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

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

Three...

Hello, Friends.

With the trees greening up you may be wondering when do we celebrate trees (since we celebrate so many other things)  here in the United States. The answer is Friday, April 27: National Arbor Day. The National Arbor Day Foundation has a very nice site where you can learn more about the history of this holiday. Your children may have brought home a seedling for you to plant. These trees are a gift from the DNR. You also may see volunteers planting seedlings in the parks over the weekend as a part of celebrating trees.

Looking forward to May, this is one of the greatest months to live in Indiana! We spend our entire month preparing for the Greatest Spectacle in Racing: the Indy 500. The 500 is run on the Sunday before Memorial Day (which is the official kick off of summer), but you can enjoy a lot of fun activities at the track to whet your appetite for the big race! May 12 is the Grand Prix race with practice and qualifications on May 11. Practice for the 500 begins May 15. Check the schedule. If you can't afford to spend the time at the race, these events give you the opportunity to taste what IndyCar racing is all about. Activities aren't just limited to the racetrack; there are opportunities to celebrate beginning May 2 with the 500 Festival Kick Off on Monument Circle in Indianapolis from 11:00-2:00. There are many more exciting events including: Fashion Fridays, an Indian Baseball game, the MiniMarathon and the Parade. This parade is one of two American parades that is televised worldwide! Check the Community Schedule and take advantage of all the fun and festivities around racing in May.

International Bible: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30
Today we wrapped up the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. The final story Jesus told the Jewish crowd that had gathered on the hillside to listen to Him was the story of the wise and foolish builders. He compared people who hear His words and put them into practice to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. Even when rain storms and floods came, and the wind beat against this house, it survived because it had a firm foundation. The foolish man built his house upon the sand, which was a much easier process than digging into rock to lay the foundations. But when the storms came, this house came crashing down.

One of our Bible Study participants just returned from running the Boston Marathon. Our group discussed how there is no way to successfully run a marathon unless a person builds a strong foundation of strength, speed, and endurance through long and constant preparation. It's not enough to want to run a marathon. It's not enough to talk about getting into shape. Words are cheap! There needs to be action! A person must do things to prepare! So it is in God's Kingdom. Jesus was looking for people to believe His message, but He also wanted them to live out their love for God in actions that showed their love for God and for their fellow man. ~Jan Heimann

May 1: We will begin the 8th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, where Jesus performs many miraculous healings. Please join us!

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00.
We planted our salad gardens. We mixed a lettuce blend with basil, radishes, dill, green onions, parsley and cilantro. We sprinkled this blend in our prepared bowls. Be careful when you do something like this because you will want to add a lot more seeds than the space will allow and the plants may choke each other.

Join us as we wrap up the rest of the year. We have fieldtrips and 
May 1: Pack your lunch and let's go see the cherry blossoms at the Japanese Garden in Carmel. Meet at the church to carpool or meet us at the garden: One Civic Square, Carmel (by the Carmel City Hall).
May 8: Let's celebrate Taco Tuesday at Qdoba to practice ordering in the line. Meet at the church at 10:30 to carpool or meet at the 14490 Clay Terrace Blvd., Carmel (next door to Starbucks). Preview their offerings on their menu.
May 15: Last Meeting of the Year. Let's Party! Bring a dish to share and the recipe. 

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

We enjoyed some light conversation and learned how to make some practical flashcards that help you to make vocabulary words stick.

May 2: Join us...we will talk about the April Easy English News and the arguments posed in the book Is the Injeel Corrupted. 

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.
It was particularly delicious visiting classes this week. What a great week to be learning English with your friends. As we wrap up the school year, take time to introduce yourself to the teachers and other students that have been with us all year. Sit in on our Writing, Conversation or Accent classes to try them on for next year.

May 10: We will celebrate the end of the year with a pizza party. Pizza parties are the official American way to end a school event or year (we often kick them off with an ice cream social!). This party is included in your tuition.

May 17: Our last class of the 2017-18 school year.

greening up: a Hoosierism for turning green

arbor: a shelter of vines/branches; Arbor Day celebrates the cover of trees

seedling: a young tree

whet your appetite: something interesting that makes you want more of it

indycar: a type of open wheel racing car that was created and refined in Indiana

to survive: to remain alive after the occurrence of some event

foundation: the natural or prepared ground or base upon which some structure rests

marathon: a foot race covering 26 miles 385 yards

blend: mix, combination

choke: this usually means to keep something or someone from breathing, but in this case it means to keep something from growing and expanding

posed: questions, discussion or ideas stated for consideration and discussion

sit in on: attend or participate as a visitor

tuition: cost for classes

The Final Countdown

Hello Friends,

We are in the homestretch for our spring session. Our last class is May 17. We talked about missing each other all summer, so we will have meet ups twice a month on Thursdays at various parks in the area. Families are welcome to join us. Watch for more information. 

