Thursday, December 6, 2018

You’re Invited to the International Friends Holiday Party

Join us for our annual holiday party.
We will sing carols and enjoy friendship and delicious food.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2018
in ROOM 100
10:00-?:??

Bring your favorite holiday food to share.

Bring a white elephant gift for our gift exchange!



A white elephant gift is something you no longer want or need. Often these gifts are funny or unusual. Remember, one person’s trash is someone else’s treasure. 




Sunday, December 2, 2018

When my site crashes three times and everything is lost the update is late...My appologies.

Hello, Friends.

While it was great to have a break, it was nice to get back together this week. There is so much to do around town for the holiday season!
CLC is having a sermon series that compares the secular stories of the season with the religious stories. Watch live or after the fact to learn  cultural stories and how they blend with the Christian holidays. Christmas is a great season at CLC. Check out the calendar for other events.
  • December 7 and 8: Lessons and Carols service (I will be at the 10:45 service; join me!)
  • December 8: Living Nativity at the Fishers Campus 5:30-8:00
  • Come to CLC for any service during the holidays.
I have contracted with an Indiana certified elementary school teacher with a reading license and experience teaching preschool across all of the ages to write a curriculum specific for our Parents with Children classes. Our class activities are directly tied to Indiana standards for preschoolers. Each week we have a specific American cultural and English lesson for the parents with their children. When our parents are off studying English, we have other lessons that help our children learn and grow in the subjects of Literary/Science, Math, Art and Music and Movement. Find links to the songs and stories that support our classes on our Parents with Children tab on our webpage. Talk to Carolyn for past lesson handouts for your family.

We are suspending our Wednesday Conversation class. Students prefer not to drive in the evening and winter and no one is attending. Please e-mail me at indyintlfriends@gmail.com for more information or if you are interested in continuing.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30, Room 100.
We talked about what to make with our leftover turkey carcass and tasted the classic turkey and rice vegetable soup. We also enjoyed pumpkin bread. All of our classic Thanksgiving recipes can be found on our Recipes tab.

December 4: Let's go thrifting and antiquing and eat at Big Hoffa's. Meet at CLC to depart for the stores at 10:00 and visit the Goodwill, the Main Street Shoppes: 800 East Mainstreet, Westfield.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00, Room 100
Jesus’ ministry reaches its peak of popularity in the sixth chapter of John. Crowds of thousands are following Jesus everywhere he goes. After the miraculous feeding of the five thousand men (plus women and children!) the people are ready to make him king by force. Jesus withdraws to a mountain by himself and later walks several miles across rough water of the Sea of Galilee in the dark to join his disciples in their boat (John 6: 16-17). Once the crowd realizes Jesus is no longer in the area, they climb into boats and cross over to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, looking for him in Capernaum. When they find him, Jesus tells them that  he knows their primary interest in him is as a provider of bread. He goes on to explain that he is the Bread of Life, sent from heaven by God the Father, and that anyone who believes in him will have eternal life (John 6: 35-40). The Jews that were there had a hard time believing this because they knew Jesus and his family. Jesus explains in the context of their history and in the context of the required religious practices of the time (John 6: 53-59) and in the synagogue. When Jesus talks about "eating his flesh and drinking his blood" (John 6:53) he is referring to the practices where the holy people responsible for religious laws were fed through the offerings given the church (Deuteronomy 18:1-2) and how the status and "living" of these people would go away through Jesus' teaching and his perfect offering and sacrifice. They could not accept this teaching. The Twelve, the original disciples, stay with him. In Peter’s words in John 6: 68: “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

December 4: Join us for our study of John 7 on Tuesday at 9:00 in Room 100.

contracted: entered into a legal agreement
licensed: holding a license; holding official proof of having the knowledge and being able to meet the standards to perform a job or task
standards: 1. level of quality, 2. measure for evaluation, 3. minimum requirements
certified: official recognized for meeting particular standards
suspending: stopping an event with the option of resuming at a future date
continuing: ongoing
primary: first or highest in rank or importance; chief; principal

Thursday, November 22, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you have a wonderful day filled with families, food, football and fun.

I am thankful for all of you.

Love,
Carolyn

Saturday, November 17, 2018

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends.

We had our first weather cancellation. As a reminder, when Carmel Clay Schools have a two hour delay or are closed, we cancel classes. I typically post on our site and on our Facebook pages as well as send an email as soon as I find out. You may get a delayed email from our International Friends pages because they batch process the subscription, so don't wait to check.

