Our Hidden Campgrounds
On a few weekends in the fall and spring you could venture into Flower Mound, a quiet suburb on the outskirts of Dallas, and see something strange. To get there, you would go past one of the nicest neighborhoods in Dallas, stately brick homes with multiple-car garages, big yards and rolling hills. You would drive until your path begins to look less like a street and more like a winding country road. At a particular bend in the road you could pull out, past four big orange barriers and down a half-washed-out gravel path. There you would see teams of hungry-looking teenagers and adults, fiercely competing in mental and physical challenges. Welcome to the heart of Expozure.
Shawn knew that Wonder Voyage was meant to be- that God wanted him to move forward; to plant the seeds and allow them to grow. But on September 11th, everything changed. Our world was instantly different, and people’s view of the world along with it.
20 Tons of Trash
With the major terrorist attack after the end of the 2001 busy season, people were afraid to travel internationally. The subsequent loss of support, lack of prospects and lack of paychecks could have been the end of the organization in its infancy.
Around that time, Michael Fleming (who is now one of Wonder Voyage’s board members) came up with the idea of an event that could capitalize on the newly created Survivor TV show. There was something appealing about the survival game and WV had all the resources to create fantastic events: a dedicated core of volunteers, connections to local churches, and encounters that could easily be adapted to the new format. WV needed Expozure to help offset the rising staff costs and the huge amount of work that went into every trip.
Faith Lutheran 2008
The format was simple but effective. The participants would split into teams and they would compete against each other to earn points. The teams would be given very little food but they could earn more food by winning challenges, which they could either eat or trade for more points. All the games were designed to force teams to work together and allow different groups with different strengths to remain competitive throughout the weekend. Like Wonder Voyage’s summer voyages, the weekends would follow a strong theme or story. And the ultimate goal would also be the same: a true encounter with God for its participants.
So the first Expozure kicked off in the fall of 2001, with about fifty kids. It wasn’t perfect: the participants had to bring their own camping gear. The games ran a little rough. But despite all that the event was a huge success. Expozure was eventually able to meet
A Winning Team
WV’s office costs for the next four years. Another benefit was Wonder Voyage’s partnership with the Corps of Engineers. Since 2001, the Expozure teams have cleaned up 40,000 lbs. of trash and completed numerous beautification projects.
Since that first season in 2001, Expozure has hosted sixty-two events for 2500 participants. Most of the Expozure staff members have helped out on summer voyages and vice versa. In a sense, Expozure has extended the Wonder Voyage family. The birth of Expozure is yet another example of God’s faithfulness to WV. It was initially created out of desperation, but God has blessed it and used it in profound ways.
So if you are ever near Lake Grapevine and see groups of kids with multicolored bandanas racing around the woods- you’ve stumbled into the wilds of Expozure.
Mike Flickinger has been leading Wonder Voyage trips for four years and works full-time as Shawn’s administrative assistant. He has been commissioned to write this series of articles to document the history of our organization. This article covers the Wonder Voyage year of 2001.
Yes, i miss my expozure staff days. There’s nothing quite like the smell of camp fire, sleeping under the stars, bathing with wet wipes…and all the while, of course, torturing young kids! It’s amazing!
Clearly this adventure not only serves to develop team spirit, personal dedication, diligence, but it also assists in defining one’s character and “expozing” what’s truly within the heart of an individual. Bravo WV. I definitely would like to observe and dare I say participate….one day.
Comments on this entry are closed.