Friday, 15 March Adjumani Uganda Scroll down for prayer needs. A full day of being in refugee camps.  Nothing will break your heart like seeing thousands suffering and facing uncertain futures. Yet even in our heartbreak, we are in love. In love with our Jesus who said, “Come unto me . . .” In love with our fellow …

Homesickness and Friendship Fires   Today is our son Clint’s 30th birthday.  It’s only fitting that I drag out his most famous story. As the fire warmed the cold Arkansas night, our mouse friend enjoyed leftover pieces of our macaroni supper. As we sat there and just enjoyed the sounds of the night, I looked over at the boys. Clint, …

We’re away (beginning Wed. 12 March) from the world of internet for most of the next week.  DeDe and I are traveling in northern Uganda with a Kentucky Baptist Disaster Relief team. They are representing Baptist Global Response and learning how we can touch the needs of refugees from South Sudan and Democratic Congo. You can follow our journey here …

“It’s Being a Long Time”  Truck sign   TRUST JESUS SALOON   THANK GOD I MADE IT.   I’M NOT MAKING FUN. I’VE WRITTEN 11 BOOKS AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PRINTED WORDS.  YOU CAN FIND MISTAKES GALORE.   SPENT BULLETT   IF YOU FIND A MISTAKE: DO TWO THINGS. 1.LAUGH 2.TELL ME ABOUT IT.

Displaced but not Misplaced. A displaced person has left their home for succor within their home country. A refugee has crossed a national border for the same reason. There’s really no difference.  Just a matter of geography and ________. All have hurting hearts. All need our help.  Displaced… but not Misplaced…     So often similar words can sound alike …

The Color of Homelessness   ADD HOMELESS LADY IN DRY CREEK   Most things in East Africa have a color. Including homelessness. In our part of Uganda, it wears red. Not a bright red. More of a dirty red. I’d call it the color of rust. The average African wears the same basic outfit daily. This is no meant to …

BEING A MEDIATOR Both Sides Now:     elaborate on story of Franklins and Taylors I’ve gotten in lots of trouble in my life trying to mend things between folks. I have a good story about bringing two rural families together at school to end a long-running feud that had started over a deer stand. The children of each family …

Underdogs I’ve not sure I’ve ever seen anything that looked more out of place. As my grandpa said, “It was like a saddle on a pig.” Brand new shiny playground equipment in the midst of a ragtag barren refugee camp. I walked over to a swing set and pushed on it. It was cemented in the ground. Just as I …

Snake Bit!   “At ________ Camp, we are averaging two snake bites per day.  In fact, a sixty year old woman is now fighting for her life as a result of a Puff Adder bite from last night.” –       Medical clinician at refugee camp meeting.   I wonder if that lady survived. I wonder why God allowed the pastor in …

Today is her birthday. I won’t reveal her age but she was born in 1935, You can do the math. Her name is Mary Plott Iles. And she’s my mother. Don’t tell her to act her age.  She’s the youngest thinking person I know.

A Real Southern Gospel  Quartet Nothing connects with a person quite like truth in their heart language. I’ve never seen anything like it. And I’ve seen a lot. It was just like the Book of Acts. We five Americans were  ushered into the thatched roof-open sided church service. The service is in full swing. If you’ve never been in an …

A volunteer team from our home team in Dry Creek, Louisiana arrives today.  Pray for Pastor Charlie Bailey, Ken Farmer, and Ethan Bossier as God uses them in northern Uganda among the South Sudanese refugees.   “Bro. Henry, do you know who Indiana Jones is?” “No. Does he live in Dry Creek?”                          …

      The Education of Daizy Mae Thomas  Part II    It has been a joy to be with Daizy Thomas, a precocious  8-year-old and her new mother, KB Thomas. They’ve been a joy to us as they await Daizy’s U.S. Passport.  (Please pray that this process will finish soon.  KB has been in country since November 30.)   Update: …

Give me land, lots of land   “They fighting over their burying ground.” – “This Land”    John Lee Hooker It’s a story we hear variations on: It’s concerns land disputes in the aftermath of South Sudan’s long civil wars.* The following comes from the article, “Winning the War, but Losing The Peace.**   A Madi man returning from Uganda goes …