Rough Neighborhood
I grew up in Orange New Jersey, a predominantly black neighborhood filled with potheads and drug dealers. The crime rate was high. There was always a new story about someone being shot, killed, or stabbed. Not the kind of place you would want your child to live. Most of my classmates were either in gangs or getting in trouble with the law. However, this is where I lived.
It was rough growing up in a place where there seemed to be no hope. A place where the only hope you had for a better life was either sports or selling drugs.
As I watched in horror, most of the kids I knew were turning to drugs and gangs for hope. There I was, stuck in the middle of two worlds: Jesus or the streets.
The kids that were involved in gangs were the primary people starting the fights. They knew they had other gang members to support them when something bad happens. They used weapons, hurting anyone who messed with them. The major gangs were the bloods and the cribs. These two gangs did not like each other. Whenever there was a fight, it was primarily between these two gangs. The police had to get involved in order to stop the fights. Because of this, several students lost their lives. Sadly, I knew most of them.
The Park
After school, I usually went to the park with my basketball and stayed there for the rest of the evening. Sometimes I found myself in trouble because it was not advisable to stay in the park at night. People had sex, drank, and sold drugs during the evening hours.
My parents always locked the doors. They made sure we were in the house as soon as the streetlights came on. I thought that was pushing it to the edge, but hey! I had to be obedient to them, it was their house and they were in charge.
The Lifestyle
Fashion was (and still is) more highly regarded than education. If you did not have Nike, or Air Jordan, everyone degraded your self-esteem. Many of the kids lived in broken homes. However, this did not stop them from buying expensive clothes. It amazed me to see those kids wearing expensive clothes while their parents could not afford to pay their monthly bills. They complained about being poor but wore clothes that cost more than they could afford. Nevertheless, as for me, my situation was different.
God always provided for us. I cannot remember a day when we did not have something to eat or somewhere to live. My parents worked hard to support us. They are the hardest working people on the face of the earth.
He Saved Me[b1]
When I was a baby, the enemy tried to take my life several times. First, when I was a few months old, I had a navel infection that caused excruciating pain. The doctors could not pinpoint the cause of the pain. Miraculously, God supernaturally healed me. I would have died of agony if God did not heal me.
Another time was when I was about three years old; a car ran over me almost killing me. I had to be rushed to the emergency room. Miraculously again, I only had minor injuries. It was only by the grace of God that I did not die. These are just two instances. Because of Gods grace and mercy, I was saved to write this book.
[b1]This should be a new chapter because the subject matter very different.
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