Curt Iles

I write to have influence and impact through well-told stories of my Louisiana Pineywoods life.

A Visit To The Orphanage

A visit to the Comfort K. Doe Orphanage Brewerville, Liberia My sister Colleen with one of the youngest children at the Doe Orphanage. One of the memorable highlights of our trip was visiting with the children at the Doe Orphanage. Three of the teenage boys (Joseph, Chris, and David shown in background) attend Ricks Institute on scholarship. The orphanage began …

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Pineapple And Rain

DeDe had an African birthday yesterday (July 14) and received this birthday pineapple from Marcus Perkins. Flooding caused near Monrovia by last week’s rains

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Liberian Flag

The Liberian flag is very similar to the U.S. flag.The 11 stripes represent the original eleven signers of their declaration of independence.The one large white star with a blue background represents unity.

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Africa: The Joys of a Bucket Bath

Notes from Africa: The Joys of a Bucket Bath   Waste not, Want not. Going green in Liberia     Steps to a great bucket bath: 1. Heat up a tea kettle and pan of water on the gas stove.   2.Pour hot water (carefully) into bucket in tub.   3. Let cool, but not too much. Get your soap …

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Hoping Liberia

Alvin Sompon and Abrahim A. Sarnor Words from the future of Africa. Alvin’s words on Service. Alvin is a rising senior at Ricks Institute. He is the son of the Ag teacher here. He’s been sharing with me about service. Here are a few of his thoughts: “Service is guiding the younger people to serve the older people of our …

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Marcus Perkins Liberia

Marcus Perkins Marcus and his Garden President Obama’s weekend visit to West Africa was big news inLiberia. We only heard sound bites from the BBC radio as we rode in a vehicle. Our Liberian friends told about the president’s words including phrases like: “We must start from the simple premise thatAfrica’s future is up to Africans.” To the youth, who …

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In Liberia

Good eating at Ricks. This is our wonderful cook each day for lunch, Mrs. Musu. She’s cooked plenty of what I call “soul food.” We’ve had collard greens, potato greens, fish gravy (like catfish couvillian), and cabbage with chicken. This is how Ricks Institute. This is staff housing. Notice the palm trees. The palm nuts are a major source of …

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Liberia

Kid Magnets in Liberia We’re proud to be members of the Liberian Kid Magnet Club at the Ricks Institute. The four of us, DeDe, Colleen, Gordy and me, are bonafide “kid magnets” at Ricks School. Colleen is shown with two students, Patience and Steven. Their father Maurice is a long time French teacher at Ricks. Maurice, a native of nearby …

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Don Hunt

Looking at NYC from Newark International Airport 5:30 PM EDT We’ve arrived in fine form from our Houston flight. At 6 PM, we’ll catch an overnight flight to Brussels, Belgium. Two highlights of the day: We left early this morning to see two special friends, Don and Ginny Hunt. Bro. Don, our former pastor is in Houston’s M.D. Anderson receiving …

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Log Float on the Calcasieu A Good Place

Special thanks to my friend Joe Chaney for inspiring this scene. A Good Place, the upcoming novel from Creekbank Stories Curt’s followup novel to The Wayfaring Stranger should be ready later in 2009. We’ll keep you posted as we know more. Set in 1863, it tells the story of Joe and Eliza Moore through the eyes of their son Mayo. …

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Clay Iles in Mali, Africa

Clay Iles in Mali, Africa Our oldest son Clay just returned from a memorable trip among the Bozo tribe in Mali, Africa. To read about it and see photos, click on http://www.suemanakomina.blogspot.com/

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To Liberia, Africa

Below is our schedule for this week’s trip to Liberia, Africa. While there we’ll be working with the Ricks Institute, a school near the capital of Monrovia. We’re sharing this schedule so you’ll know what we’re doing and how to pray for us. (Liberian time is 5 hours ahead of US-CDT.) We are carrying plenty of school supplies as well …

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Naming Characters: From A Good Place

Should her name be Gisele or _____________? At the bottom of this blog are dozens of suggested names. Select your favorite three (3) and send them to me via Facebook or the comment section of this blog. I’ll pass the results on later. Author’s note: For nearly a year I’ve been in love with this young Creole girl I’ve named …

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From A Good Place

This scene from my upcoming seventh book, A Good Place, is set in Piney Woods in western Louisiana in 1863. The characters in the story, 13-year-old Mayo and his PaPaw (Willard Clark) are discussing Mayo’s father’s (Joe Moore) decision to join the Southern army in the Civil War encroaches on their part of the state. -Curt Iles http://www.creekbank.net It is …

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