Since my last visit to New Lisbon Correctional, another one of our graduates has joined his colleagues after his recent transfer from Waupun Correctional. This brings the total number of graduates at New Lisbon to four.
As with all visits, we started with the usual greeting of hugs and pats on the back. All of the guys were anxious to let me know that they have continued in the positions they had since our last visit. The latest graduate to transfer shared that he is taking his time settling in to his new environment before getting involved (he had been at Waupun since the start of his incarceration). As a point of reference, Waupun Correctional is a maximum-security prison and New Lisbon Correctional is a medium-security prison.
One graduate then shared that he continues to enjoy his role as Chapel Clerk, and is looking for ways to continue his education. He said that he has been researching accredited correspondence Master’s Degree programs, and hopes to connect with one soon. During that part of the conversation, all of the guys said that they are realizing how much they miss the mental stimulation of higher education, with all of them sharing that they would like to continue some day with more schooling.
A second graduate said he really enjoys his Law Library Clerk position, and has found his education to be a valuable asset when working with the guys as they come in, whether it be in how to set up a document, offer wording/grammar help, or general organizational skills on a long paper. He said he really enjoyed his position and the ability to help. Interestingly enough, he also talked a bit more openly about the Christian faith, the Bible, and how it all comes together (in the past, he was a bit “standoffish” when it came to topics of faith, often times seeming even a bit adversarial in his conversation). I enjoyed entering into dialog with him!
A third graduate was the first to arrive for the visit, which allowed us to have some private time together. I was intrigued by his gentle nature and concern he shared about others. He said that he has found real pleasure/enjoyment in being the Chaplain to others as they come to him with challenges. He also shared (with a pretty wide smile) that he is thinking maybe he’d like to become an actual Chaplain. That was such incredible news coming from him. He has always been a nice man, but never really shared any level of serious concern for others like he did during this visit.
As always, the time went faster than we would have liked. We prayed together, gave farewell hugs, and said “until we meet again”!
Robin
Pastor Robin Knoll – Dean of Students
Trinity International University – Waupun Correctional Extension Site