Old School

When Timmy and I became engaged, he decided that if he would be occasionally driving my car two things would have to change. First, my car needed EZ-PASS, no more scavenging for coins. Second, my car needed a CD player, no more ancient cassettes. So, my fiance added my car to his EZ-PASS account and he bought me a new stereo. I have been very grateful for both.

However, there are times when I miss my cassettes. I miss the music and the memories they carried. So every now and then, I give in and buy a cd of a cassette I once owned. And it is giving in because I'm cheap and don't want to buy again what I already bought. Last year, I tracked down two cds by a latin worship artist because she sang a few of the songs that I first learned when I became a Christian. When I feel spiritually low, those are some of the songs I want to hear the most. So, I gave in and bought the cds. This weekend I gave in again. I bought Color Me Badd's "Time and Chance". Man, I love that CD. It's my theory no music will sound as good to you as the music you loved when you were a kid. The next on my list is to buy Tevin Campbell's "I'm Ready." Oh man, I love that cd so much too!! I was planning on downloading it the same time as CMB, but I'm having iTunes issues. And yes, when I say "buy a cd," I mean download it from iTunes. Does anyone besides my husband still buy cds? So, yeah, Tevin Campbell is definitely next and I'm sure, at some point, I'll have to get Taylor Dayne's "Tell It To My Heart." I really miss that one too.

I'm Putting My Foot Down...

Below is an open letter to my friends and family. I hope you'll consider joining me:

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So here I am doing something I have never done before, but I feel God saying, “give it a try.” Over the last few years, my church Blue Route Vineyard has entered into relationship with Love146, an organization committed to the abolition of child sex slavery and exploitation through prevention and aftercare. It’s an issue that makes us sick to our stomachs and a cause worth supporting. Wouldn’t we do just about anything if it were our daughter or our sister or our niece who was trapped in this devastating and disgusting life?

During the months of May and June, I will join Love146 in their Tread on Trafficking campaign. People from around the country will be putting the miles they run, walk, and swim to work by raising money for Love146 and the people they serve. Some of you might know that last fall, I joined the local YMCA and for the first time in my life, I find myself regularly exercising, mostly on the treadmill and the elliptical. When I heard about this new campaign, I thought, “why not? I’m racking up miles anyway. I might as well ask my friends and family to support me.” The more I thought about it, the more I felt God was encouraging me to give it a try. So here I am asking for your support. Perhaps together we can do a small part in the work to the end sexual slavery.

There are few ways you can support me, Love146, and the children effected:

1: PRAY: if you are praying person, pray that human trafficking ends. Pray there will be a time when Love146 doesn’t have to exist anymore. Pray for the complete restoration of the survivors.

2: RUN: Or walk. Or swim. Consider joining us in making your miles count toward a better life for survivors of child slavery. For more information on how to join, visit my page through the link below and click on “Register.” You can start your own team, join as an individual person, or join a preexisting team. You’re welcome to join Team BRV. Even if you don’t go to BRV, we’d love to have you.

3: GIVE: Sponsor me in my effort to raise $500 for Love146. Or if you want to challenge me, sponsor each of my miles. 50 cents a mile? A dollar a mile? Maybe more? I can tell you now that I run/walk at least five miles a week. That’s 40 miles over the course of this eight-week campaign. But if you’re willing to give per mile, I’m willing to push myself in the gym like never before. To give, visit my page through the link below. To sponsor my miles, call or email me. At the end of June, I’ll let you know how many miles I did and then you can give your gift to Love146.

Thank you for reading this letter and for learning about what I hope to do. If anything, I hope you stopped to consider the terrible reality that child sexual slavery does exist and it needs to end.

Melissa Kaiser



Follow This Link to visit my personal web page and help me in my efforts to support Love 146

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An Anniversary

This past Tuesday, April 13, 2010, I celebrated my 13th anniversary with Jesus. I made a comment on Facebook marking the day. A girlfriend of mine made a comment about how I'm the only person she knows who continually remembers that day. I've been thinking about that statement and my response, "why wouldn't I?" Most people I know would be appalled to have their birthday forgotten or not acknowledged. A wife would be heartbroken if her husband forgot their wedding anniversary or just chose to ignore it. Why wouldn't my day with God be the same? Now I understand some people don't have a clear day like I do. For some people it was a decision that was expected or not very much a surprise. For me, it was single-handedly the most defining moment of my life. I knew it that day and still know it now. So, every year I will mark my special day with Jesus and every year I will remember how God completely changed my life and the path I was walking and every year I will be grateful for his mercy and protection and every year I will humbled that he chose me.


"Lord, you are the kind of king that I will call my own
I love your dominion, your everlasting throne
Lord, you are the kind of king in whom my heart will joy
For my eyes have seen the beauty of my king"

Beauty of my King, Seth Parks

Who Do You Think You Are?

