Thursday, October 8, 2026

COSTA RICA Mission Trip (June 12-19, 2027)


 
 

MISSIONS
 
 2.5+ (ROBUST+)
RUSTIC
8.0
 $849+

2027 COSTA RICA Mission Trip
June 12-19, 2027 (Sat-Sat) - Fortuna de Bagaces, Costa Rica










Mission Trip Online Payment Options
(3% "Tax" added when paying online to cover PayPal fees)



- PROMO VIDEO -
Check out this video of what a GTD Costa Rica Mission Trip looks like.




- EVENT DETAILS -
The Specifics

  EVENT:  
  • COSTA RICA Mission Trip
  DATES:  
  • July 2-9, 2016 (Sat-Sat)
  COST:  
  • COST PER PERSON: $849
  • (Payment 1- due upon registration).... $212.25   (MP: $199.75)
  • (Payment 2 - three months prior to trip).... $212.25   (MP: $199.75)
  • (Payment 3 - two months prior to trip).... $212.25   (MP: $199.75)
  • (Payment 4 - one month prior to trip).... $212.25   (MP: $199.75)
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MINISTRY PARTNER'S (MP) DISCOUNT.... $799 (Any Date) 
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  TO REGISTER:  
  START TIME:  
  • Your flight must arrive at LIR Airport (Liberia, CR) by 3pm on Saturday July 2, 2016
  ENDING TIME:  
  • Your flight must depart from LIR Airport (Liberia, CR) at 10am or later on Saturday July 9, 2016
  LOCATION: 
  • La Fortuna De Bagaces, Costa Rica (Guanacaste Province) - Central America
  • NOTE: This is not the same highly touristed Fortuna near the Arenal Volcano
  • GPS: 10°40.363'N, 85°11.784'W
  MIN. PEOPLE:  
  • 6
  MAX. PEOPLE:  
  • 10
  AGE RANGE:  
  • 8 years and older (15 and under must be accompanied by an adult)
  WHAT IS INCLUDED:  
  • Full time GTD mission guides, local guides, translators, accommodations during trip, all breakfasts, lunches, and dinners in Costa Rica (except at airports) as well as some snacks, mission projects & included activities, ground transportation & fuel within Costa Rica, travel medical insurance, daily devotionals, spiritual emphasis, and a God-awesome trip of a lifetime!
  ALSO INCLUDED AT NO EXTRA CHARGE:  
  • GTD provides a memorable trip to nearby thermal hot springs where participants will enjoy a delicious Costa Rican dinner, a waterslide, and a few hours of swimming in pools heated by a local volcano. After a few days of physically demanding work and a few nights of possible sleep deprivation the thermal hot springs nights are nothing less than refreshingly special.
  WHAT IS NOT INCLUDED:  
  • Air travel arrangements, airfare, construction costs (if applicable), transportation to/from home airport, meals at airports, Costa Rica departure tax, trip cancellation insurance, any gratuities for local guides, unscheduled snacks, souvenirs, additional activities not scheduled for this trip, and any costs incurred by lost or stolen passports.
  IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT TRAVEL MEDICAL INSURANCE:  
  • Travel medical insurance does not cover medical expenses while inside the US borders. It is not designed to replace your personal health insurance while inside the US borders even if a medical condition resulted while traveling abroad. It is only designed to cover certain medical expenses while outside of the US (or your home country). Coverage begins once you arrive in Costa Rica. Coverage ends once you return within the US borders. See specific details of coverage from provider. 
  • GTD, host missionaries, and anyone related to providing this event are not responsible for coverage of any medical expenses that may arise during your mission trip. Every participant assumes personal responsibility for any medical expenses not covered by travel medical insurance or their own personal health insurance. Participants, staff, and volunteers all participate at their own risk.
  ACCOMMODATIONS:  
  • Bunkhouse on the church property
  • Bunk beds (4-6" foam mattress, sheets & pillows provided)
  • Includes flush toilets; electricity; "lukewarm" & cold showers
  • No A/C available... it's a mission trip in a developing country!!!
  MEALS:  
  • In general, almost all Costa Rican meals (including breakfast) include black beans and rice (gallo pinto). This simple, standard dish, often referred to as comida tipica, is the backbone of Costa Rican cuisine. Costa Rican meals are generally quite healthy and are often times served with a good portion of fruits or vegetables or both, the meals are very well rounded and generally high in fiber. Food staples include carne (beef, sometimes called bistek), pollo (chicken), and pescado (fish), and taco style meals.
  PASSPORT INFO:  
  • Everyone is required to have a current Passport. (Visa not required)
  • NOTE: Costa Rica officials will not allow anyone into the country with a passport that expires within 3 months after the start date of your trip.
  ARRIVAL INFO (AIR TRAVEL):  
  • GTD does not provide air travel.

