What an AMAZING Time!!

Wow, it's hard to put into words how incredible the last 24 hours has been. 
Last night our Costa Rican cook, Lela, made our favorite dinner - chalupas!!! Absolutely delicious!!! Out of this world!!!

We were invited to be a part of a small group Bible study last night in the poorest part of town. We were expecting to just be observors, but I (Doug) was asked to speak right before it started. I've learned through the years that when I don't have any time to prepare, the best thing to speak about is what God is currently teaching me. It's fresh & something that I'm usually most passionate about because I love learning from my heavenly Father. 

There were about 25 men, women, and children there. I shared about the journey God has had me on over the past 4 years in ministry. Since I'm typing this on my cell phone I will have to keep it to that brief description, but I look forward to blogging about the specifics in a few weeks. It was an honor to be a part of their small group. Like most people in Costa Rica (and especially in this small town) the people are so warm, friendly, and welcoming. Everywhere we go it's like a big group hug from the family of God.

It was such a blessing to see the leaders of the small group Bible study reaching out to their community with the love of Jesus. There were several people in need of the power of Christ in their life as the world has sucked the life out of them and left them empty.

Heather and her 12 year old daughter Adalyn have already fallen in love with this community... and vice versa. As the Bible study ended last night all the kids played together outside for about 2 hours. Adalyn was a big hit with the local kids and had a blast playing games together. While the kids played, Heather, Laurie and I went on a search-and-find mission. Laurie brought down a lot of pictures of the community kids from last summer's carnival day. Our new friend, Julio, took us door-to-door to find the kids and hand deliver the pictures to them. They were so happy to get the pictures. It was a big hit!
This morning we started the day with an excellent breakfast made by Lela. Afterwards we studied Matthew 17 for our morning devotions. There's no better way to start the day than in God's presence!

The weather is PERFECT as we are right in the middle of Costa Rica's summer. Temps are around 75*F with clear skies and pleasant breezes.

After devos we painted the bottom of 22 trees on the church property with a special fluid to prevent insects from damaging them. It was a good project and a great way to serve our brothers in Christ as they serve the Lord.

We enjoyed a lot of fresh fruit during our work break.
After finishing our project we went to visit our bus driver Luis and his lovely wife Marieta. They are such incredible people. Before we even sat down Marieta began making us an incredible lunch of steak, rice & beans, salad and plantains... Followed with ice cream bars!! Wow, can she cook!

Luis is such a wonderful man-of-God. We loved listening to everything that God is doing in his family's life. We were also saddened to hear that he will no longer be our bus driver. God has him on a new journey that includes 3 businesses. He now owns his own dairy cow farm, is starting a guided tour in a national park (he and his business partner just finished preparing their tour wagon that holds 25 people), and has a third business starting up in San Jose. Because of this he & his wife will be moving about 30 minutes away at the end of this month. We were so happy for them and so sad that we won't see them as much as we want to. Luis was the absolute best bus driver we could have ever dreamed of. He has been an answer to prayer for our ministry. He will be greatly missed!

There is a youth service at church tonight. It's such a blessing to watch & hear these young people worship God! Adalyn & Heather are loving it!

There are so many other things I could share, but I'm out of time! We have laughed so much on this trip. Praise God for laughter!!

Blog u tomorrow! We are planning to go to church, the ziplines, and hopefully have a town-wide movie night watching "Courageous" =)

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CR2012 Is Off To A Good Start =)

After a 5 hour drive from the airport we arrived to the church in Fortuna (near Guayabo). We could see that there was a Thursday night church service going on as we pulled up. As soon as we opened the car doors we could hear the people signing worship songs to God as they sang, "Hallelulah, hallelulah, hallelulah". I can't tell you how blessed we were as soon as that beautiful sound touched our ears. The church immediately welcomed us and brought us up in front of the congregation to show us some love. We were so happy to report to them that we are bringing 8 groups back to serve the Lord with them this summer. And they were happy too as they all clapped loudly.