Who Do You Think You Are? is a new tv show. Each episode is a different celebrity and we follow them as they trace back their ancestors. Ancestry.com plays a huge role in bringing the show. I'm pretty sure it can't be a coincidence this is airing while the government is trying to get everyone to fill out their census form. But you know what, I really like this show. It makes me want to know more about my family. It makes me want to document what I do know for the generations that follow.

My family is really...difficult. On my mom's side, I don't know all my aunts and uncles. I don't know all my cousins. There are so many. So many divorces and babies born out of wedlock. Just lots of things that make a Luciano family tree really complicated. The Rolon side is a little cleaner but not my dad's branch. My junior year of college, I took a Christian Marriage and Family class. One of our assignments was to do a family tree. I thought, "you have no clue what you're asking me to do." The assignment ended up being the most memorable of my four years. It was also heartbreaking and infuriating. Growing up, my family just felt...I don't even know how to express my feelings.

Timmy's family, on the other hand, is so normal. Mom and Dad love each other. They've been married for 35 years, I think. They have two kids. Each are happily married. Grandmom lives with mom and dad. Pop-pop works at the family business and lives a few minutes down the road. Pop-pop can share the craziest stories of the Kaiser family. Stories like how his grandfather was one of the men who helped establish Folcroft, the town I currently live in. Pop-pop can drive through town and tell you how it used to be and why it's the way it is now. He can tell you where the Kaiser farm used to be and why that one street is named Kaiser Lane. The Kaisers have deep, deep roots in this community and it's one of the things I love most about being a Kaiser. I feel stable with the Kaisers. I think that's what I don't feel most with the Lucianos and Rolons. I lack feelings of stability and of home and permanence. Don't get me wrong, I love the Lucianos and Rolons, but with both sides I felt a little out of place. I still do, I think.

All this to say, I really like this show and it's making me seriously consider joining Ancestry.com. I would love to make more sense of the Lucianos and Rolons. I'd love to document all that information that we do know about the Kaisers. I want to have it for my children and their children and their children's children. And I'd like to have it for me.

Trust

I'm surrounded by a lot of questions, a lot of pain, a lot of doubt, a lot frustration, a lot of anger, a lot of emotions. Not me in particular, but people I love dearly are experiencing these intense and difficult emotions. We talk and I try to say something that consoles them. But at the end of every conversation, the same thing is said: "we have to trust God." I am thankful that God is so trustworthy. I have almost 13 years of God never failing me to cling to when things get tough. Thankfully, my loved ones going through trials also know God to always be faithful. But it seems the hard part is acknowledging that his faithfulness may not look the way we want to. For instance, my uncle. If he doesn't make it, that doesn't mean that God failed us. God is always faithful, always good, even if it doesn't look that way.

Pizza

A large cheese pizza from Pizza Villa is on its way. If you've never had Pizza Villa in Glenolden, you're missing out. They have the best straight up plain pizza. It's something about the cheese. I can easily eat four slices but at PV, I can only do two. Any more and my stomach can't take it. But it's so good.

Other recommendations:
1. Italian Village in Folcroft has a good sicilian crust and Timmy loves the sausage.
2. Little Anthony's in Media has the best, best, best, sicilian marinara. I'm drooling just thinking about it.
3. If I want thin crust, I'll go to the Dominos chain. I like their thin crust with pepperoni.
4. When I don't care about feeling guilty and I really want a fun side, Pizza Hut with a side of their garlic parmesan wings.

Now, I'm really hungry.

Tio Johnny

My uncle Johnny isn't doing well. He's been fighting colon cancer for a couple of years. He had surgery yesterday and from what I've been able to piece together, it's not looking good. I saw him on Saturday. I'm glad I got to do that. It's been 1.5 years since I last saw him. He looked sick, but his spirits are so high. I don't like this feeling of not knowing, of waiting. I sent out an email to some friends and family asking for prayer and my brother Jimmy sent me a word of encouragement that really spoke to my heart. He said "whatever happens, it will be a miracle." That's so true. If he is healed, that will be a miracle. If he survives and lives with this disease, it will be a miracle. If he doesn't make it but instead stands before the throne of God, that will be the greatest of all miracles. We just celebrated Easter two days ago and today I am so grateful for Jesus' death and resurrection. How different we would all be feeling if there were no hope of resurrection for my uncle.

Thank you, Lord, because we have hope in you and in your resurrection.

The Things I Think Of

I was sitting at church last night. It was our first Easter Saturday service. Our pastor Mark was reading Scripture. And this was my thought: "Jesus was dead. Like dead dead. Like he died on Friday and rose again on Sunday. He was dead for a whole day. So what does that mean about the eternal nature of God?" This is how my brain thinks. It led to a little talk with Matthew, our youth guy, Eastern alum, and VLI student. Then another little talk with Matthew and Mark. Of course, I don't have any answers, just more thoughts.