First Official Weekly Blog Post

        Aight guys, so here it is! My first weekly post. I hope you all will enjoy it, but i'll go ahead & tell you that right now we're just in the process of training & will be for the next 2 weeks or so. Once we get deployed on SPIKE these posts will be more exciting & with more information. But, anyway....here goes.

       This whole week has been full of classes. An overview if you will of what to expect from Americorps & what they expect of us. And it also consisted of team building activities & things that allowed us to get to know our team better. Saturday the 17th we did what is called "Community Mapping". We drove to a neighborhood where there was a Boys & Girls Club & we looked around the neighborhood to see what we thought the needs were, where resources were, any libraries or hospitals around? etc. etc. etc. Things like that that allow you to help the community better. We also took a campus tour. Later that day we got our physicals done & took a drug test.

        Tuesday the 20th was spent doing driver training all day. So it was kinda boring in a sense that we sat in a van all day, but at the same time, it was pretty cool b/c we had plenty of time to talk & learn about each other. After we got back from training me & 4 other Corps members played this card game called "President". One of the rules that the "Prez" at the time made, was that we had to go to the room of extra clothes & put something on if we ever answered a question that was directed towards us during play. At one point, we even had to skip down the hall to the room. It was quite funny, to say the least. An overall great day even though we didn't do much.

         Aight, so Wednesday the 21st I started my day off as usual....waking up at 6:45 AM for a shower, bfast, & then meeting my unit at 8:00 AM, this time in room 101...but the cool thing about this morning (literally), is that I woke up to the ground COVERED in snow!!!

During the morning we had "Media Training", which basicly just meant that they wanted us to be prepared on how to handle the media if & when they approach. They didn't want us to be caught off guard. They even told us how there have been several teams to have met famous people in the past...such as Willie Nelson, Brad Pitt, Bill Clinton, Laura Bush, Michelle Obama, Matthew McConaughey (sp?) etc. etc. etc. It was pretty sweet to know that people like that have actually shown up to our project sites before to see what we're about and to thank us for our work. Afterwards the TL's (Team Leaders) had a "game" for us set up. They had little puzzle pieces w/our names on them lying on a table. We were suppose to find our name & then take that piece & proceed to search for other people that had the other pieces that formed a puzzle. Those that had the missing pieces ended up being our new team members for the next week. So, now by this point I have my new team....my 3rd team since i've been here.....Water 1 now.....After all that we had dinner & then watched "The Office" in the lobby & then played a 14 man game of "Catchphrase". And afterwards me & 6 others played a game of "Phase 10". I taught a few how to play & they beat me lol .....but it was a blast anyway. :)

         Thursday the 22nd we had another fun day full of classes!!! The classes consisted of these topics: 1) The "Pledge" of NCCC & the "Big Picture" of National Service. 2) The Ed Award. 3) Awards (National) & College Credit Opportunities. 4) And about EO (Equal Opportunity). These classes literally took all day w/a few 10 minute breaks thrown in and a lunch. After the classes our entire unit (Water) had PT. We got in a big circle & did random exercises, & then we ran/walked the baseline (1.5 miles). Afterwards was dinner & then Pat, Avi, & myself watched the British show "Dr. Who" which i've never seen until then but I loved it!

          Friday the 23rd was the first day we actually did a project. All teams, in all units, went to a middle school. A few teams hung out with 3rd graders &helped with their reading. Others talked to some students about NCCC & the rest of us (what I did), spent the day building a running/walking track for the school. What was really cool is that they allowed the 8th graders that wanted to, come & help us. Each NCCC member hung out with kid. I got this really cool young girl named Meg. We got to know each other pretty well & that was fun. For lunch, they provided pizza & we also got to chill with the kids during lunch. This project took most of the day. Afterwards I did laundry, ate dinner & then played ping-pong with Pat & then Phase 10 with Jessica & Pat. Tiring day, sore arms & legs....but nothing compared to what's to come!

            Saturday the 24th our entire unit (Water) had a project where each team would rake leaves at an elderly or handicaped person's home. Which was pretty fun to do. My team had been assigned 6 houses & it took us until about 12:30 or 1:00PM to do them. We came back to campus & a little later Pat & I went to town & he wanted to get some "souvenir" things....so we got those & then found a coffee place & just chilled there for a while. When we got back we ate dinner with Jessica  & then we went to downtown Denver & walked to this pretty sweet coffee shop place called "Paris On The Platte". It was awesome...we got some pretty cool Chai Tea & just sat there talking until about 11:00PM. It was such a great night just hanging out with two really cool people.