In planning for your summer studies, you may want to start instituting an action plan for continuing with self study. You will find that you can quickly improve your vocabulary and expand your grammar skills. Your skills can get rusty over the summer since we aren't meeting. Now is a great time to make a study plan and get your habit going! You can use Memrise or Duolingo on your computer or downloading these free apps to your smart phone so you can practice on the go. You set daily goals with either program as well as have reminders sent to you via e-mail. These programs are addictive! Do you want to practice more than one language? Try learning another language but use English as the main language rather than your home language.

Be sure to check the fun camps for your children for the summer. You can find more details on our Things to Do page.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, room 100.
This week we discussed Matthew 7:13-23, which begins with Jesus warning people to "enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." Although this passage at first glance might sound discouraging and exclusionary, we talked about how important it is to choose the path that leads to life, and that includes a fulfilling life right now, as well as enjoying eternal life with Jesus in heaven. That often means making judgments about what God would have us do with our lives, and not "following the herd." We have to enter through that narrow gate one at a time.  It's not a "group project"! We talked about how helpful it is to have the Bible to guide us to the right path.

Jesus also taught that we should judge others by their fruit, that is by the product, result or effect of their actions. What is in a person's heart will show up in his/her actions.

Finally, we discussed this verse, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." While that could sound like Jesus preaching good works as a way to get to heaven, in reality, He is saying that we can't even begin to do any good work until we place our trust in Him alone. He is the foundation, and our good works are the house which God is building on that foundation. Without the foundation, the house will crumble!~Jan Heimann

April 24: Join us when we discuss The Wise and Foolish Builders in Matthew 7:24-29.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, room 100.
We took a trip to the Goodwill on Carey Road in Westfield to buy our salad bowls. We had a great experience and found some great finds! Goodwill tags are colored. The color of the week tag means that anything in the store that has that color is half price! Goodwill also has sale days: Wednesday is Senior Day and you get  They had some beautiful crystal bowls. We went to Salsbury Brother's Garden Shop on the South side of 146th Street. We bought a big bag of potting soil and packages of seeds to plant in our gardens. Our bill total was around $30.

April 24: Bring a bowl to plant your salad garden and a handful or two of filler for the bottom. Filler can be Styrofoam packing peanuts, gravel or small rocks or anything else to elevate the soil and allow for drainage. We will divide the cost of the supplies between us (e,g. if we have 10 people come then we each owe $3)

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, upstairs classrooms

Have you missed coming to this class lately? We have missed you! Come back as we close out the year.

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms
Public Education Officer Keith Freer and Doug Dolen of the Carmel Fire Department visited us to explain home safety and fire prevention and safety in our homes. You are welcome to stop by a Carmel Fire Station (there are six fire stations in Carmel) and have a tour. If you have a larger group, call ahead for an appointment. Since firefighters and EMTs work 24 hour days, they live at the fire station and are always on call and prepared to go out and help the community. For any call, a fire truck and an ambulance will come. As you prepare your home for fire safety:

• Be sure to have working smoke detectors in all of the bedrooms, outside the bedroom doors and on each floor.
• Smoke detectors that are hard wired together (if one goes off, they all go off) are code in Indiana.
• There are two types of smoke detectors: photoelectric and infrared. Infrared detectors respond a little faster.
• Have a family plan for a fire evacuation and a meeting point outside of the house in the front of the house.
• There should be two ways to get out of any room in your home. If your house has second floor rooms, have escape ladders to climb out of the windows. Be sure that the ladders can reach to the ground (if you have a walk out basement, you may need a three story ladder).
• Carbon monoxide detectors are also recommended. You only need one of these to warn you against this silent killing gas. Sources include running motors (cars or lawn mowers in your garage), fire places that are not venting properly, gas appliances that are not working properly, etc.
• Keep a fire extinguisher in your kitchen. To dispose of an old extinguisher or one that has been used, release the contacts out of doors and throw it in the trash.
• You can find smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, escape ladders and fire extinguishers at any hardware store, Wal Mart, Target, etc. 

