Carmel Clay Schools is operating on a two hour delay. IPS is closing. The temperatures don’t look like they will improve much over the day and we don’t need you sliding off the road or into someone or something.
January 24, Wednesday Conversation Class is Cancelled
Stay safe and see you next week!
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Saturday, January 20, 2018
Technology and Communication...A gift and a bane
Hello Friends,
The weather threw a wrench in our planning for the month. It also highlighted some faults in our preferred communication, i.e. our Updates publish on line immediately when I complete them, but they don't send an email version as a subscription until 1:30 AM the following morning of publication.So, for example, I am writing this Update Saturday, January 20. It will not drop an email in your mailbox until Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 AM (for batch processing during down time, I would suspect). We have several fail safe communications for emergency communications (like weather): I send out an email to current participants (One went out Tuesday, January 16 for classes and meetings that day. If you didn't receive it, check your junk or spam folder to make sure it wasn't dumped there. Check with me to make sure I have your correct email). I post on our public and private Facebook pages. You can always see what is happening and read our Updates by going to:
http://indyinternationalfriends.blogspot.com/
Best regards,
Carolyn
P.S. I hope that you noticed that this time I didn't talk about the weather! Never fear...If you look closer at the content...it was weather driven (the snow day!) That's the beauty of the Midwest: no matter what, you can always fall back on the changeable weather to be a catalyst for your casual conversation and for your life planning.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
January 23: We will continue reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Join us as we read in our home languages and discuss in English. This is a great chance to talk about history, philosophy, sociology and religion. You don't have to be a believe to join.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
January 23: The Carmel Police are joining us to talk about community safety, driving, as well as how to correctly install car seats. Come and take advantage of this great opportunity to learn about our community servants and what they do for us!
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We enjoyed light conversation about pets and social graces when it comes to the opposite sex in our home countries.
January 24 : Join us as we talk about our favorite 101 American 'statements" as we compare them with our experience. We will also get into Easy English News.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
We are happy to welcome six new students and a new student teacher to our group. You may not be aware, but our program is an approved experience site for TOEFL Academy. We have had more than six student teachers gain experience through our program and then go on to teach worldwide. We are proud of their work and continue to keep tabs on them as they help people grow and as they grow as teachers.
January 25: We are still welcoming new students and will continue to welcome them. Teachers, I need to revisit your class lists for current record keeping.
threw a wrench: disrupted
highlighted: accented
i.e.: that is
publish: written information that is made public
subscription: an automatic mailing of information or a publication
batch processing:sending out as a large group of communications or conducting a large group
downtime: when resources are not being used heavily, during off peak time
I would suspect: I guess but don't know for sure
fail safe: systems or procedures in place in case of an emergency
Best regards: a closing statement for a casual or formal letter. Other options: Sincerely, Thank you, Regards.
P.S.: Post Script; some additional thoughts outside the main topic of a letter
never fear: don't worry
weather driven: caused or influenced by the weather
no matter what: regardless
fall back:resort to;
changeable:variable; apt to change
take advantage of this great opportunity: don't miss out!
light conversation: not serious, casual and fun
social graces: manners
opposite sex: male vs female
get into: work on, read
continue to keep tabs on: watch and keep in touch
The weather threw a wrench in our planning for the month. It also highlighted some faults in our preferred communication, i.e. our Updates publish on line immediately when I complete them, but they don't send an email version as a subscription until 1:30 AM the following morning of publication.So, for example, I am writing this Update Saturday, January 20. It will not drop an email in your mailbox until Sunday, January 21 at 1:30 AM (for batch processing during down time, I would suspect). We have several fail safe communications for emergency communications (like weather): I send out an email to current participants (One went out Tuesday, January 16 for classes and meetings that day. If you didn't receive it, check your junk or spam folder to make sure it wasn't dumped there. Check with me to make sure I have your correct email). I post on our public and private Facebook pages. You can always see what is happening and read our Updates by going to:
http://indyinternationalfriends.blogspot.com/
Best regards,
Carolyn
P.S. I hope that you noticed that this time I didn't talk about the weather! Never fear...If you look closer at the content...it was weather driven (the snow day!) That's the beauty of the Midwest: no matter what, you can always fall back on the changeable weather to be a catalyst for your casual conversation and for your life planning.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
January 23: We will continue reading the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5. Join us as we read in our home languages and discuss in English. This is a great chance to talk about history, philosophy, sociology and religion. You don't have to be a believe to join.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
January 23: The Carmel Police are joining us to talk about community safety, driving, as well as how to correctly install car seats. Come and take advantage of this great opportunity to learn about our community servants and what they do for us!