            Sunday the 25th (today!) I had plans to go out again today but they fell through. So I ended up having a pretty laid back kinda day. Watched some football, played pool & foosball...I went down to the laundry room & hung out with Monique playing cards while she waited on her laundry. She taught me a new game called "Spit" which was a ton of fun! I even showed her a few cards tricks haha. Later I hung out w/friends playing taboo & then WATCHED them get facials lol...I want to stress the WATCHED part haha.

I have more pics on FB. So if you'd like you can look at my page. It was such an amazing week getting to know so many great people. I've already made some great friendships & its only been a week.

I don't know what God has in store, but I know it's great! I'm on God's timeline He's not on mine. He proved that to me this past week. I know God will use me here. And in a way, I feel like He already has. "My time is up, I thank you for yours." God bless!!!

My AmeriCorps Room

Well guys, here is my room that I am staying in for the duration of my 10 months when I am NOT on spike....majority of the time I will be on spike, but while we are back on campus during transition periods, i'll be staying here. My bed is the blue one and my roommates has the brown comforter.

It's pretty cool. Just like a regular dorm room.

It has a sink in the room

And a few closets for storage space

And a pretty cool desk space for our laptops!

Anyway, probably the most boring blog I'll post on this thing but eh...thought it would be cool to show you guys where i'm stayin. Anyway! "My time is up, I thank you for yours." God bless!

Hiking In Rocky Mountain National Park

So today we swapped teams, and loaded up vans and headed out to Rocky Mountain National Park....roughly a 2 hour drive....jooooy. But it was cool. It was a great opportunity for me to get to know my new teammates and to make new friends. We ended up having to stop on the way at a Safeway b/c there was a fire somewhere and they had the road blocked that we needed to take. So a bunch of us went inside to use the restroom and get some snacks. While I was standing at the entrance with my roommate and some other guys, we had a couple come up to us and ask us about Americorps b/c they wanted to know for their daughter. It was pretty cool. They asked us a few questions and we answered them best we could and they seemed pretty excited about it.

No longer than maybe 5 minutes after they left another guy as he was walking out said ," Hey guys, thanks for all you do and good luck." .....I mean, we knew that we hadn't technically done anything yet b/c well...this is just training right now. But b/c we're in uniform, the locals see that and they know right away the type of work that NCCC is doing and has done in the past. So whenever I walk around in a public place with that logo on my chest, I feel a sense of pride....a sense of being part of something special. I now understand the kind of impact that I can have on the world. When total strangers can approach you and thank you for work you haven't even done yet. That says something about Americorps. And I don't regret one bit choosing to leave home and come here. B/C I know, in the end, it'll all be worth it.

After we left Safeway, we found a detour we could take to get to the park and we eventually got there. We hiked our way up after eating our sack lunches and then we stopped at the top where there was this bridge crossing a flowing river of water and a waterfall in the distance. It was one of the most beautiful things i've ever seen. Nature, so amazing and you can't help but think about how God's magnificent hands had molded and shaped even the smallest of things. It's like God is up in heaven holding a paintbrush and canvas and painting this masterpiece we call Earth. It's incredible. I was able to capture a few really good pictures and I hope you enjoy them. "My time is up, I thank you for yours." God bless!!!