Mark your calendars for Carmel Public Safety Day, September 15, 2018 to learn more about our police and firefighters and EMTs as well as see demonstrations.

in the homestretch: the last stages of a project or journey; the homestretch on a racecourse is the straight away after the last turn to the finish line

session: a meeting or series of meetings

self study: studying alone

habit: a tendency or practice

on the go: active or busy (e.g. you can easily study English on vacation)

get rusty: be out of practice

addictive: habit forming

finds: discoveries; treasures
handful: a small amount, approximately how much you can hold in one hand
elevate: lift
e.g.: for example
exclusionary: something that blocks an entrance or keeps apart
follow the herd: follow the majority, do what most people are doing

What? Only five more weeks?!

Welcome back from Spring Break, Friends.

It is good to have everyone back together again. We made the count: only five more weeks until the end of our official meeting year! Check out the calendar below so as not to miss any of the fun. We have a lot planned as we wrap up the year.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, Room100

Matthew 7:7-12 We read the famous "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened" lesson from Jesus. Jesus provides a rundown of what to expect from God and from people: if you don't ask or look or knock how can you get, find or discover. Jesus taught that God is a good father and only gives good gifts to His children. Jesus' colorful examples help us imagine. Would someone ask God if they do not know who he is? Would God help someone if they asked? The answer to the first question was of course someone wouldn't ask for help from a god they do not know. But, the answer to the second question is of course God would help anyone who called for help. Jesus wraps up this lesson with the golden rule: Do to others what you would have them do to you. But there is more! Jesus teaches, "this sums up the Law and the Prophets." God's law and the message that he sent through the Prophets is that people need only ask God and He will show His love and care.

April 17: Join us as we discover what Jesus means when He advises us about what gate to use and about gardening are you intrigued? Me too!

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:30-12:00, Room 100

Since Mother Nature wasn't cooperating in giving us spring flowers, we hoped to inspire her with some of our own. We met to create flowering branches using tissue paper. Look at the beautiful weather since then. Do you think that our efforts gave her the nudge that she needed? We talked about the Japanese Uguisu and how this bird's call is a sign of spring. In the Midwest we look forward to hearing the House Wren. You can entice these friendly birds to live close with a wren house.

Somehow we got on the subject of craft brews and bourbon. There is a variety of opinion about what are the best, but this list of the Top Ten Craft Breweries in Indianapolis sums up the field. Kentucky is well known for bourbon distillery. The Kentucky Bourbon Trail is rumored to be a nice adult field trip. Did you know that bourbon was created as an efficient way to get grain to market? Hmmm. That sounds a little fishy to me!

Finally, we somehow got to talking about mochi. This Sunday from 11:00 until 1:00 there will be a demonstration of making mochi using the giant mallets at One World. For more check out their webpage.

April 17: Let's meet to go thrifting and get supplies to create a "salad bowl" garden. Meet at CLC by 10:30 to carpool/caravan to the Goodwill and to Menards.

April 24: Let's plant our salad bowls! Bring your bowl and we will plant them. Save your egg shells for a foundation and fertilization.

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

We had fun talking about the difference between accents and pronunciation. Discussions led us to talking about how many accents there are in Iran (10). Interestingly, in Iran accents reflect the other languages that are spoken by the people living in the area. In the United States, accents are regional. In the northern part of the Midwest, you will hear longer o sounds which reflects Nordic languages, The Southern Drawl has many influences and interestingly, the accent of New Orleans is characterized as being close to the accent of New York! And further study shows that some of the eccentricities of the Southern dialect are preserved Old English. 

April 18: Join us and practice your conversational English!

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:30-12:00, upstairs classrooms.

I loved visiting with everyone today. We don't have much time left in the year: only six more weeks. As the year winds up you can count on some more group activities involving the whole school! This will give you a chance to meet more Friends to hang out with over the summer.

April 19: We will have a visit from a fireman! Bring you questions and learn about safety and how the fire department does more than protect our community from fires.

rundown: summary

colorful: interesting, vivid but if someone has a colorful past it usually means they have questionable behavior (what could be more interesting than that?)

wrap up: bring to an end

intrigued: to make curious

Mother Nature: giving natural events personification

efforts: actions

gave her the nudge: to gently move someone or something to act in a particular way

sounds a little fishy: suspicious, not quite right

mallets: hammers

craft brews: beer made in a microbrewery or small beer brewing company

sums up the field: a list that summarizes what is available in a particular area

being close to: like, similar 

eccentricities: unusual behavior

preserved: maintained in the original state

hand out with: spend time