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We enjoyed light conversation about pets and social graces when it comes to the opposite sex in our home countries.
January 24 : Join us as we talk about our favorite 101 American 'statements" as we compare them with our experience. We will also get into Easy English News.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
We are happy to welcome six new students and a new student teacher to our group. You may not be aware, but our program is an approved experience site for TOEFL Academy. We have had more than six student teachers gain experience through our program and then go on to teach worldwide. We are proud of their work and continue to keep tabs on them as they help people grow and as they grow as teachers.
January 25: We are still welcoming new students and will continue to welcome them. Teachers, I need to revisit your class lists for current record keeping.
threw a wrench: disrupted
highlighted: accented
i.e.: that is
publish: written information that is made public
subscription: an automatic mailing of information or a publication
batch processing:sending out as a large group of communications or conducting a large group
downtime: when resources are not being used heavily, during off peak time
I would suspect: I guess but don't know for sure
fail safe: systems or procedures in place in case of an emergency
Best regards: a closing statement for a casual or formal letter. Other options: Sincerely, Thank you, Regards.
P.S.: Post Script; some additional thoughts outside the main topic of a letter
never fear: don't worry
weather driven: caused or influenced by the weather
no matter what: regardless
fall back:resort to;
changeable:variable; apt to change
take advantage of this great opportunity: don't miss out!
light conversation: not serious, casual and fun
social graces: manners
opposite sex: male vs female
get into: work on, read
continue to keep tabs on: watch and keep in touch
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
International Bible Study and International Friends is Cancelled
International Bible Study and
International Friends
are cancelled
January 16, 2018
Stay Warm!
Friday, January 12, 2018
Welcome back!
Welcome back, Friends,
Wow! We had a beautiful January thaw this week followed by a winter storm. I hope that you are staying warm and cozy. You may want to hold off on shoveling until the snow has a chance to absorb the water under the ice before the temperature drops. This will keep the pavement from glazing over. Be sure to keep faucets dripping and cabinet doors open to prevent your pipes from freezing when the temperatures drop!
While you are shut in, you might be binging on Netflix or some other favorite media. I turn my attentions to cooking to avoid cleaning. Today I am developing a pasta sauce based on what I have on hand. Do you think lasagna sounds like something comforting to eat on a cold winter day? Hopefully this will help clean out my pantry a bit.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
It was so nice to reconvene our Bible Study group on a slightly warmer January morning! When we last met in December, we began our discussion of the Beatitudes, a wonderful part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5. Today we took a deeper look into the statements of what it means to be "blessed" for being "poor in spirit" or for being "pure in heart" and why/how God would comfort "those who mourn," or be merciful to those who show mercy. And who are the "peacemakers" anyway?
When Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote his Gospel account, he specifically targeted the audience of Jewish people who were very familiar with the Scriptures known as the The Old Testament of the Bible. Much of what he recorded of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount was not new material. When Jesus said in verse 5, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth," it is almost identical to Psalm 37:11: "But the meek will inherit the land." Since Jesus is God, His message is God's message: God loves you and wants to be in a close relationship with you. When we realize that God loves us completely and unreservedly we are tempted to think that we are completely unworthy (poor in spirit). Jesus teaches that whatever our poverty and even when our hearts are broken over our failures (those who mourn), we can be comforted by God. Even if people insult us and persecute us, we can be blessed eternally. All these blessings make us eager to share God's love with others. God offers hope and peace with everyone.
January 16: Join us as we continue to read Matthew 5
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We enjoyed catching up and then we talked about words in Japanese that take a good paragraph of explaining in English! You can see the words here. Can you think of words in English that are not directly translatable in your home language or vice versa?
January 16: Join us as we learn to make dumplings Chinese style!
