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Horizon
Participants' Reflections
Letters from Tomoka CI Horizon
Participants 2009
The "Bridges To
Life" program in the Horizon faith based unit at Tomoka has
had a profound impact on my life. It has stirred emotions in
me that I have never experienced before. Prior to this
program, I was trapped in a "me- centered" life never giving
any thought or consideration to the impact that my crimes
may have had, not only to my victims but also to my family
and friends as well. I had repaid some of my victims several
years ago but I was to proud to apologize, thinking
repayment was enough. This program gave me the confidence to
admit that I was wrong, to feel their pain and to remove
seven years of guilt that I have been harboring inside. I
would like to thank you for your kindness and generosity in
allowing us access to such a "life-changing" program. It has
certainly changed my life and my way of thinking. God Bless
You.
Sincerely,
Jay S. Williams, 2009
When I first came to prison I was very depressed because I did not see any program offered by the state that addressed rehabilitation. However, once I was transferred to the faith based dorm everything changed. I was introduced to one of the most life changing programs I've ever seen "Bridges To Life". I know that because of my crime there is an aftermath of pain, financial, devastation, emotional upheaval and lives ripped apart. I want to go back and face the music and make amends, to personally promote healing. "Bridges To Life" I believe, will have me do that. I have something concrete now to sort out my past not run from it. To those who are responsible for its conception and fruition I am eternally grateful. May God Bless you and keep you as you change lives one person at a time.
Cy Garner, 2009 Horizon Community, Tomoka C.I.
Letters from Tomoka CI Horizon
Participants 2008
Growth and Change in Horizon
I’ve struggled with drug addiction and
a criminal lifestyle for much of my life. I’ve tried NA but
a return sentence to prison proved hat old habits are hard
to break. It became clear that my way does not work.
Upon arriving at Tomoka C.I. I was
fortunate enough to be accepted into the Horizon program .
At first, I was a bit apprehensive and leery of its format.
But I was immediately welcomed and embraced into the St.
John’s family and knew I had made a decision that would
change my life forever. As each day passed, I began to open
up and see the errors of my way. I grew comfortable with
Horizon’s teaching and the surroundings.
With the help and reassurance of an
“Outside Brother” volunteer, I gave my life over to God, and
thus began a truly new and remarkable chapter in my life. In
the short time that I have been in the program I’ve grown
spiritually and mentally. I am no longer afraid of the
uncertainty that my future holds because with god as my
guide, I am led in the right direction.
- Jay, Horizon Faith-based unit, Tomoka
Correctional
Making Peace with My Past
Since being in prison, I have been
involved in church services of several different
denominations, bible studies and more. When I came to
Tomoka C.I. and signed up for the faith-based program, they
did not take me until August 2007.
I entered the Horizon program thinking
that I wanted to learn more about who God was. However, I
began to understand that God wanted me to see who I was, and
what I was going through for Him. The founders,
coordinators and volunteer facilitators lead programs and
some are highly structured. The course, “Making Peace with
Your Past” was difficult at first, but it turned out that it
opened my eyes on issues that I tried to bury in my past. I
also found that the “Quest” program helped me understand my
anger and control it. Then there was “Experiencing God” a
course that gave me more direction towards his will and
walking closer to him. On a different subject, I really
benefited from the computer course and other educational
materials.
In conclusion, I have learned more now
than I ever learned in my life. I have become a better
person, father and husband. I now wish to give thanks to
God and all that has made the Horizon programs possible, and
aim to grow closer to God and his children.
- Participant, Horizon at Tomoka C.I.
2008
Letters from Marion Correctional Horizon
Participants 2007
Before I came I couldn’t love and I
couldn’t forgive. When I came to MCI, and got in Horizon, I
learned about myself and about God. I learned about Islam
and about Judaism. I learned how to be responsible. I
learned how to forgive in this program. I learned how to be
a son, father and husband. I learned to be a man. No
matter where you are or who you are, we can come to love
each other if we have an open heart and open mind.
- Curtis, Horizon grad, Marion
Correctional in Ohio, 2007
All of the men who come through this
program have their own struggles. Whether it’s hostility,
immorality, addiction or accountability, we all have our own
demons. Some come to the surface, others are hidden more
deeply. But for each, the opportunity is present to address
these demons head-on in an attempt to overcome them, and
become a better person, for our families, our communities,
and for ourselves. I would recommend the Horizon Program to
anyone serving time that does not ever want to pass this way
again.
- Dennis L., Horizon participant at
Marion Correctional in Ohio, 2007
I walked a solitary path. I was what
they call a “stand up con.” I lived by the code:. Don’t
bother anyone. Whatever you see, you forget. I took a
shank to my side once, I just put duct tape over it with
some antibiotic cream. I never said anything; a
“stand-up con.” After many years it’s tough to adjust
to a new way of life, but Horizon taught me how to embrace a
community mindset.
