Tuesday, January 31, 2012

19 Days Till GRUNGE


Feb 18 | Special: $16/person (Save $9)

ONLY 25 SPOTS AVAILABLE!!

YOU MUST PRE-PAY ($16) TO LOCK IN YOUR SPOT!!


CONTACT GTD: 727-394-9483

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COST: $16 (includes lunch & all gear)

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SUMMARY:
GRUNGE is GTD's underground caving adventure. It's a whole other world under the ground and GTD wants to take you there. Whether you are walking through limestone caverns, wading through underground rivers, or crawling through bowling ball sized holes you will be blown away by the playground God created beneath the surface of the earth. GRUNGE is the essence of being a kid - exploring holes and passage ways that will both challenge & amaze you. GTD will equip you with all of the safety gear you need as you light up the darkness and discover a whole new world of hidden adventures. GRUNGE is a Christ centered event that is seasoned with prayer and provided in a Godly Christian atmosphere.


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Monday, January 30, 2012

Garage Sale By Ministry Partner Raises $300

Special thanks to GTD Ministry Partners Paul & Heather Williamson who raised $300 at their Garage Sale this past weekend to send down to our adopted home church in Costa Rica. In addition, they are sending down a bag of very nice outgrown kid's clothes to be distributed to a low income housing area in the small town of Fortuna. Paul & Heather have participated in our Costa Rica Mission Trips and developed a heart for the wonderful people of Fortuna and Guayabo. Thank you to the Williamson family!!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

2013... Already???

The Mayans may not of planned for 2013, but GTD already is!! 


MOGUL & XFL are coming back to the GTD schedule in 2013!!


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Friday, January 27, 2012

Tons of Website Updates Completed


It has taken a few weeks, but I was able to complete 8 of 14 public event links on the GTD website in addition to A LOT of major updates. Check it out and see what you think:



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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

The Office



The administration workload here at GTD Headquarters during the month of January can get as wild as an episode of The Office. But hopefully we are a little more productive =). With the end-of-the-year and the start-of-a-new-year comes many requirements, deadlines, and urgent tasks. Even though Laurie & I run an outdoor adventure ministry, we actually spend a lot of time in the office on computers. Like every non-profit organization we have state & federal requirements on top of a stack of daily, weekly & monthly administrative tasks. It's not unusual for me to work 12-16 hours per day just on administrative tasks... but I love it... and I thank God for it!! Here are some things we are currently working on in The GTD Office:
  • PRAYING!!! Bathing Everything In Prayer!!
  • W2's
  • W3's
  • Quarterly Reports
  • Donor Receipts
  • New Budget
  • Finalize 2012 Event Calendar
  • Planning Out 14 Public Events
  • Planning Out 12 Smiley's SAC Events
  • Planning Out 9 Costa Rica Mission Trips
  • Planning Out 5 Adventure Trips
  • Planning Out 6 Retreats & Day Trips
  • Updating & Constructing New Website Links For Each Public Event
  • Creating New Specials & Sales for 2012
  • Emails, Facebook, Twitter, & Blog
  • Preparing For Internships & Volunteers
  • Marketing GTD Events
  • Preparing Contracts & Invoices
  • Filing Receipts
  • Paying Bills
  • Office Clean-Up & Organizing
  • Reserving Camps, Cabins, Airline Tickets, etc
  • Assessing 305 Current Tasks And Prioritizing
  • Monthly Newsletters
  • Uploading Pics & Videos (Editing)
  • And On & On....
So that's a little snapshot of what's going on in the GTD office right now. Don't forget to regularly lift us up in prayer... "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain." (Psalm 127.1). "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zech 4.6). "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (Col 1.29). Thank you! God bless <><



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Monday, January 23, 2012

FPCDC Mission Trip Training

Part of the FPCDC Mission Team Heading To Costa Rica In June 2012
Last night Laurie led up a great night of missions training with a wonderful youth group from First Presbyterian Church of Dade City. This group is energized and focused on their 9 day outreach in Costa Rica which is planned for this June.

We enjoyed some great fellowship with some great teenagers & their parents. We reviewed the history of GTD and how the Costa Rica Project developed then we covered topics such as The Great Commission, Phil 2:1-5,  teamwork, what to expect in Costa Rica, how to prepare for this mission trip, air travel, currency, passports, vaccinations, language barriers, mission projects, adventures, daily agenda, spiritual emphasis, spiritual warfare, personal lessons learned, and so much more.

