HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!

   
We were looking forward to one more birthday with you Dad, but I guess you really wanted to take that stairway to Heaven and spend this day with Mom. We already miss you, but we are comforted knowing you have no more pain, no more misery, no more inability, AAAAAAAAAND (best of all) you are reunited with Mom. Thank you for all that you did for me!! You are, without a doubt, one of a kind Tomato Man!! Happy 83rd Birthday in Heaven Dad =) 

 

 

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THANK YOU!!

   
Thank you for all the love with the loss of Dad!! I'm sorry I haven't been able to read any of the loving words on any of the posts I made since taking Dad to the ER 10 days ago. We had so much going on each day and wanted to spend time with him while we had him. The challenging (almost cruel) aspect of losing a loved one is that the world doesn't slow down... we have to go straight into all of the funeral / Celebration of Life arrangements, notifications of death, Dr appointment cancelations, bills & services cancelations, will, life insurance, last wishes, cancel pension checks & social security, meet with each military department for notification of death. There is so much involved in every aspect, but Team Sis-Bro (that's what my Sister and I call our Caregiving partnership) along with Mom & Dad's adopted third child (Laurie), Carson, & Dave are rocking it!! Monday we met with the different departments at the VA, yesterday we tackled Dad's last wishes & met with the funeral director (and selected Dad's casket... here's a pic... his casket will be in Air Force blue!!), today we meet with the church to plan out his service (sometime in mid January) and later today we meet with an end-of-life attorney to make sure we aren't missing anything. Oh, and tomorrow is Dad's birthday... and in a week is something called Christmas lol. Everyday is an emotional rollercoaster, but who doesn't love rollercoasters (grin)!! We are all doing good overall with moments of great grief. We are comforted knowing that Dad is reunited with Mom and has no more pain or misery... just endless joy in the presence of God. I'm looking forward to reading all the Facebook comments over the next few days. From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR LOVE!!!

 

 

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A WONDERFUL NIGHT OF LEVITY!

  
Our family was asked to attend The Holiday Family Dinner at Seasons Memory Care of Belleair where my Mom was for nearly 5 months when she passed away (2 years ago yesterday). Actually I was asked to MC tonight's event, and even though our Dad passed away yesterday there was no way that we were going to miss this special night after all the love and care Seasons has poured out on our family. The show must go on... that's what Mom & Dad would do (and want)! Soooooo I put on my silver sequin Christmas jacket while Laurie, Traci, & Carson got all dressed up and we had a wonderful night of celebration and fun!! Our dear friend Alan Tripp was there too supplying musical entertainment along with his father. Our Dad was supposed to attend tonight too. He had already written a donation check for $1000 to give to Seasons of Belleair... that guy was the most generous person you've ever met!! It was an honor to present that donation on behalf of Jerry Garner. Being a part of tonight was a tribute to Seasons and our Dad 😊 😊

PS: The food was AMAZING!!!!! Seasons treats everyday and every event as a wonderful gift & celebration!! They love the residents and their families soooo much!!!

 

 

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HEAVEN BOUND!

HEAVEN BOUND!

Dad officially departed on The Ultimate Trip at 2:47pm. Laurie said she can picture him showing up to Heaven with roses for Mom. We're pretty sure he has a box of tomatoes too.

The past week has been Dad's final gift to us... his 1 last comeback of being resuscitated and being on life support allowed us to say our final goodbyes and spend so much quality time with so many friends & family (as well as texts & phone calls & messages) that Dad impacted. It was so beautiful. We also talked about and talked through everything related to Dad's care and the last 24 hours leading to his passing away on the way to the hospital. It has been a very healthy and helpful week.
 
Dad loved EVERYONE!! Thank you to EVERYONE!! You have halved our grief and doubled our joy! Let the dancing & celebrating begin in Heaven!!

MOVIE NITES CANCELLED

Due to the current circumstances we will be canceling our Outdoor Movie Nites this weekend. Dad bought all kinds of goodies for the kids attending the movies this weekend and had Traci & Laurie make goodie bags... he was going to dress up as Santa Claus and hand them out. Instead he is now preparing for the greatest trip & date nite ever >>> a trip to Heaven to be with Mom 😀

 

 

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UPDATE ON DAD (Dec 11, 2024)

UPDATE ON DAD:

I'm sorry to share that unfortunately there have been no meaningful signs of brain function in our Dad and the prognosis is that Dad would likely be in an ongoing vegetative state on long-term life support which he would never want. He has stated several times over the past few months that he has enjoyed his life and he is living in constant pain, misery, & inability, and he would like to pass away and go be with Mom in Heaven. We are going to honor Dad's wishes by removing his life support on Sunday Dec 15th 2 years to the day that Mom went to be with Jesus.

IF YOU WANT TO VISIT DAD/JERRY/THE TOMATO MAN BEFORE HE PASSES:

We will be opening up a bedside hospital visitation of Dad for Thursday, Friday, & Saturday 9a-9p for anyone who would like to visit Dad and say one last goodbye. Dad is unconscious, unresponsive, and on a ventilator so he isn't able to communicate, but his ears probably still work if you want to love on him and say goodbye. 

 

ADDRESS & ROOM NUMBER:

Dad is in Building 100 (big building next to the parking garage and across from the main large parking lot) on the 2nd Floor in SICU in Room 2 at the C.W. Bill Young VA Medical Center (10000 Bay Pines Blvd, Bay Pines, FL 33744). There is a phone next the SICU doors. Use that phone to dial 14498 and let them know you're here to visit Jerry Garner in Room 2. Traci, Laurie, & I will be here most of the time.

THANK YOU'S!!!

I haven't had a chance to read the comments on my original post about Dad, but I hope to tonight. On behalf of our family, thank you all so so so so very much for the outpouring of love, prayers, support, and kindness!! We are touched very deeply. There has been so much love and healing happening here over the past few days... it's like Dad's one last COMEBACK of coming back to life was for us, and not for him... the past few days have been so beautiful, healthy, and difficult... we are working through everything, talking through everything, praying through everything, healing through everything. So many friends & family have been carrying us through this with their love and prayers!! Aaaaaaaaand the VA >>> WOWWWW, THEY HAVE BEEN BEYOND AMAZING!!! THIS IS HOW A HOSPITAL SHOULD BE RUN!!! THEY CARE SOOOOOOOO MUCH!!!! THEY DISPLAY SO MUCH LOVE & DIGNITY & RESPECT!!!! Soooooo much respect and appreciation for them and all that they are doing!!!

