Day 2: God's Love Changes Us

While we were in the Marketplace tonight, we watched Senator Atticus make a very public announcement.
He began by calling for his slave, Tullius.
When Tullius joined him, Atticus told him that he would now free him from slavery.


With this gesture, Tullius became a free man! He ran excitedly from the Marketplace. He'll never be the same again.

"Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think." —Romans 12:2

A Challenge for Our World Changers

Last year's VBS participants collected money to send coats to Bulgarian orphans. This time we're focusing our attention on deaf and/or mute orphans in Varna, Bulgaria. To help them communicate better, we're planning to provide them with talking photo albums similar to this one:

The talking photo album is a simple, inexpensive, easy-to-use device that has many potential uses for adults and children who need help with communication. You can use it for instructions, to tell stories, to record autobiographical information, to facilitate daily conversation, to help order in restaurants and for scores of other purposes.

These talking photo albums give mute and/or deaf Bulgarian orphans a way to communicate their basic needs with others. They are $29 each. Every penny we collect this week will bring us closer to helping these children in Bulgaria. After each family group has visited the shops, kids will have a chance to make their donations if they'd like to contribute to this great cause.

"Let us not become tired of doing good. At the right time we will gather a crop if we don't give up. So when we can do good to everyone, let us do it. Let us make a special point of doing good to those who belong to the family of believers." —Galatians 6:9-10 (NIrV)

Scenes from the Marketplace: Architecture and Carpentry Shops

Tonight we take a look at two more Roman shops.

The architect describes how aqueducts help transport water from place to place.
It's a challenge, but the children work together to help transport "water" (tennis balls) down the aqueduct they've created.
It's pretty tricky to collect all the water at the end!

Each family group that visits the architecture shop gets to try this exercise in teamwork.
It's not as easy as it looks, but it sure is fun!

The kids also get to create models using blocks. This is a great way for them to appreciate the advanced designs the Romans created in Bibletimes.

Another of our Roman shops is for carpentry. In this shop, family members sand and decorate wooden boxes.

Meanwhile, in the nursery...

While their moms and dads are helping in other parts of the building, these kids, who are too young for preschool VBS, are getting their own special activities in the nursery.

Tonight a Roman guard paid them a visit.
They enjoyed getting to touch the handle of his sword, but one young man was only too ready for the guard to make his exit so that class could get on with...

BUBBLES!

Besides having fun inside, the kids also get to go outside to see our animal friends, the donkeys:
Tonight they enjoyed pony rides!



Elsewhere, our Super Servants are taking care of the littlest of the little ones:It won't be long before these little ones can attend preschool VBS, but until then, they're in good hands while their parents are working hard to make VBS possible.