Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Deadlines Achieved!

W2's, W3, Quarterly Report, Annual Budget, and Donation Receipts all completed by their January 31st deadline!! (Praise God!)

We were able to knock it all out in only 2 weeks after returning from our mission trip to Costa Rica. It's been a full 2 weeks, but the deadlines were achieved! Glory to God =)

Special thanks to my Mom and Laurie (who is fighting sickness) for their help today stuffing envelopes =)

And, of course, our heartfelt thanks goes out to all of our generous supporters and donors for their loving contributions that help enable the work of Going The Distance Adventure Ministry!

Now on to the next projects =)

Sunday, January 29, 2017

They came. They hiked. They conquered!

It's a hike that very few adventurous souls would ever consider, but these courageous trekkers not only considered it... they conquered it.

I was so blessed to spend 2 days with these exceptional people! And I look forward to many more adventures together in the years ahead.

As always, we praise God for His protection, His lessons, His playground, and His impact. And we thank our prayer warriors and ministry partners for the essential role you play in this ministry. It was a God-awesome adventure!

SWAMP THING Everglades Backpacking Trip 2017

Hiking Out

Hiking out.... rainy... cold... and loving it!!

SWAMP THING Everglades Backpacking Trip 2017

Saturday, January 28, 2017

An Adventure Like No Other!

Some destinations demand extraordinary journeys.

Trudging nearly 4 miles through the Everglades swamp has brought us to our small pineland island campsite - safe, tired, and fully alive.

Tomorrow we venture into the gator hole.

Praising the Lord for this God-awesome adventure with such TERRIFIC people!!

SWAMP THING Everglades Backpacking Trip 2017

And so it begins!

6 brave (or crazy) backpackers begin the swamp hike.

SWAMP THING Everglades Backpacking Trip 2017

Saturday, January 21, 2017

1 WEEK TILL SWAMP THING!

Join us on one of the most out-of-the-ordinary hikes in the nation to one of the most unique destinations in the world - The Everglades in south Florida!

This may be the hike your mama warned you about, but we've actually found time and again that most people who do this adventure love it.

Date: Jan 28-29, 2017 (Sat-Sun)
Distance: 8 miles total (4 miles per day)
Cost: $59 plus food

Swamp Thing details: CLICK HERE



(Gator Hole is optional)



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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

BACK IN THE OFFICE... IN MY NEW CHAIR =)

After an amazing mission trip in Costa Rica to kick off 2017 I'm back in the office ready to hit the admin work =)... and I'm in my new office chair!

Since I spend the majority of my time at a desk in a chair it seemed like a great idea to replace my aging chair that had a broken rear support (not a fat joke) with a brand new deluxe office chair that I found discounted online. It was a 20 year anniversary gift to myself as was the JAG Award (I thought it would be funny to award myself with GTD's highest award since I've never received one and it's named after my parents and I've worked on this ministry for 25 years hahaha! It seemed reasonable to me LOL!)

Looking forward to a God-awesome year of hard work and much fruit =)

Friday, January 13, 2017

US BOUND!

Ciao for now Costa Rica! Pura vida!!

HASTA LA VISTA BABIE!

Saying goodbye to some of the kindest people in the world is never easy. The sorrow is tempered by the gladness we have from knowing that we plan to be back in a few months. Glory to God for our Costa Rican family =)

TICOS CONTINUE THE PROGRESS ON CHANGO'S NEW HOME!

The Costa Rican men (also known as Ticos) are continuing the construction of Chango's new home that Trinity Christian College began last week. Despite major damage caused by high winds 5 days ago the new home is taking shape and nearly complete (glory to God!). We will keep you updated on the progress =)

HUG FEST & CLOSING CEREMONY!

The local church held a closing ceremony for our team full of testimonies, praise & worship, and even beautiful hand-crafted awards for the leadership team. It was an incredibly special night full of love and closeness as we stood together as one big joyful family. The hugs and tearful embraces say it all =)

LAURIE EXTENDS CHRISTMAS FOR 3 FAMILIES IN VERY POOR COMMUNITY =)

Yesterday Laurie, Lila, Jose, and I visited a very poor community in Pijije, Costa Rica to spend time with 3 families that Laurie has been loving on for 4 years. It may have been January 12th, but it felt more like December 25th because Laurie brought the families Christmas gifts all wrapped up. Each family was thrilled and deeply touched by Laurie's love and thoughtfulness. It was a wonderful time =)

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

SALVATIONS, REDEDICATIONS, & IMPACT TESTIMONIALS!!

Wow, what an amazing night it was 3 nights ago as we all shared about the impact God made in each of our lives throughout our week in Costa Rica. In fact, a few students prayed to receive Christ or recommit their lives to the Lord as God used Pastor Dave Ungar to preach a powerful sermon. We also shard highlights of the week and impact testimonials in the presence of Pastor Danilo, his wife May Ling, and their 2 children. We closed off with some great praise & worship led by Sury and a time of prayer for the local pastor, his family, and the local church ( Iglesia Buen Pastor Campamento Ibbp). It was a powerful and amazing night!!