Afterwards we ate a late dinner in the small town and drove our "adopted" son home to save him from a 1 hour walk. It's such a great feeling to embrace our adopted Costa Rican extended "family" each time we see them. The love of Jesus just oozes out of them.

We got a great nights sleep last night... except Adalyn was a little afraid of some lizards she saw crawling in & around her room.

This morning we planned out our meals & grocery list with Lela (one of the best cooks we've ever had!!). Then we had a wonderful devotion time as we read Eph 6:10-18 and spent some personal time with God praying & reading His word. Afterward we spent some time talking about what God is teaching us. It was a special time.

We just had brunch at a small restaurant in Guayabo and the crew is grocery shopping at Super Chavez (the local small grocery store in town).

Tonight we are participating in a Bible study with a group in the poorest part of Fortuna that receives their housing through the government. We love these people & can't wait to be a part of what God is doing there.

Thank you for your prayers & for following our mission trip.

Hola From Costa Rica!!

We have arrived in Costa Rica!! The flight went great and we enjoyed watching Dolphin Tale at 25,000 feet. We have a very, very, very small team (not a midget joke!): Adalyn, Heather, Toly, Laurie, & me (Doug). Right now we are eating some authentic Costa Rican food at a restaurant near the San Jose airport. Laurie & I just completed our 21 day Daniel Fast this morning so this is our first cooked meal in 3 weeks. We will see ;). We are looking forward to what God has in store for our small team this week =)

CR2012 Begins!!

Heading to Costa Rica!! About to board JetBlue!! Follow our first mission trip of 2012 on the GTD blog: http://gtdbullhorn.blogspot.com/

19 Days Till GRUNGE

GRUNGE 2012 Caving Day Trip (Ocala, FL)

Feb 18 | Special: $16/person (Save $9)

ONLY 25 SPOTS AVAILABLE!!

YOU MUST PRE-PAY ($16) TO LOCK IN YOUR SPOT!!

SEE ALL DETAILS HERE:
http://www.goingthedistance.org/pages.asp?pageid=12267

CONTACT GTD: 727-394-9483

------------- GRUNGE INFO --------------

COST: $16 (includes lunch & all gear)

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SUMMARY:

GRUNGE is GTD's underground caving adventure. It's a whole other world under the ground and GTD wants to take you there. Whether you are walking through limestone caverns, wading through underground rivers, or crawling through bowling ball sized holes you will be blown away by the playground God created beneath the surface of the earth. GRUNGE is the essence of being a kid - exploring holes and passage ways that will both challenge & amaze you. GTD will equip you with all of the safety gear you need as you light up the darkness and discover a whole new world of hidden adventures. GRUNGE is a Christ centered event that is seasoned with prayer and provided in a Godly Christian atmosphere.

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Garage Sale By Ministry Partner Raises $300

Special thanks to GTD Ministry Partners Paul & Heather Williamson who raised $300 at their Garage Sale this past weekend to send down to our adopted home church in Costa Rica. In addition, they are sending down a bag of very nice outgrown kid's clothes to be distributed to a low income housing area in the small town of Fortuna. Paul & Heather have participated in our Costa Rica Mission Trips and developed a heart for the wonderful people of Fortuna and Guayabo. Thank you to the Williamson family!!

2013... Already???

The Mayans may not of planned for 2013, but GTD already is!! 

MOGUL & XFL are coming back to the GTD schedule in 2013!!