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
Bill Prann dropped by to say hi and stayed for the class. Bill is one of the staff at CLC and is responsible for education programs for the children of the congregation. He was delighted to meet someone from Iran (the first Iranian he has ever met) to talk about the recent history of this country and implications to current events. This was so timely for Bill since he had just watched a YouTube documentary, so it was great to talk with someone first hand who had lived through Iranian transitions and had waited on the U.S. immigration wait list for 13 years. It was an educational dialogue.
January 17: Join us as we talk about whatever is on our minds.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
It was great to visit a few of the classes and see what was happening after the break. Writing class practiced presenting their writing verbally. An aside in Accent Training shifted conversations to food and restaurants: Devour Indy runs January 22-February 4 and provides a great opportunity to taste some new restaurants or enjoy some old favorites at a great price. Level 2 talked about the difference between wander and wonder...do you know what is is? Can you hear the difference?
January 18: Join us next week. It's never to late to pick up your English lessons where we left off.
January thaw: a period of unseasonable warm weather in January
glazing over: coated or covered with a layer of ice
shut in: not able to leave your home
binging: excessive enjoying something
on hand: what we have without having to go shopping
pantry: cabinet or closet where food and cooking supplies are kept; often used to describe food that is kept on hand
a bit: a small amount; not much
Holy Spirit: Christianity teaches that God is three persons or gods in one god: Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. All are independent but one and the same.
Gospel: a biography of Jesus; the literal translation good news
reconvene: to come together again or assemble, usually for some purpose
mourn: to feel or express sorrow or grief
Scriptures: sacred or holy writing in the Christian Bible
poverty: being inferior or less than sufficient
hearts are broken: extremely sad over the loss of a relationship with another person
persecute: to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, etc.
directly translatable: a word that corresponds with a word in another language
vice versa: either way, from one to another and back again
congregation: group of people who meet together to worship or for religious reasons
implications: possible conclusions because of some event or action
dialogue: give and take in conversation between two people
whatever is on [our] mind[s]: what we are thinking about or pondering
Wow! We had a beautiful January thaw this week followed by a winter storm. I hope that you are staying warm and cozy. You may want to hold off on shoveling until the snow has a chance to absorb the water under the ice before the temperature drops. This will keep the pavement from glazing over. Be sure to keep faucets dripping and cabinet doors open to prevent your pipes from freezing when the temperatures drop!
While you are shut in, you might be binging on Netflix or some other favorite media. I turn my attentions to cooking to avoid cleaning. Today I am developing a pasta sauce based on what I have on hand. Do you think lasagna sounds like something comforting to eat on a cold winter day? Hopefully this will help clean out my pantry a bit.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
It was so nice to reconvene our Bible Study group on a slightly warmer January morning! When we last met in December, we began our discussion of the Beatitudes, a wonderful part of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount in Matthew Chapter 5. Today we took a deeper look into the statements of what it means to be "blessed" for being "poor in spirit" or for being "pure in heart" and why/how God would comfort "those who mourn," or be merciful to those who show mercy. And who are the "peacemakers" anyway?
When Matthew, inspired by the Holy Spirit, wrote his Gospel account, he specifically targeted the audience of Jewish people who were very familiar with the Scriptures known as the The Old Testament of the Bible. Much of what he recorded of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount was not new material. When Jesus said in verse 5, "Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth," it is almost identical to Psalm 37:11: "But the meek will inherit the land." Since Jesus is God, His message is God's message: God loves you and wants to be in a close relationship with you. When we realize that God loves us completely and unreservedly we are tempted to think that we are completely unworthy (poor in spirit). Jesus teaches that whatever our poverty and even when our hearts are broken over our failures (those who mourn), we can be comforted by God. Even if people insult us and persecute us, we can be blessed eternally. All these blessings make us eager to share God's love with others. God offers hope and peace with everyone.
January 16: Join us as we continue to read Matthew 5
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We enjoyed catching up and then we talked about words in Japanese that take a good paragraph of explaining in English! You can see the words here. Can you think of words in English that are not directly translatable in your home language or vice versa?
January 16: Join us as we learn to make dumplings Chinese style!
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
Bill Prann dropped by to say hi and stayed for the class. Bill is one of the staff at CLC and is responsible for education programs for the children of the congregation. He was delighted to meet someone from Iran (the first Iranian he has ever met) to talk about the recent history of this country and implications to current events. This was so timely for Bill since he had just watched a YouTube documentary, so it was great to talk with someone first hand who had lived through Iranian transitions and had waited on the U.S. immigration wait list for 13 years. It was an educational dialogue.
