Shawn Small
After a decade working in parish youth ministry Shawn started Wonder Voyage Missions. Over the last 15 years, WVM has led thousands of pilgrims to over forty countries. Shawn is a storyteller and an award winning filmmaker. He is an author who brings the gift of engaging narrative to our journeys. Shawn is dedicated to creating voyages that give people abundant opportunities to encounter God.
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Destination
We arrived at the magnificent Punakha Fort, where the PhoChu and MoChu rivers meet in a zesty convergence. The warmth of the bright sunlight caught us off guard, all of us assuming the middle of the Himalayan Foothills was cold. The weather was ideal. The ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Ethos | 2 Comments
The approach of Wonder Voyage’s 25th birthday has me sentimental. Nostalgia takes over my mind as I reflect on where we came from at the turn of the century. We founded Wonder Voyage with next to nothing: no money, no technology, no website, no supporters, ...
| By Shawn Small | News
We’re halfway through our summer season of leading pilgrimages and mission trips to dozens of countries. These rare days of mid-summer rest fall between our busiest weeks of the year. Hundreds of Wonder Voyage participants have finished their journeys. Biggest Milestones of 2023 Wonder Voyage ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Ethos | 1 Comment
From the bottom of the hill, I spotted dozens of stones peppered across the rise like the slanting teeth of a stone giant. I had come to a graveyard that was puzzlingly established on the top of the sandy mound. The gravestones I spotted below ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Ethos
Every so often, Wonder Voyage travels back in time when a team has the opportunity to live in a monastery that has existed for hundreds of years. There is a significant connection to our roots of faith when we pray in places that have absorbed ...
| By Shawn Small | News
After thousands of hours preparing for and leading pilgrimages across the globe for a quarter century, the Wonder Voyage staff understands that the biggest difference between teams who experience wonder and those who don’t is the level of team preparation. Over the years, groups that ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Stories | 1 Comment
When the worship began, I broke. I am talking about that full-blown, sobbing, tear-soaked, sloppy kind of crying. I was in Honduras watching Antonio, my adult adopted son, speaking in front of a hundred people gathered for church. I met Antonio when he was twelve. ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Stories
This summer’s been tough. Wonder Voyage has facilitated sixty trips. The travel challenges post-Covid have been legion. There were days I received more than a dozen urgent calls with last-minute readjustments in itineraries due to our changing world of travel. All those vital adjustments came ...
| By Shawn Small | Wonder Voyage Stories | 2 Comments
Moments of wonder can happen anywhere at any time. This summer, one snuck up on our team from Georgia. The moment was brief. Standing like a human Stonehenge, silently embracing one another, my team was as quiet as elves. A gentle wind accentuated the peacefulness ...
| By Shawn Small | News | 1 Comment
10… 9… 8…. 7… 6… Sitting in the Wonder Voyage office at the beginning of June is like manning the computers at ground control of a shuttle launch. The countdown has started. The buzz of anticipation is in the air. The launchpad is cleared. With ...