Saint Paul

A week or two before we left for Europe to help tour Pillars of Fire (the story of Paul), we were made aware that Avery's third grade class would be doing a saints project on All Saints Day.  

Given that Avery was going with us on the trip and that she was in the show, Shaun and I informed her she would be doing St. Paul.  At first the idea of being a "boy saint" was less than appealing, but eventually the idea grew on her.

Mr. Grosvenor hooked her up with an authentic costume....

....and R played makeup artist.

The class entered to When The Saints Go Marching In.

Each "saint" was given a note card of information to memorize and recite.

Then the Father took it upon himself to share what HE had learned in researching each child's saint.  He couldn't hear the students and the audience couldn't hear him and some of the information he gave was inaccurate, but who is going to question a priest.

Offering gifts....

Amanda getting a blessing during communion.

Avery had some fans! (Daddy and Amanda were there as well, but had to cut out before the reception).

We're really proud of the job she did.  It was her first major, three-page research project and she spent many hours on it.  She got it back yesterday and it looks like her teacher liked it, too!  Great job, Avery!

(I took the liberty of adding a few paragraphs, for your reading pleasure)

My saint is St. Paul, his feast day is June 29th.  He was born about the same time Jesus was born and died in 67 AD.  I chose this saint because my mom and dad wanted me to and I know a lot about him.

My saint worked as a pharisee and then became a pastor.  He lived in Jerusalem.  Paul was a bad man because he was killing the disciples and bringing the  men and women from Damascus to put them in jail.

But while he was going to Damascus he met Jesus on the road and Jesus said, "why are you doing this to my people?".  And Paul didn't say anything and he was blind.  He went to Damascus, and in Damascus was a man named Ananias.

Then three days later Jesus told Ananias to go to his house and touch him and pray for him.  So that is what Ananias did.  From then on, Paul was a good man.

So then Paul started telling everybody in the world about Jesus.  While he was in jail he wrote a letter to Timothy and wrote some of the New Testament.

The Emperor of Rome was named Caesar Nero.  He hated Christians and would kill them by putting them in a lions mouth, or burning them, or crucifying them.  Caesar Nero convicted Paul and sentenced him to die.  Because Paul was a Roman citizen he didn't die like most Christians, he got a clean death by getting his head chopped off.  This is the story of St. Paul.

The thing that most surprised me about my saint was that he died by having a clean death.