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Tons of Website Updates Completed

It has taken a few weeks, but I was able to complete 8 of 14 public event links on the GTD website in addition to A LOT of major updates. Check it out and see what you think:

• Homepage
• Sales & Specials
• Upcoming Events
• Internships & Volunteer
• CR2012 (Feb)
• GRUNGE
• LIQUID
• PADDLE PROWL
• CR2012 (July)
• SLAMMED-17
• GRAND CANYON & SEDONA
• SWAMP THING

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The Office

The administration workload here at GTD Headquarters during the month of January can get as wild as an episode of The Office. But hopefully we are a little more productive =). With the end-of-the-year and the start-of-a-new-year comes many requirements, deadlines, and urgent tasks. Even though Laurie & I run an outdoor adventure ministry, we actually spend a lot of time in the office on computers. Like every non-profit organization we have state & federal requirements on top of a stack of daily, weekly & monthly administrative tasks. It's not unusual for me to work 12-16 hours per day just on administrative tasks... but I love it... and I thank God for it!! Here are some things we are currently working on in The GTD Office:

• PRAYING!!! Bathing Everything In Prayer!!
• W2's
• W3's
• Quarterly Reports
• Donor Receipts
• New Budget
• Finalize 2012 Event Calendar
• Planning Out 14 Public Events
• Planning Out 12 Smiley's SAC Events
• Planning Out 9 Costa Rica Mission Trips
• Planning Out 5 Adventure Trips
• Planning Out 6 Retreats & Day Trips
• Updating & Constructing New Website Links For Each Public Event
• Creating New Specials & Sales for 2012
• Emails, Facebook, Twitter, & Blog
• Preparing For Internships & Volunteers
• Marketing GTD Events
• Preparing Contracts & Invoices
• Filing Receipts
• Paying Bills
• Office Clean-Up & Organizing
• Reserving Camps, Cabins, Airline Tickets, etc
• Assessing 305 Current Tasks And Prioritizing
• Monthly Newsletters
• Uploading Pics & Videos (Editing)
• And On & On....

So that's a little snapshot of what's going on in the GTD office right now. Don't forget to regularly lift us up in prayer... "Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain." (Psalm 127.1). "'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,' says the LORD Almighty." (Zech 4.6). "To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." (Col 1.29). Thank you! God bless <><

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FPCDC Mission Trip Training

Part of the FPCDC Mission Team Heading To Costa Rica In June 2012

Last night Laurie led up a great night of missions training with a wonderful youth group from First Presbyterian Church of Dade City. This group is energized and focused on their 9 day outreach in Costa Rica which is planned for this June.

We enjoyed some great fellowship with some great teenagers & their parents. We reviewed the history of GTD and how the Costa Rica Project developed then we covered topics such as The Great Commission, Phil 2:1-5,  teamwork, what to expect in Costa Rica, how to prepare for this mission trip, air travel, currency, passports, vaccinations, language barriers, mission projects, adventures, daily agenda, spiritual emphasis, spiritual warfare, personal lessons learned, and so much more.

The entire training took about 3 hours and went very smoothly. Our special thanks to Nikki, Cathy, Kurt, Reverend Kevin D. Morris and his lovely wife Kim for the great honor of allowing GTD to put together a God-awesome mission trip for their youth. We look forward to what God has in store!

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GTD Has Gone MAD!!!

GTD's March Madness!!! Private Retreats for ONLY $59/person!!!

That's right, our 2 day/ 2 night retreats are usually $99/person, but we are knocking 40% OFF for groups that sign-up to do a camping retreat during the month of March. Why are we doing this? Because we are MAD (Madly IN LOVE with Jesus who MAD [Made A Difference] in us so that He can MAD [Make A Difference] through us in people's lives!!). So be a part of all the MADNESS this March as GTD begins our GREATEST YEAR EVER!! Go to our website for contact information.

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HERE IT IS!!

