Making the Most

Dear Friends,

I attended the visitation and memorial service for a friend on Friday. Because she was a Christian, the service was a joyful reunion of friends and family and celebrated a life well lived. Her obituary was the merest glance of who she was and what she did with her life. My friend was a dancer that established and directed several local and national folk dancing groups. She was a teacher, a counselor and a fine artist, so the space in the funeral home was filled with her paintings, videos of her performances, costumes she designed and wore, photographs and scrap books in lieu of flowers and a showing.  On the front was a table with her Bible. Her Bible was filled with scraps and old envelopes with written notes jotted down that contained her thoughts and studies; it was a beautiful insight into her inquisitive nature and desire to understand the love she received from God. She had a great joy in life and her joy came from her faith and trust in God which she was never afraid to share with anyone. Since she spent her last days in hospice, she and her family spent time discussing her last wishes. She loved bringing joy to others and did not what to bring sadness in her passing. She relented, and as a result, more than 200 of us got to meet and get a glimpse of her wonderful 72 years of life and service to the people around her, our community and God.

English Language Tip: Exercise

Like any skill or sport, learning a language means practice makes perfect. Larissa Albano suggests that everyone needs to exercise language skills for at least 15 minutes each day. What is exercising your language skills? Reading, listening to the radio, watching TV. Even easier for us is getting out and experiencing English in your community. You can count shopping, since it involves reading and speaking and listening. As you drive, listen to the radio: music and talk radio are great ways to get your 15 minutes of English in a day. Go to the library and look at the books; check one out to read at home or while you wait. The most important aspect of exercise is that you are mindful of the language learning that is happening. The more casual and daily situations you observe and participate in English, the better your skills will become.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00, room 100.

I love getting a pedicure! It’s so nice to have a professional make my feet look and feel so good! In the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John we read the story of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. That was usually a job for one of the household servants, so imagine the disciples’ surprise when Jesus knelt down and began to wash their feet, one after the next! Peter even voiced his objections, but Jesus told Peter that unless he allowed Jesus to wash his feet, he could have no part with Jesus. Jesus told his disciples that he would only be with them for a little longer, and that they should follow his example of serving one another.~Jan Heimann

February 26: We will read about Jesus final meal with his disciples before his crucifixion and what he shared with them in those final hours. Please join us for great discussion!

International Friends: Tuesdays 10:00-11:30, room 100.

We had a great field trip to The Cool Creek Park Nature Center. There were so many interesting things to enjoy: taxidermy indigenous species, live turtles and a fancy corn snake, and a wonderful viewing window with feeders and speakers to enjoy the outdoors in the comfort of the indoors. The Natures Inspiration Art Show is on display. There are some beautiful works of art by our local artists.

Afterwards, some of us took a trip to Wal Mart to pick up supplies for our crocheting project next week. We found single hooks and Sugar and Cream cotton yarn for under $2.00 each. Otherwise, WalMart has a good selection of other inexpensive but quality yarns suitable for making scarves, sweaters, blankets, hats and more.

February 26: Let's crochet. Bring an H or K hook (or any other size you might have) and yarn (any you might have, or cotton yarn like Sugar and Cream to make a dishcloth). Come and pick one of the designs and learn to start a project. We have several patterns to choose from as well as learn tips and tricks to make your projects progress smoothly. 

If you don't care to learn how to crochet, come anyway! Practice your conversational English skills in our friendly group.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:00-11:30, upstairs classrooms.

We welcomed three new students to our classes. It is wonderful to have new Friends join us through the end of the year. We are also so happy to welcome a number of our Friends back from visits to their families or breaks to be able to continue their stay here in the United States.

Parents with Children: Thursdays during our classes.

Thank you to our parents and children for helping us to develop this new class and service to our students' families. To meet your needs beyond simple childcare we are offering activities that meet standards for child development.

One of the standards for early learning includes children learning to manage transitions with adult help. Having our parents participate in this process helps our children learn how to cope by following their parents' lead.  Our parents enjoyed listening to a book Johnny Lion's Bad Day with our children. This book is a story about a lion cub that has a cold and has hallucinations. After our parents left, we learned more about how easy it is to get germs on our hands and faces and that they are everywhere! We learned how to get rid of germs by washing our hands. This helps our children understand and meet age standards for health and well-being and self care.

February 28: We will end our February with the last of our healthy classes.

visitation: a gathering with the family of a dead person before the funeral service

memorial service: religious worship service to remember a dead person

reunion: getting together

life well lived: a life that follows beliefs and is full of meaning and a blessing to other people

obituary: notice of death in the news

merest: smaller than small

glimpse: a very short look or sight (I glanced at the update, but didn't read it)

local and national: close to home and across an entire country

folk dancing: dancing in the tradition of a certain culture or people

counselor: someone that listens and helps people solve life problems

the space: the area, the room

the funeral home: where dead people are prepared for burial or cremation 

costumes: clothing worn for a performance

scrap books: binders filled with photos, news articles and other paper pieces to remember events

in lieu of: instead of

showing: display of her physical body for people to see her one last time and say good-bye

notes jotted down: short and quickly written 

insight: understanding

inquisitive nature: character that asks questions and wants to know more

spent her last days: the very end of her life

desire: strong feelings of want

hospice: health care in anticipation of death

last wishes: plans for funeral and after death

passing: dying

relented: gave in, conceded

glimpse: peek

practice makes perfect: a saying that in order to be proficient at something you need to work at it

mindful: pay attention

casual: not formal

daily: a part of your routine each day

pedicure: professional care and treatment of the feet,: removal of corns and trimming of toenail

professional: a person who belongs to one of the professions, especially one of the learned professions

objection: a reason or argument offered in disagreement, opposition, refusal, or disapproval

deny: to state that (something declared or believed to be true) is not true

one another: each other.

taxidermy: preparing and stuffing the skins of birds and animals for a lifelike effect

indigenous: native

projects:

progress: move forward

you don't care to: don't want to, have no interest in

develop: create and grow to maturity
childcare: babysitting

standards: minimum requirements

manage transitions: deal with changes in environment

cope: deal successfully with something that is difficult

following [someone's] lead: taking a cue from someone

germs: microorganism that causes disease

hallucinations: strange visions and dreams