Louisiana Stories

  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 …

We are humbled and honored that nearly 1000 readers like you are daily visiting our blog.  If you enjoy what you read, please use one of the social media buttons (above) to spread the word. Thank you, Curt Iles Creekbank Stories: Stories Worth Telling        A word from Curt Fatigue. It means exhaustion. An inability (or desire) to …

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). …

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, …

  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 …

      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 …

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 …

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, …

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 …

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 …

His face softened as he extended his hand. His grip was just as strong as I expected. I hope mine was too. “Sir, I really mean it. I appreciate what you did for our country.”

  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 …

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 …