WE HAVE RETURNED FROM COSTA RICA!!

We have returned from Costa Rica!! WOW!!! Many souls saved and rededicated to Jesus!!!!! Much service work completed!! Much encouragement & joy spread all around!! Many new friends and so many rekindled friendships!! It was more than an awesome time, it was a God-awesome time! It's impossible to quickly sum up all that God did over 15 days thru the ZSOM team, the Costa Rican Church in Fortuna, & the GTD crew. God did soooooo much in that time! Thank you to every prayer warrior, encourager, supporter, donor, volunteer, & staff for every ounce of time, talent, & treasure you've invested in this ministry... this was without a doubt a great investment indeed!! I look forward to the day when we stand before God and see that "ROI" (Return On Investment)!!! Glory to God!! Thank you everyone!

 

 

 

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Hola from Costa Rica!

 

Hola from Costa Rica! The ZSOM group from Calvary Chapel Fellowship is on Day 8 of a 15 day mission trip, and they are doing a fantasticO job (understatement)! So much to share about all that God is doing. Laurie, Jen, & Stacy have been doing a perfect job here. I arrived 2 days ago, Laurie & Jen went back to the US yesterday. Keep us all in your prayers as we continue on for the next week =). Pura Vida!!

 

 

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REGISTRATION NOW OPEN FOR FALL RETREAT!!!

 

REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR OUR BIGGEST FALL RETREAT EVER!! ONLY $49/PERSON!!! THIS EVENT IS PERFECT FOR FAMILIES, FRIENDS, & CHURCH GROUPS!!

 

Date: Oct 28-30, 2022 (Fri night - Sun afternoon)

 

Location: Doe Lake Group Campground in Ocala National Forest 

 

The Gist: 

 

<> LOCATED ON A 71 ACRE SPRING-FED LAKE IN CENTRAL FLORIDA

 

<> PRIVATE BEACH AREA

  

<> UP TO 250 PARTICIPANTS ALLOWED 

 

<> FULL KITCHEN FOR MEAL PREP

 

<> HISTORICALLY RESTORED BEAUTIFUL 1930s DINING HALL

 

<> MODERN RESTROOMS W/ FLUSH TOILETS & WARM SHOWERS

 

<> PADDLEBOARDS, KAYAKS, & CANOES PROVIDED

 

<> OUTDOOR MOVIE / TEAM SPORTS / CAMP GAMES PROVIDED

 

<> NIGHTLY CAMPFIRES WITH PRAISE & WORSHIP

 

<> DAILY DEVOTIONS... GROWING CLOSER TO GOD!

 

<> CHRIST-CENTERED FAMILY-FRIENDLY EVENT

 

<> TENT CAMPING PROVIDED BY GTD -or- BRING YOUR OWN TENT

 

<> COTS PROVIDED BY GTD FOR FIRST 60 REGISTERED

 

<> SLEEPING PADS PROVIDED BY GTD FOR 61st+ REGISTERED

 

<> RVs & TOWABLE CAMPERS WELCOME (No Hook-Ups)

 

<> GREAT SPOT FOR HAMMOCK & CAR CAMPING

 

<> BRING YOUR OWN FISHING BOAT (25hp Max)

 

<> BRING YOUR OWN FISHING GEAR & LICENSE

 

<> BRING YOUR OWN HORSE (34 mile equestrian trail)

 

<> 5 MILES AWAY FROM JEEP, ATV, OHV, & DIRT BIKE TRAILS

 

<> 35 MINUTES AWAY FROM GREAT MT BIKING TRAILS

 

<> NEARBY HIKING TRAILS

 

<> SO MUCH MORE!!!

 

In addition, we are going to have a contest to name this new annual event! Win a new 2-wheel cooler full of GTD merchandise!!

 

Bring your family! Bring your friends! Bring your church group!

 

Here's an event that's good on your budget! With the high cost of inflation it's actually less expensive to come on this event than to stay at home! 

 

Grow closer to God! Have fun in God's amazing playground! Build a lifelong memory with your family!

 

For more details and to register for this event click here

  

Let's make this the biggest, brightest, coolest GTD event EVER!!!

 

 

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22 NEW INFLATABLE PADDLEBOARDS ADDED!!

 

This year GTD added 22 new inflatable paddleboards to our summer adventure camps!! And they are a HUGE HIT!!! Everyone loves them (especially me)!! Thank you Ministry Partners, donors, and supporters for enabling GTD to constantly grow and enhance the camp experience each year!! We love lake day now more than ever!

