Lesson Two for March 8, 2014: Beijing Time 8:00-9:00 AM

1. Talk about your week

2. Discuss the Home Work
    a. How do you get well?
    b. How do you stay well?

3. Study Mark 3:7-30

Many Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus went away with his followers to the lake. A large crowd of people from Galilee followed them. ⁸ Many also came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the area across the Jordan River, and from the area around Tyre and Sidon. These people came because they heard about all that Jesus was doing.
⁹ Jesus saw how many people there were, so he told his followers to get a small boat and make it ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the crowds of people could not push against him. ¹⁰ He had healed many of them, so all the sick people were pushing toward him to touch him. ¹¹ Some people had evil spirits inside them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they bowed before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus gave the spirits a strong warning not to tell anyone who he was.

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles

¹³ Then Jesus went up on a hill and invited those he wanted to go with him. So they joined him there. ¹⁴ And he chose twelve men and called them apostles. He wanted these twelve men to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to tell people God’s message. ¹⁵ He also wanted them to have the power to force demons out of people. ¹⁶ These are the names of the twelve men Jesus chose:

Simon (the one Jesus named Peter),
¹⁷ James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee (the ones Jesus named Boanerges, which means “Sons of Thunder”),
¹⁸ Andrew, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon, the Zealot,
¹⁹ Judas Iscariot (the one who handed Jesus over to his enemies).

Jesus’ Power Is From God

²⁰ Then Jesus went home, but again a large crowd gathered there. There were so many people that he and his followers could not eat. ²¹ His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people said he was crazy.
²² And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem said, “Satan is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people.”
²³ So Jesus called them together and talked to them using some stories. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people. ²⁴ A kingdom that fights against itself will not survive. ²⁵ And a family that is divided will not survive. ²⁶ If Satan is against himself and is fighting against his own people, he will not survive. That would be the end of Satan.
²⁷ “Whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house.
²⁸ “I want you to know that people can be forgiven for all the sinful things they do. They can even be forgiven for the bad things they say against God. ²⁹ But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They will always be guilty of that sin.”
³⁰ Jesus said this because the teachers of the law had accused him of having an evil spirit inside him.

4. Read the Story : U.S. National Parks
   More than 200 million people visit U.S. National Parks every year. These parks protect the wildlife and landmarks of the United States. Each park is different, and each one is beautiful.
   At Yosemite, in California, you can take a nature walk with a park ranger. You'll see waterfalls, redwoods, and the deer there.
   In south Florida, you can take a ferry to Dry Tortugas. It's great to snorkel around the park's coral islands.
   There are 113 caves at Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico. The deepest cave is 830 feet below the desert! You can take a tour of these beautiful caverns.
   There are 391 national parks to see. Go online for information about park near you.  
5. Talk about it.

Following link is the 10 most popular national parks in U.S.:

http://geography.about.com/od/culturalgeography/a/most-popular-national-parks.htm

1. Why are national parks important?
2. Imagine you are a park ranger at a national park. Pick one of the most popular U.S. National Parks and give your classmates a tour of the landmarks and wildlife.

Lesson One for March 1, 2014: Beijing Time 8:00-9:00 AM

1. Talk about your week

2. Discuss the Home Work from last week
    a. What are some problems in your community? How can people help?
    b. Imagine you are Marta. What do you say in your speech to the city council?

3. Study Mark 2:1-17

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man

2 A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was back home. ² A large crowd gathered to hear him speak. The house was so full that there was no place to stand, not even outside the door. While Jesus was teaching, ³ some people brought a paralyzed man to see him. He was being carried by four of them. ⁴ But they could not get the man inside to Jesus because the house was so full of people. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in it. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. ⁵ When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”
⁶ Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this man say things like that? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”
⁸ Jesus knew immediately what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why do you have these questions in your minds? ^9-10 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say to the crippled man, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? Then you will be able to see if I really have this power or not.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.”
¹² Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He picked up his mat and walked out of the room. Everyone could see him. They were amazed and praised God. They said, “This is the most amazing thing we have ever seen!”

Levi (Matthew) Follows Jesus

¹³ Jesus went to the lake again, and many people followed him there. So Jesus taught them. ¹⁴ He was walking beside the lake, and he saw a man named Levi, son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting at his place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Then Levi stood up and followed Jesus.
¹⁵ Later that day, Jesus and his followers ate at Levi’s house. There were also many tax collectors and others with bad reputations eating with them. (There were many of these people who followed Jesus.) ¹⁶ When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

4. Talk about "Taking Care of Your Health"
    a. Types of Health Problems: vision problem, hearing loss, pain, stress, depression
    b. Help with Health Problems: optometrist, glasses, contact lenses, audiologist, hearing aid, physical therapy, physical therapist, talk therapy, therapist, support group
    c. Ways to Get Well: seek medical attention, get bed rest, drink fluids, take medicine
    d. Ways to Stay Well: stay fit, eat a healthy diet, don't smoke, have a regular checkup, get immunized, follow medical advice

5. Read the Story
Once a month the Fadool Health Clinic has a health fair. You can get a low-cost medical exam at one booth. The nurses check your blood pressure and check your pulse. At another booth you can get a free eye exam. And an acupuncture treatment is only $5.00.

You can learn a lot at the fair. This month a doctor is giving a lecture on nutrition labels. There is also a demonstration on sugar-free cooking. You can learn to do aerobic exercise and yoga, too.

Do you want to get healthy and stay healthy? Then come to the Fadool Clinic Health Fair.

Welcome, Skype ESL Class!

Dear Teachers and Students

I created this blog spot for our class and named it "ButterflyESL.blogspot.com" The name ButterflyESL is chosen because it is available and also meaningful. Butterflies are beautiful. They are transformed from a caterpillar to a beautiful butterfly we see flying everywhere in our garden. I picked one above just to show you how beautifully God created them.

As children, many of us learn about the wondrous process by which a caterpillar morphs into a butterfly. The story usually begins with a very hungry caterpillar hatching from an egg. The caterpillar, or what is more scientifically termed a larva, stuffs itself with leaves, growing plumper and longer through a series of molts in which it sheds its skin. One day, the caterpillar stops eating, hangs upside down from a twig or leaf and spins itself a silky cocoon or molts into a shiny chrysalis. Within its protective casing, the caterpillar radically transforms its body, eventually emerging as a butterfly or moth.

But what does that radical transformation entail? How does a caterpillar rearrange itself into a butterfly? What happens inside a chrysalis or cocoon? It reminds me of our life that can be transformed inside out when we ask the Light of Jesus to come inside us.