CBCC Adventure Trip Pics Uploaded

2011 Adventure Trip: Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater - HS Yth Group

All 7 photo albums (1274 pics) of Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater's amazing adventure trip have been uploaded to the GTD Facebook Page & our SmugMug website (for best quality pics)... it's a feast for the eyes =)

 

 

$230 For Round Trip Airfare!!

Grand Canyon, Here We Come!!

 

Only $230 For Round-Trip Airfare

(From Tampa to Phoenix)

Currently Thru priceline.com... Hurry B4 The Rates Change

 

 

2011 GRAND CANYON & SEDONA DestiNATION Trip

Oct 6-11, 2011 (Thur - Tues) - Williams, AZ

Was: $799  Take 38% OFF... Now: $499 (+ Airfare & Meals)

(read all the details on our website)

 

 

 

Calvary Chapel Adv Trip Pics Uploaded

2011 Calvary Chapel of St Pete (Middle Sch Yth) Adventure Trip

If one picture is worth a thousand words then wait till you hear all the amazing words that flow from 1000 pictures of 40 excited & crazy & Godly middle schoolers from CCSP. Check out the pics on our SmugMug Photo Album or on the GTD Facebook Page... Enjoy!!

Back To Work (SLAMMED Pics Uploaded)



16th Annual SLAMMED Adventure Trip - 2011 (TN)



After our 50 staright days of mission & adventure trips we took a week off which included time at my family reunion in Orlando. It was strange to go from primitive living to a luxury resort. I can only imagine that it's a small taste of the contrast we will experience when we enter heaven. Yesterday, it was back to work. I know it sounds odd, but I love work - especially office work. It's a good thing because I have 7 weeks of office work piled up on my desk so it's time to play "catch-up". I was able to upload our 16th Annual SLAMMED Adventure Trip pics yesterday. You can view them on our Smug Mug photo album site or on the GTD Facebook Page... enjoy!! (-duG)

Way To Go Laurie!!

Lauire and her "Costa Rican Grandpa" Senior (Santa) Cruz

Very proud of Laurie Finger. She did a FANTASTIC job leading up the Costa Rica program this summer. Leadership can often be a lonely & thankless position, but she did it with integrity, class, and with all her heart as unto the Lord. She took on all the pressures & stresses of overseeing and that is NO SMALL MATTER... someone has to drive the car so the rest of the crew can enjoy the ride. I know how much spiritual warfare & interpersonal struggles goes on in that position, but God used her in MIGHTY MIGHTY ways. Thank you Laurie for getting in the driver's seat & upholding the standards of God & GTD... I am so proud of you!!  - duG

We're Baaaaaack!!

We're Baaaaaack!! After 50 straight 16-hour work days without a day off, we have returned... 4 mission trips & 3 adv trips! God did so much! More entries & pictures to be added soon :)

Slammed Update: We had a FANTASTIC day rock climbing & rappelling yesterday. We just broke down camp & are in route back to FL. God is soooo good!! :)

Friday, Friday!!

The SLAMMED Adventure Trip is going super duper... we spent the afternoon swimming at Blue Hole & rafting the Ocoee River. Our devos were in John 15 & the group had so much insight. God is so good... we are heading back towards camp... hoping to get a few bridge & cliff jumps in b4 dinner :)

THUR UPDATE: Slammed is off to a fantastic start... spent the day sliding over & cliff jumping at Baby Falls. Devos were in Matthew 6. Harsh rain right now :)

Calvary Chapel of St Pete's yth grp departed at 7am. We spent the day cleaning & preparing for the SLAMMED Adv Trip that starts 2nite! The group is almost here!

TUES UPDATE 2: Group is heading back 2 camp & getting ready so that they can depart for FL at 7am tomorrow morning. Hamburgers 2nite! We r sad 2 c them leave :(

TUES UPDATE: Calvary Chapel of St Pete yth group had so much fun today!! Riding over waterfalls, jumping off cliffs & bridges, gr8 devos- it was a complete day!

