Friday, December 3, 2021

Welcome December!

 Hello, Friends.

I hope that you are getting out and enjoying the lights. There are some spectacular displays in the neighborhoods. Some houses have signs out front where you can tune in your radio and watch a choreographed show.

More Festive and Fun in Indiana

Safety and Automated Calls

Robocalls are phone calls where you get a recorded message rather than a person. Automated calls from your doctor or pharmacy that remind you of your appointment or that your prescription is ready, from the school announcing cancellations or political or charity calls are legal. Robocalls attempt to sell you something or attempt to get your personal information and use spoofing or other phone numbers and identities are illegal in the United States.

What can you do?

  • Don't answer unknown numbers. Let them roll to voice mail to screen the call.
  • Register you phone numbers on the Do Not Call list and report robocalls.
  • Do not press any buttons or talk to the recording. Sometimes they are trying to get your voice recording saying your agree to something.

Find out more: Robocalls from the FTC (Federal Trade Commission)

American Sign Language: Monday, 5:30-6:30 PM EST (GMT-5)

We enjoyed some videos and holiday vocabulary. We are finding that we are signing all the time now. Learning English and ASL are a nice combination.

December 6: Come and sing carols!

International Bible Study: Tuesday, 9:30-10:30 AM EST (GMT-5)

Chapter 5 in Ephesians talks about extending our behaviors in our family groups. This chapter talks specifically to married relationships. Wives should submit to their husbands. Husbands should love their wives. Submission defined is acceptance or putting someone else first. Submitting to God is accepting His direction. Submitting to your husband means accepting his opinion and leadership. A husband who loves this wife would put her welfare above all other things. In this case, the partnership of husband and wife are strengthened as a team that works together. This Crosswalk article does a great job of further explaining cultural and societal views of confusing submission with oppression and sexist behavior as opposed to a good model for a relationship.

Chapter 6 in Ephesians talks about the extended household. Children should respect their parents. Paul refers back to the fourth commandment: Honor your father and mother that you may live well on the earth. Paul advises parents not to exasperate their children. When anyone is frustrated, aggravated, annoyed and provoked how would he or she respond? Certainly not with respect and honor. In this case, parents have a responsibility to help their children grow in love.

Ephesians closes with messages. Communication with one another 

December 7: Philippians 1-2 Zoom or in person in Room 100.

December 14: Philippians 3-4 Zoom only.

International Friends: Tuesday, 10:30 AM-12:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

We talked about meeting up next week at CLC. 

Please RSVP to indyintlfriends@gmail.com YES or NO. 

The International Friends Christmas Party

Tuesday, December 7
10:30AM-11:30 AM
Room 100
at Cornerstone Lutheran Church 
4850 E. Main Street, Carmel 

Bring a dish to share and a white elephant gift for a gift exchange. 

Afternoon Conversation: Wednesday, 4:30-6:00 PM EST (GMT-5)
With no takers for the past few weeks and only two more meetings until the end of the year, we are suspending this class.

English Classes: Thursday, 9:30 AM-12:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

We had great discussions about food*. We talked about brains and how they process information and understanding how forgetting and making mistakes can be our friends when learning. Forgetting and relearning on a schedule helps us to cement information. At first you have to remind yourself (or review) in short intervals (5 minutes, 20 minutes, 1 hour, 3 hours, every day, twice a week, twice a month, etc.). Making mistakes also helps you to remember something because it calls attention to the information. We also talked about the strategies of adding songs and music to increase our memory as well as emotions and senses.

We compared pronunciations across our languages. "J" does not mean the same thing to everyone. Unplugging what you know from your own language and learning a new sound or sounds for the same name can be a forgetful challenge.

*Important recipes:

And Chinese Morning Glory/Ong Choy notes from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources

December 9: S and T word lists.

December 16: W, X, Y and Z word lists. Our last class. Come to the virtual party!

Kids' Conversation: Friday, 4:30-5:00 PM EST (GMT-5)

We had a music fest of Jingle Bells (here are the words)! Oh what fun! We talked about the words in the song and what they meant. We met two or our friends and asked questions from their five sentences. 

December 10: We will have a flute solo of Jingle Bells and see how many (English) words you could make from the words Merry Christmas!

December 17: Our last class this year! Let's have a party! 

choreographed: a coordinated or planned 
forgetful: not apt to remember, not memorable, absent minded
lights: not just any lights...this means houses decorated for the holidays

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