Thanksgiving Break and Welcome December

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Hello, Friends.

We celebrated our Thanksgiving feasts. Every year we are happy and so very thankful for the opportunity to meet together, learn together, share our lives together. 

Find Thanksgiving Recipes at the top of our page and cook the dishes we practiced.

Each of our events was excited and thankful that they did not have to wait four to five hours for our turkey to bake!

We prepared and served four turkeys. Not all of the turkeys were enjoyed by our classes. We showed hospitality to the Tomodachi club (a Japanese and American club that meets once a month) and the Indy Taiji Club (that meets 9-10:00 AM at Cornerstone Lutheran Church on Saturday).

We hope that you enjoy your Thanksgiving and that it is filled with hospitality, feasting, friendship, and the blessings of the holiday.

Holiday Highlights

There are so many fun holiday events hosted by our communities. Here is one that is hosted in Carmel. Read the article and spot phrases.

CARMEL, Ind., Nov. 19, 2025 - Mark your calendars as Santa returns to Carmel this holiday season with his friends from the Carmel Fire, Police and Street departments. The tours will begin Sunday, Nov. 23 and include 10 dates with 10 different routes through Sunday, Dec. 14. Each tour time will be from 5-8 p.m. on Sundays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 

Santa Tours will also incorporate senior living facilities, schools and parks for those who don't live along one of the neighborhood routes. 

Keep an eye out for Santa, his friends and even some surprise guests as they arrive with flashing red lights – similar to Rudolph’s nose – leading the way down the streets of the City. There will be no sirens.

You can check the Santa Tracker to view the routes and find out when he’s close by your home or neighborhood. 

 

International Friends Dates

Only the International Bible Study is meeting next week...

Enjoy the holiday and see you in December (see you next week).

International Friends Meeting Notes

Some of our students are working out of town and cannot always make or evening meeting. We are trying setting up a concurrent Zoom to loop everyone into the meeting. Look for the e-mail. Even if you do not regularly come to this class, you are welcome to be a part of this hybrid experiment.

Join us! Click here to register.

International Bible Study: Monday, 8-9:00 PM, Zoom

We talked about Exodus 24-27 and the opulent descriptions God had for the artifacts for the people to meet with Him. As the people made a covenant (a solemn agreement between two parties): 

 9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up 10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.

We had a wonderful discussion about the majesty of the God of All Creation and his mercy. 

This You Tube provides a great visual of the Ark of the Covenant.

This video uses the words of the King James Bible. God speaks to and advises from "the Mercy Seat". This image is lost in the newer translations. We are able to compare the written work and learn more about the contextual content with side-by-side descriptions.

November 24: As we read about these covenants, we reminded of the New Covenant in the New Testament. Beginning this week, we will read the Letter to the Hebrews where the author writes about the good news of Jesus and Jesus' work.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 10:00 AM- 12:00 PM, Zoom

December 4:  Join us back on Zoom after Thanksgiving Break in the jolly month of December.

American English and Culture: Thursday, 7-8:30 PM, CLC, Carmel, Room 102

December 4: Join us at Cornerstone Lutheran Church. We are going to talk about interviews and getting a job in the United States.

American English for Kids: Thursday, 6:00-6:30 PM, private Zoom

Our Friend had a work experience this week in agriculture. We learned about farming in Japan. It is different than farming in the United States. We found out that in order to graduate with an agricultural degree, our Friend's host had to write in English!

December 5:  Write a couple of paragraphs telling about Japanese agriculture. This is not a research project, but a reflection or opinion piece.

Words and Phrases and Resources

Find your own seasonal words and phrases and share them when we meet in December!