Heart Touchers

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*The Jawbreaker* 10/29/01

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There are stories... and then there are Roger
Dean Kiser, Sr. stories. Today we have one
from Roger. Enough said...

From my family to yours,
Michael

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THE JAWBREAKER

Roger Dean Kiser, Sr.

"My husband told me to tell you that you had
best not use his name in that dang book of
yours," she yelled at me over the telephone.

I just stood there, very quiet like, not knowing
what to say to her.

The last time I had seen Robert, when
we were young, was when we were kids, about
11 years old, and we were living at the Children's
Home Society Orphanage Home in Jacksonville, Florida.

I think the last time I actually saw him he had
been locked in the closet, by the television room,
for almost 50 hours, without food or water.

I remember walking by the closet and hearing
him crying inside.

"Are you OK?" I asked him.

"I'm really hungry and thirsty" he said, through the door.

"I ain't got noth'n to eat this time Robert." I told him.

Generally we boys would sneak whoever was
locked in the closet the crusts from off our bread,
or toast when we ate at the dining-room, if
the matron was not watching us to closely.

"Can you see if you can find me something to
eat" he begged me.

"I looked in the garbage can in the garbage-room
but there is nothing there, not even papers" I replied.

"I gotta have something good or I'm, gonna die
soon" he said.

"I'll be back" I told at him, as I ran down the
hallway and out the back door of the dormitory.

I ran as fast as I could over to the back,
six foot high fence that divided the orphanage
and the Spring Park School playground. Generally
there were "normal kids" playing on the baseball
diamond. Sometimes when they had food they
would share it with us orphans.

When I got to the fence I saw several boys
sitting on one of the swings talking with
several other young boys.

"Hello guys" I hollered out.

"What do you want?" said one of the boys.
"Do you guys have any food? Like extra
food you can spare for Robert?" I asked them.

"Beat it #$@" yelled the bigger boy, cupping
his hands around his mouth,
like a bull horn. "BEAT IT, #$@." he said again.

One of the boys sitting on the ground beside him
came walking towards the fence.

"I gotta fireball jawbreaker you can have," he
said, as he smiled at me.

"Thanks a whole lot." I told him.

He pulled the jawbreaker out of his pocket,
unwrapped it and stuck it in his mouth and began
to suck on it. Then he blew it at me as hard as he
could and then he ran back over to the swings
where he and the other boys started laughing at me.

I tired to reach through the wire fence to get the
fireball but my hand would not fit through the hole.
The boy who had spit the jawbreaker at
me jumped up and came running over to the
fence. He took his foot and stomped the red candy
into the ground and then he twisted it into the
dirt with the toe of his shoe, making the boys
laugh even harder.

All the boys got up together and began walking
away, following the larger boy.

The larger boy began singing "Orphans are as
bad as @#$%^&. Orphans are as bad as @#$%^&."

As the boys disappeared across the school
playground I climbed up onto the high fence and
jumped to the other side. I used my hands and I dug
the fireball out of the dirt. I placed it in my pocket,
for safe keeping, and I climbed back over the fence.
I ran over to the water hose and I washed off the
candy, which finally turned all white in color. I
checked around to make sure that the matron was
not in the area and then I walked back to the closet
door and I called out to Robert.

"I got you something to eat." I whispered, but I
heard no response, whatsoever.

I took the candy out of my pocket and I tried to
slip it underneath the door but it was just to big
to go through the crack.

"Robert it won't go under the door." I told him.

"Can you bite it and make it in pieces?" he asked me.

Are you OK? I asked him, but he did not reply.

I took off my shoe and I placed the fireball candy
on the floor and I hit it with my heel, breaking it into
a million pieces.

Then I brushed it under the closet door with my
hand. I could hear Robert licking the floor trying
to eat what was left of the candy. I just walked
away and that was the last time I ever saw him.

"Just a minute. Robert wants to talk to you," she said.

"Roger I don't want to read your orphan book. I
don't want my name in that book," he said to me.

