Meet up at Pendleton Falls Park

Hello, Friends.

Meet Up: June 21, 11:00, Pendleton Falls Park shelter, 299 Falls Park Drive, Pendleton, IN
We'll start in the picnic shelter. Our host, Jeremy, is looking forward to introducing us to his stomping grounds. What a great opportunity for a nice summer road trip! The forecast is for a good possibility of thunder showers, but we have the shelter, so we can meet rain or shine.

Another great road trip option is to go to the Indiana Fiddlers Gathering in Battleground, Indiana beginning on Friday and running through Sunday. Bring your lawn chairs and a cooler and enjoy a festival day of music. When you click on the link, you will get to enjoy streaming from previous years. Fiddling encompasses all music genres, so you will have a chance to hear many different styles from old time to bluegrass to rock to ragtime to Celtic (Irish and Scottish) and even Cape Briton style of music. Who knew that violins were such a versatile instrument when you change their name to fiddle! Ticket prices vary with from $40 for three days in advance to $15 per day in advance with a $5 increase at the gate.

The Dayton Air Show is a little farther out and is Saturday and Sunday the 23rd and 24th. Be prepared for a spectacular day. The Blue Angels (US Navy flight team that demonstrates amazing maneuvers) will be flying (for the first time at the Dayton Airshow since 2014. General Admission Tickets are available at Kroger for $18 and a fee or at the gate for $25. Be sure to check the restrictions: particularly no coolers, no loose ice,  and all food must be wrapped in clear wrap. Food and drinks are available on the grounds and water is available for free. Plan for traffic and parking.

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30, CLC Room 100.
We drank delicious tea while we discussed 1 John 3. We began with the overview video of 1-3 John from the Bible Project that led us to interesting conversations about how we cope with people who are unpleasant in our church, family and the world. We talked about how eternal life begins immediately when people believe God. Eternal death (rejecting God and his gifts) begins when people die, so there is hope. We talked about how when we are in loving groups (family, church, etc,) we can "practice" our skills of love and caring before using them on people you don't know. There was so much to talk about, so much advice to give, so much philosophy to share.

June 26: We are meeting back at CLC Tuesday to discuss 1 John 4: how to identify people who want to mislead people about the truth about God and His love.

Summer Games: June 28, 9:30-10:30, rooms 205/207
Bring your kids and play some fun games guaranteed to improve your English and to break the ice or monotony of a long vacation trip.

stomping grounds: slang or idiom for someone's favorite place to hang out (International Friends events are my stomping grounds)
rain or shine: no matter what the weather is like
streaming: playing over the internet
genre: a classification or type of music or literature; pronounced zhan rah
at the gate: you can buy tickets in advance or you can buy them on site or at the entry of and event which is called the gate
maneuvers: moves that require skill as well as military exercises
restrictions: limits and prohibited or banned items
general admission tickets: these give you entry into an event and you find your own seats; this is typical for fairs and summer concerts
cope: deal with something difficult
eternal: never ending
tea while we discussed: Bible Study in Chinese is written as drinking tea. We did both!
break the ice: open conversations
monotony: long and boring events

Communication tip

Hello, Friends.

My apologies. The communication tip didn’t post in its entirety, so here it is.

Why is it that people don’t understand one word and you know you are pronouncing it in perfect broadcaster English?

This is an interesting conundrum. You work to have good pronunciation and then you are misunderstood or not understood. What is both irritating and amusing is that the more you repeat your perfect word (as a vocabulary word and as a pronounced word), the less confident you feel about it and your language skills in general. The good news is that this happens no matter what language you speak. This happens in your home language or if you only speak one language and no one expects another language from you (like when kids don’t understand what you are telling them and you taught them the language and they have been listening to you all their lives! Really, guys?)

