Greetings from Lizard City I was taught by my Louisiana great grandmother, Dosia Iles, “Baby, don’t ever hurt a lizard.”   Africa, like our Dry Creek Old House, is a place where lizards abound.   A word from Curt Actually, three words: 1. Curiosity 2. Wow! 3. Share We’re in a different part of Africa.  So different from the countries …

Enjoy an audio podcast of this story. One of the Best Nights of My Life                                                                                                             I pull into Dry Creek Camp at 10:00 P.M.    Normally I would be going home at this time, but tonight my night is just beginning.   Sitting in his white GMC truck, John Bohacek waits for me.   John, or “Mr. Bo” as he is …

Bobby’s Best Catch:  Some would argue that it was his game-ending catch in the seventh game of the 1962 World Series. I beg to differ.   Thursday, 29 January As you read this, DeDe and I are traveling to a new African country. We’ll be there for most of the month. How to pray for us this month: Pray for …

It’d be a shame to have a boring life. Or a boring job. One of my themes for this year is: 1. Be Curious. 2. Be Wowed! 3. Tell about it. Here are a few photos and words about our week. All I can is “Wow!”  We are so privileged to be among the amazing folks we work with and …

    Prayer is like oxygen.  We must have it or die. That’s so true for those of us who live on the edge in Africa. We cannot go unless folks like you are praying. We thank you for “holding the rope” in prayer. We beg you to continue. Here are our major prayer needs for this week: 1. We …

  1. Be Curious 2. Say “Wow!” 3. Tell Stories Those three things are what I mostly do in Africa. I’m a storyteller. It’s what I do. It’s who I am. I have a very serious job here in the Chadan cluster. DeDe and I are focused on our Big Three jobs for this year: 1. Getting God’s Word into …

Lifting the Barn. Together we can do it. Even if you skip today’s post, don’t miss this video of several hundred people moving a barn in Nebraska. http://youtu.be/o83W0gj_CRE is my favorite “Pamoja” story: Herman Ostry’s barn floor was under twenty-nine inches of water because of a rising creek. The Bruno, Nebraska farmer invited a few friends to a “barn raising.” …

Please use the share button(s) above so others can pray for our Chadan Team. It’s Sunday morning in America. We’re nine hours ahead of CST, so it’s Sunday evening. Prayer is like oxygen.  We must have it. It’s not an option in Africa. We must know you are “holding the rope” in prayer.  Our Big Four Prayer needs for the …

If you enjoy today’s post, please share it with your friends.   It’s Saturday. That means it’s picture day. There’s purpose in this: every picture does tell a story. And a picture is worth a thousand words. In fact, in Africa, it may be ten thousand. Here are photos from this past week as well as our sojourn in America. …

Welcome to our Thursday blog Today’s theme continues with trees. I’ve been sharing stories from our Louisiana Piney Woods. Today I’d like to show some of the beautiful trees of Africa. We’ll let the photos speak for themselves.   But before we get to the trees, you must see the video of these six girls.  It’s the cutest thing I’ve seen …

A word from Curt Curiosity It’s a good word for my life. I was born curious. It’s gotten me in some tight spots.  (Wildlife Agent at Sabine National Park to Robert Sanders and me,  “Now, which of the three “No Trespassing” signs did you fellows not see when you crawled under the gate.) Curiosity has also led to hundreds of …

Today we begin featuring a weekly audio podcast to supplement Tuesday’s blog post.  I believe you’ll enjoy my reading of “The Landmark Pine.”  Download free here.  A word from Curt Home. It’s a good word.  But at this season of my life, it’s a complicated word.  Where is home for me?  We’ve just returned from a wonderful month in Louisiana. …

A Rose by Any Other Name     I’ve been in Africa two years and still don’t have a name I’m comfortable with.   Most of you know me as Curt. It is unpronounceable for most Africans.   I spell it out C-U-R-T and they write it “C-U-O-T.” The “r” is difficult to pronounce here..   My friends up country …

  The Evergreen Cedar Tree From The Old House by Curt Iles I was born in a small town.  And I can breathe in a small town. Gonna die in a small town, That’s probably where they’ll bury me.                                                                         – John Mellencamp, “Small Town” Driving through the fog of an October morning, it is hard to see very far down the …