A Summer Charged with Potential

Mery writes "I had developed a very jaded view of religion but couldn't shake the feeling that I was missing something important in my life. What was it about the message of Jesus that had so many people following him dutifully in their daily lives? I began to meet members of my university's Chaplain's Office who completely contradicted the images of Christians that I held. These people believed in the message of justice and service that I had read about in the Bible and were actually acting on them. They preached acceptance and love, and most importantly, being an ACTIVE member of society and working purposeful to change the world around them for the better. I discovered community among these like-minded individuals, and a renewed admiration for God."

Mery just finished her junior year at Ohio Wesleyan. I have known her from the very beginning of her college career. She is a rare mix of energy and deep thoughtfulness. She has been involved in the outdoor ministry as well as mission trips and other service opportunities, but as she writes above, she has only recently begun to seriously consider Christianity.

She will spend forty days of her summer in the mountains of Wyoming on the CCO's Leadership and Discipleship in the Wilderness trip (LDW). This hardcore backpacking and mountaineering experience is more than high adventure. Students are guided to explore a variety of spiritual practices on their own and together as a group.

I went on LDW as a student in 2004. The trip played a major role in my decision to become a campus minister with the CCO, and I often reference the skills I learned on the trip in my everyday life. Please pray that this summer will be a time of intense spiritual growth for Mery.

While students are away from campus, I will spend my summer preparing for next school year. Here are some highlights:

• CCO Spring Institute - Two weeks of training for campus ministry. I will take three courses and teach a seminar on how to plan and lead a spring break trip.

• Athletes' Fresh X - Fresh X offers pre-orientation retreats for new students. This year there will be three different trips for three groups of students. The first one is a backpacking trip in Kentucky for student athletes that I will lead at the end of June.

• Planning - Bible studies, outdoor trips, and other events for the fall
  

• Fund raising - My goal is to gain at least six new monthly donors.

• Vacation - A little bit of downtime will round out my summer.