 

LIFE CELEBRATION SERVICE:

Like we did with Mom 2 years ago we are going to plan a Celebration of Life Service for Dad for after the holidays probably during the 2nd half of January. We will update everyone once we nail down the date & location.

 

From the bottom of our hearts THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! ♥️ ❤️ ♥️ 

 

 

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I have some awful news. My Dad is on life support...

  

I have some awful news. My Dad is on life support at the VA hospital and it's unlikely he is going to make it. We are here now. We have tried to call as many people as we can, but it's still an active situation and spending time with Dad.

 

What Happened?

Dad thought he was coming down with a cold Saturday night. All day yesterday he still felt like he was coming down with something, but was doing fine. We watched the Bucs game together. And eventually he decided to go to bed early around 6pm. He started getting the chills with flu like symptoms, but no fever. We increased the heat and doubled up his blankets. Then all of a sudden he started getting worse around 8pm last night and he wanted to go to the hospital. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary of any other time we went to the hospital. But then he asked Laurie to pray for him. She did, and as Laurie and I were wheeling him down the ramp he was unable to lift his legs. As we were helping him into the car he lost all his strength and passed out. We got him into the seat. I sped off. Dad was breathing heavier & heavier and was unconscious leaning on my right shoulder. I kept pushing on him trying to wake him up while rushing to the ER. (Laurie was driving separately). I was yelling, "Dad! Dad! Wake up!!". Somewhere during the 5 mile drive my Dad got very quiet and stopped breathing... he literally passed away leaning against me while I was driving him to the Emergency Room. I pulled up to the VA ER and ran in for help. The ER staff jumped right into action with chest compressions while Dad was still in the passenger seat... they got him on the stretcher and continued. Laurie had called Traci and she raced to the hospital. When Laurie saw them on top of Dad doing chest compressions she lost it. Just a few hours ago we were just hanging out and thinking maybe he was coming down with a cold... now he was not alive... What in the world just happened?!?! The ER doctor was leveling with us that it didn't look like Dad was going to make it. Traci was still on the way devastated as she was driving to the hospital wondering how bad he was, but knowing they were doing CPR. The staff came in to tell update us. We knew it was going to be the worst, but amazingly they were actually able to bring Dad back to life after 15 minutes of life saving measures. The Comeback Kid had 1 more comeback in him! Traci arrived in time for the good news. But our immediate grief that turned to short-lived joy turned back to great sadness when it became evident that his brain went without oxygen for several minutes and wasn't showing any positive signs of brain activity. They asked how come I didn't call 911. My simple honest answer is that I didn't know he was dying. I would have called in a heartbeat like I have before if I thought for a second he was dying. By the time it became dire I was already enroute to the ER... it didn't seem like they could get to me faster than I could get to them at this point. Carson and Dave rushed from his shark charter to be by Dad. Now we are like, "What in the world just happened?!?!?!" Dad was doing the best he has done in years!! We are in shock and I'm kinda of a mess to be honest from the drive to the ER... it was quite possibly the worst experience of my life, Laurie's life, & my Sister's life... but more importantly it was the probable end of my Dad's life. The first time he passed away (in the car) he went peacefully. He is now on a ventilator and all kinds of machines. His heart is working properly, but there are many indicators that he has significant brain damage. We have no idea what exactly happened last night, but it looks like he may have had a rapid onset of pneumonia and he went downhill quickly and it stopped his heart??? We were up all night. Crushed in many ways as you can imagine. But also happy Dad's suffering is almost over, and his reunion with Mom along with his ultimate healing in the presence of Jesus is about to begin. Laurie prayed with my Dad the salvation prayer a few months ago. We are forever indebted to her!! Traci & I have decided to list Dad as a DNR so barring an absolute miracle and supernatural comeback our Dad - The Tomato Man - will be starting a new tomato garden in heaven very very soon.

 

He knows so many of the medical staff here... they are doing a fantastic job and they love our Dad!! We brought his special Christmas pens and Traci & Laurie are giving them out to the hospital staff.

We tried calling people to inform them, but have run out of time as we spend time in ICU with Dad.

 

He is at the Bay Pines VA in SICU Floor #2, Room #2 

 

 

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OUTDOOR MOVIE NITES DEC 13 & 14 !! ... MAKE UR OWN PIZZAS!!! CAMPFIRE!! GAMES!! S'MORES!! GOOD TIMES!

Wow, we have been going nonstop since the Annual Banquet (and before!)... Our Outdoor Movie Nites at BIRDDOG CINEMA are next week!! Aaaaaaaaand it includes MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA(S) toooooooo!!!!! Click on the link below for all the details and to RSVP 😃

(Click pics to enlarge and see details for each night)

GTD OUTDOOR MOVIE NITE link:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/birddog-cinema-outdoor-movie-nite.html?m=1

 

 

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$83,059 RAISED SO FAR!!!!!

  
We've been going nonstop since the Annual Banquet... lots & lots of make-up Dr's appointments for Dad that were rescheduled because of the hurricanes. Anyways, we have wonderful wonderful news >>> OUR AMAZING SUPPORTERS HAVE DONATED & PLEDGED AN ADDITIONAL $20k OVER THE PAST 2 WEEKS TO BRING OUR CURRENT FUNDS RAISED TO $83,059!!!!!!!! PTL!!! Thank You Jesus!!!! ONLY $17k LEFT TO GOOOOO!!!!

If you would like to help us hit our $100,000 goal and/or watch our fundraising progress click on the link below. Thank you so much, and we love you guys!!!!

Donate & Fundraising Tracker:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/fundraising-tracking.html?m=1

 

 

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HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!! Traci, Laurie, & Dad made the most amazing Thanksgiving meal!! As you can see Dad has made a miraculous comeback. 4 weeks ago we didn't think Dad had much longer... yesterday he smoked a turkey and Boston Butt, and cooked another turkey in the oven (PTL!)!! It's the best he has felt in 5 years! Aaaaaaaaand Traci continued her annual tradition of getting us all cool Christmas shirts for gifts!! Thanks Sista!!! Happy Turkey Day everyone!

  

 

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THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR A WONDERFUL BANQUET LAST NIGHT!!!! ...63.5K RAISED!!!