January 17: Join us as we talk about whatever is on our minds.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
It was great to visit a few of the classes and see what was happening after the break. Writing class practiced presenting their writing verbally. An aside in Accent Training shifted conversations to food and restaurants: Devour Indy runs January 22-February 4 and provides a great opportunity to taste some new restaurants or enjoy some old favorites at a great price. Level 2 talked about the difference between wander and wonder...do you know what is is? Can you hear the difference?
January 18: Join us next week. It's never to late to pick up your English lessons where we left off.
January thaw: a period of unseasonable warm weather in January
glazing over: coated or covered with a layer of ice
shut in: not able to leave your home
binging: excessive enjoying something
on hand: what we have without having to go shopping
pantry: cabinet or closet where food and cooking supplies are kept; often used to describe food that is kept on hand
a bit: a small amount; not much
Holy Spirit: Christianity teaches that God is three persons or gods in one god: Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit. All are independent but one and the same.
Gospel: a biography of Jesus; the literal translation good news
reconvene: to come together again or assemble, usually for some purpose
mourn: to feel or express sorrow or grief
Scriptures: sacred or holy writing in the Christian Bible
poverty: being inferior or less than sufficient
hearts are broken: extremely sad over the loss of a relationship with another person
persecute: to pursue with harassing or oppressive treatment, especially because of religious or political beliefs, ethnic or racial origin, etc.
directly translatable: a word that corresponds with a word in another language
vice versa: either way, from one to another and back again
congregation: group of people who meet together to worship or for religious reasons
implications: possible conclusions because of some event or action
dialogue: give and take in conversation between two people
whatever is on [our] mind[s]: what we are thinking about or pondering
presenting their writing verbally: give a speech!
an aside: a change in the direction of a conversation
left off: ended
Friday, January 5, 2018
Happy New Year! Let's get back together.
Hello Friends,
I hope that you are all keeping cozy and warm during this freezing weather. There are plenty of tips for keeping your home safe from winter freezing hazards:
back up: when something is stopped up or clogged or jammed and overflows
settles down: quiets, becomes still
entice: tempt
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
I hope that you are all keeping cozy and warm during this freezing weather. There are plenty of tips for keeping your home safe from winter freezing hazards:
- If your kitchen or bathroom sinks are on an outside wall, keep cabinet doors open so your water pipes don't freeze. You may also leave the tap running a little bit to keep the water moving. If your pipes do freeze (The main clue is that water doesn't run when you turn on the tap.). Use a blow dryer to gradually warm the pipes.
- Ice damming is when water freezes in your gutters or downspouts freeze and the melting ice backs up into your house and leaks into your ceilings. Your best bet is to make sure the gutters are free of leaves and debris before cold weather hits so there isn't an opportunity for clogs. Once again, a blow dryer is helpful to slowly melt the frozen spot. When the ice is in your downspout, remove the elbow at the bottom of the downspout. This allows the melting water to leak out onto the ground and not back up.
- Mice and other small rodents are cold and look for a cozy place to weather the weather. They tend to move in when your house is quiet (like when you are on vacation!). You can set traditional traps to catch them. They like to run around the edges of the room and usually at night after your house settles down. Set traps there. Be sure to put a delicious and enticing treat like cheese or peanut butter as bait. Also, be sure to set them were children or pets won't be enticed and get accidentally caught (ouch!). You can put out poison traps. The mice eat the poison which makes them thirsty. The theory is that they will go outside for a drink (which activates the poison). Don't count on that happening in this weather. There are plenty of other options, but this is a do it yourself project and hopefully will go away when the weather changes.
- And for car maintenance...Keep your gas tanks filled to at least half a tank to keep water from condensing into the fuel and causing engine trouble Use the window washer winter weather solution (and not using the windshield washer fluid to clean off ice: it will freeze). Give your car a few minutes to warm up before driving if your car sits outside for any length of time. Spray the gaskets of your doors with cooking spray so they don't freeze shut. Keep a shovel and kitty litter in your car to help give you traction if you get stuck in the snow.
We should have some relief from the arctic weather shortly...It is Indiana and we never have extended periods of any type of weather!