The entire training took about 3 hours and went very smoothly. Our special thanks to Nikki, Cathy, Kurt, Reverend Kevin D. Morris and his lovely wife Kim for the great honor of allowing GTD to put together a God-awesome mission trip for their youth. We look forward to what God has in store!



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Friday, January 20, 2012

GTD Has Gone MAD!!!


GTD's March Madness!!! Private Retreats for ONLY $59/person!!!

That's right, our 2 day/ 2 night retreats are usually $99/person, but we are knocking 40% OFF for groups that sign-up to do a camping retreat during the month of March. Why are we doing this? Because we are MAD (Madly IN LOVE with Jesus who MAD [Made A Difference] in us so that He can MAD [Make A Difference] through us in people's lives!!). So be a part of all the MADNESS this March as GTD begins our GREATEST YEAR EVER!! Go to our website for contact information.



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HERE IT IS!!

HERE IT IS!! The updated 2012 GTD Public Event Calendar:
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Feb 2-8: CR2012 (Spring Edition) - Costa Rica Mission Trip
Feb 18: GRUNGE Caving Day Trip
Apr 7: LIQUID Canoeing Day Trip
May 5-6: PADDLE PROWL Canoe Camping Weekender
May 12: THE DRIFTERS Inner Tubing Day Trip
May 25-28 GO VERTICAL Rock Climbing & Rappelling Trip
May 25-28: HYDRO White Water Excursion
July 7-14: CR2012 (Summer Edition) - Costa Rica Mission Trip
Aug 8-12: SLAMMED-17 (17th Annual Adventure Trip) to NC
Aug 30 - Sep 3: NOMAD Backpacking Trip
Sep 20-25: GRAND CANYON Trip
Oct 19-21 IGNITE Camping Retreat
Nov 13: ANNUAL BANQUET
Dec14-16: SWAMP THING Backpacking Trip In The Everglades
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Hope to see you on a GTD event this year!! God bless <><


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Skycrest Signs Up For A Day Trip!!

God keeps blowing us away as He continues to fill up our calendar with ministry opportunities. We are happy to welcome the women's group from Skycrest Baptist Church of Clearwater to our Day Trip Program. We look forward to a wonderful day of canoeing and fellowship with these great ladies!!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

The Refuge Church Is Costa Rica Bound!!

PTL!!! Our 9th and only remaining mission trip slot has been filled!! We are excited to welcome The Refuge Church from Hilton Head, SC to our 2012 Costa Rica Mission Trip schedule. We look forward to the impact God is going to make in & through The Refuge Church!!

We are also blown away at the doors God has busted open for us already in 2012 in our Mission's Program and can't wait to see all that God does this year!! All glory to God <><

Monday, January 16, 2012

Paintball Was A Blast =)


Our first SAC event for 2012 was paintball and we had a blast. 17 men from Smiley's young adult ministry played paintball for 3 hours for our January SAC (Sunday After Church) event. I love playing paintball, but this was the longest time and the most fun I've ever had playing. And the best part was that we had the KISS look-alike rock band out playing with us. Great guys, great times!!

Next SAC Event is our Super Bowl Party on Feb 5th!!



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SAC Is BAC(K)!!


Last year GTD started supplying regular monthly outdoor activities to our home church's young adult ministry that I (Doug) have been a part of since 1988. The idea is to put together activities that promote relationship building and encourage regular attenders to invite unchurched friends to church followed with a fun activity... all while enjoying God's amazing creation. We call it SAC which is stands for Sunday After Church.

It's been a big hit, and now SAC is BAC(K) for 2012. Check out the activity line-up below for the 2012 SAC calendar. If you are a young adult and never married between the ages of 17-25 and looking for a thriving church and young adult ministry to be a part of then we encourage you to check out First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks Church and Smiley's Coffeehouse (the young adult ministry of FBCIR). Come pray with us then come play with us!

2012 SAC Calendar
Jan 15: Paintball
Feb 5: Super Bowl Party
Mar 18: High Ropes Course
Apr 15: Ultimate
May 20: Fun-N-The-Sun Beach Day
Jun 3: Wakeboarding Day
Jul 22: Softball
Aug 26: Canoeing
Sep 16: Flag Football
Oct 28: Indoor Rock Climbing
Nov 25: Cookout at the Park
Dec 16: Geocaching

Hope to see you there =)

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Friday, January 13, 2012

And Another GTD Retreat Scheduled =)

God continues to bless GTD with more ministry opportunities. Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater & Skycrest Baptist Church of Clearwater are teaming-up to do a GTD youth retreat over spring break. This event will be for the 8th graders. We love working with Skycrest Youth Pastor - Mitch Kuhn and CBCC Youth Pastor - Ron Cooney and we look forward to all that God is going to do on this event!! We can't wait!!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

We Got A Mac!!!