 

 

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26 YEARS OF SLAMMED!

(click to enlarge)

  

26 years of SLAMMED! Thank you to all of our staff, volunteers, participants, donors, supporters, encouragers, helpers to my parents, & prayer warriors for making SLAMMED 2022 such a great success!! If it weren't for all of you guys I would have been sitting at camp all by myself haha! We had several new first timers and several repeaters as God took us on a wonderful 5 day God-awesome, Christ-centered, Spirit-lead adventure in the Chattahoochee National Forest of northeast Georgia. Pictures, videos, and more blurbs are on the way. Plus, we are already planning SLAMMED 2023 aaaaaaaaaand we CAN'T WAIT!!!

 

 

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PIVOT!! Praise The Lord!

 

PIVOT!! What a wild and amazing night for the team in Costa Rica! Around 8pm Tropical Storm Bonnie made an abrupt southwestern turn back towards the area our CCF ZSOM mission team just arrived in (La Fortuna de Bagaces - "LFdB"). The 11pm update showed it tracking right for this area. The local people were helping some loved ones off of the mountains. THEN in the final hours TS Bonnie abruptly pivoted to the northwest into Lake Nicaragua and then back southwest and completely around LFdB. Wow, that was WILD! PTL, the team is safe & sound!!! They had heavy rains all night, but were miraculously spared the tropical storm level impacts. It has a supernatural feel to it. Hopefully that pivot into Lake Nicaragua minimized devastation throughout the entire region. We will learn more throughout the next few days. About 6 years ago they had a similar storm that triggered devastating landslides that obliterated homes & businesses and ended some lives throughout the region. Thank you so much for your prayers!!

 

 

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Two of our BEST youth volunteers EVER!

 

Sister & Brother team - Faith & AJ - completed 2 full weeks of hard working volunteer hours on our June Adventure Trips in north Georgia, and I'm thrilled to share that they are 2 of the best teenage volunteers we've ever had! Aaaaaaaaand that's saying a lot because we've had a lot of great ones! They blessed us and our groups more than I could ever articulate. Day after day, hour after hour they rose to each physically demanding challenge with enthusiasm & Christ honoring attitudes while working hard to serve each participant... and getting to join in a lot of the festivities too, of course! They were such an encouragement, blessing, and unending source of laughter, fun, & joy!! Thank you Faith & AJ!!

 

 

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TODAY kicks off our first mission trip back to Costa Rica in 5 years!

 

TODAY kicks off our first mission trip back to Costa Rica in 5 years! GTD is hosting the young adults of ZEAL School of Ministry (ZSOM) from Calvary Chapel Fellowship of St Petersburg for 15 days of outreaches, community service, building projects, evangelism, church interactions, and even a little bit of adventure! Laurie, Jen, & Stacy are running the first half of the trip and I'll switch out with Laurie & Jen next week to run the second half of the trip along with Stacy. Keep this amazing team in your prayers! In fact, they are arriving in Costa Rica in about an hour - just in time for Tropical Storm Bonnie!! Sounds like a regular GTD to me ;) 

  

The red "X" on the picture is the location of our mission base.

 

 

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QUICK UPDATE:

 

QUICK UPDATE:

  

I'm way behind on updates. That's my update LOL!

  

FAMILY UPDATE:

 

Please keep our parents in your prayers. 

 

Mom was diagnosed with COVID several days ago and had to be moved to another rehab center for 10 days. So far her symptoms have been mild PTL! This is the first time that Mom hasn't had daily visitors and possibly the first time she has ever gone a week without seeing her family. 

 

Dad was hospitalized for a few days with a leg infection that has been hard to diagnose. He has returned home, but is in a lot of back & knee pain. He is having a hard time walking with a walker as well as being able to physically get out of bed or stand up from the sofa. He is also lonely since Mom has been in the rehab center for over 2 months and Traci & I are now at the rehab center instead of being at their home.

 

I am getting over a weird summer cold that has lingered for about 10 days since I got back from our first round of adventure camps. Coughing so hard all night to the point of throwing-up. No fever. Tested negative for COVID. Just fatigue, sore throat, and a nagging night-time cough that prevents sleep. It wiped me out, but I'm finally feeling better PTL =)

 

This is a family picture from right before all the sickness. We took Mom to a follow-up visit with the doctor that repaired her broken femur. (Her leg is healing great, and the doctor even thought that her x-ray looked more like a younger person because of the way & rate that it was healing.) After the doctor visit we were all able go out for a late lunch at a local diner. I can't tell you how much Mom was laughing and making us all laugh. She says the funniest things. It was a GREAT family moment that we are still savoring now =) 

 

Special thanks to Tom, Cindy, Diane, and other friends and neighbors that have been helping our parents so much! Our parents (as well as Traci & I) are so blessed with wonderful neighbors, friends, & family!