  
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!! Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude and thankfulness for every speaker, every volunteer, every attender, every donor, every table sponsor, every Ministry Partner, and every person & organization involved in last night's GTD Annual Banquet. Approximately 170 people attended last night's event, and we have already received so much great feedback from so many people!! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I'm humbled and overjoyed to share that we received $23,198 in donations & pledges last night to add to the $40,326 already received going into the banquet to bring our grand total raised so far to $63,524!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!! This is a great great great start to hitting our annual goal of raising $100,000 by January 31st!! We are humbled & pumped at the same time as we stand on the edge of kicking off our 29th year of ministry in 6 weeks!!
  
If you would like to contribute to the cause and help us meet and exceed our 100k goal simply click on this link and select a way to donate:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1
  
To regularly follow our fundraising journey and see how much we've raised every few days click on our Fundraising Tracker link here:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/fundraising-tracking.html?m=1
  
From the bottom of our hearts >>> THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!

 

 

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Our MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE YEAR starts in a couple of hours!!

 

Our MOST IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE YEAR starts in a couple of hours!! Our deep & profound thanks goes out to all of our Table Sponsors & Supporters that helped make this night happen!!! Thank you so much Banquet Sponsors, Ministry Partners, & kind Donors!

Please show them your appreciation through your prayers & patronage 😀

$40,000 raised so far and $60,000 to gooooo!!

Click this link to help support the cause:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1

 

 

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BLOWN AWAY!!! ...$40,000 RAISED SO FAR!!! .....HELP US HIT OUR $100K GOAL!!

   
Thank You Jesus! Thank you Donors! Glory to God!! We have already been blessed with $40,000 raised with two more days till our Annual Banquet!!! That's a huge head-start!! THANK YOU SO MUCH AMAZING DONORS!!!

If you would like to help us hit our goal of raising $100,000 as we go into our 29th year of ministry you can use one of the options below to donate:

From the bottom of our hearts >>> THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!!!!

=====================
MORE WAYS TO DONATE:
=====================
<> PayPal and/or with a Debit or Credit Card (Add 3% to cover PayPal & credit card fees):
https://www.paypal.me/GTDadventures
 
<> Venmo (@GTDADVENTURES) (Add 3% to cover Venmo fees):
https://venmo.com/u/GTDADVENTURES
 
<> Send checks (made out to "GTD") to our mailing address:
GTD / PO Box 7523 / Seminole, FL 33775

<> Sign up to be a monthly Ministry Partner for 2025:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/monthly-partners.html?m=1

<> Sponsor a Table: (& RSVP):
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1
=====================

 

 

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ON THE COMEBACK - AGAIN!!

   
After possibly hitting his lowest health lows a few weeks ago Dad is on the comeback again! His 1 week hospitalization at the VA did Dad a whole lot of good. Although they couldn't find the cause of his severe headaches they were able to take amazing care of him and administered a nerve blocker so Dad couldn't feel the headache for a few weeks (maybe a couple of months). He was discharged from the hospital in dramatically better condition than when he was admitted. (We love the VA!!!). Dad has said a few times over the past 2 weeks that this is the best he has felt in years! He was even able to walk a few hundred yards without a cane or walker!! Way to gooooo Comeback Kid!! (As the nerve blocker wears off he will probably feel the headaches again... we are getting more tests done to see if we can figure out the cause)

 

 

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25 FREE BANQUET TICKETS!! ...COME JOIN US THIS TUES NIGHT!!

    

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 delicious Carrabba's dinner. This year we have 25 FREE TICKETS AVAILABLE! Yayyyyy!! Thank you 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 28 years of ministry as well as prepare for our 29th year!

Dress Code: Semi-formal / Business attire 

 

ANNUAL BANQUET:

Nov 19th, 2024 (Tues Night)

6:30pm - 9:00pm

 

Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center

4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781

 

CATERED BY CARRABBA'S!!!!!

 

Website, More Details, & RSVP:

https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1

 

 

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$10,000 MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE ISSUED!!

 

MATCHING GIFT CHALLENGE ISSUED!!
... Double Your Donation to GTD!!
....Turn $10,000 into $20,000!!
 
HELP LAUNCH GTD INTO OUR 29th YEAR OF MINISTRY IN 2025!

Wowwww, the hits just keep on coming!! A $10,000 grant, then a $12,000 mega donation, and now a $10,000 Donor Match Challenge by another supporter that likes to stay anonymous!!!

Thank you so much generous anonymous Donor!!!

So that means our generous anonymous Donor will match all donations & table sponsorships dollar-for-dollar up to a total of $10,000!!! That means that if our supporters combine to donate $10,000 then our anonymous Donor will DOUBLE IT for a total of $20,000!!!

Wowwww!!! PTL!!! Thank You Jesus!!!

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Donation methods:
1) PAYPAL: www.paypal.me/GTDadventures
2) VENMO: www.venmo.com/GTDADVENTURES
3) MAIL IN A CHECK MADE OUT TO "GTD" TO:
   GTD / PO Box 7523 / Seminole, FL 33775
-----------------

For more details about our Annual Banquet & ways to donate click here:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1

From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!

 

 

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$12,000 DONATED TO GTD!!!

  
GTD just received our LARGEST ONE-TIME MONETARY DONATION EVER!!!! The donors want to stay anonymous, but I can tell you that they are 2 of the BEST people you could ever know!!! They are the kindest, most loving, most generous, most fun people you could ever know, and we are so blessed to have them on the GTD Team!!! Thank you so so so so so so so so so so so so so much x 12,000 awesome friends of GTD!!!!
  
WOWWWW, OUR MINDS ARE BLOWN!!! Thank you awesome Donors, and thank You Jesus!!! You are launching us into our 29th year of ministry!!!! WOW!!!!!

  

  

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NEW GTD T-SHIRTS!! THANK YOU LAZ!!

  
Check out our new GTD T-shirt design for this year's supporters and Ministry Partners! Huge THANKS to Jason Lazzaro for coming up with this design on extremely short notice!! LAZ has designed many of our shirts over the past 10 years... and I recently asked him if he could design something in a few hours so we can promote it in at our banquet... I specifically asked for our name on the shirt with a catch phrase underneath... so he worked his magic and designed this shirt with a topographical hiking map in the background with our name & logo in the foreground with the phrase: "Fueled by Faith. Driven by Adventure."... I immediately loved it and I hope you guys do too!! Thank you LAZ for all you do to bless this ministry!! Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people are wearing GTD shirts that you designed which promotes our ministry and represents our Savior. Thank you so so so much dear friend!!
  
