LOTS OF JANUARY 31st DEADLINES!!

   
Jan is working away at getting our 2023 GTD Annual Donation Receipts mailed out by the January 31st deadline... it looks like they will go out today PTL!! Jan is such a hard worker and has such great attention to detail! She is better than fantastic... She is JANtastic!!!

 

 

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PIZZA AND A MOVIE NITE NEXT FRIDAY (FEB 2nd)... WE ARE WATCHING "GROUNDHOG DAY" ON GROUNDHOG DAY!!!!

  
We will have 8 or 9 different PIZZA OVENS with all kinds of delicious ingredients as we "celebrate" Groundhog Day by watching GROUNDHOG DAY on Groundhog Day!! Join us at BIRDDOG CINEMA (my backyard) for a scrumptious night of fun!!
  
*All movies are "made for TV" and family friendly... profanity and inappropriate content have been removed.
  
We can take 50 so RSVP to reserve your spot! Join us February 2nd (a Friday night) for another outdoor movie, dinner, campfire, & games!!
  
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"DOORS" OPEN AT 4.30p
>> Dinner @ 6pm-ish
>> Groundhog Day @ 7:30pm-ish
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MENU: Make Your Own Pizzas, Hot Dogs, Chips, Popcorn, S'mores, Snacks, Lemonade, Sodas, & Water
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Movie Nites take place at BIRDDOG CINEMA (aka, my backyard) in Pinellas Park, Florida... and are provided by GTD for FREE!
  
(Comment below, FB Messenger me, text me, etc to RSVP and claim your spot!)

 

 

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1st of 3 (outpatient - Lord willing) surgeries that will happen over the next month...

 

Today Dad has the 1st of 3 (outpatient - Lord willing) surgeries that will happen over the next month to remove his stomach & shoulder dialysis ports and permanently place a port in his arm. I think the last update I posted about Dad & dialysis was back before the holidays. At that time my Sister & I were training to administer Dad's dialysis at home which would be 7 days per week, 365 days per year (or 366 on leap year, but who's counting LOL). He was originally told that at-home dialysis was the better way to go, but what we eventually found was that it was a much much much more difficult path. That became apparent to Traci and I almost immediately, but Dad didn't realize it until after a month of training. Since last May Dad has been receiving dialysis at a center 3 days per week for about 3-4 hours each treatment for a total of 12 hours per week. On the other hand, the at-home dialysis was 7 days per week for 8-10 hours per night (while he was sleeping), but involved regular nightly alarms that will go off each night between midnight and 7am requiring some sort of adjustment. It also involved a lot of sterile procedures during the hook-up and disconnect stages that we were told will eventually lead to accidental infections which require a whole other set of procedures and potential hospitalizations. In addition to that it also required half of a bedroom to hold a month's supply of dialysis treatments. And in addition to all of those things, his needs for dialysis are going to increase as his kidney function and health decline over time so the 8-10 hour treatment once per night was going to eventually become 3-4 "shorter" treatments per day (virtually around the clock). It was during the last day of training when they had my Dad do a simulation and lay in a bed while administering the at-home dialysis when the light bulbs started going off (I always thought the saying should be "the light bulbs 💡 going on"). He said, "I have to do this everyday and never have a day off for the rest of my life compared to just going to the Dialysis Center 3 days a week for 4 hours each time?! No thank you! I'm not doing this everyday for the rest of my life." My Sister and I were willing to do it, but honestly had no idea how we could pull it off everyday for years ahead... and we had no idea if we would survive it after the past 5 years... we were already like zombies with much of our own lives & responsibilities falling apart. I recently learned that studies show that a majority of caregivers end up dying before the loved ones they are caring for... and that was the track my Sister and I felt like we were on. It doesn't matter how awesome our parents are and all the good intentions we have to take care of them... the harsh reality is that caregiving is the right thing to do, but it's brutal and it requires way more time, effort, energy, & resources than you can ever imagine, and eventually that takes a drastic toll on every healthy thing in your life. And we've had so much help from friends & family! And still we were drowning & dying. So when I say that my Dad's decision to opt for doing dialysis at the Dialysis Center instead of moving forward with at-home dialysis was a life changing decision, I mean it literally probably saved mine & my Sister's life as well as his! Since that day in late October the trajectory of our lives changed from "dying" to "recovering". God is breathing life back into dry bones... He is resurrecting us day by day & week by week. A few days ago Dad said, "This is the best I've felt in years." I think that's because we are on a stretch of making some wise decisions that at times seem contrary to the "right" thing to do. I think the sleep deprivation alone that we avoided every night by declining at-home dialysis and opting for dialysis 3 days per week at the Dialysis Center was a game changer by itself. We've also tweaked our daily & weekly schedules for a wiser approach on everything, especially when Dad does dialysis, schedules his Home Health Aide, & Dr's appointments... everything is a little bit smoother and in rhythm with his energy highs & lows. He used to have some sort of health related appointment 6 or 7 days per week, but now he has 4 "free" days when he doesn't have appointments because we were able consolidate those appointments into the same 3 days as his dialysis. This has freed Dad up to enjoy 4 of his days a week doing things he loves (or just have a day off) instead of just doing treatments and "surviving". On his full days off he is hobbling into the kitchen & cooking or he is able to go visit friends or run errands or basically be involved in things that would be referred to "quality of life" things. God is slowly turning things around and we are breathing again instead of gasping. Soooooooo today Dad is having the port removed from his stomach that was originally inserted for at-home dialysis. He will have 2 more surgeries after this related to switching from at-home dialysis. When it's all said and done, he will have had 5 unnecessary surgeries related to this stomach port which has never been used and never will be. Thank you to everyone who has helped, prayed for, & encouraged our family through this long journey. I know God is going to use all of the knowledge and experience we have gathered through this process to enable us to help, encourage, and pray for others as they care for their loved ones.

