Bio

I believe deeply in my heart that I have a story to tell that can inspire, motivate and encourage you to follow the one I now follow and who’s my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I am aware that people today have darker stories, but here is my testimony of being a sheep who went astray but was found by the good shepherd.

 

My name is Amir Cortez Smith, and I was born in Washington DC, raised explicitly in South East. I am the youngest of my mother’s three children, and the only one not having his biological father in his life. Like many of those where I come from, the story of a fatherless home is not far-fetched, but neither is winning with the hand you are dealt. Growing up in South East DC at an early age, I was exposed to things I shouldn’t have been exposed to do to me being a product of my environment. Domestic violence, drug abuse, and alcoholism plagued my family like many of those where I come from. My mom did the best she could to keep us on a straight path but these worldly things has a way of finding itself in our lives when we are not following the way of Christ.

 

I don’t remember many things of my early childhood, but what I do remember is my brothers and I being in and out of the foster home & my mother being in a very abusive relationship while I was attending Scott Montgomery Elementary School. I can recall my mother being hit in the mouth with a closed fist multiple times and me standing by, watching crying and wanting to do something to help her, but I couldn’t because I was just a child. To this day, the movie starring Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne ” What’s Love Got To Do With It” portraying the life of Ike & Tina Turner, triggers those memories along with feelings I had as a child watching my mother being abused, so I refuse to watch it. One of my siblings lived with my grandmother and the other with his Sisters. I was the one who always stayed with my mother much more than the others for some reason. I remember one night my mom decided to leave that abusive relationship, but we didn’t have anywhere to go. So for about one whole year, my mother and I lived homeless in a box in Florida Avenue Park in North West DC. Whoever knew that being in such an impoverished / destitute situation, there was someone who loved me and was looking for me to bring me where I belonged.

 

One early morning while in the park my mother was drinking and singing “good morning heartaches” by Billie Holiday and a group of evangelists from the church around the corner, Mount Sinai Baptist Church came to my mother & I to tell us about the story of Jesus Christ and how he died so that I may live and how no matter what we have done if we turn away from our old life and accept our new life in Christ Jesus all our wrongs will be made right. One of those women in the evangelist group who would later become my Godmother was moved by our story and wanted to help us as best as she could. My Godmother, with the help of the pastor David Durham from Mount Sinai, got my mother into a drug and alcohol rehabilitation program called RAP. My Godmother took me in to live with her in Temple Hills, Maryland, on Lyons Steet while my mother worked on getting her life in order.

 

Now, I won’t lie there were mixed emotions I was feeling at this time because on one hand I was feeling bad about being away from my mom for a couple of years but on the other I was happy that I was getting to know that shepherd I talked about earlier who found one of his lost sheep’s. During this time of living with my godmother in Temple Hills, Maryland, I started to attend Hill Crest Heights Elementary School and began to lay the foundation of my faith in Mount Sinai Baptist Church. I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord & Savior and got Baptized on April 2, 1995. I got involved with many ministries at my now accepted church of Mount Sinai Baptist Church, like participating in the Choir, Boyscouts and church plays. It was at this time God sent many men who would display the characteristics of a father in my life, including my mentor from the church as well, to help me along this journey of life. I remember even at an early age growing up in the church I was always astonished by people preaching and hearing the word of God. When my mom was in the rehabilitation program, she met her soon-to-be husband and my stepfather, who had a similar story to hers. When my mom got out of the alcohol & drug program, Jesus once again showed his grace towards me by providing a house for my mother and me to live in until she got a job and was back on her feet financially. The church pastor David Durham whom I would forever be grateful for, allowed me and my mom to live rent-free for a couple of years in that house until my mom could support us financially as best she could.

 

My mom and I moved to South East Washington DC 30th street than Naylor Road, and the trials, along with the tests of our faith, continued. What can I say? Once again, we had good days and bad days, good days like my mom cooking food for the whole neighborhood and people in the community throwing a crab feast every now and then. But bad days as well, like the murder of someone who lived in your building that you talked to daily or domestic fights with couples over and over again along with drug and alcohol ingratiating itself again in my community and family. I can’t lie. Seeing those things growing up hurt me so much as a child because I never liked to see people in pain or hurting, and I couldn’t help them. Despite the reality of my neighborhood, my mother and I stayed in church and stayed in keeping the faith. Despite my closeness to God, that would not stop the trials and tribulations he sent in my life. As I was in Dunbar Sr High School, which is around the corner from the park, my mom and I were found. I got the news that my mother cancer had got worse. I remember the fear overtaking me and wanting to give up on life. My faith was always somehow attached to my mother because I would see the things she would go through but remain faithful nonetheless. I was never the top student; however, I pride myself in never staying back. At that time, receiving the news of my mom’s cancer, I decided to give up. I stayed back in the 11th grade and was headed towards a dark path. There are many people who at that time encouraged me to keep moving forward far as coaches and mentors. But I will forever remember two critical conversations that got my head back straight with staying in school and finishing strong. One conversation was with my High school Jr Varsity football head coach Ozzie White that we had on the balcony on the pre-engineer ramp during a lunch break. The Other was when my High School English 9 grade teacher / the Dunbar Varsity Basketball head Coach Lorenzo Roach took me home living on Barnaby Street south East for about an hour and some change had a conversation with me that brought tears to my eyes and motivated me like no other. I wind up graduating high school but fell out of the church and really started to doubt my faith and test it against other religions. Who knew that this was to draw me closer to him for the word of God says “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