QUICK UPDATE: White water rafting went awesomely yesterday!! 2day we've been rock climbing & rappelling... all are safe & sound... back to camp now!! :)

(2/2) f to go white water rafting. It is a beautiful day to enjoy God 's creation!

(1/2) and after joined their discussion groups to share what they had learned. For breakfast the kids enjoyed scrambled eggs, bisquits and gravy and are now of

(2/2) n around the campfire. This morning the students awoke early for devos out of 1st Peter

(1/2) Last night Calvary Chapel of St. Pete (middle school youth group) arrived to camp safely. Taco Nachos were served up for dinner before a quick intoductio

(3/3) answer to prayer!! And Kevin Starner is joining us tmw so we can't wait to see him too :). We look fwd to what God has in store for the week ahead!!

(2/3) anize gear, equipment, personal items, & the entire campsite. Our interns - Josh, Kristi, & Savannah - have been such a blessing to Laurie & me... a true

(1/3) The middle school yth group from Calvary Chapel of St Petersburg arrives 2night around 7pm. The GTD team has been working hard all day to dry, clean & org

(2/2) how great of a Father God is. The group went to bed around midnight & slept thru some harsh rain. They awoke at 8am & departed at 9am. We will miss them!!

(1/2) Goodbye CBCC; Hello CCSP!! The Calvary Baptist trip finished strong with some gr8 rafting & exciting rappelling. We had 1 final Impact Pt last nite about

(2/2) psite... and hopefully one more run to Baby Falls!! More to come... hopefully some pics too :)

(1/2) TODAY: Right now the crew is rafting down the Ocoee River... the most popular rafting destination in the world!! Afterwards we are rappelling near the cam

(3/3) atch a movie on a bed sheet in the middle of the woods... good times :)

(2/3) was inspiring!! Then we had a nice campfire with some smores and watched Batman - The Dark Knight as our outdoor movie selection... it's pretty cool to w

(1/3) LAST NITE: After a yummy spaghetti dinner Pastor Travis asked Pastor Aaron to teach a little bit about creation & the evidence of God... let's just say it

(5/5) ad ever. I can only imagine He has a huge smile on His face when He sees His kids appreciate & enjoy His provisions... Thank You God!!!!

(4/5) ayground... His gift to His kids... I love that 1 Timothy 6:17 tells us that God provides everything to us for our "enjoyment" - Wow, God is the coolest d

(3/5) re waterfall sliding adventures & swimming. This place is such a God-awesome destination... it oozes with fun, beauty & adventure... it truely is God's pl

(2/5) time to head back down the mtn. The group has fallen in love with Baby Falls so after a hot & sweaty day on the rocks we went straight to the falls for mo

(1/5) AFTER THE CLIMB: While some were rock climbing others were exploring some of the trails near the climbing route & LOVED their side adventure. Soon it was

(4/4) -4 and focused on perseverance... and then got to see a mighty example of it as Pastor Aaron Walp struggled thru an advanced climb to make it to the top!!

(3/4) God. Several students were able to climb the 6 story intermediate route while some struggled at the half way point. The night before we studied James 1:2

(2/4) was amazing!! We were above the clouds & could see a beautiful river go on for miles. We were all blown away by the artistic creativity of our incredible

(1/4) YESTERDAY: We went rock climbing & the group did really good. The climbing spot took about 2 miles of intense uphill hiking to get to. Once there the view

(3/3) range I will upload short blogs just in case I lose cell coverage soon.) ... more to come :)

(2/3) 't upload pics yet. The Calvary Baptist yth group is doing GREAT!! All are safe & sound. (Since I'm texting the messages & popping in & out of cell phone

(1/3) We are so limited on WiFi availability (or even the time) to be able to keep the blog updated each day. I am updated the blog thru txt messaging so we can

(5/5) e had so much God-awesome fun!! We are about to head back to camp. Tmw is our rock climbing day... can't wait to see what God has in store for us!!

