Comment by Jen

I consider it a privilege to have been involved with Merge this summer. I had the chance to meet so many amazing students and leaders, and watch as transformation took place in their lives through the week. I just want to say thank you to all the people who were willing to be vulnerable during our response times. The words you shared with the group touched my soul. The images you created spoke to me. I wish I could express what it was really like to the people who weren’t there, but there are no words to describe the things God did during Merge.

Now that Merge is over, I’m thinking a lot about the Kingdom, and what it looks like for me to bring more of the Kingdom to my community. I have great dreams of all of us taking back some kind of Kingdom perspective to our own areas, and impacting the world around us in ways that are unbelievable! I hope to see you all again next year…

Posted on July 24, 2007 at 4:37 pm

Comment by Carmen

On day three, people of promise, I was reading in Psalms and came across this passage: “I look up at your macro-skies, dark and enormous, your handmade sky-jewelry, Moon and stars mounted in their settings. Then I look at my micro-self and wonder, Why do you bother with us? Why take a second look our way?” Proverbs 8:3-4 (MSG). This said exactly what I was thinking… “Why does God bother with us if we continually are letting Him down like the Israelites did?” I’m someone who likes to deserve the love I receive, but I know that I don’t deserve God’s love and yet I try to. This day and passage just spoke to me telling me that God will love me no matter how many times I screw up because he is full of grace and just loves me for who I am which is a child of His. It messed me up in the most amazing way possible. Each of the stories seemed to speak directly to me and what I was going through.

Posted on July 26, 2007 at 2:12 pm

Comment by Nick

I came as a leader, but I was really a follower just like the teens. I’ve been to many camps, retreats, and conventions in my lifetime, but this was different. The altar time was your own! It felt genuine. From the first full day, I was moved by the prayer room. God and I talked about areas I hadn’t buried in my life, and at the open tomb, I placed a stone symbolizing those areas being buried and no longer a foothold in my life. I also spent time praying at the cross and writing a letter to God. It was a moving time. I also realized on day 1 that right from creation, God’s desire was to BE in fellowship with His creation…walking with Adam and Eve.
I also was deeply moved by day 2, Wanderings and the Tabernacle. I never knew what the showbread represented - fellowship with God. It touched my heart that God wants to break bread with me and talk with me, even though He is so holy. The veil moved me as well - it made it very real how dark and secluded the people were, covered from God’s holy presence. What that must have felt like not to be able to see God or touch Him without dying. I felt so grateful for the fact that I can come boldly before God’s throne now, with no veil in between.
The whole story time and discussions afterward were amazing. Harvest, MAG and Wasilla, I love you guys. Kelly and Michael, thanks for being such amazing leaders. This Merge thing needs to be everywhere…

Posted on July 30, 2007 at 10:55 am

Comment by Benjamin

Wow, what an experience! Merge was a really awesome time to just think through a lot of things and to see a lot of stuff that you never saw before. I know, and have to be honest, that before I went to MERGE I was rather skeptical of the entire thing, for various reasons, but after I got over that the first day I was really learning a lot.
My Absoute favorite part of MERGE was the Seder celebration on Thursday night. It is so amazing how symbolic everything is and how everything so closely ties into our lives as believers. I was talking to Kelly a bit about this afterward, but I had gone through the Seder in a class before (didn’t actually DO it), and I saw SO many things that I didn’t see before. Absolutely Amazing. So, I guess the reason why I am writing this is because I learned so much from the Seder, that I wanted to show the College and Career at our church this before communion which is next week, so this last Sunday night I hosted my very first Seder meal (only the second one I’d been to). We had 21 C&C come out, many of them I had never met before, and it went really well. Everyone learned a lot, and it was great. Thanks so much for all you guys are doing. Especially for teaching those of us who can be skeptics sometimes.
Benjamin

Posted on July 31, 2007 at 7:15 am

Comment by Kate

I’ve been a “Christian” all my life, but something happened to me at Merge that made me take that next step and put Christ FIRST in my life. I can’t explain how my life has changed since Merge… I finally understand what it means to be filled with the Holy Spirit. It’s more than just a joyfullness inside me, there’s a deep desire to please God that I’ve never felt before. I am so excited to spend time with Him, talk to Him, and do His work. The change inside of me has been so dramatic and thank Merge, but mostly HIM, for everything that has happened to me.

Posted on August 9, 2007 at 11:24 am

Comment by Adam

This was my first year at merge. I had heard so many things about it from different people that i didnt know what to expect. It was without a doubt the best week of my life! I was really impacted by the cross experiance. As I was going through the different stations it made me see things I had never thought about before, for example, the sandals…Jesus walked in sandals similar to those…it was god in human form! I also had given the crucifiction a deeper thought, there were just so many things I dont think about of what Jesus went through to pay for our sins. The cross experiance was an eye opener! Thank you all for a great time at Merge -Jen, -Kelly, -Amanda, everyone!!!

Adam

Posted on August 10, 2007 at 9:47 am

Comment by Ali

First off, Merge was AMAZING!! I have been a christian since I was really young, but Merge really taught me what that meant. Each experience at Merge showed me more and more that I am a huge part of God’s story, and that I really do fit into the big picture. One huge thing that God used merge to teach me, was to be a servant. Jesus came to earth not to be served but to serve. After learning the whole week about how to be more like God, I finally figured it out. God really changed me while I was at Merge in a bunch of different ways, and I wanna thank you for doing such a great job, and thank you God for making yourself real to me!

Posted on September 22, 2007 at 8:43 pm

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Posted on November 5, 2007 at 12:59 am

Comment by Carrie

Wow, Merge was simply amazing.
You know Merge was truly life changing when you find yourself at random times listening to Elevate with tears in your eyes, and a slideshow of Merge rolling through my mind. Merge has truly changed me. God is so big, and no matter what, there is always so much more to learn about Him. Merge showed me a new outlook. I can see God in a much bigger, yet personal way. You see, God and I have had some major bonding since Merge. That’s when you know something is life changing. My life has been impacted. There isnt a day that goes by that I dont talk or think about someone from Merge whether they be in Canada, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or even from my church. Throughout these months since I have been back from Merge everday I am reminded of God’s amazing love and personality. Everyday I want to go back to that amazing week of my life. I want to go back to the memories, back to the experiences, back to the worship, and back to the learning. Merge wasn’t one of those experiences that was mountain top at the time, but has remained a main part of my life. Of course I have my ups and downs in my relationship with Christ, but Merge has allowed me to become so much closer to God. It is a simply amazing realization that one week can change me this much. Merge was lifechanging. My story is now merged with God’s, and what better story would I want to be merged with??

Posted on January 2, 2008 at 9:54 pm