Prayer Workshop

Today we had The Prayer Workshop. There were five participants and Pastor Ich. We had a very productive time studying the language of the Bible and the language of prayer. The following is one of the prayers we wrote as a group.

PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

We thank you and give our thanks now at Christmastime for Central Baptist Church and our leaders, pastors, teachers, church members and government officials.

We also thank you for food, family and friends.

For all your gifts, we give praise. Amen!

blognote: This is the final class in our 2 1/2 year project: 'Pray, Play, Hello USA'.

The Sewing Circle Project

While getting ready for tomorrow's workshop, I came upon a new bag that was given to me at the last meeting. These weavings are done by the Karen women in my ESOL classes under the auspices of The Sewing Circle Project in Hartford. Their motto is 'Weaving a New Life in Connecticut.

blognote: This bag was woven by Mu Wah.

Aung San Suu Kyi

AMEN!

Read the details here.

good class today...

Class today was on Body Parts and the Emergency Room/Doctor's Office. Had a lot of fun with our fake ailments and that ever present 'on a scale of 1 to 10'. 

Only one more class to go in this beginner's session. That will be on the subject of Clothing. Then the following day, Sunday, I will present certificates of completion at the Karen service. It has been a full and fulfilling two and a half years.

New Class Offered!

We are scheduling a class for December 4th on the subject of PRAYER. It is called the 'Language of the Bible and the Language of Prayer'.

We will be looking into some of the archaic language forms found in older versions of the Bible. Then we will have an interactive workshop on writing prayers. Many of the our Karen brethren have been writing prayers in English for use in the Karen worship. This will enable us to work together to strengthen our writing skills.

Watch for more details....

another lockout...

Locked out of the church! Couldn't get in for the Saturday class

Now we  have only two weeks to go to end this Fall's session for 2010. Discipleship Fair last week took over the church [for a very good purpose] so we had to change our schedule. Went to one and a half hour class to make up for lost time.

Fall Classes Start

Today was the first day for Fall classes. We met in the CBC parlor for the beginner class from 9 to 10. We will have to cancel two classes because of church usage. So we decided to extend the remaining four classes a half-hour from 9:30 to 11. This will give us the same 7 hours of classwork originally scheduled. There were nine students along with a child guest and Saw K Paw Htoo who interprets. He has been assisting me since the very beginning of my teaching the Karen community.

Teen Activity Day Cancelled

Unfortunately it was necessary to cancel the Teen Activity Day due to lack of enrollment and scheduling concerns.

Kiva Loan

                       Just made my 17th loan to Kiva.

This time it was to Irene in Peru for an agriculture loan; you can read about her on the Kiva website. The money for this loan came from my son and daughter-in-law for my birthday.
Every loan I have made to Kiva has been paid in full. It's a great way to help out. Consider it! You only need $25 at a time.

Basic Literacy Class

I dropped in on Cheryl's Basic Literacy Class today in the church parlor. Joined in also; interesting to be part of the process and not the teacher.

Not too many students but I think this will catch on. Students were engaged and very eager to learn.

Also learned the honorifics 'Saw' and 'Naw' in Karen: Saw Thomas and Naw Shari.

Grammar Classes finished...

We have just completed a seven-week course on Grammar for the high intermediate and advanced ESOL students in our Karen community. There will be ten certificates awarded tomorrow morning between the English service upstairs and the Karen service downstairs. A total of 108 student hours was accomplished.

We will take a break for the rest of the summer. Stay tuned for plans for the rest of the year...

slowing down...

Class today had 9 students; most came in late. Next Saturday is the last class of the session. Will keep classes the future to 1 hour. We did, however, have a great class. We finished verb tenses with the future tense. Started on prepositions and students had some great questions. Cheryl will try a Basic Literacy class the week after I finish this session for a one shot deal to see if there is a need for that.

the beat goes on...

Started up Grammar Class again this past Saturday. Was locked out of the church again and only 8 students. But we had a good class on Past Tense.

Meet today with Pastor Nick and Cheryl to plan a Teen Activity Day. Details to follow...