HERE IT IS!! The updated 2012 GTD Public Event Calendar:
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Feb 2-8: CR2012 (Spring Edition) - Costa Rica Mission Trip
Feb 18: GRUNGE Caving Day Trip
Apr 7: LIQUID Canoeing Day Trip
May 5-6: PADDLE PROWL Canoe Camping Weekender
May 12: THE DRIFTERS Inner Tubing Day Trip
May 25-28 GO VERTICAL Rock Climbing & Rappelling Trip
May 25-28: HYDRO White Water Excursion
July 7-14: CR2012 (Summer Edition) - Costa Rica Mission Trip
Aug 8-12: SLAMMED-17 (17th Annual Adventure Trip) to NC
Aug 30 - Sep 3: NOMAD Backpacking Trip
Sep 20-25: GRAND CANYON Trip
Oct 19-21 IGNITE Camping Retreat
Nov 13: ANNUAL BANQUET
Dec14-16: SWAMP THING Backpacking Trip In The Everglades
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Hope to see you on a GTD event this year!! God bless <><

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Skycrest Signs Up For A Day Trip!!

God keeps blowing us away as He continues to fill up our calendar with ministry opportunities. We are happy to welcome the women's group from Skycrest Baptist Church of Clearwater to our Day Trip Program. We look forward to a wonderful day of canoeing and fellowship with these great ladies!!

The Refuge Church Is Costa Rica Bound!!

PTL!!! Our 9th and only remaining mission trip slot has been filled!! We are excited to welcome The Refuge Church from Hilton Head, SC to our 2012 Costa Rica Mission Trip schedule. We look forward to the impact God is going to make in & through The Refuge Church!!

We are also blown away at the doors God has busted open for us already in 2012 in our Mission's Program and can't wait to see all that God does this year!! All glory to God <><

Paintball Was A Blast =)

Our first SAC event for 2012 was paintball and we had a blast. 17 men from Smiley's young adult ministry played paintball for 3 hours for our January SAC (Sunday After Church) event. I love playing paintball, but this was the longest time and the most fun I've ever had playing. And the best part was that we had the KISS look-alike rock band out playing with us. Great guys, great times!!

Next SAC Event is our Super Bowl Party on Feb 5th!!



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SAC Is BAC(K)!!

Last year GTD started supplying regular monthly outdoor activities to our home church's young adult ministry that I (Doug) have been a part of since 1988. The idea is to put together activities that promote relationship building and encourage regular attenders to invite unchurched friends to church followed with a fun activity... all while enjoying God's amazing creation. We call it SAC which is stands for Sunday After Church.

It's been a big hit, and now SAC is BAC(K) for 2012. Check out the activity line-up below for the 2012 SAC calendar. If you are a young adult and never married between the ages of 17-25 and looking for a thriving church and young adult ministry to be a part of then we encourage you to check out First Baptist Church of Indian Rocks Church and Smiley's Coffeehouse (the young adult ministry of FBCIR). Come pray with us then come play with us!

2012 SAC Calendar

Jan 15: Paintball
Feb 5: Super Bowl Party
Mar 18: High Ropes Course
Apr 15: Ultimate
May 20: Fun-N-The-Sun Beach Day
Jun 3: Wakeboarding Day
Jul 22: Softball
Aug 26: Canoeing
Sep 16: Flag Football
Oct 28: Indoor Rock Climbing
Nov 25: Cookout at the Park
Dec 16: Geocaching

Hope to see you there =)

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And Another GTD Retreat Scheduled =)

God continues to bless GTD with more ministry opportunities. Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater & Skycrest Baptist Church of Clearwater are teaming-up to do a GTD youth retreat over spring break. This event will be for the 8th graders. We love working with Skycrest Youth Pastor - Mitch Kuhn and CBCC Youth Pastor - Ron Cooney and we look forward to all that God is going to do on this event!! We can't wait!!

We Got A Mac!!!