If you're in need of an AMAZING graphic & brand designer that creates BOLD, BRIGHT, PERSONALITY-PACKED BRANDS designed to blow away your customers and your competition then LAZ is your man!! Check out his impressive website here: Jasonlaz.com
  
Thank you soooooo much Jason!!!

 

 

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GTD RECEIVES $10,000 GRANT FROM GENEROUS LOCAL ORGANIZATION!!!

   
Let the FUNdraising begin!! We are blown away AGAIN by a generous local Pinellas Park organization that has given GTD a grant for $10,000!!! What a way to kick off our fundraising sprint to 100k!!!!! Wowwww!!! Blown! Away! Thank you AMAZING ANONYMOUS ORGANIZATION!!!! You are launching us into our 29th year of ministry!!! We praise God for you, and deeply respect and greatly appreciate all you do in & for the local area of Pinellas Park!!! I'm so happy GTD is based in the wonderful community of Pinellas Park 😃 😃 😃 

 

 

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16 TABLES SPONSORED IN 1 WEEK!! ...THANK YOU & PTL!!!

  
Our Annual Banquet is Nov 19th. The hurricanes disrupted over a month's worth or preparations, but we are still going for it with the pedal to the metal!! We are thrilled to share that our supporters are all full throttle too!! In less than a week we've had 16 tables sponsored by our AMAZING SUPPORTERS!!!! We are so touched and blown away!! I do an awful job of staying in touch with our FAITHFUL Donors & Monthly Partners, but an especially awful job over the past 6 months... sooooo this is an INCREDIBLE TESTAMENT to their FAITHFULNESS and God's GRACE!!!! Thank you FAITHFUL & AMAZING Supporters!!!! I look forward to highlighting each Table Sponsor over the next 7 days. You guys rock!!!

Our goal is 20 Table Sponsors! If you would like to help us hit our goal and/or donate towards our $100,000 fundraising goal as we prepare to kick off our 29th year of ministry (Glory to God!!!) then click on the link below for details & donation options. Each Table Sponsorship receives 8 tickets to our Annual Banquet which is catered by Carrabba's!!!!

GTD Annual Banquet website:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1

 

 

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I'M 24 AGAIN!!

  

I'm a little behind on social media... just read the awesome birthday wishes from 6 weeks ago when I turned 54. Thank you everyone!! 3 hurricanes in 3 months and caregiving keeps a guy busy lol. I'm thrilled to share that I'm probably the best I've ever been in my life (and I've been blessed with a lot of great seasons throughout my life). But none have been this great at this level. As many of you know the past 5 years of caregiving has taken a brutal toll on me. But God radically healed me 3 months ago (See my "BREAKTHROUGH" post from Sept 6th for more specifics) and almost every day since has been the best day of my life!! None of my circumstances have changed. I'm still years behind on everything. Caregiving occupies a large part of my life. Blah, blah, blah. But God has totally freed me from all the ways that this 5 year journey has clobbered me. I can't explain it, but it has been similar to getting born again. God radically healed me in a split second. Now I'm "Zip-a-dee-doo-dah, zip-a-dee-ay" and "Jimmy crack corn and I don't care" all day long. I could not be healthier or happier! God totally and radically healed me and changed just about every appetite I have in an instant in the forest of North Carolina 3 months ago. Now I'm back working out like I used to. For the first time in my life eating healthy isn't an act of discipline... I actually desire healthy food and don't crave junk food (how did that happen?! Supernatural!). I have so many small & big things that were supernaturally altered in my life when I simply had a moment of concession and submission to God and I barely uttered these words in regards to the past 5 years of my life and where I've become "stuck": "BUT I GUESS THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO BE DOING", and in a split second God radically healed me. Soooooooo I'm 24 again!! Chronologically I'm 54, but I feel like I'm 24 again... I feel like trying out for a major league baseball team LOL!! I'm not on anything more than vitamins, healthy food, lots of water, and a heart full of Jesus. I want to thank everyone who has prayed for me over the past 5 years!! I'm forever indebted to you!! I'm doing so good I almost want to say that you don't need to pray for me anymore, I'm all good!! That's how good I is 😀 . That's my overdue birthday post!! I'm 24 again PTL!!!! (PS: The muscle picture is more due to the right lighting/shading and getting a picture when I was most pumped during the workout haha)

 

 

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HAPPY CANDY DAY!!!

 

HAPPY CANDY DAY!!! ...Oh, and let's keep my true identity our little secret 😄 🤣 😂

Hashbrown: Older more "seasoned" Clark 😉 

 

The Comeback Kid is coming back AGAIN!!

Look who's back home and playing checkers! The Comeback Kid is coming back AGAIN!! Dad was discharged from the hospital last night. They ran a ton of tests on him, but were not able to determine what's causing the severe headaches. They ruled out a lot of things out, but, in the end, gave him a nerve blocker injection to temporarily relieve his pain. Sooooo, barring a miracle, he will be back in severe pain again after the nerve blocker wears off. But in the meantime, he is pain free and full of life!! Thank you everyone for your prayers and love!!

 

 

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GTD'S ANNUAL BANQUET 3 WEEKS AWAY!!!

 
Nov 19, 2024 (Tues Night) 6:30pm - 9:00pm
Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center
4951 78th Ave N, Pinellas Park, FL 33781
 
In light of the recent hurricanes and the devastating local impact I've grappled over this decision, and gone back and forth over postponing or even canceling our Annual Fundraising Banquet. After some great conversations, prayer, and doing the best we could to get a pulse on the current mood we have found that there is a strong appetite by many to see the banquet happen as scheduled. It seems almost fitting that our mantra as an "All Weather Ministry" will not only apply to the outdoor adventures we provide, but now also our most important event of the year >>> Our Annual Banquet. As we finish up our 28th year or ministry and gear up, Lord willing, for our 29th year of ministry we invite you to join us for a break away from the stresses caused by Debby, Helene, & Milton and enjoy a wonderful night of celebration, testimonies, & delicious food catered by Carrabba's. We are looking for 20+ Table Sponsors to partner with us for this event. Of course this is a fundraising event, but even if funds are tight (or non existent) please don't let that keep you from joining us and enjoying a God-awesome night all dressed up & celebrating the goodness of God... we always have amazing generous Table Sponsors that live outside of this area that offer up their tickets for free. For more details or to RSVP for the Annual Banquet click on the link below. From the bottom of our hearts we want to thank all of our supporters, volunteers, & encouragers for supporting the work of GTD!! God bless you!!