It's been nearly impossible to do any quality video & photo editing on our outdated computers. Other than the occassionl virus, our used PC's have been doing well for our basic needs, but they continually crash when it comes to anything that has to do with graphics. So we were able to purchase GTD's first Mac!! A Mac Mini. And we can't wait to put together awesome brochures & videos that help market our events to more churches, groups, & individuals so they can experience one of GTD's God-awesome adventures!! Thank you Father for this great blessing =)




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Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Raise The Risk



Last month I was asked to write an article about taking risks for Raise The Risk blog. I compared rappelling to obeying God. Here's the link to the blog if you're interested.
http://networkedblogs.com/rxR8R



Another Retreat Scheduled =)




Yay!! We have another group signed up for a GTD Retreat. This time it's the adult leaders retreat from the middle school youth group of Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater (CBCC). This is another amazing church in the Pinellas County area. Laurie & I have been attending there regularly for a few months now. The middle school youth program is lead up by a great friend (and a great man of God) - Youth Pastor Ron Cooney and his awesome wife Brooke. If you are looking for a great church to attend then add CBCC to your list of places to check out.

GTD welcomes CBCC's middle school youth group leaders to our spring retreat program!

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Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Back-to-Back In The BLACK!!!!!!


I'm ecstatic to report that GTD just completed 2 back-to-back years of finishing in the black (with slight profits) during a very harsh economic climate. That's huge news and we give God all the glory!!

Look Who's Going On A GTD Retreat!!

2012 is off to an amazing start! Praise The Lord, we have groups lining up to do GTD events. We want to welcome Calvary Chapel of St Petersburg's middle school youth group to our spring retreat line-up!! CCSP has been doing summer adventure trips with GTD since the early 2000's and now they are ready to dip their toe into one of our God-awesome weekend retreats. We love working with CCSP!! They have a solid ministry that unashamedly teaches the truths of God's Word while having a blast. We are always blown away by the depth of Godly character and fun-loving attitudes we see in their youth. That depth reflects the quality and commitment to Jesus that oozes out of their adult leaders, especially their Youth Pastor - Josh Harris. If you are looking for a GREAT youth group & church to be a part of then we highly recommend checking out this church (see website here). It's with great JOY that we welcome CCSP to GTD's Retreat Program!!

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Another Group Heading To Costa Rica!!


We are so excited to announce that The Family Worship Center of St Augustine, FL has signed up to do a GTD summer mission trip to Costa Rica!! This is a wonderful church full of fantastic people making an impact for the Kingdom of God. Check out their website here.

THIS IS OUR 8th MISSION TRIP SCHEDULED FOR 2012... FAR SURPASSING OUR GOAL OF 6... AND ONLY LEAVING ROOM FOR 1 MORE SUMMER TRIP!!

Thank YOU Jesus!!

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Thursday, January 5, 2012

$500 Grant Received!!


Our profound thanks to the Hardy Huntley Charitable Foundation for their generation donation of $500 to GTD!! God bless you guys!!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Happy New Year!!

As we say goodbye to 2011 we pray that 2012 is already off to an excellent start for you!

GTD is preparing ... or more accurately "preprayering" for our greatest year ever! We are excited as God takes us on into our Promise Land this year!

We can't wait to share with you the faith journey we've been on for the past 4 years... "captive & enslaved in Egypt", "rescued by God", "crossing the Red Sea", "plodding through the wilderness", "crossing the Jordon River", and now "entering the Promise Land"... it has been and continues to be EPIC! You will be able to read all the details on our blog in the weeks to come.

As for now, we are making several adjustments to our 2012 event calendar as our Mission Program is exploding and we are making room for more groups to participate. Our goal is to have all the changes made and the website completely updated over the next 2 weeks. We will post it on this blog when everything is complete.

Thank you for being a part of GTD! We look forward to what God has in store for 2012 and we hope to see you on one of our God-awesome events this year.

God Bless & Happy New Year!!
- The GTD Staff

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