How I Became An NCCC Member

Well, where to begin? Let's see.....I started this summer not really knowing what to do with my life. I had just graduated college from Faulkner University in Montgomery, AL with a BA in Mathematics, and I STILL had no idea what to do! I was so lost and pretty much going insane trying to figure out what to do with the rest of my life. That's when I really started to turn to God. I prayed more, I read my BIBLE more. My whole mindset was changed and my way of thinking was changed to where I thought about God and His will for me in everything that I did. Everything I did in my life from then on out seem to have a theme with me. When I read my BIBLE, it never failed, I always seemed to come across a verse that at least mentioned service or love or something along those lines. In Church, we would sing songs of loving your brother and showing compassion for them. My preacher would preach lessons on Love and being Christ like. I thought to myself," How can I just ignore this? This must be a sign from God!" The more I pray and read my BIBLE the more it all made sense! This is my calling! God has called me to service. To be a light, a vessel for Christ in a world that needs Him! And to show the world Christ's love through service. My motto? "Serve God by serving others." Sounds pretty simple doesn't it? But that one little sentence means sooo much. And can be really hard to follow through with. Well, here is where the story kicks in.....I just randomly, literally RANDOMLY, called the Volunteer & Information Center (VIC) in Montgomery, AL asking if they were hiring. Well that's when the lady told me about Americorps VISTA positions available. I researched the website and thats how I read about National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC). The more I read, the more I liked....and the more I liked, the more I LOVED!! I found out anything and everything I could about this so called group NCCC. So, I sent in the online application in mid-June for the Winter 2010 term that will start in February of 2010. Got a packet in the mail about two weeks later that told me to call a certain number and set up a phone interview. I did, and had my interview on Thursday July 16th at 2:00 PM. And EXACTLY 6 weeks later to the day, I received a letter in the mail saying that I was placed on the alternate list. I was a little bummed about that until I found out, via NCCC Facebook group, that everybody had been placed on the alternate list at the moment. So that was good. This whole time, whenever i've prayed to God I would say ," Lord...let YOUR will be done, not mine. Please let whatever happens be to your glory." You will see in a sec where that comes to play.


While being on the alternate list I had started volunteering with the Habitat For Humanity here locally in Etowah County building houses. It's pretty fun and I met some cool people. I also traveled to Louisville, KY and volunteered with Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) doing Flood Relief work.


Ok so this is where it gets REALLY good. Today is Thursday October 15, 2009.....I got a phone call from a very sweet lady named Tiffany from NCCC headquarters in Washington D.C. just yesterday on Wednesday October 14, 2009 around 6:00 PM. She had informed me that there had been several people back out for whatever reason and decided not to do NCCC for the Fall term that had JUST started that day. They had to fill those spots quick! They had randomly chosen about 5 or 6 people from the Winter 10' group to be bumped up and join the Fall 09' group in Denver, CO. She then told me, "We need your answer by tomorrow. You fly out Friday morning." I'm thinking to myself, "What!? I have less than 2 days to first off, decide to go or not...second, quit my job (lol).....and third, get everything packed and bought!?!?, etc. etc.". To say the least it was a very overwelming moment and I was nervous, excited, anxious, scared(??) and just flat out freaking out inside to be honest. Tiffany was funny and cutting up and laughing with me a lot which made it easier to deal with. But you can understand what's going on in my head at the time. I live in North Alabama. My friends and family knew I was wanting to leave for 10 months around February. But Denver, CO in 2 days!!?? So I'm sitting there home alone on my couch talking to Tiffany and she's making me laugh and all. The moment, and I mean the MOMENT I hang up with her, I started crying (hey i'm man enough to admit that). I'm sitting there on the couch crying and all I could say was, "God thank you....but what do I do?? I have to leave in 2 days...I have a job, family that has no clue about this and I don't know how they'll react. God help me...what do I do!!??" The more I thought about it, the more I came to the realization that if I had declined this offer, it would have looked REALLY bad on my part about my faith. I pray to God to let his will be done, I pray asking Him to let me join this amazing group. And then I get offered a position (4 months early mind you) and then decline it!? It seems to me like God is telling me something..."Tim, you've prayed all this time to allow you to get chosen to serve. And I will grant that request. But the thing about it is, you're on my time, i'm not on yours. You are going NOW and not in Feb. Pack up my son, and go.....NOW." That little quote right there kept playing in my head. And it's true!!! I have to be willing to drop everything and go serve my God! I live on His time, not vice versa!


I wanted to get the opinions of others as well. Friends & family. I wasn't sure how they'd react or what. But my friends and family have been nothing short of supportive of me going. I heard nothing but "go for it!" ...."chance of a lifetime"..etc.etc. So, I said all this to get to the end now. I decided to accept Tiff's offer and fly out Friday which I guess is technically now b/c I am sitting here typing this at 2 AM waiting on laundry to get done haha. I leave in the morning for the airport in Birmingham, AL and will continue my life changing journey with NCCC in Denver, CO. God has truly spoken to me. He's led me to this point in my life and i'm NOT turning back. This is what i'm meant to do and nothing is getting in my way. I ask that you all pray for me and those that will be volunteering with me. I hope to keep all of you informed with blogs and with pictures once a week if at all possible. But sometimes internet availability will be hard when i'm traveling. I also have a Facebook account that will have the photos as well. Thanks for reading and I hope you have a great day. "My time is up, I thank you for yours." God bless!!!