I know that one of the key ingredients in seeing a
neighborhood turn around is to have those from within the community be the ones
to step up and be influencers. I also know that having indigenous leaders is
key to any community development work to flourish. The challenge or opportunity
is that it takes time for both young and old to take the challenge and step up
to make a difference in their own lives and those around them. I don’t want to
be the ‘white guy’ who is perceived as having a blank check that can fix
everything.
Last night, we did our, twice a month, life skill group at
my Starbucks in South Phoenix. I have intentionally chosen to meet in locations
where I know both workers and managers who are able to be part of our neighborhood
transformation work. It has been exciting to see Joseph, the manager, get
involved in our work and provide jobs for youth that live in our neighborhood
and then have his baristas become part of our ongoing work in South Phoenix. It
was exciting to have a group of 20 meet at my Starbucks and listen to a mom, a
homeless teen and another struggling teen who are discovering the steps to a
better life that are part of our community.
I had asked Kenoye, a mom with teens, to share her journey
of how we had met at the Staples across from the Starbucks. Most of the teens
know about her son Dwight who was killed close to a McDonalds in our
neighborhood. Mom shared her journey from someone running from God to now a
follower of Christ who sees the need to spread the Word about new life and
seeing the old life or ways let go.
The exciting news was to listen to Dylan, a homeless teen,
who had made his way out here from Texas. We had met during our homeless
Christmas Eve BBQ in the neighborhood close to CASS. He had connected with us
and been helped by New City and a few of our friends. The reality was that it
took Dylan 2 months to get honest with himself, God and us to be serious about
doing life right. It was a breath of fresh air to hear him first hand talk about
seeking God and getting a new JOB!
The sad news for the night was listening to Teddy our
Ethiopian teen that was leaving to live with his dad. I had met Teddy at my
Starbucks two months ago and was asked by some of the baristas to help him.
Anne and I took him in and discovered a neat freak teen that was running from
his family and God. I won’t go into the details but we are praying that his
time with his dad will help him reconnect with his own life and make a
commitment to follow God whether he stays in LA or comes back to Phoenix.
As I have been talking to a couple of new friends as I have
been writing this blog it struck me that God is connecting the dots to seeing
my community become more healthy. I have so many friends that truly care and
seem to step up at the right time to help by getting involved. I’m thrilled to
have someone like Kenoye be able to share first hand her story. It was just as
eye opening to hear from Dylan and Teddy about how our little community at New
City had made a huge difference in their lives. I was so blessed to have one of
my key leaders, Victor, volunteer to take Dylan back to the YMCA for night.
I have to be honest I don’t do crossword puzzles or other
crazy word games. So I’m glad that there is someone else, God, who is in the
business of putting the pieces of the puzzle of my life together.
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