 

 

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We have returned from 2 non-stop weeks...

 

We have returned from 2 non-stop weeks of back-to-back Adventure Trips in northeast Georgia. God blessed us with 2 phenomenal trips jampacked with God-awesome fun that blessed and impacted a lot of lives! I can't wait to share with you guys some of the pictures, videos, & details over the next few days :)

 

 

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SAVE THE DATES!! ...GTD'S PUBLIC EVENT CALENDAR UPDATED THRU MAY 2023!!

 

We are working hard to schedule our monthly PUBLIC EVENTS up to a year in advance to put our God-awesome adventures on your radar... and hopefully on your calendar. Our PUBLIC events are open to anyone who wants to come out and play in God's amazing playground. We try to have at least one different PUBLIC EVENT per month all year long, and we try to do it for FREE or at a greatly reduced rate to be a blessing to those who love to "GTD" (Get The Discount)!

 

Here's what we are looking at for the next 12 months:

 

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"SLAMMED" Adventure Trip in Tiger, GA (June 8-12) ... pretty much sold out, but may be able to squeeze a few more in

 

"REVAMP"... Part of GTD's Summer Mission Project in Pinellas Park, FL (June, July, & Aug)... more info to come!

 

"SHABANG!" Park Day & Cookout >>> recreational kayaking, touring kayaking, paddleboarding, group games, team sports, playground, cookout >>> The Whole "Shabang"!!! (Sept 24)

 

CAMPING RETREAT in Ocala National Forest (FL) >>> we are going to have a contest to name this event... more info to come (Oct 28-30)

 

"ANNUAL BANQUET" in Largo, FL (Nov 15)

 

<<< DEC OFF >>> No PUBLIC EVENTS in Dec as of now (due to Christmas holiday)

 

"SWAMP THING" Everglades Backpacking Trip (Jan 7-8)

 

"PADDLE PROWL" Kayak & Island Camping Adventure in central Florida (Feb 4-5)

 

"IGNITE" Weekend Camping Retreat in Hudson, FL (Mar 3-5)

 

"LIQUID" Kayaking Day Trek in Pinellas County Florida (Apr 8)

 

"SIDEWINDER" SUP Paddleboarding Day Trek in St Petersburg, FL (May 6)

 

***WE ARE ALSO HOPEFUL TO RETURN BACK TO PUBLIC COSTA RICA MISSION TRIPS & ADVENTURES OUT WEST (Grand Canyon, Utah, etc) in 2023***

 

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We have the dates for our PUBLIC EVENTS for the next 12 months so now we will move on to building / updating each link on the website with details, costs, registration, etc. Save the above dates on your calendar so we can go play together!

 

 

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SIDEWINDER PADDLEBOARDING TREK WAS QUITE ENJOYABLE!!

 

This past Saturday GTD hosted our 2nd annual SIDEWINDER SUP trek... and we had such an enjoyable time! The weather was perfect! The water temperature was perfect! And the people were okay! Haha, just kidding, they were perfect too!

 

Unfortunately we had 9 participants that had to cancel in the days leading up to the event, but that didn't take away from the 7 paddlers, 2 kids, & 1 goat that came out to play :) 

 

And my incredible Dad came out to prepare a delicious lunch for everyone! Aaaaaaaaand longtime GTDer - Jim Butski - came out to cheer us on & help pack up the gear!

 

It was a really good day and I can't tell how much I thoroughly enjoy paddleboarding!! 

 

Thank you to all our wonderful donors, supporters, and prayer warriors that help make these events happen!

  

 

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I WAS SOOOOO BLESSED TO SPEAK AT KESWICK'S CHAPEL FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL & PRE-K LAST FRIDAY!

  

I had the honor of speaking before 300+ kids, teachers, and parents this past Friday at the final Chapel of the school-year for Keswick Christian Elementary & Pre-K School this past Friday. I may have come to delivery a message, but I left there inspired by the enthusiasm & zeal these kids had for Jesus... not to mention the encouragement I received by getting a glimpse of the love & hard work the teachers are obviously pouring into their students. It was a wonderful morning!

