As part of the Bible Study process to restoring joy, we are supposed to share last week's tally with someone that we trust. That is something that's hard to come by in here. I sent a request to the chaplain to visit with him about my past, but I haven't heard back from him except for an afternoon that he called me down to his office just before count time, then left for a meeting.

I have a friend here, Will, that I 've been helping out. We were bunk mates over the summer and we've been in many of the same classes. We have talked about helping each other after we get out, maybe sharing an apartment or house. We're both in the Bible study so I figured we could trade histories with each other, seeing as we could be living with each other down the road.

Talking about our histories is one thing that most everyone here stays away from. There are any number of seedy guys who will use anything they learn about you to bring you down, so the level of trust that most guys have for anyone is pretty low. I've only shared my past with one other person and he was a fellow Christian that was about to leave to go home.

Needless to say, it took a bit if time to work up the courage to share such personal stuff as my history. Of anyone here at this unit, I trust Will more than anyone. After I told him about everything, he expressed solidarity, just as I did with him. I think knowing each othere's past will allow us to be a better encouragement to each other in the future. Of course, we can always us more of that.

Some of life's tests are easy

Today I had my last test in Historical Geology before the final tomorrow. The way the instructor runs the grades is that we take five tests and the lowest grade gets dropped, then we take the final. I've scored 100's on everything so far, so I don't need this lab practical at all. I studied for it anyway.

Once I got to class I just filled out the answer sheet with A's and B's to correspond to the number of the question (i.e., 12a and 12b). I made sure to fill out the bonus and inspect every fossil and make a guess in my head. I only got three or four wrong and missed half the bonus. My answer sheet was scored and I received a 34; with the six bonus points, a 40. The instructor let out a chuckle. I assured him I would study harder for the final.

I also had my Cultural Anthropology final today. It was over only the last two chapters we covered, so it was pretty easy. I didn't get to see my score before I left, but I'm confident that I did well. I'm looking forward to taking the World Religions class with the same instructor in January.

Restoring Joy

I've been going to a Bible study on Tuesday nights called Restoring Joy. It's a twelve-step program for facing past hurts and gaining peace. I feel like I've already worked through my hurts, even those I've caused others, and don't have much to contribute to the discussions. I 've been praying for guidance on whether to continue or not. The teacher suggested that I wait until after tonight's session on tallying the good and bad events of our pasts and handing them over to God.

Like I said, I think I've put the past behind me, so this tally step isn't much for me. Just a way of jotting down the process I've been through. I was able to give some input from my own experiences. I don't know if I was actually helpful or not. I hope God uses this class to mend some of the guys and that I will learn or be used for some cool stuff. I think I will stick it out to watch Him work.

Time off

The shower crew has only gone to work once this week and we've been told that we won't work for the rest of the week. The supply officer that makes sure all of the cleaning supplies are stocked was planning to transfer to another unit later this month and a replacement was scheduled to start when the first one left. Unfortunately, the original supply officer left a few weeks early, which means no cleaning chemicals for the shower crew. Now the dorm janitors will have to work a little harder and clean the showers with everything else in the dorm. And the shower crew gets a chance vacation.

In other news, I still haven't heard back about the "failure to obey a direct order" case. I think what happened is that the ranking officer saw how ridiculous the case was and just threw it out. At least I hope that's the case.

Fashionista

Here in prison we are issued two sets of clothes and are able to trade in one set each day for a clean set. Because many of us want to dress decently for visits and for school, one of the sets is comprised of a shirt and pair of pants that is fairly new, having gone through only one or two washes. These whites are far better than the dingy brown stuff we usually use.

This morning when I went to exchange my dirty clothes, I was wearing my whites like I have since I got them in May. As I was walking away from the window, the laundry captain called me back and asked me to turn around. Then he asked me to take off my shirt and leave it behind. Apparently, he thought it was too white. So now I don't have a nice shirt for when my family comes to see me. I really didn't see any reason for the captain to take my shirt- no tears or holes, no alterations of any kind. I thinb sometimes that just mess with us for their own pleasure.

Where's the challenge?

We had our second of three exams in Anthropology today. As I walked out to the education building I realized I had forgotten about it all weekend. I barely got a chance to look over my notes before going into the classroom. I didn't expect to ace this one like my other exams this session.

I sat down at my desk waiting for the exam to be passed out while information was flying through my head in a final attempt to get organized. When I received my exam, I whipped through it with no problems at all. Every answer seemed obvious to me. About twenty minutes later I turned it in.

By the end of class we had our tests graded and handed back. I had aced this one. Even without studying beforehand, I scored a 100. These classes just don't seem to be taught on a college level. It seems more like extended high school. Is this really preparing me for a challenging university or career in the future?

Restoring Joy

The chaplain started a new Bible study this evening called Restoring Joy. It's a twelve-step program to recovering peace and putting hurts behind you by looking at the Beatitudes and a few more of Jesus' teachings.

Tonight we got way off subject a few times, but I think some guys still learned even from the rabbit trails. A few of the guys asked some very elementary questions and others that were more plainly misguided. I hope this class gives them a more solid foundation on which to place their faith and reveals to them a God with whom they really would want a relationship.

The subject matter tonight was a lot of milk for me. I'm sure I will get a new perspective on who I am (or at least receive a good reminder) but I think the class is tailored to young Christians. I pray that everyone taking part fall deeper in love with the only God who loves us.