    ***SPECIAL NOTE***YOU WILL BE FLYING INTO LIBERIA (LIR) for this public mission trip.
  • Secure your tickets asap!
  • **WARNING: We encourage participants to NOT fly on Spirit Airlines. We have had problems with this company in the past. Their flights often appear less expensive until you add on all their additional fees. They have poor customer service, and they have a history of using raunchy & smutty ads to promote their airline. You may "save" $50 on one of their flights, but you will pay for it in the long run.
  • MEETING PLACE & TIME IN COSTA RICA: See START TIME above for arrival time. (Specific meeting location at airport to be announced).
  DEPARTURE INFO (AIR TRAVEL):  
  • We will be returning to Liberia airport (LIR) by 7:00am the following Saturday (book your departing flight for 10am or later) (please make flight departure time at least 3 hours later than when we are scheduled to return to the airport)
  • VERY IMPORTANT: Costa Rica charges a $29 airport exit tax. You must pay this before checking your luggage. This fee is not included with the price of your trip.
  REQUIRED FORMS:  
  • Complete a Missions Application
  • Have 3 Character Reference Forms completed. One form should be filled out by a Pastor or Sunday School Leader or your boss and the other forms can be filled out by a family member and a close friend.
 REQUIRED WAIVERS:  
  • GTD Waiver (Please print and complete prior to arrival)
  • NOTE: Any participant under 18 must also have parent/ guardian sign each waiver
  PAYMENT OPTIONS:  
  • GTD events can be paid for with cash, checks, or debit / credit cards. To pay online with a debit or credit card click on the PayPal link near the top of this link. If paying with cash or check click here.
  HIGHLIGHT PICTURES: 
  • CLICK HERE to view highlight pictures from past COSTA RICA Mission Trips 
  EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS:  
  • Costa Rica Church (Bunkhouse): 011-506-2673-0054  or  011-506-2673-1760
  • Costa Rica (Pastor Danilo): 011-506-8816-2777 (cell)
  • NOTE: Church & Pastor are Spanish speaking

- COSTA RICA-
THE HAPPIEST COUNTRY OF THE WORLD


Did you know Costa Rica was rated as the happiest country in the world in 2012? 



Starting our day with devotions is one way of allowing God to speak to us
while serving on the mission field.


- COMMUNITY OUTREACH-
Prayer Walks, Evangelism, Children's Carnivals, Delivering Food & Necessities, 
Distribution Of Clothes & Shoes, Relationship Building





Working together to share the love of Christ.


- SERVICE PROJECTS-
Manual Labor & Construction



Some of the various manual labor and construction projects our teams have been
involved in are mixing concrete, replacing culverts, painting, making gardens,
yard work, community clean up, demolition and building dorms.


- The Costa Rican Church -
Iglesia Biblica Buen Pastor


Our teams have helped to lead Sunday worship at our partner church in Costa Rica, they have also
participated in youth and prayer services, shared testimonies, preached sermons,
 and performed skits and have been incredibly impacted just by attending.


- The People-
Our Costa Rican Family & Friends


Being a part of this local community since 2005 has helped GTD to build some close 
relationships with many wonderful people that oftentimes make these people
feel more like family.  These are some of the beautiful people we get to
work with and who help make our mission trips so unique 
and special for our teams. 



We are so blessed by the friendship of our translators. This is our dear friend Toly (the one on the right).


- THE BEAUTY, CULTURE & ADVENTURE-
Zip Lining, Horseback Riding, White Water Rafting, Waterfalls, Beaches, Volcanoes, 
Fruits, Coffee Making, Petroglyphs & More




- SAMPLE AGENDA -
Sample Agenda based off a Saturday - Saturday Calendar (Subject To Change)

Sample Agenda


- CHECKLIST -
What You Should Bring




Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Help GTD BREAK A RECORD!!

Help GTD BREAK A RECORD!!

(Currently we already have about 125 attendees!! The last 2 weeks is historically when people firm up their plans.)

As we celebrate 30 years of ministry and RELAUNCH GTD into the next 30 years we want to PACK THE VENUE full of awesome people!

Every attendee gets a FREE GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba’s dinner & MORE!

