Have You Seen These Birds?

Who would want to steal a flock of bright pink flamingos? That's what Open Life Church pastor Thad Huff would like to know.

Open Life has been promoting its Flock of Flamingos fundraising campaign recently in an effort to raise money to send members to Surabaya, Indonesia to help that community. "During our time there we will do training, feed red light district kids daily, medical missions to remote islands, and build churches in unreached areas of their country needing hope, and provision," Huff described in an email to Patch Monday.

The travel alone for the month-long trip costs money so fundraising is important. The church is aiming for a figure of $15,000. Flock of Flamingos, in which members would place the flamingos on a yard and the property owner would donate towards to trip to have the right to send the flock to its next home, has been Open Life's most successful project.

That is, until someone stole from from the White River Estates neighborhood Sunday between 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. in broad daylight, according to Huff. The thief or thieves not only stole the 22 birds but also an A-frame sign with donated printing by TJ Specialty Printing that read "You've Been Flocked."

To replace the sign and the flamingos would now cost the church $250, and for every night that the birds aren't in use, the church loses anywhere from $20 to $60 per night.

Huff said he hopes someone can help to recover the lost flamingos and sign so the fundraising can continue. Or if citizens are able to help Open Life purchase new supplies, that generosity is welcome as well.

If you have information about the equipment or want more information about how you can help, contact Open Life at 253-987-6778, thadh@livinglifeopen.com, or livinglifeopen.com.