We cancel our meetings and classes whenever Carmel Clay Schools has a two hour delay or cancellation. Check our webpages indyinternationalfriends.blogspot.com. I will also send out an email.
I am looking forward to seeing everyone soon!
- International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
- International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
- Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
- English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
Love,
Carolyn
tap: faucet
gradually: slowly
debris: (de-BREE)
clog: when a pipe is obstructed and moving water; when a waterway or road is obstructed it is called a jam
elbow: a bend in a pipe
back up: when something is stopped up or clogged or jammed and overflows
settles down: quiets, becomes still
entice: tempt
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
Friday, December 22, 2017
Merry Christmas and See You Next Year!
Hello Friends,
Thursday was the Winter Solstice. Welcome Winter! Look for our day light hours to become longer. Meanwhile, take of advantage of the longer nights for those Winter naps.
Shoppers, look for last minute shopping and end of year bargains.
Have a fabulous and safe holiday break and see you next year!
Love,
Carolyn
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!" Christmas is almost here, and this beloved carol reminds us that the joy we feel at Christmas should cause us to thank and praise God for the greatest gift of all, our Savior Jesus. Our opening discussion today was about Psalm 100, a psalm that is full of joy. But sometimes during the holiday season, we can feel overwhelmed with all the decorating, gift-buying, gift-wrapping, cookie-baking, cleaning, and food preparation that take up so much of our time. We can lose our focus, get caught up in the work, and forfeit our joy, replacing it with a smoldering resentment that our efforts are not understood or appreciated. It was great to talk with other women who encouraged one another to shift our focus back to Jesus and the joy that His birth brings to our world.
We also read and began discussion of chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is the beginning of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The first 12 verses are called the Beatitudes. Beatitudes describe a state of blessedness or ultimate happiness when a person is living life the way God intends it to be lived. Jesus begins by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is followed by seven more "Blessed are ..." verses naming a group of unfortunate or downtrodden people, followed by the blessings that will come to them because of their faith. There is so much to discuss from these twelve verses, and today we barely scratched the surface! ~Jan Heimann
overwhelmed: covered or buried beneath a mass of something; overpowered by an excessive amount of anything
forfeit: to lose or give up something
smoldering resentment: a slow-burning feeling of displeasure at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult
barely scratched the surface: just got started
January 9: We will continue to study the Beatitudes when we reconvene on Jan. 9th. Please join us from 9:30-10:30 in Room 100.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We talked about mythical creatures. It was fun to compare the different creatures across the cultures. We have the tiger grandma in China, a turtle-like creature that eats cucumber in Japan, trolls and elves across Europe, and a horse that has fire for a head from South America. We talked a little about the Slender Man (a modern mythical character) and Pokémon.
January 10: Join us to share our news of the break and plan for the new year.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We met to wind up the year with John. He read us one of his clever books that takes slang literally.
January 10: Bring your words that have no direct translation in English (without a long explanation). Bring an English word that needs an explanation.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
There were some wonderful and festive holiday parties on Thursday. I hope that you had a great time! Thank you for the treats and the gifts and treasures. I hope that you have a nice break and practice your English with festive holiday greetings where ever you are traveling.
January 11: Join us as we start our new year!
Thursday was the Winter Solstice. Welcome Winter! Look for our day light hours to become longer. Meanwhile, take of advantage of the longer nights for those Winter naps.
Shoppers, look for last minute shopping and end of year bargains.
Have a fabulous and safe holiday break and see you next year!
Love,
Carolyn
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
"Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King!" Christmas is almost here, and this beloved carol reminds us that the joy we feel at Christmas should cause us to thank and praise God for the greatest gift of all, our Savior Jesus. Our opening discussion today was about Psalm 100, a psalm that is full of joy. But sometimes during the holiday season, we can feel overwhelmed with all the decorating, gift-buying, gift-wrapping, cookie-baking, cleaning, and food preparation that take up so much of our time. We can lose our focus, get caught up in the work, and forfeit our joy, replacing it with a smoldering resentment that our efforts are not understood or appreciated. It was great to talk with other women who encouraged one another to shift our focus back to Jesus and the joy that His birth brings to our world.