AND WE HAVE FREE BANQUET TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM GENEROUS OUT-OF-STATE TABLE SPONSORS!! 
 
Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. Thank you to our very generous supporters!!! 

To claim your FREE SPOT simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!
 
Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 
 
ANNUAL BANQUET:
October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)
6:30pm - 9:00pm
 
Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center
4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
 
CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!
NEW GTD LOGO!!
NEW GTD WEBSITE!!
FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!
 
God is up to something special!!!! 


 
 
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Saturday, October 3, 2026

40 FREE BANQUET TICKETS!! (FAMILY & KID FRIENDLY... BRING THE WHOLE FAMILY!!)

  
Each year we have generous Table Sponsors that live out of the area that want to offer their banquet tickets to anyone that wants to come to our Annual Banquet and enjoy a night of celebration along with a free GTD T-Shirt, a delicious Carrabba's dinner, & a gift bag. This year we have 4 sponsored tables x 10 seats per table = 40 FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE! Yayyyyy!! Thank you to our very generous supporters!!!

To claim your FREE TICKETS simply click on the GTD Annual Banquet website link below and complete the RSVP form (takes about 1 minute) so we have enough Carrabba's for everyone!! Super simple!
 
Come join us for a fun night as we celebrate 30 years of ministry as well as prepare for our next 30 years! 

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 
 
ANNUAL BANQUET:
October 20th, 2026 (Tues Night)
6:30pm - 9:00pm
 
Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center
4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
 
CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!
NEW GTD LOGO!!
NEW GTD WEBSITE!!
FUTURE NEW GTD CEO!!!
 
God is up to something special!!!! 


 
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Friday, October 2, 2026

GLORY TO GOD >>> ALL 25 TABLES SPONSORED IN EXACTLY 2 MONTHS!!!

  
Wow, God is up to something very special!! I'm thrilled to announce that God blessed us with 25 Table Sponsors in exactly 2 months (Aug 1 - Oct 1), and that even includes 3 weeks away running Adventure Trips!!!! 
 
We are soooooo blessed with THE GREATEST SUPPORTERS!!! Our cup of gratitude overflows for everyone who generously gave and helped us hit out goals!!! You! Guys! ROCK!!!
 
So much more to share... Thank You Jesus for strongly supporting us!!!
 
 
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Thursday, October 1, 2026

ONLY 1 TABLE SPONSOR LEFT TO GO!!!!!!

ONLY 1 TABLE SPONSOR LEFT TO GO!!!!!! 

We! Are! Blown! Away!!!

THANK YOU JESUS!!! ALL GLORY TO GOD 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! I keep saying it >>> GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING VERY SPECIAL!!!!!

Another thing I keep saying is >>> WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS!!!! 

We are now up to 24 Table Sponsors!!! WE ONLY NEED 1 MORE to hit our goal of 25!!! 

PTL, in addition to all the Table Sponsors God has also also blessed us with a $5000 Dinner Sponsor, $4500 T-Shirt Sponsors, a $2000 Venue Sponsor, & a $12,000 Legacy Donor Match Challenge Sponsor!!!

Thank youuuuu soooooooo much to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many many many recognitions forthcoming!!! 

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet. The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!) 

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s
Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags. (*The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!)

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive: 

- 10 Banquet Tickets
- 10 Carrabba Dinners
- 10 GTD T-Shirts
- And more 

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+ 

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 



 
 
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Wednesday, September 30, 2026

ANOTHER PRODUCTIVE 2-HOUR VOLUNTEER WORK DAY!!

  
I'm loving these monthly 2-hour volunteer Work Days! We get a week's worth of productivity accomplished in only 2 hours, and have a lot of fun & great fellowship along the way =). This past Saturday we had 8 of us working together to tackle some GTD manual labor... we got a lot done and still had the rest of the day to enjoy a beautiful Saturday!! Next GTD 2-hour volunteer Work Day is scheduled for October 17th (a Saturday) 9am-11am at "The GTD Projects" (my house lol) in Pinellas Park... specific work projects TBD.

If you would like to help us do some work at "The Projects" we would love your help! You can sign up on our sign-up link below. Thank you in advance, and glory to God in the highest!!

Upcoming Work Days at GTD's "The Projects"
October 17 (9am-11am)
November 07 (9am-11am)
December 12 (9am-11am)

GTD Work Day sign-up link:
https://signup.com/go/TFmkSWf
 
 
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Tuesday, September 29, 2026

21 TABLES ALREADY SPONSORED!!! ...ONLY 4 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

  
GLORY TO GOD 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! As I said before >>> WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS!!!! We are now up to 21 Table Sponsors!!! 

