City of Truth: Class #12 of 12

LEADERSHIP

At the beginning of this year, I was rocking my brain studying and preparing for a Leadership program I was calling "City of Truth" which I was creating from scratch for a group of young adults in the Bronx. Most of them attended the same church I did. Two of them didn't even attend a local church. Interestingly enough, this was not a church class, this was a Leadership class. My desire was to assist these 17 to 24 year olds in their transition from teenagehood into adulthood.

God was gracious and surrounded me with three adult friends who joined me in this endeavor. Big shout-out to Tasha, Terri & Damaris for their trust in me and all their hard work. Many times they had no clue what I was doing. Sometimes they even questioned whether they should be working with me. :)

But with a whole lotta faith, and a shear desire to please God with what He placed in my heart, I creted a curriculum and begun our first class on April 4th.

Classes continued basically once every three weeks. In the beginning I stayed pretty close to the curriculum. As time passed and the group of six to twelve young adults grew closer to each other, the curriculum began to change and grow. It was amazing.

I'm not going to make this post long, but I will say over the past eleven classes, teaching these young adults has blessed me tremendously. I really feel I have grown as man and a leader. Teaching about leadership brought leadership out of me.

So as I approach this last class this weekend, I pray City of Truth accomplished its goal of training and equipping young adults to be world leaders. A part of me is slightly melancholic at this point. COT has truly been a labor of love. Working with this group has changed my life.

I'm not sure when the next set of COT classes will begin. However I am sure that when God allows, the next group will be just as amazing as this one was.

City of Truth - "Poverty" with Cynthia Irizarry

Here is another beautiful writing from one of the participants in the City of Truth Leadership Academy. This is a reflection on the class, "What is Poverty?"

Introducing our guest blogger, Cynthia Irizarry:


The walls of my reality slowly crumble as i look upon their faces

the suffering crying silently through their eyes.

Mother, Brother, Sister, Father...

Person.

Made in the image of god just like me each one made

with a purpose just like me.

My inner being torn to shreds as my spirit weeps for theirs.

As i look at the faces of all the almost me's i see my blessings.

I see all the places and all the faces i could have been and i am angry with myself

how could i have ever let them fade into the background.

I remember that they are put here for a purpose and i wonder if their purpose is to suffer

and for a moment i am angry with god why would he choose these people to suffer?

Then quickly i realize it is so that he can be known because in our weakness he is glorified.

I close my eyes and as the images are imprinted in my memory i say a prayer......

My lord may i never take another blessing for granted, comfort the hearts of your children and may they know that they are your glory

In Jesus name i pray

Amen.

- Cynthia Irizarry