{"id":6829,"date":"2019-05-29T17:12:23","date_gmt":"2019-05-29T22:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/family.pep.org\/cleveland\/?p=6829"},"modified":"2019-05-29T17:12:23","modified_gmt":"2019-05-29T22:12:23","slug":"week-21-5","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/2019\/05\/29\/week-21-5\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 21"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t\n

Monday, May 20, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today was the first of many graduation ceremony practices.\nEvery soul is elated that we have finally made it to this point in the program.\nWe are constantly going over our pitches and discussing our plans. Each one of\nus are imagining the looks on our loved ones\u2019 faces as they see us walking\nacross that stage to receive our diploma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is a confirmation that we see, feel, and consistently\nremind one another of: \u201cLife is about choices.\u201d The choices that we\u2019ve made\nhave resulted in the completion of this program. Each of us are experiencing a\nhappiness and a sense of completion that we have not felt in a long time.\nStill, the best part of the program takes place after graduation. This is when\nwe will become Servant-Leaders and fulfill our part of the PEP brotherhood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Johnny\nH. (a.k.a. \u201cMr. Ed\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday, May 21, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today was quite different from our average Tuesday. For the\nfirst time in months, we didn\u2019t have to worry about studying for a test.\nInstead, we spent the day polishing up our business pitches for the upcoming\ncompetition in nine short days. Our anticipation and enthusiasm are constantly\non the rise as we count down to graduation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now is the time for us to step into the role of Servant-Leaders.\nGraduation does not signify the end of our journey; it is a new beginning. We, the\nconquerors of Spring \u201919, are finishing our business plans, but we are starting\nall over by helping the Fall \u201919 class start their business plans. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have had excellent examples of Servant-Leaders around,\nand they are always willing to lend a helping hand. Hopefully we will be able\nto provide the same level of guidance and insight for the next class. This\nwhole process has been such a blessing to us! We are reformed men now, striving\nto live out PEP\u2019s 10 Driving Values. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joseph\nD. (a.k.a. \u201cRadio Flyer\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday, May 22, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today is exactly nine days from graduation and we just\nattended our third Servant-Leader meeting. It\u2019s getting real, guys! The class\nof Spring \u201919, the Conquerors, are super-excited about the many blessings\nheaded our way. Pat M. and Greg P. gave us all words of encouragement and\nwarned us of the dangers that come with complacency, as failure simply isn\u2019t an\noption for a Conqueror.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have witnessed the impossible as we have conquered the\nhaters. We have overcome the wreckage of indecorous motives and slayed the\nadversities of naysayers. Our families are all the better for our\naccomplishments and our future is promising. It isn\u2019t so much the destination\nas it is the journey. We are constantly reminded of our future, yet we remain\never-aware of how even the smallest misstep will expose our past. We\u2019ve trained\nourselves to accept it as lessons learned, and we\u2019ve learned to embrace it as\npages turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s truly a beautiful day in the neighborhood. We are\nconquerors, and we will not settle for less!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

David\nE. (a.k.a. \u201cMr. Rogers\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thursday, May 23, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today has been a blast! We practiced our graduation\nceremony again. We ran through our pitches for what seemed like the thousandth\ntime, but each of us fully realizes how important this event is. We have come\nso far and have learned so very much. For most of us, this is the greatest\nsense of accomplishment that we have ever felt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There were times when we felt down, depressed or thought\nthat the assignments were just too hard but, somehow, we found the strength to\nendure. We have seen brothers give up and quit, and others who were separated,\nbut we are still here. We truly want something different out of life!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God has indeed blessed us and brought us to this point. We\nare the chosen! We want to thank our wonderful PEP family for sticking with us.\nWe thank God for our wonderful family that awaits us on the outside, and the\nones who told us to hang in there and not give up. We love you all dearly and\nappreciate all that you\u2019ve done.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kendrick\nC. (a.k.a. \u201cCarlton\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friday, May 24, 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The class of Spring \u201919 has made it to the finish line,\nonly to enter a new beginning as future entrepreneurs. With graduation in\nsight, we now look back on how far we\u2019ve come and how much we\u2019ve grown, both\nmentally and spiritually, these last eight months. It was really worth every\nclass and assignment that PEP required of us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Every PEP brother that stuck it out has earned so much more\nthan a certificate; they have received a whole new family. May we continue to\nbe teachable as we enter into the roles of Servant-Leaders. For it is only\nthrough continual learning and spiritual growth that we will make our mark upon\nthe world. We are Conquerors and we are on a mission to make the world a better\nplace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Caleb\nF. (a.k.a. \u201cBarney\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expressions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery ceiling, when reached, becomes a floor.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

~Unknown<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prison Entrepreneurship Program is readying\nitself to celebrate another graduation on the Cleveland Unit. The class of\nSpring \u201919 has spent the last several months freeing themselves of character\ndefects, developing an authenticity of genuine manhood and learning to think like\na legitimate businessman. If you were to ask them why they embarked upon this\njourney, you would discover that they did not do it for themselves. They have\nendured this season of transformation for the ones that look up to them and\/or depend\non them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graduation is not their destination; it is\nmerely an achievement and a means. Every accomplishment that they have earned;\nevery obstacle that they have traversed, is the foundation on which they will\nbuild their future. Their success lies in the principles upon which they stand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

James R.\n(a.k.a. \u201cBiscuits and Jelly\u201d)<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Monday, May 20, 2019 Today was the first of many graduation ceremony practices. Every soul is elated that we have finally made it to this point in the program. We are constantly going over our pitches and discussing our plans. Each one of us are imagining the looks on our loved ones\u2019 faces as they […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6829","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clsp19"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6829"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6829\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6829"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6829"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/family.pep.org\/pamlychner\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6829"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}