Annual Banquet website:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/annual-banquet-pppac-2.html?m=1

 

 

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DAD IS IN THE HOSPITAL WITH SEVERE HEADACHES

  
Please keep our Dad in your prayers (Jerry Garner - The Tomato Man). I took him to the VA ER at 4.45a yesterday morning with debilitating, excruciating, & unbearable headaches. He has been admitted to the Neurological wing of the hospital and is undergoing a lot of diagnostic testing. He has been in so much pain & agony... hardly able to function at times. The past 6 months have been especially brutal on him, but the last 2 months and more specifically the last 2 weeks have been agonizingly brutal for him. About 6 weeks ago Dad started developing bad headaches. We have been going the traditional medical route of appointment with primary, order CT scan, get results, referred to specialist, make appointment... this all takes many weeks & oftentimes months to go through... then throw in a couple hurricanes and rescheduling of appointments and then it gets even longer. His CT scan showed something, but nothing too crazy. He had a Neurologist appointment scheduled for mid November, and a dialysis related surgery scheduled for today (Friday) so we were trying to manage this day by day and keep the surgery date, other upcoming appointments, and see the Neurologist in a few weeks, but over the past 2 days the headaches have intensified greatly so we hightailed it to the ER. The VA is AMAZING!!! They are doing every test known to man and trying to determine what's going on. I've only had a migraine headache 2 times in my life when I was a kid and I'll never forget how bad they hurt... all I could do was curl up in a ball and cry... so I can only imagine how much misery Dad is experiencing. You can tell that he is in so much pain that he wants to cry, but he holds back. With Dad's stage 4 kidney failure he can only take Tylenol for pain, and it hasn't helped him at all. The only relief he gets is laying flat or at a slight angle and then the pain subsides. But then eventually you have to go back upright to eat, stand up, go to the bathroom, change positions, etc, etc. So that's the whole story. He is on the 5th floor of the Bay Pines VA Hospital in Room #: 5D-109 (Bed 2) ... even in the midst of all the pain the first thing he thinks about is giving out gifts at the hospital which now includes pens, flashlights, watermelon cubers, and his new "limited edition" 2025 calendar hahaha!! I told him that he should make a Tomato Man Swimsuit Edition and circle his birthday (Dec 19th) on all the calendars hahaha! He got a good laugh out of that. They say laughter is the best medicine so I've been doing a pretty good job of giving Dad a daily dose of haha's lol. I'm way behind on social media, but I'll do my best to keep you updated. Thanks for your love & prayers!!

 

 

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GLOW CANCELLED TILL 2025

Ugh, so much going on that I forgot to post publicly that the GLOW Bioluminescence Paddling Event that was rescheduled for tonight (Oct 5, 2024) has been cancelled due to family health issues and the impacts of the hurricane. Jan contacted everyone registered earlier this week, but we like to do a public post on social media so nothing falls thru the cracks. I'm happy to say that GLOW is back on the calendar for next year - August 23, 2025 and registration is already open 😀

GLOW Website

 

 

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UPDATE ON DAD

First off, we weathered the hurricane well. We only had branches down and lost power for 16 hours (we had a generator to get us thru). Compared to the devastation that others are experiencing we were unscathed. Our hearts are broken to see so many in our community lose just about everything. It's brutally gut wrenching. So giving an update about Dad feels almost inappropriate. But I know he has so many that love him and genuinely want to know how he is doing. To sum it up, he isn't doing well. He hasn't been able to walk since Friday which makes everything waaaaay harder. He has recently lost dear friends & close family members which crushes his heart. He had his lower GI tract probed and they found polyps with high risks of cancer so he has another system that is failing. His kidneys & heart are always in decline. He is 100% of the time in a lot of pain & discomfort, but because of his kidney disease he is limited on pain meds. Basically he is miserable, but he rarely complains. There are days when I think he is in the last season of his life. I honestly don't know how he keeps on keeping on. I never give up, and I would have given up a long time ago if I had all that he has going on... so I have great respect for his perseverance. Over the past 4 days he can't walk and is on laxatives, and that is a crazy combination... he needs help getting to the bathroom and the laxatives sneak up on him without warning so it's an around the clock race to the bathroom before things get real messy. And yes, things have gotten real messy!! I have seen "things" and cleaned "things" I've never wanted to see or clean... I may need counseling when this is all over hahahaha! But it's what we do as a family... thick and thin. Neither one of us has slept hardly at all in 4 days because of the laxatives. I just tell him we are having a weekend frat party as we party all night long on the "potty" haha. He is around 200 lbs so not everyone can help transfer him from bed to wheelchair, from wheelchair to vehicle, from vehicle back to wheelchair, from wheelchair to toilet, etc. Overall his medical needs have skyrocketed over the past 6 months. Every issue that occurs requires a doctor's visit then a referral to a specialist then an appointment for diagnostic testing then a doctor's visit to go over the results then an appointment for surgery or procedure then hospitalization then follow up doctor's appointments for results & continued follow up... and this goes on for every system that goes wrong... and then Dad has the same types of doctors in both the VA and private health care so many times we are duplicating visits simply because he wants to go to both providers. That part is insane to me, but Dad has a way of doing what he wants to do. He is an unstoppable force, and that's not always a good thing lol. So currently we have 1-2 doctor's appointments or dialysis 6 days per week... everyday but Sunday... this frequency has been going on for months and will go on for many more months. We are blessed with the best village of helpers - Tom, Dianne, Laurie, Dave, Carson, myself, others, and Dad's home health aide thru the VA who comes here 5 days per week (M-F) for 4 hours each visit. It's astonishing how many people it takes to keep one person surviving. It's a heavy toll that paralyzes your ability and availability to do much more than caregive so it's very difficult to see the local need of devastation and know I could help with the clean up and rebuilding, but I need to stay within 50 feet of my Dad because that old laxative is going to be calling soon. I'm just saying that because I want to be involved in helping others, but this is where God has me right now helping my Dad, and I've got to be alright with that... and I is. It doesn't make it easy to not be able to help friends and community, but I'm content knowing I'm doing what God has me doing. I'm going to give you an update on me on another post because I just celebrated my 54th birthday (still haven't read my FB birthday wishes from last week, but I'm looking forward to it), but basically I'm doing GREAT!! Ever since my breakthrough in early August God healed me of a lot of things in a split second when I stopped resisting Him on this current journey I'm on. Everyday since then has been one of the best days of my life... even while cleaning up "messy" things. Keep my Dad in your prayers please. Growing old and going thru the long "dying process" is about the worst thing I have ever witnessed with my Mom and now with my Dad. It's hard to watch, especially when there is nothing you can do to stop the inevitable. The best thing I can do is turn laxative messes into late night frat parties and administer the best 3 medications ever created >>> companionship, love, & laughter 😀

 

 

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MOVIE NITE "SOARED" DEEP IN THE HEART OF THE FOREST!