That means WE ONLY NEED 4 MORE with exactly 3 weeks to go till our most important event of the year!!! 

PTL, God has also already blessed us with a $5000 Dinner Sponsor, $4500 T-Shirt Sponsors, a $2000 Venue Sponsor, & a $12,000 Legacy Donor Match Challenge Sponsor!!!

Thank you so so so so so so soooooo much to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many recognitions forthcoming!!! 

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet. The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!) 

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags. (*The deadline to make it on the back of the shirt is October 5th!!)

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive: 

- 10 Banquet Tickets
- 10 Carrabba Dinners
- 10 GTD T-Shirts
- And more 

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+ 

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 



 
 
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Thursday, September 24, 2026

ONLY 10 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

ONLY 10 TABLE SPONSORS LEFT TO GO!!!!

Praise the Lord 🙌 🙌 🙌 !!!! WE HAVE THE BEST DONORS & SUPPORTERS 👏 👏 👏 !!!! We already have 15 Tables Sponsors (and we were gone for 3 weeks running Adventure Trips in Georgia)!!! 

That means WE ONLY NEED 10 MORE!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of our AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!!! Many recognitions forthcoming!!!

(FYI: All Event & Table Sponsors will be recognized on the back of our new GTD T-Shirts as well as at the Annual Banquet.)

Here's the skinny: 

GTD is seeking 25 Table Sponsors for this year’s
Annual Banquet (Oct 20, 2026 at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center). 

All Table Sponsors receive recognition on the back of the GTD T-Shirts as well as on our website, social media, banquet handouts, & within our gift bags.

Each table seats 10 people so each Table Sponsor will receive:

- 10 Banquet Tickets
- 10 Carrabba Dinners
- 10 GTD T-Shirts
- And more

Table Sponsorships cost $250, $500, $750, & $1000+

To become an ANNUAL BANQUET Table Sponsor simply complete the RSVP on the link below and check out the details on our Annual Banquet link below!! 

God is up to something special!!!! 



 
 
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Tuesday, September 22, 2026

WE DID IT!! ...AND WE HAVE RETURNED!

  
The boys are back in town! Praise the Lord, and ALL glory to God - we returned home a few days ago safe & sound and overflowingly blessed!! Carson, Andrew, & I ran 3 back-to-back-to-back Adventure Trips in northeast Georgia. It was literally a God-awesome time!! Usually it takes 5 people to run an Adventure Trip smoothly, but Andrew works as hard as 5 people just by himself... Carson works as hard as 4 people, and I work as hard as half of a person so when you add it all up we had 9.5 people working on each trip haha!! Special thanks to Gavin Williamson who came over from Atlanta to help us for a few days (especially on rock climbing day with SEU!!). And special thanks to the Lazzaro's who launched us into these trips with the use of their house & hospitality (& local Sam's Club lol) just before we started these sets of trips! GTD's 30th summer was amazing!!! God blessed all of us immensely, and worked powerfully in each group. We are now back home working on the upcoming Annual Banquet that is literally 4 weeks from today! This year we brought the truck and trailer back to Florida (from NC) so that we can FINALLY switch over to our "new" bigger & better trailer that we purchased a few years ago. We are going to build all new shelves in the new trailer and prep it for taking it back up to the mountains as we RELAUNCH GTD into our next 30 years!!! Thank You Jesus for all that You did, and all that You are doing!! God is up to something special!
 
 
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Saturday, September 19, 2026

1 MONTH TILL OUR MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE YEAR!!!

   
Join us on October  20, 2026 as we celebrate 30 years of God-awesome outdoor adventure ministry (1996-2026) PTL!!! Aaaaaaaaand we are RELAUNCHING GTD into our next 30 years of ministry on October 20th!!! SAVE THE DATE >>> GTD'S ANNUAL BANQUET IS ONLY 1 MONTH AWAY =)

Click this link for DETAILS & RSVP!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry
God-awesome Adventures Since 1996!
 
 
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IT WAS NO mis"STEAK" MAKING THIS GUY GTD'S FUTURE CEO!!

