TREE TRIMMING ADVENTURES!

Just before our summer camps my Dad trained me on the use of the bucket truck. Over 3 days Carson, Dad, & I knocked out 9 trees around the house as I became a bucket truck pro (with a lowercase p-r-o). Carson learned to work the chainsaw and drove my truck & a friend's golf cart hauling the limbs to the back to cut up for firewood. He called it the most fun work days ever! We got a lot done, learned a lot, and spent some quality man-time together =)

STILL DRYING OUT 3 WEEKS LATER!!

Unprecedented! It's 3 weeks after our last camp and I'm still dying out 16 tents, rainflies, tarps, and our base camp gear.

Our worst case scenario is getting rain during the last couple of days of camp because that means we have to pack up everything while it's still wet and return home to set it all back up to dry out. It's a race against mold and mildew!

This has been one of our wettest summers in 23 years of ministry. It consistently rained throughout our summer camps in north GA & TN, and it has rained almost non-stop in Florida since I returned.

I used 3 of our retired rappel ropes to create three 70 foot clotheslines across the backyard as well as nearly every inch of wooden fence & dry grass for drying racks.

When I'm home and it's not raining I run out to dry out as much as I can before the next band of storms pass through... it's like a cardio dry out workout!

At this rate I should be done by our next camp in November ;)

GTD FAMILY!

One of our favorite parts of traveling to our camps is getting to visit with some of our Ministry Partners (MP's) along the way. We always wish we had more time and were near more partners. Thank you amazing MP's for your encouragement, support, and partnership in ministry!!! This ministry wouldn't make the impact it does without faithful friends like you!!

SAYING "SEE YA NEXT YEAR!" TO OUR SUMMER OFFICE!

Praising God for a great 23rd year of God-awesome summer camps in the mountains of the southeastern US!

Now I'm homeward bound to FL to start preparing for 2020!! Still hungry & passionate about all that God has in store =)

My profound thanks to our encouragers, supporters, and prayer warriors that God uses to propel this ministry and its impact on youth & young adults (and participants of all ages!!)!!

And a cyber high knuckle to my incredible right hand man & favorite nephew - Carson - who returned home a few days ago!

Thank YOU Jesus!

MIXING WORK & PLAY =)

Stacy & I repacked and stored the climbing, rappelling, and adventure gear at the GTD Gear Cache in north GA. Prior to that I got up early to visit & do my morning devotions at Georgia's highest peak - Brasstown Bald. It was a little foggy, but so beautiful =). Afterwards, Stacy brought a couple of paddleboards and gave me a small tour of Lake Chatuge including Cemetery Island & a great rope swing area which included a 40' tree jump! It was a blast!! We can't thank Stacy enough for all his help this summer! God bless you Brutha!

Made it to Hiawassee, GA

Made it to Hiawassee, GA after the truck was repaired... saw a vibrant rainbow as I was driving through Blue Ridge =). This will be the first time I get to sleep in a hammock this summer... looking fwd to it!!

NO FLAT TIRES SO FAR THIS YEAR, BUUUUUUUUT... $3000 WORTH OF FRONT END WEAR & TEAR!!

We just finished our last summer camps in TN and I'm repacking our rock climbing & rappelling gear to be store at our gear cache in north GA as well as visiting some Ministry Partners before returning home.

During the last trip Stacy told me that while he was driving behind me he noticed that the rear wheels on the truck weren't lined up with the front wheels on the truck. So yesterday I stopped by Ford to get what I was hoping would be a simple alignment. Unfortunately they found 14 years of wear & tear had worn out the front end ball joints, track bar, tie rod ends, axle seals, and steering shock. They said it was one big pot hole away from major damage that could have potentially collapsed the front end. That wouldn't be a good scenario while pulling a heavy trailer through the mountains! It's taking 2 days to repair it (yesterday & today) at a cost of nearly $3000 (ouch!!), but it could have been much worse. Thank you Stacy for saying something! Ford gave me a 2019 loaner F150 for free to get around while they repair the truck. Thanks Ford!

Just before the summer I had 4 new tires installed to replace our 4-year old tires with low tread (our preemptive approach to prevent flats during trips) as well as our regular oil change and the yearly truck assessment by a mechanic for any issues. They didn't catch the front end wear & tear. 18 months ago I put it in for a comprehensive inspection since it hit 225,000. Evidently they didn't catch the front end wear and tear either.

This is an awesome 2005 Super Duty diesel F250 rated to go 500,000 miles. It was donated to us about 9 years ago by an amazing couple. It has been and continues to be the largest single donation we've ever received valued at over $20,000 when we received it. It has blessed our ministry immeasurably!! It pulls all of our heavy trailers like they are filled with helium balloons. We get so many compliments on it every trip. And every time I get in it I feel so blessed and supported by our Ministry Partners. It feels like a new truck everytime I get in it! And since we are a mobile ministry our truck is the single most important piece of equipment we own. Without it we can't get all of our camping & adventure gear to where we need to go. A continuous and constant thank you to our truck donors who asked to stay anonymous! We are forever grateful for this amazing gift!! We praise God for it, and more importantly, for you!

Ford, who typically would have tried to steer me to trade in the truck towards a new truck, told me that they love this truck and it has a lot more years in it. Even at 14 years old and 240,000 miles it's still well worth investing $3000 in repairs. It would have been nice to catch this earlier, but better later than too late!

I grew up at a time when going to a dealership for repairs was considered idiotic, moronic, and financially foolish. But since they warrant their work at every dealership and we've found a Ford dealership a few miles away from everywhere we host a camp, and they specialize in Fords, and their prices have been close to other quotes we've received in the past it has been a wise decision for our situation.

Keeping on truckin'!!

TOP 30 PICS FROM OUR GOD-AWESOME ADVENTURE TRIP WITH THE CCF HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH GROUP!

God blessed us immensely with a phenomenal Adventure Trip with the high school youth group from Calvary Chapel Fellowship to finish off our summer camps!!

Check out these top 30 pics of our 5 days together of chasing adventures while seeking God in His outdoor playground!

Thank you Jesus!!

Going The Distance Adventure Ministry
God-awesome adventures since 1996!