Great Experience at Merge07

Even though I attended Merge last year, Merge 2007 was still a major highlight of my year. I honestly must say though, going into it I was a bit skeptical of the trip as a whole, simply because I had such an awesome experience at Merge 2006. I was especially worried of experiencing all the same things I previously did - such as the schedule, the lessons, and the monotonous journaling. It was one thing I asked people to pray for - that I don’t become discouraged with the same stuff as last year and ruin the trip for the newcomers. Oh how wrong I was!

The first thing that was completely different was the change of the location. Last year’s Merge was held at John’s Hopkins University, and this year it was brought to Wheaton College - a Christian campus in suburbia Chicago. The campus was just perfect for the event. I was completely blown away by the facilities as well as the main venue where we did all our worship. The town of Wheaton itself was also exceptionally nice. As a group, we were able to walk to Starbucks numerous times to replenish and cool our dry and parched throats. Personally, I loved the individual air-conditioners in each room. Most of the guys were able to keep their rooms at a temperature of 50 degrees or lower AND use the air-conditioners as a fridge for our assortment of beverages. So yeah, the campus basically rocked.

Above everything, my relationship with God became significantly stronger through the lessons and stories. Because I heard all the lessons and stories last year, I sort of expected not to really get anything from them because I had already taken a lot from them last year. But God spoke to me through these stories in ways I never had thought of them. I really got to examine the stories - say, for example, Noah and the Ark - and ask deep questions I had never thought about before. One story that really touched me in ways I had never dreamed of was the story of the Passover. In one of our discussions, our group discussion leader, Nate, told us to place ourselves in the shoes of one of the characters in the Passover story. Being the firstborn in my own family, I placed myself in the shoes of an Israelite firstborn. Through this experience I really was able to comprehend the the total magnificence of God and how trustworthy he really is. I was able to see the amount of trust the Israelites must have had in God. Along with the Passover story, this year at Merge we were able to experience a long lasting tradition called a Seder Dinner. This tradition remembers the many steps the Israelites had to follow in order to escape from the Egyptians and follow God to the promised land. It was really cool experiencing a tradition from a different culture and looking at parts of the old testament that aren’t usually taught in a typical Sunday sermon.

Another aspect of Merge 2007 that I really enjoyed was the fellowship among our own youth group. I really got to know people I had never even spoken too before. I specifically enjoyed getting to meet and grow with all the “men” in the group. Every night, us men would have “guy time” and we would simply reflect on the day and discuss what we had learned. It was just an awesome time of fellowship and brotherly love. This fellowship among our group was something I didn’t take away from Merge last year and I am glad I got the chance to find new brothers in Christ that I am able to depend on.

Though it was my second time attending Merge, it really did feel like my first. God gave me the maturity and ability to see the whole experience through a different lens, and really understand how my story and His story merge together. I really encourage the newcomers who went this year to experience Merge again and again because there are always new ways to look at the Bible and experience what God’s story is for you.

Corey C.