(4/5) eaded off on our first adventure: Baby Falls. We spent several hours riding over a waterfall, jumping off rocks, & exploring God's amazing playground!!! W

(3/5) my french toast & each person spent an hour in prayer & devotions to help lay a solid foundation for the rest of the trip. After hamburgers & hotdogs we h

(2/5) Soon after heading to bed the floodgates opened as the pouring rain began. It lasted for hours & several people got drenched! This morning we had some yum

(1/5) CBCC Yth Grp arrived safe & sound around 6.30pm last night. They helped set up camp, had a gr8 dinner, and shared in some fellowship around the campfire.

Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater Adv Trip Starts Tmw!!

We are excited to kick off our adventure season with the high school yth group from Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater tomorrow afternoon. Laurie & Traci picked up 3 flatbed carts of groceries from Sam's Club 2day. After loading up the trailer with all the food & equipment the GTDers set off for TN at 4pm. Despite a flat tire near Ocala we made it to our hotel in Valdosta, GA by nightfall. We are also excited to have several great interns helping Laurie & myself this summer. For the next 2 weeks Savannah Jenkins, Josh Accetturo, & Kristi Glisson will be serving side-by-side with us as we put together some God-awesome adventures for 3 different groups over the next 14 days. Keep checking in to read about fears overcome, exhilirations seized, & God's presence embraced. Later gator :)

First flat tire advenure of the trip

We (Kristi Glisson, Doug Garner, and Me) set off from sunny and rainy pinellas county after a good GTD packing party. Before we set off doug had warned us about possibllle bumps in the journy ahead.  So after about an hour of cruising up I-75 toward our destination in the mountians of tennesse. Bump... flat tire.  I awake from my short lived nap to doug saying well I told you guys be prepared for stuff like this to happen. So it was time to have an adventure.  One of the tires were losing all it tread we only had munites to pull over before we lost the tire completely. So in record  timing we were able to change the tire with the spares that doug keeps in the trailer.  The other menbers from our group shortly meet up with us to help and we are now back on our way to the great appilations mountains.  I am so excited to see what else God has in store for the rest of the road trip and the next 2 weeks to come. 
Many love to all pray for us and for God to do great things
-Josh "Ace" Accetturo

Spirit Airlines - WORST AIRLINE EVER!!!

Long story, but the Spirit Airlines flight was late in Costa Rica which made the group late to get through customs (which only had 2 people working for several flights)... which made them miss their flight to Tampa. Spirit workers were rude & not helpful through the process. The group had to purchase a flight through another airline and is preparing to board the plane for their final flight home. Not many people are aware of this, but Spirit Airlines uses obscene advertisements to promote their airlines (more on this in another blog post) and they have a history of hidden fees & unprofessional service. I would encourage any and everyone to use another airline... in the end Spirit is just as expensive... and, in the end, you will pay in more ways than one.

Thankfully the group is on a different airline now, but not before having to pay additionally for their plane tickets. We rejoice in their return & praise God for the impact He made in & through them!!! Thank you Jesus!!!

Congratulations!!

Congratulations to newlyweds Jesse & Amber Altamarino who got married today. They both met on a GTD event. Jesse has volunteered for GTD for several years & served as our Day Trip Director. We celebrate with them & wish them the very best!!

New background added to the blog reflects our transition from Mission Trips to Adventure Trips... follow all our God-awesome Adventure Trips this July & Aug!

Group On The Way To Airport

The Skycrest Baptist mission team & remaining GTD team are in route to the San Jose airport. Their flight is at midnight. They said the outreach service last night & church service this morning went well!! Continue to pray for them as they travel through the night back to the US.