It was Pizzadillas & a Movie in the middle of Pisgah National Forest as we relaxed around the campfire, roasted s'mores, and watch Top Gun Maverick soar halfway across the globe to save the world.

Special appearances included The Moo Moo Girlz and the reigning 2024 Miss S'mores LOL!

Last year we switched from running our projector & sound system from a gas powered generator to an EcoFlow solar charged power bank for a quieter & simpler movie set-up & experience.

It was a great night!

 

 

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Hello Florida!

Hello Florida! Just got back from NC... GREAT trip! PTL 😀

 

 

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BEST! HUMAN! AVALANCHE! EVER!!!!

This is how SEU College Students roll! Or should I say slide 😉 .

(No animals were harmed during the production of this aqua adventure.)

Southeastern University (Countryside Satellite Campus) Adventure Trip 2024!

 

 

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RAFTING & FUNYAK DAY WAS THE PERFECT DAY!!!

 

I couldn't put into words what a phenomenal day rafting & funyak day was on the French Broad River in North Carolina!! It was simply perfect from start to finish! Perfect weather. Perfect temperature. Perfect location. Perfect scenery. Perfect time of day. Perfect duration on the river. Perfect activity. Perfect thrills. Perfect group of people. Perfect focus on Jesus. Perfect moments. Perfect instant memories. It was one of the best days of our lives! ...a day we will all cherish & savor forever! We love, love, love these students and their leaders from Southeastern University (Countryside Satellite Campus) ❤️ ❤️ ❤️ 

 

 

 

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We are back up in NC

 

We are back up in NC for one last Adventure Trip of the season!! Welcome back Southeastern University students for your 3rd Annual GTD Adventure Trip!!!

 

  

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BREAKTHROUGH!!

  

On August 1st & 2nd I experienced one of the greatest breakthroughs of my life. It happened as I was breaking down the campsite by myself in NC after an Adventure Trip. It's extremely rare to have to break down camp without any volunteers or staff, but about every 15 years it happens. We usually try to have about 5 people breaking down camp and it usually takes 3-5 hours. By myself it took me 18 hours spread out over 2 days. This was so orchestrated by God. The past 5 years of caregiving had pretty much annihilated me & my Sister as all of you know, and I have been on this TAKEback campaign since hitting rock bottom last Sept (a year ago). There were many issues that had me completely gutted, but a couple of those issues revolved around the idea that I'm nearing my mid 50's and I was in the worst health of my life from caregiving and feeling like the last of my best years are over, and with that was the probability of the greatest dream & desire of my life since I was a kid to one day be married and raise a family has been ripped away from me. The hard part of caregiving is that it literally kills you... kills your availability, kills your energy, kills your finances, kills your joy, kills your health, kills all your relationships, kills your business or ministry, kills your drive, kills your hopes, kills your dreams. Most caregivers literally die before the person they are caring for dies. It's a statistical fact. It is reality, and it has been the reality I had been living for 5 years. And to be raw and real, I haven't been happy about it at all as anyone could tell from my social media posts over the past 5 years. I have had the disgruntled heart of Job along the way. That doesn't mean I didn't want to care for my Mom. It was one of my top 3 callings in life. It just means that I totally underestimated what caregiving required. Totally. Not even close. And the losses I was experiencing, well those were the things I was disgruntled about. The near bankruptcy. The loss of nearly every close relationships. The barely keeping the ministry alive. The loss of any chance at a dating life or romance or marriage or kids or a family. And many many other things that are of immense value to me that died or were dying. All those things are totally annihilated in the life of a caregiver. But I've been making a bit of a comeback over the past year with my TAKEback campaign, but the gains have been agonizingly slow, but they have been gains regardless of their pace. They have been encouraging signs of a heartbeat and life. But still my joy has been so little, but yet it has been more joy than I've experienced in 5 years. And I missed so many things about my true & authentic personality and character that I haven't seen in many years. I used to laugh all the time. I used to joke around all the time. I used to dream and chase those dreams all the time. The "recent Doug" has been disgruntled, joyless, & very angry. I missed the "former Doug" more than I can articulate. That is, until a month ago when I ran into "former Doug" in the forest of NC during my 18 hours of breaking down camp by myself!! I found my best friend again - "former Doug"!! As I was breaking down camp and tempted to be disgruntled I had a few breakthrough thoughts that I leaned into. They aren't profound thoughts. In fact, they are quite simple & elementary... sort of like a childlike faith that leads to salvation. As I was drying off tents and packing them up, cleaning out showers, and inventorying pasta noodles my thoughts were, "God I just feel like this is a big waste of time and resources. I need to be back home taking care of my Dad. I'm years behind on countless important things. My house needs so much work to be completed. I have so many friends in need to reach out to. You could have supplied me with an army of volunteers and we could have knocked this out in a few hours, and then we could be putting this time & energy to more productive uses for Your Kingdom. Quality time with people where real ministry takes place. Honestly Lord, I don't really like how you run things. I'm not on board with You, and You do this all the time. Thousands of people dying without You Lord, suicide rates going through the roof, thousands of people literally starving to death and You have a willing servant here wasting time & energy folding up tents all alone in the middle of the forest (and here's the breakthrough thought), BUT I GUESS THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO BE DOING." Did you catch that?? In that moment friends I STOPPED RESISTING God's directives... the very directives I've often found to be "pointless and mundane", but are the tasks the Lord has orchestrated for this season of my life. This was the breakthrough point >>> I STOPPED RESISTING. I STOPPED RESISTING. I STOPPED RESISTING. Sometimes personal ambitions rob you of living fully in the moment. And in that moment I dropped my ambitions and started accepting that which I did not want. I "embraced the suck" as they say in the military. I stopped fighting God's "mundane & pointless" tasks, and started embracing them. "I GUESS THIS IS WHAT YOU WANT ME TO BE DOING." And in that moment I STOPPED RESISTING!!! A pastor once preached a message about John 15 and bearing fruit for God's glory. He asked, "Do you know how you can tell if fruit is mature? It's when you push on it with your thumb and IT ISN'T HARD AND DOESN'T RESIST THE PRESSURE." It's a lesson I've learned and applied many times throughout my life, but I passed all those pressure tests in the school of life during all my formative years from "1st grade thru 12th grade". But I've been failing this same lesson at a higher level of education over the past 5 years. As TD Jakes says, "New levels brings new devils." So as we go on to the next level of the same lesson the difficulty level substantially increases. And as soon as I STOPPED RESISTING this same lesson at a higher level EVERYTHING CHANGED!!!! In an instant "former Doug" was back!!! I folded all those tents with a pep in my step! I was loving being in the outdoors and listening to the creek and my tunes. I was loving seeing that at 53 years old I still had it in me to break camp for 18 hours all by myself. I felt so strong, so encouraged, so healthy. And the best part was that I stopped trying to be God's manager and advisor, and started living in the moment again albeit the mundane pointless moment. Although I think He should do things differently. I STOPPED RESISTING the way in which He chooses to do things. Since returning home I have continued to walk in what feels like one of the most radical breakthroughs of my life!! None of my circumstances have changed. The caregiving demands are as high as ever with my Dad, but I'm no longer disgruntled. I have "embraced the suck". I'm "counting it all joy" (James 1:2). "I guess this is what You want me to do God." And in that letting go I have rediscovered the awe & wonder of living in the moment again... even when that moment is undesirable. I'm laughing again. I'm having fun again. I'm working out hard again. I have dreams again - but with less unhealthy ambition and no rigid timeline. I have hope again. In one simple but profound truth I have been set free again. I find God's approach many times to be inefficient. I honestly don't like the way He does things many times. That's my honest opinion, and I tell Him all the time that I know my opinion is inaccurate... I is dead wrong because I know His ways are higher than man's ways... His thoughts higher than man's thoughts. It's His universe and He knows way more than me. Like Saul I had to learn to stop kicking against the bricks (STOP RESISTING) so He could turn me into Paul. I'm back babie!! I'm 24 again!!! In my lack of fitness over the past 5 years I went above 20% body fat for the first time in my life. Now I'm back eating healthy ("embracing the suck") and working out hard. I'm already down to 16% body fat with the non rigid goal of getting to under 10% as I hit 54 years old later this month. I STOPPED RESISTING AND STARTED LIVING AGAIN IN THE "POINTLESS" MOMENT and everything changed. On a side note, as I was breaking down camp and listening to some of my favorite songs,  "The Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams came on (I LOVE THAT SONG!!!) and one of the lines in the song were the perfect words at the perfect time. He sings, "Ain't no use in complainin when you've got a job to do." That is now my mantra! That is now my wake up song. I play that little clip before I do what I don't want to do... which is the vast majority of my day... and I'm finding by the end of the day I had the best day of my life by willingly and even joyfully going ahead and doing every "pointless & mundane" thing that I don't want to do, but "I guess this is what the Lord wants me to do today." I daily have to let go of all my ambitions and desires in that moment to answer the call, but I'm finding along the way that I sometimes like God's way better than mine. Sometimes I find that I'd rather do what I hate more than doing what I like... one of many paradoxes of following Jesus. Thank You Jesus for BREAKTHROUGHS and for NEVER GIVING UP ON ME!!!

