REAL MEN SLIDE DOWN WET ROCKS LOL!

  
We had a blast hiking down into Tallulah Gorge State Park and sliding down Bridal Veil Falls then hiking out of the gorge! It was a complete adventure, and everyone loved it!!

 

 

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AND OUR 3rd STRAIGHT ADVENTURE TRIP HAS OFFICIALLY BEGUN!!

    
A small men's group (not midgets mind you) from Calvary Church of Clearwater arrived yesterday afternoon to kick off their annual GTD Adventure Trip!! Here we gooooo!! Shooting for a hat trick of back-to-back-to-back God-awesome events to complete our 2026 Summer of Fun!!! GLORY! TO! GOD!!!!

 

 

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WELCOME TO THE GTD CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT!

   
Carson brought his weight lifting set so we are able to maintain our workout consistency... and wash our clothes with this handy dandy portable "washing machine" GTD got a couple of years ago. Who needs CrossFit when you can wash your clothes and workout at GTD's CAMP FIT LAUNDROMAT hahaha 😅

 

 

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YESTERDAY WAS AN ADVENTURE LIKE NO OTHER!!

  
Some days take on a life of their own. That's how yesterday was. We probably had 10 different adventures within one day of adventure. I'm still processing and savoring it... Yonah Mountain = new destination (for the other 3 guys, and I haven't been there in 20+ years), intense uphill hike, each person carried 2 backpacks, thick fog at the mountain top with 20 ft of visibility, temporarily "lost" from low visibility, teachable training moments for Carson & Andrew, miraculous-like clearing of the thick fog in about 5 minutes to reveal breathtaking views (and the trails as well as the edges of the cliffs), miraculous-like encounters with strangers that helped us get reoriented to find our trail to our rock climbing spot, a near fall off of a narrow trail edge about 10 feet above the rocks below (I was able to grab a tree to keep me from going over the edge, but slammed & twisted my left knee), slightly injured but still able to hike & climb with a limp, the injury meant Carson & Andrew had to set up the climbing anchors (a true passing of the torch as I always set up the rappel & climbing anchors, and they were able to apply the anchor training I have been teaching them), we all got to climb before darkness hit, hiking downhill with headlamps on, fully exhausted and fully alive, getting back to camp late for dinner and Impact Point, and probably several other adventures within the adventure!! Emeil, and all of us, had one of the best days of our lives full of unknown outcomes while relishing in the moment. A lot of it was captured on pictures, videos, & drone footage. It was truly an epic God-awesome day!!

 

 

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AN AUDIENCE OF ONE!

   

At one point we had about 8 people signed up for Go Vertical, and it slowly trickled down to one. Sometimes we cancel an event if participation falls below a certain number, but since we had private events right before Go Vertical and right after we could still run it if the one person (Emeil) wanted to still go vertical. Emeil was still all in and so were we!! And since we are in a 2 year process of passing the torch this became a good opportunity to also train up our next generation of GTD leaders that we treat a group of one with the same level of enthusiasm and care as we treat a group of 25! Andrew and Carson have risen to the occasion, and are working hard to give Emeil a God-awesome rock climbing & rappelling trip... and Emeil is loving it!! The truth is that we should always work each trip as unto an "Audience of One" - God, and then everyone walks away with a lifelong God-awesome memory!! Emeil got to go rappelling several times on Currahee Mountain. He relished it!

 

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as though you were working for the Lord and not for people." - Colossians 3:23

 

 

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STEADY PROTEIN & EMERGENCY CAFFEINE!

  
We are 7 days into 13 straight 16-hour work days!! Gotta have some on-the-go constant easy access protein and "emergency" "getting very lethargic" quick caffeine!! Both can be life savers in those "hitting the wall" moments. Just gotta get some healthier energy drinks!! This is the door before the first trip, and this is the door at the finish of the first trip =).

 

 

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PANCAKES, DEVOS, BIBLE TRIVIA, VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT, ROPE SWING, & SALSA DANCING... SEU TRIP ENDS SPECTACULARLY!!

   
What more can I say... the title says it all, except for our nightly campfires, worship, highlights of the day, s'mores, Christ-centered messages, & God-awesome fellowship!! Well, I guess there was a lot more to say hahaha!! We are praising God for a spectacular week with the SEU college students and so many answered prayers!! Only 1 trip to the ER, 1 vehicle breakdown, & perfect rain-free weather all week. God is so good!! SEU came, they saw, they conquered!! Now they are driving back to Florida... and we are already missing them!!

 

 

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ROCK ON!! ...SEU TAKES ON CURRAHEE MOUNTAIN!

   
We were blessed with a fantastic day on Currahee Mountain with the Southeastern University students (Countryside Christian Center satellite campus). They rock climbed and rapelled their way to a lifelong memory as some overcame fears, some pushed themselves past previous limits, and some increased their skills. No matter where each person was in their skill & fear level it became a day of personal growth and accomplishment. Rock on!!

 

 

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INNER TUBING BY DAY, WORSHIP BY NIGHT... SEU ADVENTURE TRIP HAS BEEN GOD-AWESOME!!

   
It was a perfect day in Helen, Georgia for inner tubing on the Chattahoochee River... then a perfect night around the campfire for praise & worship!! God is so good! We love this group!

 

 

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SEU TAKES ON TALLULAH GORGE!!

   
It was a challenging hike in and out of Tallulah Gorge, but it was so worth it! SEU loved sliding down Bridal Veil Falls!!

 

 

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SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY HAS ARRIVED!!

   
We love this group! This is our 5th annual Adventure Trip with the students from Southeastern University (Countryside Christian Center satellite campus)... Every September they kick off the school year with a GTD Adventure Trip to create deeper bonds of friendships, lay a Godly foundation, refresh their souls, and build lifelong memories together. We are so honored to host their group each year! Looking forward to all that God has in store this week!!

 

 

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FIRST MONTH'S RESULTS!!! ...GOD IS UP TO SOMETHING SPECIAL!

   

Wow, just wow!!! 90 RSVP's, 11 Table Sponsors, 2 new Monthly Partners, a Pampered Chef fundraiser, a Venue Sponsor, a T-Shirt Sponsor, a Dinner Sponsor, and a $12,000 Legacy Donor Match Sponsor all in just one month!!!! Totally! Blown! Away!!! Speechless!!! That brings our current total to $18,085 raised in the month of August (does NOT include the 12k Donor Match Challenge)!!! Glory to God!!! Thank You Jesus!!! Aaaaaaaaand thank you so so so so much loving & generous amazing Donors!!!! Wow, you guys are relaunching us into our next 30 years of ministry!!!! I can't wait to see what God does in September!!!!!! This is a total faith journey!! 

To follow our Annual Banquet faith journey click on the links below, and prayerfully consider jumping on the GTD faith train 😀

 

Annual Banquet RSVP link:

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

Annual Banquet info & donation link:

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

Fundraising Tracking link:

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

 

 

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