Celebrating John Spencer

The seed of Wonder Voyage dropped into my heart 27 years ago. I was sitting in Voyage Guide John Spencer’s backyard. Together, we dreamed about creating an organization dedicated to sacred travel. As we celebrate John’s birthday, I wanted to share a passage in my newest book, Into the Wonder, where I first encountered a man who changed the trajectory of my life.

The Visionary

“I visited John and Sonia Spencer in New Ross, a nondescript town in southeast Ireland, sitting on the crossroads of County Kilkenny, County Wexford, and County Waterford. The Spencer family was amused when I disembarked the plane in shorts and a t-shirt, unbothered by the 50-degree temps. 

Within a couple of days, the celebrated Irish hospitality the Spencers displayed made me part of the family. Ten years my senior, John Spencer looked like an eighteenth-century sea captain: barrel-chested, strong as an ox, and with a perpetual three-day shadow across his cheeks. John was an entrepreneur during the week and the pastor of a small, local evangelical fellowship on Sundays. He was garrulous, not in an overpowering way, but in a manner that caused you to hope he never stopped talking. A human encyclopedia of history, architecture, farming, sailing, and whichever subject filled his bottomless curiosity, John was pure joy. When I departed Ireland, I left with an unexpected anam cara (soul friend). 

At the time, I had no idea the Spencers would be key influences in my life over the next three decades.”

Happy Birthday, John!

Happy birthday to the Wonder Voyage legend and idea-wizard, John Spencer. His love and compassion run through the veins of this organization.