  

My message to the kids was simply relaying how much God believes in a young person's ability and capacity through Jesus to make a BIG difference in this world and in other people's lives. Sometimes when you're a kid you think you can't make a BIG difference until you become an adult. BUT, God doesn't see it that way! In fact, God makes some of the BIGGEST impacts in this world in and through young people. 

  

Did you know that the youngest King mentioned in the Bible was only 7 years old?! 2 Chronicles 24 says that, "Joash was seven years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem forty years... Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord... Joash decided to restore the temple of the Lord." WOW! A 7 year old King that reigned for 40 years, did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and took on the visionary ambition to restore the temple of the Lord - now that's impressive!

  

Consider how important Jesus says kids are in the Kingdom of God and the importance of maintaining childlikeness throughout your life: "He [Jesus] called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:2-4).

  

Did you know that the older you get the less likely you are to ask Jesus into your heart? It's not because you get older and wiser and come to the "realization" that "God is a fairy tale" or an "imaginary friend". It's because you either get bad information, make bad decisions, and/or make friends with some bad influences. It's not that you become older and wiser; it's because you become older and jaded... which causes your heart to become harder & harder to the reality of God. That's not only true when it comes to salvation- it's also true when it comes to the quality & enjoyment of life. Many times as we get older we take on too much seriousness, heaviness, & no-nonsense not realizing that the abandonment of wonder, silliness, playfulness, and childlikeness actually makes your life more rigid, dull, boring, less efficient, less effective, unhealthy, and joyless. God's message to us is (and I'm paraphrasing here): Always stay a kid-at-heart.

  

Think of baby Jesus or Jesus as a kid... He was ALREADY changing the world, impacting the people around Him, and inspiring adults. Never underestimate the ability and capacity of a kid.

  

If all of that wasn't enough to illustrate the value and potential that God puts on young people then I leave you with this verse from 1 Timothy 4:12: "Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity." God believes in young people! God calls young people! God inspires us through young people!

  

I happen to run a ministry that works a lot with kids, teens, and young adults. I've beat this drum since Day One of GTD - we don't look down on young people. Some of our best volunteers have been kids! When young people show up for their adventure we expect them to help set up their tents, set up their cots, help make meals, help clean-up around camp, and so much more. It actually makes the adventures more fun and the overall adventure experience better and more satisfying. One of the biggest disservices of our culture in the past 50 years is pacifying kids with and addicting kids to entertainment, social media, and video games... then expecting them to be mature & responsible when they turn 18 years old. It doesn't work. Kids are so incredibly capable. Deep down they want to help in meaningful and constructive ways.

  

I could tell you countless stories about kids & youth that have come on GTD adventures and inspired us and even taught us as adults. There are times when I've learned more from a kid sharing what a Bible verse meant to them than I did from a theologian with a seminary degree. I've watched fearless kids jump off a cliff into the water be the inspiration to a fearful adult to have the courage to do the same thing. Never underestimate the ability and capacity of a kid.

  

I wrapped up my speech on Friday with this encouragement. I'm 51 years old. I've made a lot of decisions in my life, BUT the 2 BEST DECISIONS I ever made was when I was in elementary school. The #1 BEST decision I ever made was when I was 8 years old I asked Jesus into my heart. In the 43 years since that decision I have yet to make a decision that even comes close to how outstanding that one decision was. I'm 1000% sure I would have either be an alcoholic, addicted to something, in jail, or in hell right now. That one decision as an 8 years old kid changed the entire trajectory of my life. The #2 BEST decision I ever made came when I was 10 years old just a couple of years after asking Jesus into my heart. My Mom was going through one of the worst emotional pains a person can experience in life. She worked so hard to keep my Sister and I from knowing how devastated she was. But I would wake up at night and I could hear her sobbing in bed and it crushed my heart more than I could ever articulate. I would start sobbing from hearing my Mom and I would put a pillow over my face so she couldn't hear me. It was in that moment that I made the 2nd BEST decision of my life. At 10 years old and with a heart softened by Jesus, I decided that I would never do anything that would ever add grief or sadness to my Mom's life. My Mom suffered in silence for several years to protect us - her kids. From that point on one of my life's top ambitions has been to be a joy to my Mom. I'm humbled & happy to say that mission was accomplished. 43 years later her joy continues to be one of the driving forces of my life, and more importantly it was the greatest gift I could have ever given my Mom. I've never been married and I don't have kids, but I can imagine how much a wayward child would have burdened a parent's heart & mind for years. Likewise, I can imagine how much a faithful child would be an unending source of joy to a parent's heart & mind. I see that in my Mom's eyes. I see that kind of joy when she sees her kids. I wanted to build my Mom a mansion to live in. Unfortunately I started a non-profit (LOL!). Besides that, Jesus said that was His job. He builds the mansions. I found that the best gift I could ever give my Mom & my Dad was to live in a way that never added grief or sadness to their life. I'm certainly far from perfect, but I never did anything I'm aware of that gave them an ulcer, a migraine, or grief... even with all my practical jokes haha!

