Merridith Landry

It wouldn’t take more than a few minutes with Merridith Landry to see that she possesses a servant’s heart. She was first introduced to CrossWay when her best friend invited her to be a part of a work camp. CrossWay’s youth group was sending a team up to Brandon, Vermont to participate. The week was life- changing for her. According to Merridith it was "like a whole other experience I couldn’t even dream of. They talked about the Bible – which I really didn’t know about – and they sang different, more renewing songs instead of hymns. I was changed by my experience there."

When she returned home she shared the experience with her parents. Over the next 4-5 months there was a fair amount of debating and searching at the Landry home. At this time they were actively involved in the Catholic Church and needed time to reconcile the differences in worship style and customs. But it only took one visit as a family to CrossWay to see the difference.

p>For Merridith, the biggest differences were the uplifting music, messages which made sense, the feeling of fellowship, and the emphasis on missions. Prior to coming to CrossWay she wanted to serve in missions but had been told she was too young. Since coming to CrossWay she has been on 2 international trips, 4 regional trips and several other mission opportunities throughout southern New Hampshire.

Within a few months of regular attendance at CrossWay, she learned of a group of people going to the Dominican Republic. "I love learning about cultures and countries", shared Merridith. In December of that year she approached the youth pastor about going. Because of the maturity she had shown while participating in work camp, he agreed to let her go despite her young age. But this left her with a huge hurdle to overcome. In 6- weeks she needed to raise the money to finance the trip, and babysitting wasn’t going to be enough. She needed to find a better way. Through the support of neighbors and the people at CrossWay, she raised enough money for that trip, for work camp the following summer, and to help pay for part of her dad’s trip cost to the Dominican the following winter.

Merridith is passionate about going where God needs her to go. In the future she wants to continue to go on mission trips to foreign countries. In addition she wants to help special needs children become the best they can be, to have a loving family, and to teach teens about God.

One final reflection from Merridith, "Overall, God was moving me and my family to where He wanted us to be . . . God has led me and my family to true happiness."