There are two reasons why this can happens and both come from the expectation of the listener and not your ability. One is that is that you have an accent surrounding your word and when you say a word with perfect broadcaster pronunciation people don’t expect to hear that word pronounced that way.  The second is that the listener didn’t expect you to say that word to begin with and has to take some time to process and recognize the word. An easy fix is to spell the word and then triumphantly pronounce it perfectly once again. An alternative is to come up with a synonym (word that means the same thing) and then repeat your perfect word. Finally, give your listener a little time to hear and process what you said.

Remember that language is a communication tool and it takes a good speaker and a good listener to make it work perfectly every time.

My apologies: you can say this instead of I’m sorry. Often people will continue with an explanation.
entirety: completely, the whole thing
conundrum: a problem that doesn’t make sense
irritating: annoying
amusing: humorous
In general: not specifically, typically
Really , guys? an expression of disbelief
triumphantly: for the win!
to begin with: a midwestern add on statement that emphasizes the previous idea

Meet Up with us over the summer and keep practicing

Hello, Friends.

As you enjoy your summer vacation, remember to practice what you have learned and continue to learn.

Gabriel Wyner (author of Fluent Forever) talks about having habits that encourage your language learning and retention and that learning doesn't happen in a vacuum. Drivers of any learning or change process include motivation and ability. Motivation is the internal or external reason to do something. Ability is the means or capability to get something done. There are three aspects that help you:

• Personal: do you want to do it and can you do it (time, energy, opportunity)? Yes! You are reading this and coming to our meetings (we hope, otherwise we miss you).
• Social: do you have other people who help you do it? Yes! Join us over the summer.
• Structural: Are there rewards and an environment to help you succeed? Yes. Join us and join other groups. We are a social species and create excuses to get together and practice communicating.

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

We continued our discussion of 1 John with chapter 2. The Bible Project offers concise and interesting overview videos about the literary styles and history and how these components enhance the message. 1-3 John gives an excellent background/overview of these three books and their message.

June 19 at Carolyn's house: CLC has and event, so we will meet at Carolyn's house and discuss 1 John 3. And here is Matthew Henry's discussion of 1 John 3. Matthew Henry writes in old English so be ready to expand your vocabulary exponentially. 

Summer Games: next meeting June 28, 9:30-10:30, CLC room 205-207

We met to play "Password." This game is a fun way to pass the time (especially on road trips). Game playing leads to conversation, and that is perfectly fine since the purpose of games is to give us a reason to get together.  

Meet Up in the Park: June 21. 11:00 Pendleton Falls Park, 299 Falls Park Drive, Pendleton, IN

Join us at this highly rated on Yelp and Trip Advisor beautiful park that has walking trails and a museum as well as many other attraction nearby. Follow the brown Historic Pendleton signs to downtown Pendleton. You will pass through the downtown area to get to the park. Meet at the picnic shelter and bring a snack or dish to share. Plan to walk the trails and get wet in the creek.

Our host, Jeremy recommends some fun restaurants: 

the Bank

Quack Daddy Donuts

Catello's Mozzarella Bar

The Wine and Stable Brew Company

Falls Perk Coffee House

_____________________________________________

retention: keep, remember

vacuum: apart from any other influence

isolation: alone

enhance: increase the quality or value of something

exponentially: increase rapidly

road trips: car rides for social and recreational purposes

leads to: causes to happen

Summertime and the living is easy! Join us for some easy fun.

Hello, Friends.

Summer is finally here. I hope you enjoyed wrapping up the school year and have great plans for the summer months. Do you plan to travel? Do you plan to have a staycation? Did you enroll your children in camp or are you going to have fun family visits and events? There are so many ways to spend the summer. Whether you stay or go, don't forget us! We will be meeting quite a bit this summer for fun and fellowship. Check our 

• Summertime 2018 schedule.
• Facebook page for scheduled and pop-up opportunities.

Feel free to share ideas for fun and invite your International Friends through the comments on these pages or on our Facebook page. You can also send them to me (Carolyn) and we can get a group together.

We had some great meetings this week. I am so glad to see everyone once again and look forward to our fun off and on this summer. 