We also read and began discussion of chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew. It is the beginning of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount. The first 12 verses are called the Beatitudes. Beatitudes describe a state of blessedness or ultimate happiness when a person is living life the way God intends it to be lived. Jesus begins by saying, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is followed by seven more "Blessed are ..." verses naming a group of unfortunate or downtrodden people, followed by the blessings that will come to them because of their faith. There is so much to discuss from these twelve verses, and today we barely scratched the surface! ~Jan Heimann
overwhelmed: covered or buried beneath a mass of something; overpowered by an excessive amount of anything
forfeit: to lose or give up something
smoldering resentment: a slow-burning feeling of displeasure at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult
barely scratched the surface: just got started
January 9: We will continue to study the Beatitudes when we reconvene on Jan. 9th. Please join us from 9:30-10:30 in Room 100.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We talked about mythical creatures. It was fun to compare the different creatures across the cultures. We have the tiger grandma in China, a turtle-like creature that eats cucumber in Japan, trolls and elves across Europe, and a horse that has fire for a head from South America. We talked a little about the Slender Man (a modern mythical character) and Pokémon.
January 10: Join us to share our news of the break and plan for the new year.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We met to wind up the year with John. He read us one of his clever books that takes slang literally.
January 10: Bring your words that have no direct translation in English (without a long explanation). Bring an English word that needs an explanation.
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
There were some wonderful and festive holiday parties on Thursday. I hope that you had a great time! Thank you for the treats and the gifts and treasures. I hope that you have a nice break and practice your English with festive holiday greetings where ever you are traveling.
January 11: Join us as we start our new year!
Thursday, December 14, 2017
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, Friends!
This is the greeting you may be hearing throughout the town. These cheerful words are transformed into action during the holiday season. There are many opportunities to help others throughout the year but you will see churches, football teams, schools, police and firemen community assistance, and many others hosting events to help others during this season to bring gifts to people who have needs and cheer to those who are far from family.
It's not too late to jump in! You may have seen Toys for Tots donations centers; the U. S. Marines are the force behind this philanthropic drive to collect and distribute toys books and other gifts to less fortunate children in the local community with 97 percent of the donations going to children and three percent for overhead. You can donate money on line or you can donate new toys at any of these locations here in Indy. They still need toys for infants and toddlers and children nine years and older. There are other charity donation opportunities to make the holidays bright for children. Have you noticed the bell ringers outside stores? These people from Salvation Army are collecting money to help people in need focusing on social issues. The Salvation Army is a Christian organization that provides assistance internationally. There are many other opportunities to help others this season. It is a season for giving.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
I love Christmas music! Once Halloween is over at the end of October, I find myself seeking out the channels on my Pandora radio that play nothing but Christmas songs. I'm sure some people think I'm crazy for listening before Thanksgiving, but these songs remind me of the joy that is ours through the birth of Jesus. They remind me of the greatest gift ever given.
This week our Bible Study focused on the Christmas story, and we enjoyed singing together some beautiful Christmas carols about the birth of our Savior. God incarnate! It's incredible to think that God came to us in the form of a human baby, born in a stable and laid in a manger. Such humble beginnings for the King of the universe! The angel announced His birth to the shepherds and told them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Good news for ALL the people, no matter what nationality, no matter how young or how old, no matter how wealthy or how poor. He is our Immanuel, which means "God with us."~Jan Heimann
December 19: Join us as we read and discuss the Sermon on the Mount (one of Jesus' most comprehensive lessons) in Matthew 5. We will also be reading Psalm 100.
International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We celebrated with our annual Christmas party. We had delicious food and drinks and a table full of desserts. We sang the 12 Days of Christmas. This is a classic! We found out that some countries sing these same songs, but the order gifts is different (five doves instead of F-I-V-E G-O-L-D-E-N R-I-N-G-S). We had delicious dishes. I know I gained more than a few pounds from this meal. We enjoyed a white elephant gift exchange. The most popular gifts were a holiday platter and a toaster oven! We had great treasures for everyone. It is always fun to see what winds up being a white elephant for someone and a great treasure for someone else. It was hard to decide what to steal at the end of the day.
December 19: Join us for our final meeting of the year.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We read the classic American poem "Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore in 1822. Listen to this version set to music that has become a standard at all holiday variety shows. There have been a number of spoofs written over time that play on this poem. We also reviewed a list of typical words heard this season.