  

I made the 2 BEST decisions of my life as an elementary school aged kid. Don't miss that important fact. Don't underestimate kids. There is a capacity in young people that God does not overlook, and neither should we.

  

(Special thanks to Amanda Marie for making this happen!)

 

 

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FREE PADDLEBOARDING TREK THIS SATURDAY!! REGISTER ONLINE TO SECURE YOUR SPOT!

 

Join us this Saturday (May 14th / 9:30am - 1pm) for our newest GTD event >>> SIDEWINDER Stand Up Paddleboarding Day Trip!! THE COST IS FREE in celebration of 26 years of ministry! Aaaaaaaaaand it even INCLUDES LUNCH!!! You don't need to have any experience... beginners are welcome & encouraged... in fact, we are beginners ourselves... instructions and a safe practice spot will be provided before we paddle over to a nearby island. Come enjoy a morning of recreation in God's beautiful creation!

 

REGISTER ONLINE TO LOCK IN YOUR SPOT

LOCATION: WAR VETERANS' MEMORIAL PARK 

Meet at Shelter #2 at 9:30am

Address: 9600 Bay Pines Boulevard, St. Petersburg, FL 33708

 

 

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HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!

We were able to break Mom out of the rehab center and transport her away for a wonderful few hours of celebrating her & my sister for Mother's Day! It was a really good day :) 

  

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there!!

 

  

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It's a loooong road ahead...

 

It's a loooong road ahead, but Mom has been making small steps of steady progress. She isn't able to stand up by herself yet, but with assistance she has been able to stand up and stay standing for 5 minutes, walk with a walker and assistance for 50 ft, and pedal the exercise bike for 15 minutes. Alzheimer's is a wild condition... 10 minutes later she has no idea that she went to physical therapy or that she fell and broke her femur or that she had surgery... but then again, some things are nice to forget haha. She's getting great care, and has physical therapy, occupational therapy, & speech therapy 6 days a week. (She gets speech therapy because they cover cognitive issues... I didn't know that.). Dad is also recovering well from his pacemaker implant. Thanks for praying for them!

 

 

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WHATZ "SUP" PEOPLE!

WHATZ "SUP" PEOPLE! 

...GTD ADDED 8 MORE SUP's!! 

....JOIN US ON OUR FREE SIDEWINDER SUP DAY TRIP MAY 14th!!!

 

Thank you awesome and amazing donors & supporters of GTD!!! Five and a half months ago you generously and lovingly donated to this ministry during our Annual Banquet (for which I'm still trying to properly thank each of you!!), and you enabled GTD to immediately acquire 8 more SUP's (Stand-Up Paddleboards) for which we (and our participants) are absolutely thrilled about!! Paddleboarding is a very popular activity and only continues to increase in demand. It's a fantastic adventure that GTD is so blessed to be able to offer to our participants. We acquired 16 paddleboards, paddles, leashes, life vests, & carry straps at the end of 2020 and added these 8 at the end of 2021 to bring our grand total to 24 complete sets!! That's an even 2 dozen and allows us to take groups of 20-22 people out at a time with 2-4 GTD guides. In addition, this allows us to add more activity options to our in-state weekend retreats. All-in-all this is a BIG WIN for our ministry and the people we serve! From the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU SO MUCH AWESOME SUPPORTERS!!!!! You guys rock!!!!!!!!

 

Aaaaaaaaaand while I'm at it I may as well promote our upcoming FREE SIDEWINDER PADDLEBOARDING TREK coming up on Saturday May 14th at War Veterans Memorial Park in St. Petersburg, Florida. This event includes paddleboarding instructions, lunch, and a half mile trek to an island. For more details and to register for this event while spots are available check out the GTD SIDEWINDER website here

  

All our deepest gratitude and love to everyone who made this possible!!

 

 

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Church at The Rehab Center

 

So many wonderful people at Belleair Health Care Center who serve the elderly with their whole heart! Mom & I got to attend a church service together today overseen by a minister who has been faithfully coming for 12 years. We were all blessed.

 

 

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