Fostering Connections Through Pilgrimage

Pass the Candle has been a long-time tradition within Wonder Voyage. It caps a week with reflections on what God is doing in and through the team members. Sometimes, it proves to be the highlight of people’s trips because we get so busy doing, learning, exploring, and experiencing our voyage, that we don’t fully grasp the beauty of the trip until we have that candle in our hands.

Wonder Voyage Guide and Board Member, Brent Richardson, recently led a pilgrimage to Montana. As always, the church chose when to have Brent lead the spiritual conversations and when they would lead it themselves.

Brent shared two stories: the treasure chest story and the life-altering meaning behind his 911 tattoo. Each hit home with the teens and leaders. Afterward, the leader said:

Our group had to pivot to the US from a European adventure due to COVID-19 and after a year of not getting in person time with our kids. We moved our trip to Montana and were blown away by the beauty. We wanted outdoor adventure to see God in natural spaces with quiet and splendor. We saw that and more. Our housing was fantastic and the dock between our houses was a favorite space for the kids and leaders. It was a beautiful space for contemplation, laughs, Eucharist, and passing the candle. Thank you, Wonder Voyage and Brent, for helping us find gorgeous spaces to foster connection between our kids and God, each other, and nature.

Fostering connections is at the core of what Wonder Voyage does. Each of our Guides has a unique way of doing that. Some use stories. Some use Encounter moments. Some find that connection through Pass the Candle.

COVID kept us 6-feet-apart for a year of our lives. Many of us are starved for community. When you’re ready to reconnect with your team, we are ready to help foster those connections.

Check out our homepage where we have trips within 300 miles from anywhere in the continental US. Your team’s connection is closer than you think.