Week 8

Week in Review

Monday November 20, 2017

Wow, time has flown by being in PEP’s Phase Two! It is hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a couple of days away. Today is another perfect example of the generous nature of the staff and volunteers here. Between going to lunch and our Toastmasters meeting, one of the chaplain volunteers came around and gave us a bag of hard candy for Christmas and three greeting cards to send to our loved ones. Everyone I spoke with is truly appreciative of the blessings we received.

We just finished our afternoon Toastmasters meeting. In the beginning, we didn’t really know what to expect of Toastmasters, other than maybe we expected to be nervous, and that we might not be able to effectively speak in front of a large crowd of people. Most of us are still battling that fear, but we are doing just that: battling the fear! We are not giving in to it. We are not being defined by it. The experiences, education, goals and fears are being expressed in our speeches. It is awesome to hear stories from some of these men that actually describe some of my own memories and ambitions. We are all so different, and yet at the same time we are so much alike. We have been studying for upcoming tests. Tomorrow morning, we will start early so we can be prepared for any pop quiz we might have. Today was another great Monday.

Corey J. (a.k.a. “Captain Crunch”)

Tuesday November 21, 2017

Today was a short day that started out in computer lab. Computer lab is one of our favorite classes, even though we do not have internet. We learn to use helpful tools that are beneficial in making a budget and giving presentations. Afterwards we went into the PEP classroom early for our Living in the Village part of the curriculum that deals with how to best handle our financial futures. One thing all of us (or at least most of us) have in common is that we were not taking care of our finances prior to our incarceration, and Living in the Village has really opened our eyes to this sensitive, all-important subject.

Today we had a pop quiz on a previous lesson, and another one on a book we are reading called Excellence in Etiquette. We have learned what to do in the workplace setting and now know how to properly set a dining table. We then had a presentation on the metrics and financial part of our of our business plans. This is a very difficult document to fill out.  We would have never thought we would be learning this in prison. It is a blessing to have prior graduates assist us on this journey.

Toward the end of class we prayed out a brother who is going home. A pray-out is a recording of brothers who share encouraging words, so that the brother getting released will have something to look on if he feels discouraged upon release. Today was another great day in PEP.

William L. (a.k.a. “Peter Griffin”)

Wednesday November 22, 2017

Wow, it has been a crazy yet amazing journey so far for us in PEP. Sunday through Thursday we have a mandatory study group in my dorm. It gets chaotic when we are trying to stay in the top 10 of our class. My brothers and I have a study team and it has been working really well. Ninety percent of the time we pass with A’s. I am really proud to say that because we really work hard to keep an A average on our tests. It takes hard work and diligence to survive in this program, and these traits are what we look for in our comrades. I have noticed various changes in myself as well in those around me. It is crazy when you have people who are just as dedicated to seeing you succeed as they are in seeing themselves succeed. It’s traits like these that we want to have surrounding us when new finally step out of prison. Today we finished our Living in the Village book. It is a book on becoming financially secure and has taught us a lot about credit and numerous other financial aspects. This is the type of information I didn’t receive while in school.

Sometimes we complain about the pressure in class, but it builds character and we actually enjoy it. The satisfaction of seeing our hard work payoff is the most uplifting feeling you can feel. We really look forward to applying our dedication and determination upon release. We strive to see others succeed.

Caleb M. (a.k.a. “Carrot Top”)

Thursday November 23, 2017

Here in PEP, my brothers and I want to first say “Happy Thanksgiving” to all our readers. We pray each and every one of you are enjoying a great holiday weekend. Today is usually test day, but because of the holiday we took our test yesterday. A few of us got up early and spent a good part of the morning studying and going over a book we are assigned to read. We also started practicing our Toastmaster speeches in the dorm, so most of us participated for about an hour as we work to improve our communication skills for the challenges we will face ahead. One of those is our Business Plan Competition. Competition is pretty steep between us Sovereign Kings, so we take any possible moment to improve and practice overcoming our nervousness. It is a friendly competition, but with competitiveness comes an overriding desire to be better and see better out of each other. The next class is starting to be shipped here for their December start date, and as their future servant-leaders we are striving to improve each other so they will be even better than we are. One of our models in PEP is “Let the next class be the best class.”

Justin M. (a.k.a. “Little Teapot”)

Expressions

“Treat a man as he appears to be and you make him worse. But treat a man as if he were what he potentially could be and you make him what he should be.”

I see this quote every time I stand in line for commissary. The first time I saw and read this quote, it really made me wonder what the meaning was behind it. I first started to think about when I first got to prison. For me, it was a real eye opener. All around me there were people who were constantly fighting and joining gangs. There was always some type of deception or violence going on. It was terrible. This is where the first part of the quote came in. We were all in a bad place, treating each other badly, and it only made us worse.

When I joined the Prison Entrepreneurship Program, everything began to change in a positive way for all for us. In here we treat every person as a successful business owner, a loving and caring father or a son whose parents are proud of him. Every one of us knows we will be successful once we are released. Once I read and understood this quote and applied it to my life, it has helped me and many others around me become better people. All of us are treating each other with true respect because we see each other with so much potential. We are ready to make a positive impact on society.

Nicholas M. (a.k.a. “Barney Rubble”)