Celebrating Chris Larson
There are certain people stored in your brain’s warehouse that immediately evoke a place in space and time when you recall their faces. You have woven an incident you experienced with them to legendary proportions. That moment is when you remember your personal Mona Lisa. When I think of Chris Larson, I have a moment.
A Truck Bed in the Dominican Republic
I am in the bed of a pickup truck in the Dominican Republic. He is leading a Wonder Voyage with a small team in the central mountains near Jarabacoa on the outskirts of Armando Bermudez National Park. Between exploring waterfalls, coffee plantations, and the never-stop green of the surrounding jungles, the team focused on the physical restoration of local schools.
Sitting in the back of the pickup, holding on for dear life as we bumped down roads with competing potholes and mud bumps, Chris laughed and laughed and laughed. His high-pitched guffaws bulleted off the surrounding trees, scaring monkeys and macaws while weakening my death grip on the truck bed for the lack of oxygen I was expiring while chortling back at Chris.
The Gift of Laughter
When I think of Chris Larson, I picture and hear his jovial laughing jowls. Laughter may be Chris’ greatest spiritual gift to the world.
Happy birthday to a man overflowing with kindness who loves well and brings laughter to every voyage he leads.
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.