  
Carson is 9 months into a 2 year process of replacing me as GTD's next CEO (target date: January 2028), and he is doing a fantastic job rising to the occasion 👏 👏. We have a saying in GTD for everyone who comes on as a new volunteer, staff member, or board member: "You can add to the ministry, but you cannot take away from the ministry." In other words, your presence makes us better, not worse. Carson has been adding to GTD since the day he was born! Over the summer he took our menu and made it better by adding new delicious meals (I loved the new chicken quesadillas!!), and even an option to upgrade your menu to steak, bacon, & sausage for an additional charge. The Calvary Church Men's Adventure Trip was our first steak & potatoes dinner along with Carson's world famous sausage, egg, bacon, & cheese breakfast sandwiches!! They were BIG HITS!! He just added to the ministry (per usual)!! It was definitely no mis"STEAK" making Carson GTD's future CEO! Great decision God!!!

(PS: I have not done a great job of describing what I'm doing after I pass the torch to Carson. Lord willing, I'm not retiring from GTD... just pivoting to new roles and new programs. Carson will become my boss! I'll assist him however he needs without pseudo micro-managing him while I focus on developing new areas of the ministry I have wanted to work on for the past 30 years. I'm definitely not retiring. The last 5+ years made it evident that I need to start passing the torch sooner rather than later. By the grace of God I'm not having any problems "letting go". It's God's perfect timing to pass the torch to the next generation FOR SUCH A TIME AS THIS!)
 
 
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Thursday, September 17, 2026

WHAT MORE CAN I SAY... EVERYONE LOVES RAFTING DAY!!

    
The Calvary Church of Clearwater men soaked up & savored every minute of our 7 hour white water rafting trip on "The Beast of The Southeast" - Chattooga River Section 4!!!
 
 
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Wednesday, September 16, 2026

JESUS IS THE "SECRET SAUCE" OF GTD!!

   
One of the guys on the Men's Adventure Trip was complimenting us on what a great ministry GTD is. He said, "The activities and experiences are great, but it's the devotionals and authentic conversations afterwards that are your secret sauce!" I couldn't agree more. In fact, that's very intentional. We could put together a thrilling, fun-filled, adrenaline oozing adventure absent of the focus on Jesus and it would be like a cup of sugar - full of empty calories leaving you still hungry and unsatisfied. Or we can put together that same exciting adventure combined with a continuous focus on Jesus and authentic transparent faith-emphasized conversations and then it becomes like a plate full of healthy food with a delicious dessert leaving you fully satisfied and well nourished in your body & your soul. In fact, we make it no secret at all, Jesus is our "secret sauce"!! It's all over our website, social media, and we wear it on our sleeve... He makes everything better, especially outdoor adventures in His amazing playground!! At best we can change your moments by giving you something memorable to do, but Jesus... well He can not only change your moments, He can also change your life & your soul!
 
 
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Monday, September 14, 2026

A PERFECT DAY FOR AN 8 STORY FAITH RAPPEL!

  
"A rappel is the controlled descent down a steep slope or cliff by sliding down a fixed rope." The men of Calvary Church of Clearwater were fearless on Currahee Mountain as they rapelled 80 feet down one of our favorite cliffs! Thrilling! Exciting! Faith Building!! God teaches us so much about faith through adventure... you can study for years about the definition of "faith" or you can learn it in minutes by rappelling! God is our anchor. His promises is the rope. Faith is committing yourself over the edge of the mountain. I was once taught that a one word definition of "faith" is "risk". Fear tells you to stay away from the edge. Faith responds with a factually based courage that compels you to risk what you fear over the edge. Faith OVER fear!
 
 
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Friday, September 11, 2026

REAL MEN SLIDE DOWN WET ROCKS LOL!

  
We had a blast hiking down into Tallulah Gorge State Park and sliding down Bridal Veil Falls then hiking out of the gorge! It was a complete adventure, and everyone loved it!!
 
 
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Thursday, September 10, 2026

AND OUR 3rd STRAIGHT ADVENTURE TRIP HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!

    
A small men's group (not midgets mind you) from Calvary Church of Clearwater arrived yesterday afternoon to kick off their annual GTD Adventure Trip!! Here we gooooo!! Shooting for a hat trick of back-to-back-to-back God-awesome events to complete our 2026 Summer of Fun!!! GLORY! TO! GOD!!!!
 
 
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Wednesday, September 9, 2026

WELCOME TO THE GTD CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT!

   
Carson brought his weight lifting set so we are able to maintain our workout consistency... and wash our clothes with this handy dandy portable "washing machine" GTD got a couple of years ago. Who needs CrossFit when you can wash your clothes and workout at GTD's CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT hahaha 😅
 
 
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Tuesday, September 8, 2026

YESTERDAY WAS AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHER!!

