Yesterday when I presented the VBS offering project to our church folks and we showed them the Operation Love video, we already have a good amount given by our folks toward the project!

Our Kenyan family enjoyed knowing where in Kenya the orphan home will be built (they were familiar with the location in Kisumu). And the basket which Mrs. Ndaka wove for us is lovely, and was such a sweet visual to use for our offering container for this project!  (An authentic Kenyan basket!)

We are looking forward to our VBS, which begins on the 16th. Our decorations are in place: an underwater scene on our auditorium platform which includes a 13-foot “submarine” puppet theater; a real (heavy!) old-fashioned metal diving helmet; a full-size mannequin dressed in a diving wetsuit; a treasure chest with “jewels” and gold and bronze candlesticks, containers, etc., overflowing from it; silver and gold “coins”; an old corked bottle with a “help!” note inside; two colorful “coral reefs”; real seaweed which we picked up on the beaches over at the Pacific ocean and dried out in the sun; many inflatable and colorful large and small sea creatures and fish hanging from the ceiling with invisible fishline, which sway as if swimming when the air conditioner is on; and, of course, numerous large and small seashells and pieces of coral. The entire back wall of the platform is covered with blue plastic tarps to simulate water, and the floor/steps are covered with “sand”  (tea- and coffee-stained/dyed bedsheets). We used 200 teabags and two pots of coffee to dye and stain the 19 sheets we used!

So, as you see, we are ready to “Dive for Treasure” into God’s Word in just one week from today!

Clear Lake Baptist Church
Lakeport, Cal.