Post one. Or Post, The First. Or the First Post. Here we go. Introduction time.
My name is Thomas Thompson. But most people call me Tommy. Or Tom. Or Tom-Tom. Or Tomás. You get the point. That's me on the left (with one of my best friends, Katherine.)
I am involved in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program here at IUB and am prepping for Field Training this coming summer. It's inside of a month until I leave, and my nerves are starting to get the better of me. I know I'll be fine, but I just want it to be over with so I can get to Camp. More on that Camp later. In the AFROTC program, I've had many amazing opportunities already. I competed in the German Armed Forces Challenge, earning a gold. This was an awesome experience, getting to compete among Army ROTC cadets.
I'm also involved in this little thing called Cru. It's a campus ministry organization whose goal is to spread the Gospel to every nation. I'm specifically involved in Greek Cru, a bible study group more geared toward members of fraternities and sororities in the social Greek System. Brody, one of my best friends, and I are a couple of the leaders of this bible study. He's kind of awesome. More on his influence on my life later. The mission and vision of Greek Cru is that every man and woman in the Greek system knows someone who truly follows Christ. Christ is sort of definitely the center of most everything I do. Again, I'll touch on that in a later post.
I mentioned being a member of the Greek system. I'm a member of Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity. I was in the fall pledge class of 2013, and I've been in for four semesters now. This has given me amazing life-long brothers who I can count on for anything. Brody happens to be both a member and my son in the fraternity. Alpha Sig at IUB is currently 50+ men strong and growing. When I joined, we were just at 16. It's been amazing seeing it grow into an incredible organization.
Finally, the most important thing of which I've ever been a part.
Camp Tecumseh
This place, this camp, has been the biggest influence in my life. Hands down. From amazing Christ-centered friendships to summers I don't have words to explain to experiences that have completely changed my life, Camp Tecumseh YMCA has come to be my favorite place on earth. It has influenced my faith, my personality, my thoughts, values, and feelings, my friendships, my relationships, and my family. This camp has striven to keep the C in YMCA. It does it through morning worship in chapel and evening devotions with individual cabins. Under the stars, under the green canopy, on the lake, and among amazing people, one would be hard pressed to not feel God in this place. It is the closest thing I have ever seen to a Heaven on earth. Camp T will be getting so many more posts because I simply can't describe it all in one post. I can tell you all about it, and I will, but you will never completely understand unless you experience it for yourself.
Joyfully,
Tommy Thompson