 

 

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GLOW POSTPONED TILL OCT 5th!!

  

With all the crazy nightly thunderstorms this week, the forecast of similar storms tomorrow night, & Doug's Dad's hospitalization yesterday we are postponing our sold out GLOW Bioluminescence Paddling Trek till Saturday night October 5th. The last place you want to be in the middle of a lightning storm is on a paddleboard or kayak on open water. Hopefully our new date will have a better weather pattern. There is nothing that you need to do. We will transfer your registration to the new date. Let us know if you aren't able to go on the new date and we will open your spot for those on our waiting list. My sincerest apologies if the new date doesn't work out for you!!!

 

 

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BACK TO THE HOSPITAL! ...AND DON'T FORGET THE PENS!!

 

A little bit after returning home from dialysis this afternoon Dad "didn't feel right"... abdominal pain, low blood pressure, lightheaded, borderline passing out, profuse sweating. After about 45 minutes of taking BP, pulse ox, changing his positions, etc, etc he was feeling worse and started to pass out so I called 911. Jan was working here today and was so helpful comforting Dad. The Pinellas Park EMT's & Paramedics showed up and took great care of the Tomato Man and loaded him up and took him to the Emergency Room... but not before Dad reanimated and summoned the strength to say one last thing before being carted off, "Doug, can you go over to that box by my chair and grab a handful of pens so I can give them out at the hospital." LOL! That's The Ambassador / Tomato Man!! Always loving to give gifts to others... that's just who he is. The EMT's & Paramedics really loved the pens! Watch out hospital, the Tomato Man and his pens are on the way!! I'll update this post as I learn more. Thanks for praying for Dad... this is his 4th trip to the hospital in 2 weeks... that's a lot of pens!!

 

 

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Beautiful sunset tonight...

Beautiful sunset tonight at Redington Beach... Goodbye Mr Sun!! See you tomorrow!! 😀 

 

 

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It's good to be back in church :)

 

It's good to be back in church :) 

 

 

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OUR FALL RETREAT IS 2 MONTHS AWAY!! ....REGISTRATION PAGE IS NOW OPEN!

 

 

Our annual Fall Retreat is back babie! We've reserved an AMAZING group campground on a 71 acre spring fed lake with all kinds of family friendly & kid friendly activities!! Keeping Jesus first is our main objective so join us on another God-awesome GTD adventure as we say goodbye to the dreaded summer heat & humidity and say hello to the wonderful fall Florida weather in late October!! I can't wait!!!!!

 

CLICK HERE for Details & Registration Page on our website

 

 

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Back to the hospital for the 3rd time this week

Poor guy! Back to the hospital for the 3rd time this week. Dad returned home yesterday afternoon from our early morning ER run. He ended up receiving a stent for a partially blocked artery near his heart. Today while receiving his regular Thursday dialysis treatment his heart rate dropped so low that the doctor on site felt it would be best to err towards caution since he just had a heart catherization and send him back to the hospital. Dad is in good spirits and is being checked out by the ER staff at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater... hoping he can return back home quickly!! It has been quite the week for him!