I said nothing to him at all. I was just so shocked
at what he was saying to me.

"Did you hear me?" he said.

"I heard you Robert." I replied.

"DANG IT, Roger. Don't you understand.
They sent me to Vietnam and they MADE ME
KILL PEOPLE," he yelled at me. "I can't go back
through those years again. I can't go back into
that dang orphanage closet again. DON'T YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT?" he yelled at me again.

"I do understand, Robert." I said, as I softly hung
up the telephone.

I wonder if that fireball-jawbreaker was really worth
having to kill another human being. Having to kill for
something called "Freedom." Something that Robert,
and most of us orphans never got to feel. Not
even for a moment, before being sent away and
asked to kill for something that we knew nothing about.

It really hurts me that Robert's name did not appear
in my book when it went into book stores in
December of 2000.

I write these stories because I want the world to
know exactly what it is that I/We have to remember
about being an orphan living in America.

I can only be thankful to God that my orphan
brother, Robert did not have to die for that boy
who gave me the jawbreaker.

I think that Robert having to lick the floor that
day in order to eat was payment enough for any
American. Yet he still went and served his
country. That is what being a real American is
all about, I guess, and I just thought everyone
needed to know that.

Roger Dean Kiser, Sr.
trampolineone@webtv.net

Write Roger and let him know what you thought of his story!
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The Sad Orphan Web Site
http://www.geocities.com/trampolineone/

Roger and his wife, Judy, also a writer, live in Brunswick,
Georgia. As a child Roger was raised in a very abusive
orphanage located in Jacksonville Florida. He has written a
book titled "Orphan" which tells of the horrors that he and
other children suffered daily, for more than ten years.

His book is in all major bookstores and available
through his web site/link, for purchase. He now writes and
speaks to children in the Georgia School system about child
abuse and its effects.

In the last two years Roger has developed one of the most
read child abuse web sites in the world, "The Sad Orphan"
located at: http://www.geocities.com/trampolineone
which displays many of his short stories.

You can purchase Roger's book, "ORPHAN"
in major book stores or order from Amazon.com at:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1580624480/o/qid=975333679/sr=8-1/straighfromthe0a/107-5931457-7011735

AOL Users click here> Orphan

If you missed the interview we did with Roger, you can check it out at our
web site at this link:

http://www.HeartTouchers.com/roger_dean_kiser_sr_/

AOL Users click here

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Reader Feedback!

Dear Michael:
I have seen the destructive energy of gossip immobilize a pastor who was a breath of fresh air in our parish. Since his ways weren't like the "old ways", and his call to be active Christians upset a minority of parishioners, a particular individual spearheaded a smear campaign which demoralized him. He left the parish, and eventually the priesthood.
How different it could have been if that troublemaker had used the energy to offer to make the parish better, to assist the pastor, to PRAY for the pastor, to pray for wholeness and unity. Instead, his fragile humanity was temporarily broken enough to lead to his withdrawal. No one but he knew how much he was struggling, and the gossip and the anonymous letters were the final straw.
This list should be printed in all church bulletins to remind us all that we have an OBLIGATION to support our spiritual leaders. It doesn't matter whether or not we like them. Until we walk in their shoes and bear their burdens, we don't have the right to criticize.
Can you tell I am still upset about my former pastor? He was like a tornado that came through and stirred everything up out of the earth, showing us how beautiful and refreshed our church could be. It was (and still is) a great loss. I pray for him daily, and ask for your prayers that he would return to the priesthood. He spoke the truth to those who didn't want to hear the truth, and he was ostracized because of it. The vicious damage of the tongue never ceases to amaze me!
Irene
irene_budd@yahoo.com

Pastors are often overlooked and taken for granted. We should treat them
like our best friend and confident. They do a great service for very
little in return.