This week is full of excitement and great deals! For those of you new to the United States and our holidays, Thanksgiving kicks off our holiday shopping season:
  • Thursday: Thanksgiving. Feast with your family and friends. The days leading up to this holiday is one of the most traveled days of the year. Interestingly enough, you can usually get great fares on Thanksgiving day.
  • Friday: Black Friday. Black refers to the balance sheets of retail businesses. This sales for Christmas begin and bring "red" or losses on accounting books into the "black" or profits. Sales begin with great deals to get shoppers out and in the doors. Look for outrageous pricing to get you in the door.
  • Monday: Cyber Monday. Not to be outdone, online stores take the stage with deals and pricing to keep your credit card busy at your keyboard. Don't forget about PayPal!

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30, room 100
We took a little field trip to see the "Who's a Hoosier" traveling exhibit in the Irwin library at Butler University. We learned that the United States and Indiana has a rich history of immigrants. People have come from all corners of the earth to join the Miami Indians in calling this area of land home.

The Irwin Library, itself is a great piece of architecture with an interesting history. The building was designed by Minoru Yamasaki who also designed the World Trade Center which was destroyed by the infamous attack on 9/11.

November 20: Let's talk about cooking for Thanksgiving and leftovers and casseroles. Join us as we talk about those classic, easy to make American dishes: casseroles. And so many other things...

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00, room 100
The man whom Jesus found lying near the Pool of Bethesda had been an invalid for 38 years. Therefore, it is rather surprising that Jesus asked him, “Do you want to get well?”  If you had been sick for such a long time, you would definitely want to get well, wouldn’t you? Or maybe not. Sometimes we refuse help from others. Maybe we are secretly afraid that getting well would require more responsibility from us. Maybe we’ve become comfortable in our situation and simply fear change. Maybe getting well would solve our physical problems, but we would still need to deal with emotional and spiritual weakness. Jesus did heal this man. Then he warned him to stop sinning, implying that the consequences of sin are much more serious than a physical illness or infirmity. Jesus then went on to explain in the fifth chapter of John that he had been sent to do the Father’s will. God works 24/7 on our behalf, every day of every year of our lives. The religious leaders did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah, even though his miracles and John the Baptist had testified that he was. Jesus warns them that unless they accept and believe in him, they will not have eternal life with God. That is a fate much more serious than being physically weak or ill!~Jan Heimann

November 20: Please join us as we read about another of Jesus’s famous miracles, the Feeding of the Five Thousand, in the sixth chapter of John.

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:30-6:00, room 100.
We chatted about the elections, correcting our pronunciation when we don't have people to practice our English on, the wildfires in California and shopping. We talked about how it is important to sit and listen to conversations (even when we don't feel like we can participate) because that helps expand our vocabulary and learn language patterns. We talked about how it is hard to carry on a conversation because you never know which why it will turn, so you can't plan ahead!

November 21: NO CLASS! Happy Thanksgiving!

English Classes: Thursdays, 9:00-11:30, upstairs classrooms.
What a surprise! Classes were cancelled because of the weather.

November 22: NO CLASS! Happy Thanksgiving!

Parents with Children: Thursdays, 9:00-9:20, 9:50-10:10, 10:50-10:35, or 10:10-11:30, children's classroom
Join us with your children to sing holiday songs and carols that celebrate the season (so you can sing along) and talk about customs. Your children spend the rest of the period playing with us and making holiday crafts. Over the next few weeks we will perfect our fine motor skills by using stamps to create holiday cards, string cereal and popcorn to make garland for our trees or the birds and ice and decorate cookies. Come and find out what this is all about.

Sign up for your slot.

most traveled: when many people vacation or travel
rich history: high quality or abundant
great piece: a good example
infamous: (IN-fu-mus) well known for a bad quality or deed (the prefix IN means bad)
invalid: (IN-va-lid) a person who is too sick or weak to care for himself or herself (this word is spelled like in-VAL-id meaning not relevant)
consequence:  the effect, result, or outcome of something occurring earlier
testify: to witness; give evidence
practice...on: doing something to and not necessarily with someone
participate: join in
what this is all about: what this means

Thursday, November 15, 2018

Classes are Cancelled November 15

All classes are cancelled, Thursday, November 15.

Be safe and stay warm!

Love,
Carolyn

Wednesday, November 7, 2018

Have a Great Week and Weekend

Hello, Friends.

We celebrated a delicious Thanksgiving on Tuesday at International Friends. It was a great “training feast” to get us ready for the holiday season.