 

 

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SAY HELLO TO OUR NEWEST PART TIMER... FAITH ZIMA!!

   
With Carson's shark charter business booming he has had to cut back his hours with GTD. So we needed someone who could fill in those vacant hours. I heard Faith (one of our high school volunteers) was available, and in one quick phone call we had a new part time staff member. I knew from working with Faith over the past few years that she was a very hard worker, super organized, super intelligent, and super fun... so I already knew she would be a great blessing as a staff member, BUT I HAD NO IDEA THAT SHE WAS SOOOOOO MECHANICALLY INCLINED & SOOOOOO FAST AT GETTING WORK DONE AT SUCH A HIGH LEVEL OF EXCELLENCE!! It has been 2 weeks and I can't even put into words what a blessing this young lady has been to our ministry!! In just a couple of days she assembled a recumbent exercise bike, 5 pizza ovens, an outdoor foosball table, a 2-person basketball game, and a bunch of other things!! And she did them all accurately and with solid construction!! We have been doing a lot of Movie Nites with campfires, and I have plenty of firewood in the backyard. On her 2nd day of work she showed up with an ax to chop firewood... when that wasn't efficient enough she showed up the next day with a reciprocating saw and cut up a ton of firewood... this young lady takes so much initiative and doesn't run from the work, she runs to the work! One of our sayings in GTD is, "See the need; take the initiative." In other words, don't wait to be asked or told to do something you see needs to be done... just go ahead and step up and do what needs to be done. Faith is a great example of taking initiative! In just 2 weeks she has already made a big impact!! As I've shared many times, all the years of caregiving for my awesome parents has put me years behind on everything in my life, work, ministry, etc. A few months ago God gave me a window of opportunity to start taking back my life with the specific promise that He "will restore the years that the locust have eaten" (Joel 2). And WOW, He is doing exactly that! Much to share! I certainly miss Carson and all the work he helps me with as well as the fun & fellowship we have together. I'm happy to share that Faith is already doing a fantastic job helping fill Carson's very big shoes! On a cool side note, God used this ministry (GTD) as an instrumental part in Faith's parents meeting & getting married. So I guess you could say that Faith is literally part of the "fruit" of this ministry... she is a 2nd generation GTDer, and we are so blessed to have her on our Staff! Welcome to Team GTD Faith!!

 

 

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MISERY LOVES COMPANY! ...JOIN US FOR OUR ANNUAL EVERGLADES BACKPACKING TRIP FEB 3-4!!

  
Less than 2 weeks till our MOST UNPOPULAR EVENT OF THE YEAR - our annual Swamp Thing Everglades Backpacking Trip!

"SALEabration" PRICE: $55 (plus meals) [SPECIAL 28th Anniversary Price!!]

Check out our cool 2 minute Swamp Thing promotional video here... it will almost make you want to sign-up, almost:
https://youtu.be/H7mxwB7ne7A
 
For the SWAMP THING website, event details, and registration info click here:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/swamp-thing-1.html?m=1
 
JOIN THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE INSANE >>> THE SWAMP THING EVERGLADES BACKPACKING ALUMNI!

 

 

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50 WONDERFUL PEOPLE SHOWED UP FOR "MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA" MOVIE NITE AT BIRDDOG CINEMA!

