Searching for Seashells

The author wrote these short devotional essays based on his experiences snorkeling and collecting shells in the Indian Ocean in East Africa. He writes about the art of finding shells on the ocean floor, under rocks and rubble, in the sand and on rocky coral outcrops. From his observations on how the shells live and thrive, the author draws spiritual lessons from the Creator, showing how God's creative genius and power are "clearly seen from what is made" as it says in the book of Romans.

The author started collecting shells in the early 1960s, before the reefs of East Africa were over-collected to sell souvenirs to tourists. Although shells are much harder to find these days, they are still there and the author has led reef ecology trips for high school students, as well as taking regular reef walks with his grandchildren, showing them the jewels of the ocean, before returning the live shells to their hiding places. Kenya has created several marine parks and declared most of its coastal reef as marine reserve areas, so collecting of live shells is currently restricted. Thankfully, there are signs of regeneration of both the reefs and the shell life that used to be so abundant.

As you read the essays and look at the photos in this book, you will see the beauty of the ocean, and learn lessons about God and the Christian life as well.

Shel Arensen was born in Tanganyika and raised in Kenya. A life-long reef addict, he snorkels and walks the reefs of East Africa whenever he gets a chance. He edits Old Africa magazine and has written ten children's adventure novels, all set in East Africa. Three of those books focus on coastal adventures and shell collecting. Shel and his wife Kym live in Naivasha, Kenya. They have four children and ten grandchildren.