You might notice some people sporting beards when they are normally clean shaven. That's because it is No Shave November. What started as a goofy excuse for lax grooming has become a symbol of  fundraising for cancer research.


There are some key dates through the end of the year for  your calendars:

We do not meet November 21 or 22: Happy Thanksgiving
Mark your calendar for December 18 and our annual Christmas party! Food! Fun! White Elephant Gifts!
Our last class/meeting of 2018 is December 22
Classes and meetings resume January 4, 2019

We sang a traditional Thanksgiving hymn "Come, Ye Thankful People Come." This song uses the old English "ye" for the word "you" and "doth" for the word "does". As we roll into the holiday season, ye might notice many holiday songs that came from England keep this tradition.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30, room 100
Novmeber 14: Join us as we visit Butler University Irwin Library and for the last day of the Historical Society "Who is a Hoosier?" Exhibit. Read more about this traveling exhibit that shows how Indiana has always had a place on the international stage.

Meet at CLC to carpool/caravan at 10:00 or meet us on campus in front of the Metro Diner (located by the parking garage). 4702 Sunset Avenue, Indianapolis, IN.

sporting: wearing
clean shaven: no beard or moustache
goofy: silly
lax: not careful
grooming: the things people do to look nice and clean, particularly with hair and skin
symbol: something that represents something else
key: important
the holiday season: the weeks between Thanksgiving and the new year.
keep this tradition: maintain a practice

Friday, November 2, 2018

Let's Feast!

Hello, Friends.

The upcoming week is a really busy and exciting for our Friends.

You are invited to the
International Friends Thanksgiving Feast

Tuesday, November 6 beginning at 10:00 in the small kitchen

Join us at 10:00 in the kitchen and learn how to prepare traditional American turkey,  green been casserole, mashed potatoes and gravy.

Bring your favorite feasting dish to share. 
Bring your recipe to be included in our Thanksgiving Recipe book

11:30 we begin our feast in Room 100

Sunday, November 4: Daylight savings time ends: Set the clock on your microwave and in your car back one hour. This used to be a bigger deal (before we relied on our phones for keeping time).

Tuesday, November 6: Midterm Elections. Political fans are looking forward to watching this race.

Parents with Children: Thursdays during English Classes
Join us for our class for Parents with Children. Your children can stay and play with us. Register for one of the 20 minute sessions at the beginning or the end of each of our sessions: 9:00-10:10 or 10:15-11:30 (your children can spend the alternate time in the CLC Nursery). Find more information and links to our songs and activities: Parents with Children

Conversation: Wednesdays, 4:40-6:00, Room 100.
Join us as we return on November 7.

International Friends: Tuesdays, 10:00-11:30, Room 100.
We had a great meeting and pumpkin carving. This is always one of my favorites. If you saved your pumpkin seeds, you can make a tasty treat. Simply wash them and season them as you like (salt, taco seasoning, garlic salt, cinnamon and sugar, you decide!). Spread them on a cookie sheet and bake them at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until they are toasty and brown. Some directions call for oil, but when they are soaking wet it works just fine.

tasty: delicious
toasty: warm and browned
just fine: great!

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:00-10:00, Room 100
Jesus was on his way home to Galilee, we read in John 4:43-54. He had spent two days in Samaria teaching the people about the kingdom of God, and many there believed that Jesus was the Messiah sent from God.

Jesus returned to Cana in Galilee. The people there know about the miraculous healings Jesus performed in Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. They welcomed Jesus back to his Galilean home, eager to see him perform more signs and wonders. Yet, they are not ready to acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. After all, he’s one of them. They know his parents, his brothers, and his sisters. Some of them remember Jesus as a little boy. How could he possibly be God’s Son? He was their neighbor!

Suddenly a royal official approached Jesus with an urgent request. He begged him to come to Capernaum and to heal his child, who was near death. Jesus tells him, “Go, your son will live.” The official believes what Jesus says. As he nears home, he is met by servants who share the wonderful news that his son’s fever is gone! When he asks them when his son’s fever left, he learns that it was at the exact time Jesus told him his son would live. Jesus is reliable. He is pleased to give life and health.

We discussed the difference between this believing official, who trusted Jesus and his words of healing, and the Galilean people who were “sign-seekers” and “wonder-worshipers,” but not believers in Jesus as the Son of God. ~ Jan Heimann

November 6: We will read John 5. Please join us!

miraculous: of the nature of a miracle; marvelous
acknowledge: to admit to be real or true
urgent: requiring immediate action or attention; imperative;pressing