  
Some days take on a life of their own. That's how yesterday was. We probably had 10 different adventures within one day of adventure. I'm still processing and savoring it... Yonah Mountain = new destination (for the other 3 guys, and I haven't been there in 20+ years), intense uphill hike, each person carried 2 backpacks, thick fog at the mountain top with 20 ft of visibility, temporarily "lost" from low visibility, teachable training moments for Carson & Andrew, miraculous-like clearing of the thick fog in about 5 minutes to reveal breathtaking views (and the trails as well as the edges of the cliffs), miraculous-like encounters with strangers that helped us get reoriented to find our trail to our rock climbing spot, a near fall off of a narrow trail edge about 10 feet above the rocks below (I was able to grab a tree to keep me from going over the edge, but slammed & twisted my left knee), slightly injured but still able to hike & climb with a limp, the injury meant Carson & Andrew had to set up the climbing anchors (a true passing of the torch as I always set up the rappel & climbing anchors, and they were able to apply the anchor training I have been teaching them), we all got to climb before darkness hit, hiking downhill with headlamps on, fully exhausted and fully alive, getting back to camp late for dinner and Impact Point, and probably several other adventures within the adventure!! Emeil, and all of us, had one of the best days of our lives full of unknown outcomes while relishing in the moment. A lot of it was captured on pictures, videos, & drone footage. It was truly an epic God-awesome day!!
 
 
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AN AUDIENCE OF ONE!

   
At one point we had about 8 people signed up for Go Vertical, and it slowly trickled down to one. Sometimes we cancel an event if participation falls below a certain number, but since we had private events right before Go Vertical and right after we could still run it if the one person (Emeil) wanted to still go vertical. Emeil was still all in and so were we!! And since we are in a 2 year process of passing the torch this became a good opportunity to also train up our next generation of GTD leaders that we treat a group of one with the same level of enthusiasm and care as we treat a group of 25! Andrew and Carson have risen to the occasion, and are working hard to give Emeil a God-awesome rock climbing & rappelling trip... and Emeil is loving it!! The truth is that we should always work each trip as unto an "Audience of One" - God, and then everyone walks away with a lifelong God-awesome memory!! Emeil got to go rappelling several times on Currahee Mountain. He relished it!
 
"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people." - Colossians 3:23
 
 
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Sunday, September 6, 2026

STEADY PROTEIN & EMERGENCY CAFFEINE!

  
We are 7 days into 13 straight 16-hour work days!! Gotta have some on-the-go constant easy access protein and "emergency" "getting very lethargic" quick caffeine!! Both can be life savers in those "hitting the wall" moments. Just gotta get some healthier energy drinks!! This is the door before the first trip, and this is the door at the finish of the first trip =).
 
 
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Saturday, September 5, 2026

PANCAKES, DEVOS, BIBLE TRIVIA, VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT, ROPE SWING, & SALSA DANCING... SEU TRIP ENDS SPECTACULARLY!!

   
What more can I say... the title says it all, except for our nightly campfires, worship, highlights of the day, s'mores, Christ-centered messages, & God-awesome fellowship!! Well, I guess there was a lot more to say hahaha!! We are praising God for a spectacular week with the SEU college students and so many answered prayers!! Only 1 trip to the ER, 1 vehicle breakdown, & perfect rain-free weather all week. God is so good!! SEU came, they saw, they conquered!! Now they are driving back to Florida... and we are already missing them!!
 
 
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Friday, September 4, 2026

ROCK ON!! ...SEU TAKES ON CURRAHEE MOUNTAIN!

   
We were blessed with a fantastic day on Currahee Mountain with the Southeastern University students (Countryside Christian Center satellite campus). They rock climbed and rapelled their way to a lifelong memory as some overcame fears, some pushed themselves past previous limits, and some increased their skills. No matter where each person was in their skill & fear level it became a day of personal growth and accomplishment. Rock on!!
 
 
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Thursday, September 3, 2026

INNER TUBING BY DAY, WORSHIP BY NIGHT... SEU ADVENTURE TRIP HAS BEEN GOD-AWESOME!!

   
It was a perfect day in Helen, Georgia for inner tubing on the Chattahoochee River... then a perfect night around the campfire for praise & worship!! God is so good! We love this group!
 
 
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Wednesday, September 2, 2026

SEU TAKES ON TALLULAH GORGE!!

   
It was a challenging hike in and out of Tallulah Gorge, but it was so worth it! SEU loved sliding down Bridal Veil Falls!!
 
 
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