December 21: We will wrap up our last class of the year in fine style!
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
There was so much great work going on in the classes this week. Everyone continues to work hard and to improve. I am amazed what you can accomplish in just a few weeks!
December 22: Join us even if your class isn't meeting. You can sit in on our other classes and see what everyone else is up to.
jump in: participate
in need: people needing help
social issues: problems that emerge in a society
force behind: the people who work to make something happen
overhead: costs to operate an organization including facilities, salaries, equipment, etc
make the holidays bright: make the days happy and hopeful
humble: not proud or arrogant; modest
This is the greeting you may be hearing throughout the town. These cheerful words are transformed into action during the holiday season. There are many opportunities to help others throughout the year but you will see churches, football teams, schools, police and firemen community assistance, and many others hosting events to help others during this season to bring gifts to people who have needs and cheer to those who are far from family.
It's not too late to jump in! You may have seen Toys for Tots donations centers; the U. S. Marines are the force behind this philanthropic drive to collect and distribute toys books and other gifts to less fortunate children in the local community with 97 percent of the donations going to children and three percent for overhead. You can donate money on line or you can donate new toys at any of these locations here in Indy. They still need toys for infants and toddlers and children nine years and older. There are other charity donation opportunities to make the holidays bright for children. Have you noticed the bell ringers outside stores? These people from Salvation Army are collecting money to help people in need focusing on social issues. The Salvation Army is a Christian organization that provides assistance internationally. There are many other opportunities to help others this season. It is a season for giving.
International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
I love Christmas music! Once Halloween is over at the end of October, I find myself seeking out the channels on my Pandora radio that play nothing but Christmas songs. I'm sure some people think I'm crazy for listening before Thanksgiving, but these songs remind me of the joy that is ours through the birth of Jesus. They remind me of the greatest gift ever given.
This week our Bible Study focused on the Christmas story, and we enjoyed singing together some beautiful Christmas carols about the birth of our Savior. God incarnate! It's incredible to think that God came to us in the form of a human baby, born in a stable and laid in a manger. Such humble beginnings for the King of the universe! The angel announced His birth to the shepherds and told them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Good news for ALL the people, no matter what nationality, no matter how young or how old, no matter how wealthy or how poor. He is our Immanuel, which means "God with us."~Jan Heimann
December 19: Join us as we read and discuss the Sermon on the Mount (one of Jesus' most comprehensive lessons) in Matthew 5. We will also be reading Psalm 100.
We celebrated with our annual Christmas party. We had delicious food and drinks and a table full of desserts. We sang the 12 Days of Christmas. This is a classic! We found out that some countries sing these same songs, but the order gifts is different (five doves instead of F-I-V-E G-O-L-D-E-N R-I-N-G-S). We had delicious dishes. I know I gained more than a few pounds from this meal. We enjoyed a white elephant gift exchange. The most popular gifts were a holiday platter and a toaster oven! We had great treasures for everyone. It is always fun to see what winds up being a white elephant for someone and a great treasure for someone else. It was hard to decide what to steal at the end of the day.
December 19: Join us for our final meeting of the year.
Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 209.
We read the classic American poem "Night Before Christmas" by Clement C. Moore in 1822. Listen to this version set to music that has become a standard at all holiday variety shows. There have been a number of spoofs written over time that play on this poem. We also reviewed a list of typical words heard this season.
December 21: We will wrap up our last class of the year in fine style!
English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
There was so much great work going on in the classes this week. Everyone continues to work hard and to improve. I am amazed what you can accomplish in just a few weeks!
December 22: Join us even if your class isn't meeting. You can sit in on our other classes and see what everyone else is up to.
jump in: participate
in need: people needing help
social issues: problems that emerge in a society
force behind: the people who work to make something happen
overhead: costs to operate an organization including facilities, salaries, equipment, etc
make the holidays bright: make the days happy and hopeful
Christmas carols: songs about the holiday some carols are hymns and some are secular
incarnate: embodied in flesh; given a bodily, especially a human, formhumble: not proud or arrogant; modest
winds up: the end or final event
at the end of the day: not really in the evening, but finally
set to music: turned into a song
see what everyone else is up to: what other people are doing
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