   
Last Saturday night we had a blast hosting our first ever GTD "MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA" MOVIE NITE at BIRDDOG CINEMA for our ministry friends & family! 50 people, 9 pizza ovens, 2 experienced pizza makers, a whole lot of ingredients, plenty of pizza making equipment, 2 basketball games, 1 ping pong table, 1 foosball table, 1 cornhole game, lots of chairs, 1 fire pit, 1 fireplace, 2 outdoor heaters, 1 big movie screen, 1 movie, and plenty of deliciousness all added up to equal lots of smiling faces!! Thank you to everyone who joined us and all our staff & volunteers that worked so hard to make this night happen!! Our next Pizza & A Movie NITE will be February 2nd... we will be watching Groundhog Day on Groundhog Day hahaha! More good times ahead 😀

 

  

  

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OUR MOST UNPOPULAR EVENT IS 1 MONTH AWAY!! SWAMP THING Feb 3-4, 2024!

  
One month till our annual Swamp Thing Everglades Backpacking Trip!

"SALEabration" PRICE: $55 (plus meals) [SPECIAL 28th Anniversary Price!!]

Check out our cool 2 minute Swamp Thing promotional video here:
https://youtu.be/H7mxwB7ne7A
 
For the SWAMP THING website, event details, and registration info click here:
https://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/p/swamp-thing-1.html?m=1
 
JOIN THE FEW, THE PROUD, THE INSANE >>> THE SWAMP THING EVERGLADES BACKPACKING ALUMNI!

 

 

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"MAKE YOUR OWN PIZZA" MOVIE NITE JANUARY 13th!!

  
We will have 5 different types of PIZZA OVENS with all kinds of delicious ingredients as we kick off 2024 with a classic fun adventure movie >>> THE GOONIES <<< at BIRDDOG CINEMA!!

*All movies are "made for TV" and family friendly... profanity and inappropriate content have been removed.

RSVP to reserve your spot! Join us January 13th (a Saturday night) for an outdoor movie, dinner, campfire, & games!!

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"DOORS" OPEN AT 4.30p
>> Dinner @ 6pm-ish
>> The Goonies @ 7:30pm-ish
-------------------
MENU: Make Your Own Pizzas, Hot Dogs, Chips, Popcorn, S'mores, Snacks, Lemonade, Sodas, & Water
-------------------
More info to come!
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Movie Nites take place at BIRDDOG CINEMA (aka, my backyard) in Pinellas Park, Florida... and are provided by GTD for FREE!

(FB Messenger me, text me, etc to RSVP and claim your spot!)

 

 

 

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HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY GTD!!

With each New Year also comes a birthday / anniversary date commemorating the first year Going The Distance Adventure Ministry started planning, preparing, & providing God-awesome adventures for groups in God's amazing playground. Although I personally started working on it 5 years earlier in 1991 "tilling the ground" so to speak, it was in 1996 when we started running group events... and we've been going & growing, stumbling & overcoming, pressing on & soaring ever since! It's not just our name, it's also our testimony... we literally are GOING THE DISTANCE with Jesus wherever He takes us on this journey!

With 27 years completed, over 700 group events, & over 15,000 participants later we are amped up for "MORE IN 2024"!! We are ready to put another notch on the belt! 28, here we go! In the words of the Young Guns movie in 1988, "Regulators, mount up!" ...Giddy up!!

I want to thank every person who has ever volunteered, worked for, supported, donated to, encouraged, participated in, prayed for, and/or otherwise been involved in this ministry to help us get to our 28th year!! You have all been an important part of the longevity of GTD! You are an answer to prayer, and a blessing from God!!

GTD: BUILT BY GOD; BUILT TO LAST! And ultimately I simply want to thank God for creating, sustaining, and propelling this ministry!! It's all from Him. It's all for Him. It's all because of Him. The 2 following verses pretty much sums up God's role in the creation, birth, growth, and longevity of this ministry (hint: it's all God!):

"What do you have that you did not receive?" - 1 Corinthians 4:7

"Lord, you establish peace for us; all that we have accomplished you have done for us." - Isaiah 26:12

HAPPY 28th BIRTHDAY GTD!! ALL GLORY TO GOD!!

 

 

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OVER THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS WE SURPASSED $120,000 RAISED!!! ALL GLORY TO GOD!!!!!

  
You guys are simply INCREDIBLE!!! As we prepare to kick off our 28th year of ministry you guys have shock'd & awe'd with an unprecedented outpouring of support!! I love in Ephesians 3:20-21 where God's Word says, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen." ... THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE EXPERIENCING, AND IT'S ALL GOD!!! We don't have any fancy or slick fundraising strategy... we don't have professional fundraising consultants... we just give it all over to God... so I can honestly and wholeheartedly say - ALL GLORY & HONOR TO GOD!!! HE DID IT ALL!! We just got the word out, but He moved the hearts, and you guys obeyed His moving!! It truly is exceedingly & abundantly above all that we asked! Humbled and blown away at the same time! Thank You Jesus!!!

 

 

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Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!!!

 

Merry CHRISTmas & Happy New Year!!! It has been a wonderful week!! Looking forward to "MORE in 2024!"

 

 

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