Week 20

Week in Review

Monday May 22, 2017

The big day for The Kings of Spring ‘17 is almost here, and that means graduation day. Now is not the time to relax. There are a number of things we must do in order to prepare for our families arrival. We are all looking forward to seeing our loved ones come next Friday.

Today we spent the day designing T-shirts for our children’s teddy bears. You could really see the love that was expressed for our little ones on the face of each T-shirt. Some of the brothers demonstrated true servant-leadership by designing shirts for the families of our brothers that have been released, since they couldn’t be there to do it themselves.

We also spent part of the day preparing for the BPC as well. Each brother recited his pitch to ready himself come game day. I am a true believer that practice makes perfect. The Kings of Spring ‘17 will remain focused, work hard and do our greatest work come graduation.

Jason J. (a.k.a. Sling Blade)

Tuesday May 23, 2017

My son had just turned four and was scheduled for his annual dental checkup … oh sorry, the Kings of Spring ‘17 are in full pitch mode and working relentlessly to perfect our pitches … and that was just a snippet from mine.

We have the business plan competition next Thursday, along with graduation the following day. My fellow kings need to stay focused and keep their eyes on the prize, not allowing themselves to become complacent, especially since we’re this close to the finish line. Stay strong and stay committed!

For all the families coming: we love you and miss you dearly! All these struggles and changes have been for you. We continue to pray for you and hope for safe journeys. We’re counting down the days until we can embrace again.

Christopher V. (a.k.a. Ernest)

Wednesday May 24, 2017

Class is about to be over for the Kings of Spring ‘17. Looking back, it has been an amazing journey; it was not as easy as we thought it would be. We realized that there is a lot of work in accepting challenges for the future.

We came to the program for something better than what we were doing with ourselves. Well, we all got more than what we asked for. We believe we found the gold mine in our minds. We have been given so much and we are truly grateful for it all. We’ve never imagined being able to gain so much in nine months, or in prison for that matter.

As we finish here in class, the starting line for our dreams has been played out before us. Without a dream, a vision, or a purpose, life has no meaning. We have to make examples out of the course corrections like this.

Andrew M. (a.k.a. Kung Fu Brother)

Thursday May 25, 2017

As we come closer to graduation, some of us Kings of Spring ’17 have stepped into the role of servant leaders to assist the class of Fall ’17. They are the future and we will help them in any way, just as the graduates did with our class.

It’s been a fast ride, because as we all know, they will be tested, with their first five exams coming pretty soon. Fall ’17 will be moving on to Phase Two of the program, and the Kings of Spring ’17 will have to decide what jobs they will take on after graduation.

We have learned so much, and we are very grateful for everything that has been taught to us. We are a brotherhood, and we’ve finally made it to the finish line – or is it just the beginning? To some of us, it’s just the true start of the race. As for the world, we are ready for any encounter, because we are servant leaders on a mission to lead by example, with humility, at the sacrifice of personal glory. We are kings!

Marcos A. (a.k.a. Sweating Bullets)

Friday May 26, 2017

As we prayed in to begin our workout today, many of us that are part of the Wolf Pack were curious to see where we would score on our physical training test. Fortunately we all scored high enough to be in the advanced level. Then later that evening we completed a heinous workout we call “Mount Sinai.” It’s a circuit that can be very difficult for men who haven’t worked out in a while.

Though guys were struggling to finish, we all banded together to help them accomplish the circuit, because one of our many beliefs in the Wolf Pack is that we all finish together – “no brother left behind” if you will. Throughout all of our time in the Wolf pack, we have all built some strong friendships with each other, which we plan to continue to build even further once we’re outside of these walls.

What we do as a group isn’t just for the physical workout, but for the spiritual and mental workouts as well. We learn to lead by serving each other; to pick your fellow brother up when he is down … and not just down as in physically exhausted, but down from problems at home or down from struggles in the classroom. Whatever it may be, we’re always there for each other. PEP has made it possible for all of these opportunities, and we’re eternally grateful for them.

Kameron M. (a.k.a. Billy Ray Cyrus)

Expressions

 “You cannot claim to have good character unless that character has been tested and found to be good.”

~Unknown

I can claim to be the calmest, most loving person in the world, until someone does the very opposite to me. When I am hurt, I can easily build up resentment and anger toward that person. And in some instances, I would want to inflict the same pain back on that person. Am I still the calmest, most loving person in the world? No. And because of that, my character is not so true to my claim, but this is just the first of many tests that you will face in your lifetime. Throughout your life, your character will be fine-tuned with all the challenges you face that test your character as a calm and loving man.  You will never know your true character until your character is tested. When you overcome these tests, your claim becomes more accurate and solid, and you will look back on these challenges later on in life and ponder how all these tests became your testimony. Then you will truly be able to say, “I am the calmest, most loving person in the world.”

Alexius T. (a.k.a. Cherry Dr. Pepper)