As Natchitoches prepares to celebrate the 100th anniversary of its beloved Christmas Festival, dozens of small wooden figures bearing the image of Jesus have quietly appeared throughout the city, each carrying a message of faith, hope and love.
Behind the figures is Troy Kerry, a husband and father who, alongside his wife, sons Steven and Joshua, and other family members, has spent nearly two years creating and placing handmade representations of Jesus in communities across several states. Their work is rooted in a personal calling that Kerry says has grown into a mission far bigger than he ever imagined.
For Natchitoches, that mission brought 100 figures to the community ahead of the milestone Christmas Festival. Kerry said he initially planned to place 100 throughout the city, but after receiving some spiritual guidance, a few were redirected to a church, leaving 97 to be placed around Natchitoches.
The family placed the figures on Oct. 30, driving throughout the city and setting them into the ground in locations they felt led to choose. Each figure carries a word or phrase drawn from the Bible, offering a small but meaningful reminder to those who encounter one.
For Kerry, the purpose is simple.
“Jesus loves you. He loves me. He loves you. And there’s nothing that you can do about it,” he said. Kerry emphasized that he wants people to understand just how deeply he believes Jesus loves each person. Even if someone were the last person on Earth, Kerry said, Jesus would still have willingly sacrificed himself on the cross for that individual. It is a message of unconditional love that he hopes people will see beyond any differences or disagreements that might otherwise divide them.
Kerry said the project began after his wife’s twin sister’s husband passed away. In the months that followed, Kerry found himself praying and reflecting on his faith when he experienced what he described as a message from the Holy Spirit instructing him to begin placing small, rubber Jesus figures in public spaces.
He followed that direction, but after about six months, he began to wonder whether his efforts were making a difference.
“I was putting all these out. It’s like just a drop in a bucket,” Kerry recalled thinking.
He said the response he received in prayer changed the direction of the project. Rather than continuing to place only the smaller figures, he was led to create larger wooden representations of Jesus. Kerry told his son about the idea, and Steven helped find someone who could draw the design. With permission to use it, the family began making the wooden figures themselves.
What started as a small act of faith has since grown into a family undertaking that Kerry estimates has produced approximately 1,500 figures.
Kerry, his wife and their sons, Steven and Joshua, are the four primary members involved in producing and distributing the figures. With only the garage available as a workspace for painting, production takes time. The family works together to complete the figures before placing them in communities where they believe they are needed.
Steven said he has watched the project grow through what he believes is God’s guidance.
“Jesus is behind all of it,” he said. “He just puts on his heart where we should go next and just how many that we should do.”
For Steven, being part of the effort has been a blessing.
“We just try to glorify the Lord everywhere we go, and it’s just been a blessing and a joy to do,” he shared.
Kerry said the experience has also brought his family closer together. The work requires time, patience and planning, but he described placing the figures as one of the most enjoyable things his family has done.
“We don’t really come up and look at a map and say, ‘Hey, let’s go put something out there,’” Kerry said. “The Holy Spirit tells us and tells us how many.”
The family has placed figures in communities including Stonewall, Shreveport, Haughton, Benton, Waskom and Hot Springs, Ark., among other locations. Kerry said the project has now reached 17 states, with the family personally placing figures in several of them and others traveling to different states with figures of their own.
He expects the effort to continue, with plans to visit additional communities in Louisiana and East Texas. Although the family does not know who will find each figure or what that person might be experiencing, Kerry said he has heard stories that remind him why the work matters.
He recalled one man who contacted him to express gratitude after seeing the figures in Stonewall. The man had been traveling to visit his terminally ill brother and was frightened that he might not arrive before his brother died. As he drove through the community and saw the figures, the man said he felt reassured that his brother would be all right. Kerry said the man later reported that his brother began improving and, as far as he knew, was still alive.
Another woman had been rushing to get her husband to medical care during a heart attack. As she drove, she noticed one of the figures and told her husband that Jesus loved him and that he would be all right. Kerry said the husband responded that he knew he would be fine, and the man ultimately recovered.
Those encounters have stayed with Kerry, who said he believes the figures reach people in ways the family may never fully understand.
“You don’t know what kind of effect these are actually having,” he said, recalling the message that first encouraged him to continue.
The family does not retrieve the figures after placing them. They leave them in their chosen locations, allowing each person who encounters one to decide what it means to them. Some are taken by people who want to keep them, while others have been painted or altered. Kerry said he does not view that as a reason to stop.
“We put them out, what people do with them, that’s between them and God,” he said.
The family has occasionally repainted figures that were covered in paint and returned them to their locations, but Kerry emphasized that he does not want the project to become a source of conflict. Steven shared the same sentiment, saying the family’s goal is to spread Jesus’ message and allow people to experience it in their own way.
“We just want these people to see Jesus and just feel loved,” Steven said. “I know that some people might not react the same way, but we can pray for them and then just move on from there.”
The wooden figures are not a commercial venture for the Kerry family. Although people have asked to obtain figures for themselves or their churches, the family makes them primarily to give away and place throughout communities. Kerry said the family accepts donations to help cover materials and production costs, but no one is turned away because they cannot afford to contribute.
“If you don’t have any donations, don’t worry about it,” he said. “We’ll still give it to them.”
For those interested in helping with the effort or requesting a figure, Kerry said they can call or text him at 318-688-9416.
The family also fulfills requests for figures in different colors. For the larger mission, Kerry explained that the basic finish helps keep production costs manageable and allows them to make more figures for more communities.
As the project continues, he hopes people will focus less on the figures themselves and more on the message they carry. He compared the distractions and disagreements surrounding the project to bugs on a windshield — things that can obstruct a person’s view of the road ahead.
For Kerry, the road ahead is clear: continue making the figures, continue placing them where he believes they are meant to go, and continue sharing a message he believes everyone deserves to hear.
The figures scattered around Natchitoches may be small, but for the family behind them, their purpose reaches far beyond their wooden frames.
As the city celebrates a century of Christmas traditions, they offer another kind of reminder: that sometimes, a simple message encountered along an ordinary road can bring comfort, spark reflection or help someone feel a little less alone.