 

If you were to take a person who knew nothing about any religion and you told them to study all the beliefs they want or rather the key figure in them … Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, Jesus Christ, and so on without being influenced by anyone within any religion you can’t help but notice there is something special about a man who gives his life so others may live ….. without looking at anything else and just taking each religious story on their own that stands out too much …… I was homeless and was found by a church that grew me up in it. As I got older, I started to question what I believed and tested it against other faiths. I mean, how can I say something is wrong if I don’t know what they say right …. fast Foward after my profound studies of Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and other faiths and going to them with an open mind, not being persuaded/influenced by people in their faith ….. each story represented a tremendous moral way to live. Still, something stood out for a man that gave his life for me so that I may live there is no higher honor. I challenge anyone to put away their preconceived ideals about any religion and take it at face value and tell me how can you not see the love in that …. it’s not enough to do good things if that’s the case, one can boast of their deeds, but His grace is sufficient! HE EVEN CONQUERED DEATH.

 

After high school, I decided to pursue a career in law enforcement and become a police officer. Again my faith was tested. I was arrested by the police department that would eventually hire me, Prince George’s County Police Department. I looked in the mirror and took responsibility for my actions, and stayed in prayer to my heavenly Father, for he knew my deepest wishes and desires, and it wind up working out for me. I wanted to be a police officer so bad, and here it goes. Never getting in trouble with law enforcement, I wind up getting arrested by the uniform I now wear in the division where I now police. I became good friends with the officer who arrested me and owe him much because he had to speak up for me during my hire process about the arresting incident. God was building my testimony when he added to my career in my rookie year, receiving one of the highest police awards by the Maryland chief of police associations Police Officer Of The Year out of 1600 something officers at the time. Fast Foward a little bit, and we are at a time where Over these past couple of months, something has been heavy on my heart, mind, and soul. As my family and I struggle with my mother’s and grandmother death back to back I have been spiritually strengthened more than any other time in my life by getting closer to God than I have ever been.

 

Growing up, I had a best friend who used to tell me that my biggest test in life would be when the Lord decides to take my mother home, and I won’t lie, it was my biggest fear to accept the inevitable. This situation has forced me to seek God more and more each day as he brings me to peace with my biggest fear. For some reason, during this difficult time, I can’t escape the words from people saying, Amir, you are so strong, Amir, you are taking this very well, Amir where are you getting this strength from and so on. As I hear these things day in and day out, it reminds me of 3 important scriptures from the Bible …. Nehemiah 8:10, which states, ” The joy of the Lord is my strength, ” as well as 1 John 4:4, which states, ” Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world ” and last but not least Philippians 4:7 which says ” The peace of God which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds. I know that I am saved, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

 

Still, I also know that I haven’t been living up to my portion of the contract, so I am in a way re-dedicating my life to the one who saved my mom and me many years ago when we were homeless living in a box in Florida Park. I am not calling to make myself perfect, but I am declaring to start starving my flesh and feeding my spirit, for I can no longer serve two masters. As the scriptures say in Ephesians 4:22-24, put off my old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. In my quest to put off this older man, there are some things I like to leave behind. I like to create new memories, which I feel are more important and beneficial than any memories I have shared before. I want to create memories about doing my Father’s business. Somethings I have done, said, and lifestyle I lived is out there, and there’s no escaping that as Jesus explained in the parable of the prodigal son who changed his mind….. ….. SO AM I. I have created these new social media platforms to support my ministry to do my part in being the ” salt of the earth ” and going into the world with the whole amour of God and making disciples of all nations.

 

I pray that you will support me in my mission, and as iron sharpens iron, we all can benefit in whatever way God is going to direct my footsteps to help those who need it by directing them to the only helper they need. I hope you will share this testimony as well to help me in bringing as many people closer to God as you possibly can.