It's been nearly impossible to do any quality video & photo editing on our outdated computers. Other than the occassionl virus, our used PC's have been doing well for our basic needs, but they continually crash when it comes to anything that has to do with graphics. So we were able to purchase GTD's first Mac!! A Mac Mini. And we can't wait to put together awesome brochures & videos that help market our events to more churches, groups, & individuals so they can experience one of GTD's God-awesome adventures!! Thank you Father for this great blessing =)

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Raise The Risk



Last month I was asked to write an article about taking risks for Raise The Risk blog. I compared rappelling to obeying God. Here's the link to the blog if you're interested.
http://networkedblogs.com/rxR8R



Another Retreat Scheduled =)

Yay!! We have another group signed up for a GTD Retreat. This time it's the adult leaders retreat from the middle school youth group of Calvary Baptist Church of Clearwater (CBCC). This is another amazing church in the Pinellas County area. Laurie & I have been attending there regularly for a few months now. The middle school youth program is lead up by a great friend (and a great man of God) - Youth Pastor Ron Cooney and his awesome wife Brooke. If you are looking for a great church to attend then add CBCC to your list of places to check out.

GTD welcomes CBCC's middle school youth group leaders to our spring retreat program!

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Back-to-Back In The BLACK!!!!!!

I'm ecstatic to report that GTD just completed 2 back-to-back years of finishing in the black (with slight profits) during a very harsh economic climate. That's huge news and we give God all the glory!!

Look Who's Going On A GTD Retreat!!

2012 is off to an amazing start! Praise The Lord, we have groups lining up to do GTD events. We want to welcome Calvary Chapel of St Petersburg's middle school youth group to our spring retreat line-up!! CCSP has been doing summer adventure trips with GTD since the early 2000's and now they are ready to dip their toe into one of our God-awesome weekend retreats. We love working with CCSP!! They have a solid ministry that unashamedly teaches the truths of God's Word while having a blast. We are always blown away by the depth of Godly character and fun-loving attitudes we see in their youth. That depth reflects the quality and commitment to Jesus that oozes out of their adult leaders, especially their Youth Pastor - Josh Harris. If you are looking for a GREAT youth group & church to be a part of then we highly recommend checking out this church (see website here). It's with great JOY that we welcome CCSP to GTD's Retreat Program!!

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Another Group Heading To Costa Rica!!

We are so excited to announce that The Family Worship Center of St Augustine, FL has signed up to do a GTD summer mission trip to Costa Rica!! This is a wonderful church full of fantastic people making an impact for the Kingdom of God. Check out their website here.

THIS IS OUR 8th MISSION TRIP SCHEDULED FOR 2012... FAR SURPASSING OUR GOAL OF 6... AND ONLY LEAVING ROOM FOR 1 MORE SUMMER TRIP!!

Thank YOU Jesus!!

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$500 Grant Received!!

Our profound thanks to the Hardy Huntley Charitable Foundation for their generation donation of $500 to GTD!! God bless you guys!!

Happy New Year!!

As we say goodbye to 2011 we pray that 2012 is already off to an excellent start for you!

GTD is preparing ... or more accurately "preprayering" for our greatest year ever! We are excited as God takes us on into our Promise Land this year!

We can't wait to share with you the faith journey we've been on for the past 4 years... "captive & enslaved in Egypt", "rescued by God", "crossing the Red Sea", "plodding through the wilderness", "crossing the Jordon River", and now "entering the Promise Land"... it has been and continues to be EPIC! You will be able to read all the details on our blog in the weeks to come.

As for now, we are making several adjustments to our 2012 event calendar as our Mission Program is exploding and we are making room for more groups to participate. Our goal is to have all the changes made and the website completely updated over the next 2 weeks. We will post it on this blog when everything is complete.

Thank you for being a part of GTD! We look forward to what God has in store for 2012 and we hope to see you on one of our God-awesome events this year.

God Bless & Happy New Year!!
- The GTD Staff

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Merry CHRISTmas!!!



We have so much to celebrate in Christ! He is the gift that just keeps on giving. Wishing you the very best this CHRISTmas season!
From The GTD Staff - Doug & Laurie

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All Nighter

Laurie & I are first in line to reserve the Ft DeSoto youth campsite for a March retreat with an awesome youth group from Canada. We've been here since 2am. We are pulling an all nighter parked in front of the camp office to make sure we get the camp. They have a strict policy of only allowing reservations to be made up to 90 days in advance and first-come first-served.