 

 

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EARLY MORNING TRIP TO THE ER CAN'T STOP DAD FROM GIVING GIFTS TO OTHERS!

  
Around 1am this morning my Dad woke me up complaining of chest pain & heart attack symptoms. Over the next 20 minutes he took 3 nitroglycerin pills spaced out 5 minutes apart. That's the first time he has ever taken nitroglycerin. The pain went away and we continued talking about going to the ER or not. Dad has had a few times when he had chest pain and it resulted in several days in the hospital running a lot of tests to find out it's not a heart attack. The hospitalizations take a negative toll on him so it's not as easy as saying everytime I feel chest pain we are going to the ER. It's more like pick your poison. So after a few minutes of weighing the pros & cons he opted for going back to bed. Around 3am he woke up with more chest pain so we went straight to the ER while taking 1 more nitroglycerin pill enroute. My role is to break the speed limit (yesssss!!) and keep his mind distracted usually by minimizing what's going on, "This is probably just a false alarm like the others. You'll be fine and back home quickly. How 'bout that Rays game last night!" So we arrive at the ER in record time lol (it helps that nobody is on the road at 3am). And there are no other patients waiting. They take Dad straight back and start running all the tests. So what does Dad do? He does what he always does and that's that he had me load up his "briefcase" with all his goodies he loves to give to people (while he thinks he is having a heart attack, mind you) and then we drove to the ER (had to backtrack for a minute) and then while the medical staff is caring for him he is handing out his Tomato Man pens to everyone!! LOL, you've got to love this guy!! I was able to snag a pic of him in action. You would never believe how much nurses & doctors ABSOLUTELY LOVE a good writing pen!!! It's like giving them a brick of gold! They absolutely love it!! I tell the nurses that tonight will be like getting Santa Claus for a patient hahaha! Well, long story even longer, the preliminary tests showed no signs of a heart attack, but they wanted to admit him for more testing (that's the part that takes its toll over time... for elderly people to be confined to a hospital bed even for a few days can have a lot of negative impacts, especially the strength to walk. It can take weeks to recover from hospitalizations for aging people not to mention all the infections & diseases you get exposed to in the hospital. I love hospitals and greatly honor & appreciate those in the medical staff - I used to be a Respiratory Therapist - but a few more tests and observation can turn into pneumonia or covid in just a few hours for elderly people. Like I said, pick your poison.) So Dad is in the hospital for only a day or two (hopefully), but I already know that it's Christmas time in Room 627 for anyone who is taking care of the Tomato Man :) :) :)

PS: This is an unrelated post about Dad's health from my post yesterday. Dad had a procedure done and went under anesthesia, but by yesterday afternoon he was back home and doing great.

 

 

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Dad has had a very full summer of procedures...

Dad has had a very full summer of procedures, Dr's appointments, & dialysis. Today he was up at 4am getting ready for his outpatient procedure today at St Anthony hospital in St Petersburg. He will be under anesthesia for a couple hours, and hopefully returning home later today. Dad has been averaging about 5 days per week of medical appointments (along with dialysis) for the past few months. He is in good spirits... he keeps on keeping on :)

I'm soooooo thankful for Traci, Dave, Carson, Laurie, Tom, Dianne, and everyone who helps the Tomato Man get to all his appointments, especially when I'm out of town running events!! It takes a village, and God has blessed us with a great village indeed!! After being gone for weeks at a time I try to return and make up for all the Dr's appointments that I would have been helping with if I was here. My aim is to alleviate Traci & Laurie's load for the 5 weeks that I'm here before returning to North Carolina in September. 2 weeks into it and so far so good! PTL :) 

 

 

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INTRODUCING GTD'S NEWEST OUTREACH >>> SAILFUTURE ACADEMY (SFA) FOSTER CARE AGENCY & PRIVATE SCHOOL FOR AT-RISK TEENS!!

OUR RECENT 5-DAY ADVENTURE TRIP WITH SFA WAS FANTASTIC!

 

(Note: SFA is a secular private academy not to be confused with a faith based private academy.)

 

I'm thrilled to share with you that GTD has recently been blessed with a wonderful outreach opportunity with an incredible organization based in St Petersburg, Florida that reaches out to foster care youth & at-risk teens in a very unique way that includes sailing. In fact, we just got back from our first 5-day Adventure Trip with them in North Carolina, and God blessed us with a great experience sprinkled in with some challenging moments that SFA teachers & staff turned into mechanisms of growth. On the 3rd day a few teachers shared with me that they could see some significant breakthroughs in some of the students. Camping and adventure has a unique way of stretching you & growing you quickly in a concentrated amount of time.

 

Long story short, a few months ago one of our former GTD employees (Tessa Ward) who now works for SFA introduced me to Hunter Thompson (Chief Operations Officer of SFA) and I was able to tour the academy and their enormous 100+ ft sailboat. I was immediately hooked on what they are doing, how they are doing it, and the results they are seeing. We began to talk about ways GTD could partner with SFA. Since we had an open week on our calendar and a campsite already reserved in NC, and since the students typically don't have the funds to do trips like this, and since we could run this event at minimal expense, and since God through our amazing supporters & donors blessed us exceedingly & abundantly at last year's Annual Banquet, and since it seemed that God was prompting my heart to reach out, I offered SFA a free 5 day Adventure Trip in North Carolina for up to 60 people. And praise God, with deep gratitude they accepted the offer. So in a matter of a couple of months they organized things on their end and we organized things on our end and it all culminated into 30 staff & students arriving to camp in 4 rental vans for a 5 day adventure in Pisgah National Forest!! We not only all survived, we had a fantastic time!!

 

In the weeks ahead I look forward to sharing with you special moments throughout the trip.

 

I want to profoundly thank all of our donors, supporters, Ministry Partners, & volunteers for making this event & experience possible!! You would have all loved seeing how the week transpired. Thank you for your generosity and commitment to GTD!! God bless you dear friends of GTD!

 

ABOUT SAILFUTURE ACADEMY (from their website):

"SailFuture is an innovative foster care agency, and private school based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We serve children and families across seven different programs throughout the Saint Petersburg community.

 

Our comprehensive continuum of care is designed to serve Florida’s highest-risk teens in foster care, meeting many, if not all, of their needs under one umbrella.

 

As an organization, we offer a broad range of programs and services designed to holistically treat childhood trauma and equip teens with the skills and resources necessary to navigate life."

 

More posts and updates to come!

 

 

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