A Mission in Later Life

Gave a talk today at CVOC about finding a mission in later life. Small audience but very involved; some prospective tenants and some residents. I talked about redefining your life in order to find new outlets for your talents. Shared tales of my experiences in Hartford with the Karen community and  mission trips to Brazil and Cuba.

blognote: The talk was sponsored by the Marketing Department and was not a part of our established lecture series.

Cuba Humanitarian Mission

Just returned from 7 nights in Cuba; 5 in Havana and 2 in Trinidad. Took medical and educational supplies. The upper picture is of students in Pinar del Rio at the school in Las Terrazas. The rest of the supplies were given to the principal of the school.


The other pictures were taken at the church in the Las Caritas mission. Each participant in our group took 20 pounds of over-the-counter meds. We also delivered medications to the priest working with the HIV/AIDS mission there in Old Havana.

starting up for the summer...

Finished for a while! We had our fourth class today and will take a break until I get back from Cuba. Cheryl Zeiner will have two informal conversation classes while I am gone. Some church members will [hopefully] help out.

Class today covered the rest of the present tenses with negative and question formation. The class went very well. We had only 16 students today so I guess the beginners have decided to wait until September for the 9 week Beginner course. It was good having a new neighborhood of learners. This will make for a large class in the fall.

June 19th

Hot and humid was the weather forecast and I dreaded the heat build-up in the parlor. But the windows were open and a fan was on and the room was very comfortable.

We are still adding students and the class has gotten quite large. Many of the students are not at the intermediate level but with the help of Hser Nay Chris and her brother, K Paw Htoo, students seem to be learning a lot. We worked on the present tenses, simple and continuous, today.

We have decided to continue the Grammar class in the second Summer Session and save the Writing Our Life Stores for a later date. Cheryl Zeiner visited today and offered to do two session of informal English conversation practice while I am in Cuba. Thanks, Cheryl.

June 12th

Today's class was a little less eventful. There were several new students, most of which were beginners. Several of the advanced students were missing; some to a women's conference and others to doctor's appointments. There has been no continuity to this session. We started the present verb tenses [simple and continuous] and will continue with this next session. Question formation will also be a big part of the next class.

June 5th

The first Grammar class for Intermediate/Advanced students got off to a shaky start.

Pulaski Circle was blocked to traffic because of a Marathon in Bushnell Park. The custodian wasn't at the church to open the doors at 8:45 for the 9:00 class. The burglar alarm went off when we finally entered at 9:30 and he didn't have the code to turn it off. The Parlor was stifling hot and the fans had not arrived. The whiteboard was still at Pastor Gie Dor's house. The chalkboard had only the tiniest piece of chalk available. There were several beginner students among the 23 present for the class.

The good news is that the students sat at card tables in groups of fours, mixing ability levels. They were attentive to what was being presented. The class was about NOUNS and we found seventeen of them in The Lord's Prayer. We had a wonderful time in spite of our obstacles. We prayed at opening for help in learning and prayed in closing with thanks for the opportunity to come together and learn a new language.

God is good!

updated schedule...

KAREN ESOL SCHEDULE for 2010

latest latest update

July 3^rd – Holiday Weekend

July 10^th  and July 17^th 

INFORMAL ENGLISH CONVERSATION PRACTICE

with Cheryl Zeiner from 9:30 to 10:30 am

in Central Baptist Church Parlor

No class on July 24th - Wedding

July 31^st to August 14^th

GRAMMAR CLASSES continued

with Thomas Foran from 9:00 to 10:30 am

in Central Baptist Church Parlor

Certificates in church on Sunday, August 15^th

August 21^st
ESOL 'BOOT CAMP'

Activity Day for High School Students
with Thomas Foran, Rev. Nicolas Mumejian, Cheryl Zeiner
9:00 am to 3:00 pm

September 18^th to November 13^th

TEACHING ASSISTANT CLASSES 9:00 to 9: 30 am in Parlor

BEGINNER CLASSES 9:30 to 10:30 am

with Thomas Foran in Central Baptist Church Library

Certificates in church on Sunday, November 14^th

another donation...

The great people at Education Express have once again donated educational supplies for my humanitarian mission to Cuba.  Ooops, guess I haven't blogged yet that I am going again this July.

