection cleanses us from our sins.


Many world religions have systems of sacrifices and sin-offerings to make things right with their gods. The Jewish people of the Old Testament were used to offerings and sacrifices being made as an atonement for their sins. When Jesus came, He “streamlined” the process by becoming the ultimate and final sacrifice for all sins committed by all people. We can go straight to Him for forgiveness and healing. For those who accept Jesus as their Savior, there is no more need for sacrifices.~Jan Heimann


May 8:

The centurion we meet in Matthew 8:5-13 and in Luke 7:1-10 was an amazing man. He was in charge of at least 100 soldiers who were part of the occupying Roman army. Most of these Roman soldiers were despised by the Jewish people and considered enemies, but not this centurion. He had friends in high places among the religious leaders of the Jews. These elders of the church went to Jesus and asked Him to heal the centurion’s gravely ill servant. They said, “This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue.” A foreigner who showed respect for the new culture he was living in, a powerful and wealthy man who cared deeply for his sick servant, a man with great authority who recognized Jesus as someone with even greater authority. A humble man. A really good man. He was sure that with just a word, Jesus could heal his servant. 

Jesus said that He hadn’t found anyone in Israel with such great faith, and He predicted that many Gentiles would someday be in heaven. The promise of eternal life is for everyone! It’s all about what you believe, not about who you are. 



We also read about Jesus healing His disciple Peter’s mother-in-law, who was sick with a fever. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she immediately got up and began to take care of her guests’ needs. Such a “mom thing,” to be sick one minute and, with God’s help, be up cooking and cleaning the next! 





May 15:
Join us for our last Bible Study for this school year, but our group has decided to continue meeting this summer every Tuesday at 9:30.  ~Jan Heimann


International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
May 1:
This week we packed our lunches and enjoyed the cherry blossoms at the park in Carmel. It was a beautiful day for an outing. The children enjoyed a wading in the pond. Who can resist getting their shoes wet?


May 8:
We celebrated Taco Tuesday at Qdoba 14490 Clay Terrace Blvd. It was a beautiful day to celebrate and eat out of doors. We strolled down to Orvis and learned about fly fishing lessons that are being offered over the summer months. 


May 16: 
Join us for our last meeting of the year. Bring a dish to share and the recipe. We will eat and have a nice social party to end our year.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classroom.

May 2: 
We talked about TED Talks and the April newspaper. We looked at how to do Nonograms. How did we come to talking about these? Because we were looking up crossword puzzles! Does this make sense? Not necessarily because Conversations can range across many subjects and ideas!

May 9: 

We presented our TED talks and were inspired to puzzle with Suduko (originally invented in Indiana!). We were inspired to visit the Dominican Republic and to take advantage of Groupon offerings to get there.

May 16:

Let's meet at the Local Eatery and Pub (14655 N. Gray Road, Westfield) for our final meeting of the year.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00

May 10:
We shortened class time to have our annual pizza party on Thursday It was great to feast on pizza and cookies and conversation! Thank you Marco's Pizza for a delicious lunch. Thank you Level 3/Writing Class for your great ordering. Thank you for taking home leftovers!

May 17:

Our last official class. Happy summer!


brunch: a meal between morning and afternoon that takes the place of breakfast and lunch. Usually brunch is used as a celebration and cocktails can be included.

contamination: the act of making something impure by contact with something unclean

atonement: satisfaction or reparation for a wrong or injury; amends
streamline: to alter in order to make more efficient or simple
ultimate: maximum; decisive; conclusive; total
occupying army: soldiers who take control of a foreign area by military force
despise: to regard with contempt, disgust, or disdain


elders: influential members of the religious community


gravely ill: seriously or critically sick


synagogue: house of worship

Gentile: non-Jewish
ostracize: to exclude from society; to banish