- Bill, serving a life sentence,
Horizon participant at Marion Correctional in Ohio, 2007
Letter from Tomoka C.I. Horizon
Participant, October 2007
“The things I learned in Horizon are invaluable –
leadership, consensus building, and my own personal
frailties that cannot be taught (or learned) in a classroom
setting. The level of maturity, both spiritual and personal,
I received in that short period of time is astounding... The
Horizon experience will be responsible for any good I am
able to accomplish in my life. The man I am now, and what I
will become, can be greatly attributed to my experience
there.”
Horizon at the Allred Unit in
Texas, Graduation, December 2006:
My heart was
broken many times as a child, but even though it healed as I
grew up in foster care, it never healed right. Like a
skillful bone surgeon, Horizon broke my heart one more time,
enabling the loving presence of volunteers to knit it back
together and heal it completely.
Horizon has put my
family back together again. I had once been a good uncle…
but my two nieces stopped writing and having any contact
with me over 5 years before he went to prison, and that was
over 9 years ago. I had given his life to cocaine and they
saw my irresponsible behavior. In the Horizon program I
wrote them, and they listened to what I had to say… saw a
new me, being responsible. They are trying to help me, and
one of my brothers has also written.
Letter from Tomoka Horizon participant:
It's been 12 years
since I've been 'free', and never in my entire DOC
experience have I been in a context that encourages growth
like this. I've been swimming against the current all this
time to better myself, and suddenly, it's as though the
current has changed directions... The Godparent program is
beyond words as well.
Comments at Graduation Tomoka C.I., Florida:
It was the hardest
course I've ever had in my life - and I'm a college grad.
This program is
FACE-BASED; you have to face up to reality.
Before I came into this
program, I was meaner than a junk-yard dog.
Horizon Inter-faith, Ohio:
When I came into prison, I had no family
relationships there for a long time. When I came into the
Horizon program, God brought my family together. This close
relationship has had an impact on me. It affected me in a
way that I know God is real, bringing us all together.
Horizon Inter-faith, Davis Correctional, Holdenville, OK:
Four years ago, my
oldest daughter had stopped writing. She now writes
regularly. My youngest daughter had not ever written, but
since I have been in Horizon, she now writes as well.
From Horizon at Davis C.F. in
Holdenville, Oklahoma:
Reflections on Horizon's Family Day and Graduation, June
2007, when almost 250 family members, volunteers, prison
officials and members of the Interfaith Council and the
Oklahoma Board of Corrections came to honor the 52 program
graduates:
The intensity of work in the Horizon year is capped with
this special day – special because it feels like a day free
from prison… you can see that freedom on their faces. For
some it is a day when healing takes place between some of
the inmates and their loved ones. When there is healing in a
family, there is change in that family, and that is what
Horizon is all about, people changing their lives. - Anthony
Family Day is a day for mending fences with loved ones. When
we come to prison our families suffer for the mistakes we
made. Children lose fathers. Parents lose sons, and wives
lose husbands. Family Day is a day for discovering the joys
of bonding in an atmosphere more like a wonderful family
outing at a park or a family re-union. In truth, that is
what it is, a family re-union. In Horizon, you go through a
lot of changes mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. So a
new person IS being united with a lost family.
My children were babies when I committed my crime, and I’ve
never had a chance to sit in the grass and watch my daughter
play with a doll or play catch with my nephew. For a lot of
men Family Day is a time to see how much they are missing
out on when they are always in and out of trouble. I
realized how fun and enjoyable being with my family can be
without being high or drunk. – Shane
From the Horizon Interfaith
Community at The Allred Unit near Wichita Falls, Texas:
Since my acceptance into the Horizon Program, I have learned
many life skills, but more importantly, I have learned that
“family” does not have to be biological. I have been shown
first hand that I have brothers in this prison, and that
ethnic walls can be torn down. I have been shown support and
love from my brothers in Christ which seems to go deeper
than what I receive from my biological family. I pray
earnestly for a chance to share with others the blessings
and lessons the Holy Spirit and Our Lord have shown me
throughout my time in the Horizon program.
My son has started writing me for the first time in years. I
have a better outlook on life than I did before this
program. All of my old friends have started writing I think
because they see a new person in me. I thank God for this
program.
After 9½ years of incarceration , I’ve been praying
diligently for restoration with healing for the victim of my
crime. On May 10, I received the first letter from my
victim, expressing anger, hurt and betrayal. She promised
herself she would never forgive me, or even speak to me
again. But, even though her letter expressed such anger, I
was overwhelmed with a sense that my prayers are being
answered somehow. I do understand that healing will be a
long process like forgiveness, but it will come. God opened
the door for healing and forgiveness for us all and it will
come in His due season.
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