We will take over-the-counter medications to at least one clinic in Old Habana and educational supplies to some rural schools. This is a great opportunity to meet and interact with the Cuban people. And since we are on a humanitarian mission, there is legal entry and exit.

Will blog with pictures and details when I get back.

bloginfo: Their website is just a click away.
blognote: The Education Express store in Berlin, CT is not only great for teachers but for gifts to children and grandchildren.

Genocide Intervention Network Presentation

Myra Dahgaypaw, a Carl Wilkens Fellow, from the Genocide Intervention Network was instrumental in setting up the "From the Jungles of Burma to Your Hometown" program today at Central Baptist Church. She gave a brief overview of the problem and led a panel of Karen refugees who told of their journey from Burma to Thailand to Hartford. Speaking today were Naw Peh Htoo, Htaw Nay Moo and Naw Shei Paw. They gave information concerning their lives, past and present, and participated in a QandA session. This was a very moving experience.

The presentations were followed by a delicious Burmese meal provided by the Karen Community of Central Baptist Church.

blogingo: Visit www.genocideintervention.net for more information
blognote: This program was very well attended and the information provided was especially needed.

Winter session classes ended today! 

The 2010 Winter Session Beginner ESOL Class and the Teacher Assistant Class both had their last session in Pastor Gie Dor's apartment. Certificates will be awarded tomorrow at church between the two worship services. Fourteen participants will received a Certificate showing that they successfully completed the 9 week Beginner session. Five of these participants will also have it noted on their certificate that they had Perfect Attendance! The five Teacher Assistants will also receive certificates for the successful completion of the Winter Session Part 1 Course.

2010 ESOL SCHEDULE

KAREN ESOL SCHEDULE for 2010

        

June 5^th to June 26^th at Central Baptist Church Library

4 week session on GRAMMAR for Intermediate/Advanced students

Intensive classes 90 minutes 9:00 to 10:30 am

Certificates in church on Sunday, June 27^th

July 24^th to August 14^th at Central Baptist Church Library

4 week session on WRITING for Intermediate/Advanced students

Intensive classes 90 minutes 9:00 to 10:30 am

Certificates in church on Sunday, August 15

September 18^th to November 13^th at Central Baptist Church Library

Continue Teaching Assistants Class 9:00 to 9:30 am

8 week session [+ review class] for BEGINNERS 9:30 to 10:30 am

Certificates in church on Sunday, November 14^th

back to the schedule...

Two Saturdays ago we had a funeral and cancelled class. Last week Amy Endler took the Review Class. And today I started up again. Classes keep getting bigger and bigger. We have three more classes this session and then we will move to the Central Baptist Church Library. I gave the Teaching Assistants my proposal for classes for the next three sessions. That will take us up to the end of the year, 2010!

Karen Thanksgiving

  Today the Karen community celebrated their second anniversary in the United States. For some members, this was their first year. The celebration was hosted by Central Baptist Church. There were at least a hundred people present in the sanctuary. Many children were present also. The music was wonderful!

The program started with the Baptism of eight new members. Pastor John and Pastor Ich officiated. After the baptism a Teen Choral group sang during the Communion Service. This was followed by a Thanksgiving Feast in the community room. The variety of food was overwhelming and delicious.

Today I met many new people: Karen from other neighborhoods, Hartford school teachers, Karen from other parts of Connecticut and so many people helping out and volunteering to better the lives of the new Connecticut Karen community.

K Saw Funeral

I attended the funeral for K Saw, an elder in the Karen community, today at the Ahern Funeral Home at 180 Farmington Avenue in Hartford.

Pastor Ich Duc Nguyen presented the Opening Prayer and the Benediction. Pastor John Endler gave a beautiful Eulogy which was translated by K Paw.

After the Viewing and the Prayer Service, K Saw was to be cremated in Waterbury. He was the first Karen refugee to pass away in Hartford.

Goodwin College visit...

Pastor Ich, Cheryl Zeiner and I had a nice visit to Goodwin College in East Hartford today to explore educational possibilities for the Karen community.