Saturday Update

Last night we passed out flyers in a nearby community to invite them to a youth church service scheduled for 2nite. Afterwards we had an AMAZING TIME at Thermo Mania including a fantastic dinner & several hours of heated swimming pools & this kickin' water slide (wait till u see the video of the whole team going down the slide... it was sweeeeeet!!). After Thermo Mania the group had a great Impact Point nightly meeting... full of encouraging words for each other.

Today the group splits up. Doug, Laurie, Kathleen, Savannah, & Kysha head back to the US while the bulk of the group will continue construction work, participate in an outreach yth service tonight, attend a local church service tomorrow morning, and head to the airport tomorrow night. This trip has gotten better & better each day... it's going to be hard to leave.

Update: Doug, Laurie, Kat, & Savannah made it safely to SJO airport and are about to board their flight. Kysha is in route to LIR airport with the super chauffer's wife Maritta.

Keep praying for the team... God is doing some cool stuff :)

Friday Work Day Pics...

Gotta run, but here are a few pics from some of our work day projects today... enjoy!!



Mt Top Devos

This morning was very special... we took a truck ride thru the town to an amazing spot to do our morning devos... the beauty of God's creation made it feel like a little piece of heaven!! We decided to read Matt 5 since it was the beginning of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount... it felt like this could have been the perfect place for that same sermon!!

(click pic above to see a video clip of our truck ride to our devo spot)

(click pic above to see a video clip of our devo spot)

(click pic above to see another video clip of our devo spot)

Beach Day Group Pics



Better Late Than Never... Pics From Carnaval Day!!

Here are some pics from our Carnaval Day with the local kids in Fortuna. About 2 miles from the church is a government housing community for needy families. Pastor Danilo from the church in Fortuna has been wanting to reach out to this community so he asked the Skycrest crew to clean out a run-down multi-purpose building and host the carnaval right in the heart of this needy community. The Skycrest youth passed out flyers the day before promoting the event then spent several hours before the carnaval cleaning up the building & trash filled lot so we could put together arts, crafts, games, and a Biblically based skit. It was a good day... the kids were blessed & God was honored.

(click pic above to see skit video clip)

My Journey :)

Jessica P. here! I love Costa Rica!!! It´s been so much fun! I had a great time at the beach Playa Tamarindo yesterday and bought alot of stuff for the family. The food is very good but different. I´ve been sick for a couple days now and it kinda stinks, but I´m still having fun! The people here are very nice even though I really can´t understand them. Sometimes I´ve really been touched by the people in this town. The kids here are so thankful for everything we give them. I´ve been having fun playing with the locals every night. I would love to come back and visit the kids and church members. They were so kind to us. Yesterday at the beach, Tristan and I went to go eat sushi and on our way back it was really slippery and he fell on to one of the locals bikes! It was so funny I couldn´t stop laughing! The local just looked at him and said something in Spanish we didn´t know what he was saying but we nodded and said "Siiiiii". Then we had a jam session going on in the van on our way home and Mitch was freaking out the entire way back to the church. So last night was a normal night....until I puked ALL OVER the bathroom floor. And Stacey had to clean it up for me. What an interesting night we had haha but I am feeling a lot better today, so it´s all good.
Today woke up at 7! It was nice to have an extra hour to sleep in. Lila, our cook, had Empanadas for breakfast for us. Then we all got ready to go do our devos on a beautiful piece of property outside of town. We went to the mountain to just get closer to God and I really felt I did. Then Alfredo took us on a little tour to show us how the Indiginous carved different things into the rocks. That was really neat! We also got to ride in the back of a truck... That was pretty scary hary!! Thought we were going to fall off!! Then Tristan and I went  to go help get trash from the school and throw it out. We were all dirty after that and Paul kept calling Tristan the pretty little princess so Tristan put dirt all over his face so Paul would stop making fun of him!!
It´s been a great day so far and tonight we´re going to Thermo Mania which is a small hot springs waterpark! It´s going to be awesome! See you all soon!