Louisiana Stories

“Leaning Trees” from Deep Roots

A word from Curt It’s the truth: with God, the best is always yet to come. That doesn’t mean life gets easier. Aging normally means life becomes more difficult. That can be, and often is, true. But as our Jesus-Walk deepens, The way is sweeter. And beyond this life, we have a Hope. A Hope that is steadfast and sure. …

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Wet Paint

Epilogue: Wet Paint This painting by my beloved uncle, Bill Iles, hangs in DeRidder’s Beauregard Museum. It features one of DeRidder’s earlier meeting places, The Royal Cafe. Uncle Bill is my greatest writing encourager as well as a mentor and friend for life.           The following essay is from my second book, The Old House (2002). …

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Across the Pea Patch: Remembering Don Hunt

A Word from Curt (L to R) Alice and Monica at RCS.  Technician Jacob is not shown. I want to thank my friends at RCS Communications for working on my Satellite Phone. This phone gives us coverage when we’re deep in the Bush.                   Today is Don Hunt’s birthday. He’s in Heaven, …

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“Though dead, he speaketh still . . . ” Clayton Iles’ Manifesto

  man·i·fes·to  noun \ˌma-nə-ˈfes-(ˌ)tō\ “a written statement that describes the policies, goals, and opinions of a person or group.” Bro. C’s Manifesto   My father, Clayton Iles, was affectionately known as “Brother C.” Today marks eleven years since his death from cancer. Just before we moved to Africa, my pastor, Charlie Bailey, handed me a sheaf of papers.  “I thought you …

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Duck Dynasty, ZZ Top, and a girl called Daizy Mae

      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: …

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“. . . fighting over their burying ground.”

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 …

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Displaced: Sheriff Bishop’s Sidearm

Armed and Ready    It’s odd that I’ve been thinking of Sheriff Bolivar Bishop here in Africa. We’ve been immersed in refugee matters for the past months.  Hundreds of thousands of South Sudanese have been on the move due to fighting within the country between government forces and defected military units. Recently, a Louisiana group of pastors from my home …

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Sugartown: Queen of the Frontier

Scroll down through this history to read “Another Iles Comes Home to Sugartown.”   It was once called “The Queen of the Frontier.” There’s not much there now. But it once was the only civilisation between Alexandria and Orange, Texas. It’s called Sugartown.  At one time it was known for much more than just sweet watermelons.   History of Sugartown, …

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Just Thinking . . .

Daddy   The first time she used the word while praying, it startled me.  I’d never heard the word Daddy used like that.   “Daddy, I want to come to you today in love and gratitude.”   She was a college student working with us at Dry Creek Camp.  For now, I’ll call her “Ty.”   Ty was a great …

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Tuesday Blog: Death by Kuku

It’s time for our Tuesday blog.   We blog three times weekly at TheCreek.  In addition to Tuesday, we have fresh stories on Thursdays, and Saturday. Speaking of fresh, here’s a fresh blog about a fresh subject.    Death by Kuku I’ve been in Africa for seven months. It seems like yesterday we got on a plane in Houston. In …

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7 lanes of traffic

  We’ve been in Houston for a few days. It’s always a good trip to make me glad I live twenty-five miles from a traffic signal.     Trivia:  Did you know you can drive from Dry Creek, Louisiana to Pineville and never be stopped by a red light?   If you know the path, let me know.   As …

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The Life and Times of Curt Iles

Part of our application process to serve with the International Mission Board was writing a 6-10 page “autobiography.” My wife DeDe looked at this requirement and shook her head.  “There’s no way I can write six pages about myself.” Curious Curt had a different reaction.  “How can I limit it to ten pages?” That’s why we make such a good …

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The Stories we hear . . .

Best part of my job:  I collect stories. The best stories I’m hearing now:  from the generation that saved the world.  Our Great Depression/World War II men and women. Join me in collecting their stories.  They’re all around you.  Grandparents, great grandparents, uncles, teachers.  They experienced first-hand a time that will never be repeated. Capture their stories.  Use your smart …

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