Remember to let your Pastor know that you appreciate them and that your
there for them They have needs too.
Richard
rbohlander@webtv.net

Michael:

May I add to the list that you should accept your spiritual leader as a
person first. God may have called them for this ministry but He made them
the person they are first. This goes a long way in accepting the leader and
not expecting them to be perfect in our eyes.
Angela
acorsini@tritoncanada.com

Michael,
What a wonderful story. We do tend to mostly ignore our pastors. I remember
one pastor we had, he and his family became close fiends. I was told, that
"that" wasn't appropriate. Thank God I didn't listen. This is a friendship
that lasts to this day. We need to support our pastors in ALL ways.
Thanks for reminding people.
Have a SONshine day,
Becky
chapman@telepath.com
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Thought For The Day:

Any plant growing in the wrong place is a "weed."
--Farmers Almanac

Verse for the Day:

"But in fact God has arranged the parts of the
body, every one of them, just as He wanted them
to be." --1 Corinthians 12:18

Kid's Thought For The Day:

"Shoes that have flashing lights on the soles may
not make you run faster, but they sure make going
places a lot more fun!"

Parent's Thought For The Day:

"The reason home schooling works is the teacher
can administer whatever discipline is necessary."

Coach's Thought For The Day:

"Ain't no chance if you don't take it." - Guy Clark

Deep Thought For The Day:

"Don't invest all your money in just one or two stocks.
That's the danger. I know a man who put all his
money in just two stocks, a paper-towel company
and a revolving-door outfit. He was wiped out
before he could turn around." -- Dave Astor

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REQUESTS:

Hi Michael and friends,

I'm sending this email to request you to please pray for my wife Chrissy
who has been worrying a lot lately about so many things (actually, I've
also been very worried myself these days). I am afraid that she might get
sick from worrying too much about financial difficulties we're encountering
this year, due to a business we've just started (plus the fact that these
are difficult times for almost anybody in the world). A few times, I have
talked to her to reassure her that we'll get through this. But maybe I
have not been fervent enough in consoling her, maybe because I need the
Lord's guidance myself to be stronger for her and our 2 young boys.
Thank you so much.
God bless,
Alex
AUSTA@amkor.com

Michael,
Just wanted to let you know that yesterday's "Pastor
Appreciation" was wonderful. It reminded me to look at
my pastor and his wife (and other pastors I know) in a
new and different light. It's easy to expect your
leaders to be perfect and forget they are only human
beings doing God's work and need our love and care just
like everyone else. I also enjoyed
today's "Differences". When I first began to read this
piece, I was thinking of the word "difference" in its
negative attitude. By the time I finished reading this
piece, I was seeing "difference" in its positive attitude.

I have an update about the lumps on my neck. My doctor
did some tests and the problem is with my thyroid. I
have also found an angel who will help me get the biopsy
done sometime soon. I'll let you know how it turns out.

As a result of receiving your list everyday, not only am
I continually uplifted, but have become friends with
several of your readers. One in particular is
recovering from an auto accident and we support each
other in our struggle to deal with difficult physical
conditions every day. This relationship makes me feel
useful in that I can give back some of what I get from
your group. Thank you again for giving of your time and
efforts.

May God watch over you,
and fill your heart with His peace
now and forever.
Love, Nancy
nh11151@att.net
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_
/_/\/\    MICHAEL T. POWERS
\_\ /    HeartTouchers@aol.com
/_/ \    "For I have been crucified with Christ and I no
\_\/\ \   longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I
\_\/   live in the body I live for the Son of God, who
   loved me and gave Himself for me."
   Galatians 2:20
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Video Imagery --Michael's Video Production Business

"I thought of you first after my family sat down to watch
the video we gave them. They loved it, to say the
least! Within thirty seconds my mom was crying
and my dad did too. They said it was the best
Christmas gift we could have given them!! You
did such a beautiful job! They were so surprised
and so touched--they really, really, really loved it.
Thanks for helping to make it so special to us all.
My mom mentioned how the songs were perfect
for the video too! Thanks again!"
Kelli-- College Station, TX

Let me make you a video from your pictures or
home movies! Check out the web page for Michael's
video production business! Visit:

http://www.hearttouchers.com/video_imagery/

AOL Users click here:   Video Imagery
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