SOMETHING ABOUT PAINTS

Last week our field leader had this idea that I should illustrate the story at the end of the lesson by painting. Usually I have nothing to do with the story-telling; it has more to do with introducing new vocabulary and I tend to serve cookies as soon as it's over. But everyone who teaches classes agreed that they shouldn't waste the opportunity for the story to be painted-- I am leaving in a month, and then no one else will want to paint. It will be back to flannelgraphs for ever. All the flannelgraph backgrounds we use, incidentally, are the exact same ones I remember from Sunday school. Same movable pillars, same Sea of Galilee scene.
So last week I painted the story of the Miraculous Catch of Fish at one class location, and the Ascension of Jesus at another location, and in two weeks I'll do another one at the last location. Three paintings. I've never painted as a performance before so this is all quite new to me... should it be a literal illustration or just a nice painting of some people? Should I bow when it's over? I'm not sure that the ladies know what to think either, since mostly they just stare and then give me curious looks when I'm cleaning up; on the other hand, some of them just can't tell me enough how pretty the colors are.
The kids love it. It seems like they would like to paint also, and that makes me like the kids more. Even if we can't paint together.
I am enjoying the paints, too. I didn't bring any with me and hadn't meant to buy any while here. But when they were first dropped off at the house for me to test, I was almost in heaven to squeeze them out and spread them around a canvas. Colors! I forgot how much I love you. My soul is happy because of this.