International Bible Study: Tuesdays, 9:30-10:30 at CLC in room 100.
We picked our study for the summer. No one had an opinion, so I opened the Bible and put my finger down: 1 John. (Click and go to the first chapter of this book (which is actually a letter). Click on the 🕩 at the top of the page and read along). This summer Bible book club choice is short (only five chapters) but is chock full of information and opportunities for discussion.

About 1 John (pronounced First John not One John): 

• Written by John, an apostle of Jesus. John also wrote John (a biography of Jesus), 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John (letters to different people or churches), and Revelation (a vision John had about how things end up). You can read about John's life story in Acts. John was responsible for communicating to the people of Asia (Revelation 1: 11). He was a bold follower and primary witness to Jesus' life and mission.
• Was a letter written to people who believe in Jesus as God and is a great letter to anyone who wants to know more about God and believers in God.
• Written so people can be clear about what to expect from God. Written so people can be clear about what to expect from people who say they follow Jesus.

We discovered John to be a succinct and articulate communicator. His clear statements led us to ponder philosophical and ethical questions. This first chapter contains so much: 

• John writes from experience (1 John 1:1-2)
• The outcome is eternal life and fellowship with God and other people that believe (1 John 1: 2) which is what "makes our (and/or your) joy complete."
• God is love (other adjectives John includes here: light, life, truth, faithful, just). When "we" confess that we fall short of perfection (sin), God forgives and "purifies us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1: 9) for no other reason than He loves all people.

June 12: Please read 1 John 2. Be ready for some great discussions and conversation. John answers many of our questions we raised in chapter one, but I am sure that there will be plenty more questions raised in chapter two!

Summer Games: Select Thursdays 9:30-10:30, room 205-207.
We played "20 Questions." You are given a word and everyone asks questions to discover what your word is. I know I laughed a lot. What a fun way to talk and improve our language skills with quick thinking. What a great way to get to know each other. When you play games are  you a "cheater pants"? 

June 14: Let's play Password. This time instead answering questions, you will be giving the clues and your team has to come up with the word. This is a fun party game for all ages. Bring your kids and let's take them on!

Meet Up at Inlow Park
We had so much fun on the splash pad and playing Frisbee golf. Delicious food. Great conversations. Check our Facebook Group to see pictures. Friend me (I am the red Carolyn Willard). I am glad that many of you got to meet my husband today. We also met a baby ball python out for a walk. We planned some of our future Meet Ups. If you have a suggestion, let us know.

June 21: Pendleton Falls Park, 299 Falls Park Drive, Pendleton, IN 46064
Plan to spend a great day at this Yelp, Google and Trip Advisor top rated park. We will visit with each other and hike the trails of this beautiful park with our local guide Jeremy. Join us as he shares his home park with us. Bring snacks to share. Bring water bottles for the hike. Plan to get wet in the creek! Our host: Jeremy Dishman.

July 5: Holliday Park, 6363 Springmill Road, Indianapolis
We have all been past this park on the way to Indianapolis and the Japanese school. I know that you may not have time. Check out all the fun opportunities and the play area at this great park with us.

July 19: Lawrence W. Inlow Park, 6310 East Main Street
By popular request, we will meet back at Inlow Park. This is convenient since we have a Summer Games that day! You can meet for games and then adjourn to the park to rest and have a round or two of Frisbee golf.

=====================================
off and on: at different times
🕩: speaker icon
chock full of: very full
how things end up: the result
primary witness: see something first hand
succinct: direct and to the point; short and sweet (slang)
articulate: able to speak/write clearly and knowledgably
ponder: think about; consider

complete: finished and in this case perfect

fellowship: friendly association of people with the same interest
confess: admit
fall short: miss a goal

purify: refine, filter, decontaminate
top rated: judged by people to be great
come up with: figure out
take them on: challenge them
visit with each other: have casual conversation

Join us in June and July

Hello, Friends.

I hope you are enjoying these summer days. Join us over the summer for casual and fun activities to meet new friends and practice your skills. Check our pages for more information

Summertime 2018

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