Monday, May 16, 2016

Today in Toastmasters there was a contest to see who could give the funniest speech. The contest was between “Go Head” and “Buggy Bunny” (their PEP sweet names) and me, “Sweet Lucha Libre.” We all had good stories but our fellow Toastmasters gave the funny belt to “Sweet Lucha Libre.” I would like to give a shout to the 7 a.m.- 9 a.m. Toastmasters class and thank them for handling our business and having fun the whole time. Love, peace and chicken grease.

Mario G. (a.k.a. Sweet Lucha Libre)

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

It was about 12:30 p.m. and I was off to the PEP room, and as I entered the door it hit me: PEP is the road God has for me to travel to lead me toward His salvation. I entered the room and immediately I was showered with His love. It is a love that is patient, kind and endures all and keeps no record of wrongdoings. It is the love of a family and the love of a brother. Love is one of our 10 Driving Values, and through the love this revolution was built. My heart and respect goes out to those who started this revolution and to those who continue to make this possible. If you are reading this, God bless you.

Today we went over our book Living in the Village. We learned how to budget our money along with what most people’s spending problems are, extensive lines of insurance and secrets to smart investing – to sum it all up, tools to a wealthy and productive life. Now we have what it takes to go out there and be the servant leaders our families and communities need. To my loved ones reading this who never stopped believing in me: by you believing in me, this allowed me to believe in myself. Thank you as now I have a reason for me to change who I use to be. I love you.

Ramiro G. (a.k.a. Sweet Pedro)

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

We arrived in the classroom at 8:30 a.m. anticipating the unknown – maybe today we’d have a test over “hot keys” (a test on computer shortcuts), or maybe we’ll do character assessments. In the PEP room we got count out of the way and positioned ourselves for a movie. It’s starting out to be a good day.

We watched PEP news first, a movie filmed and produced in-house by recent PEP graduates. The opening song for the segment is “Trouble” by Taylor Swift – trust me, only she could say it best. Then we watched a very good instructional video on how to survive bear attacks, blizzards and even a fall from a 100 foot cliff. I have to say it was a very informative video. It is good information to know if I ever go camping in the wilderness. It was a much-needed moment of relaxation since we’ve studied hard all week, got some market research in, and discussed the Living in the Village book with instructor Brian T. The PEP life! So this is what it is to have a great network of friends and a positive approach on living a successful life. We’re just so fortunate to get to experience this opportunity for growth. We think about, miss and love our families as we get one day closer to coming home.

James H. (a.k.a. Sweet Trampoline Lip)

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Today – test day – was a pretty good day. Brian T. didn’t say “obsequious” and he proceeded to lecture us on the next chapter in our book on the Economics of One Unit (EOU). Some of us are still confused but with some effort we’ll learn it. We always do.

The weekend is approaching and we’ll spend it crunching numbers and Lord knows what else. EOU’s at some point will find their way into our business plan. We’ll see what happens …
We have another event coming up in a couple of weeks, and we’re definitely looking forward to it. They say good eating is involved. We can’t wait!

Tony H. (a.k.a. Sweet Black Licorice)