We met with Claudia Lange, Assistant Director of Admissions, and Bobella C. Daley, Admissions Officer. The building is new and fresh and exciting. We hope some of our students will be able to study here.

Conversation Partners

We have inaugurated a new program of Conversation Partners into our Beginner English Classes. Each week a different church member joins the class to help out with the small group vocabulary work. The students practice in their small groups guided by the Teaching Assistants and then dialog with the conversation partner. The students seem to like meeting new people and practicing their English on a one-to-one basis with a 'stranger'.


bloginfo: Pat Dodge [lower photo] was the Conversation Partner for February 27th and is working on 'Introductions'. Bruce Davidson [middle photo] is working on 'Rooms of the House' on March 6th.
Joan Davidson [upper photo] is working on 'Food Vocabulary' on March 13th.

Teaching Assistants

These are four of the five Teaching Assistants for the Winter Session:
K Paw Htoo, Hser Nay Chris, Peh Htoo and Tha Lord [Maw Lay is not in the picture].

The TAs are learning to take attendance, translate, work with small groups and do evaluation. The Beginner English Course would be so much more difficult for me without their help.

Winter Session starts!

The winter session of 'Pray, Play, Hello USA!' ESOL classes started today.

There is a training course for Teaching Assistants AND a Beginner English Class going on in Pastor Gie Dor's apartment on Alden Street.

Today's classes had four Teaching Assistants and met from 9:30 to 11:00 and thirteen beginning students from 10: to 11:00. The first half hour is an orientation session for the TAs where they find out the material to be introduced that day. Then they help out during the beginning class by servings as models, translators and group leaders. The session today went especially well for a first class!

We covered Identification patterns using 'my/his/her name' and I/He/She live[s] in Hartford. The letters Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd and Ee were covered along with the numbers 1 to 10. An ongoing pronunciation practice will be The Lord's Prayer. We went up to ...'hallowed be Thy name'.

Traditional Artists' Marketplace

Went to the IRC Open House today for the Traditional Artists' Marketplace & Community Threads Exhibit. Three members of our congregation were there: Mu Wah with her loom [picture 1 top], Hser Nay Pah [picture 2 bottom] and Thadah [picture 3 top] both in the sale room. The Karen handwoven fabrics will be available in the CBC Crosswinds Store soon!

bloginfo: Today's event was held at The Institute for Community Research, 2 Hartford Square West, Suite 100, 146 Wyllys Street, Hartford, CT

blognote: CBC members at the exhibit: Cheryl Zeiner, Joan and Bruce Davidson, me

planning.planning.planning.

More planning today. The five Teaching Assistants will be: Hser Nay Chris, Peh Htoo, Tha Lord, Maw Lay and Htoo K Paw. We have decided on a ten week oral course for 15 to 20 beginning students. The classes will start on February 20th and end on April 24th. Cheryl Zeiner will assist with the TA class and we have developed a job description for them.

[previous post January 16th] Saturday morning, I met with a core group from the Karen community to plan for the Winter/Spring session. Pastor Ich and Cheryl Zeiner were there to assist. We decided to concentrate this session's efforts on the beginner students and offer an oral ESOL class. Five students who have a higher level of English proficiency will be trained as Teaching Assistants. They will meet at 9:30 to get ready for the 10:00 to 11:00 class. Members of the congregation will be able to help out as Conversation Partners arriving at 9:30 to find out the theme/grammar for the day. This will allow for more interaction for all three groups: Beginner ESOL, Teaching Assistants and Conversation Partners.

quote from facebook

Volunteers in Global Mission "And people who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives....and when the bubble has burst they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." Nate Saint

bloginfo: from Angela Sudermann's facebook

Commitment Cards

On their commitment cards, several members have expressed interest in being 'guest presenters' at our weekly Play, Pray, Hello USA! classes for the winter session.

Those signed up so far:

Victor Agosto [returning]
Joan Breakenridge
Florence Cato
Bruce Davidson
Joan Davidson [returning]
Lynn Leavenworth
Norma Sproul [returning]
Cheryl Zeiner [returning].

There is plenty of time to get involved; just call the church office and let Linda know. We will have an information meeting at the end of January.