Cloud 9 and Pat soar to a Higher Level

Cloud 9 and Pat soar to a Higher Level

Our own chocolatier, Patricia, was granted a visa to enter the US for a much-anticipated conference in Atlantic City on chocolate. Thanks to so many of our friends in the New Jersey area who arranged the housing details and for Bruce Smith to secure the invite to the conference, Pat is moving up in her chocolate-making knowledge, which will help us to expand and improve our Cloud 9 products. 

Our friends of ACE at Bethel Baptist just couldn’t hold back on giving Pat the best American experience, so after her conference, she was taken to all the top places every Jamaican wants to see – starting with Walmart! Chick-fil-A was also on the list, and she even had a trip with our friends, Hope and Bruce, to Atlantic City and Ocean City!  

Then Pat flew to Indiana to be with our Rebel Ministries friends, Tina and Luke, for a few days where she got on a bike with Tina and did a four-mile ride. Pat reminisced about how she used to ride on her father’s bike when she was little, and now she has new memories. A stop in the states cannot go without a one-nighter in Atlanta to see a few of her best friends, like Tina and Ms. Betty. 

Thank you all for making this trip possible for Pat. Her horizons have been broadened, and we at ACE had the pleasure of watching it all come to life! 

Until We Meet Again

Until We Meet Again

Pastor Kermit Jones was such a special man to all of us at ACE and our community. He transitioned to Heaven on January 26, 2022, at home with his daughter Enna and his long-time friend and caregiver, Orlando, by his side. 

We are still processing his passing and compiling the right words and stories to tell. He made us laugh when he said to remember his name like Kermit the Frog; his humor and good nature could always light up a room. His preaching and worship would inspire us, and his wisdom could fill endless books.

We are reading so many wonderful comments on our social media from all of you about your experiences with Pastor Kermit. Thank you for helping us remember him! We know God has welcomed him with open arms, for if anyone was prepared for his Eternal home, it was him. His life on earth touched so many souls and his memory will continue to do so. He will be missed.

A Year in Review (Happy New Year 2022!)

A Year in Review (Happy New Year 2022!)

2021 brought a bit more normalcy to our lives, thank goodness! As many of us can relate in our own lives, we aren’t quite “normal” yet, but we continue to take baby steps with hope and faith.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who never gave up praying for ACE and gave their time and treasure from afar.   ACE continues to face challenges in the year ahead, but, as we all grow with each unexpected turn, we are living proof that God’s got this!

Enjoy our year in review, and we hope that next year, we will see YOUR smile in our 2022 wrap-up montage!

We are grateful for you and many blessings for a happy and healthy new year!

 

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Skill Sets We Wish We Had

Skill Sets We Wish We Had

Many of us are good at cooking, writing, organization, and even decorating our homes, but what about repairing a 150-year-old bridge with stones found in the yard?  At Green Life Llanrumney Farms, another micro-business of ACE, we have been finding all kinds of treasures from years ago popping up as we continue to “bush” the pastures and land, and now we are finding piles of stones! Some of you may remember the old stone bridge going up to the Great House where Henry Morgan built a home for his wife Mary Elizabeth; later, the Parachinis, one of the first Italian families, built on top of the ruins that look out over the pastures.

This bridge was literally falling apart. While we have cement today to make repairs, we wanted to maintain the original look. So we hired Paris, or as the locals call him, Captain. Captain has been working many years in his profession, repairing the history of St. Mary and Llanrunmey one stone at time. We thought you would like to see what repairing and restoring an old stone bridge looks like, using our new-found stones. We asked him would he teach a few of our men how to do this form of art. Without hesitation, his answer was yes, and, while we hope it won’t take half a century to get this stone laid, Bulla and Johnson are picking up the trade, making their job skills even more valuable.

Now, we just need volunteers to help us collect them from the farm – sounds like fun, doesn’t it?

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The Second Container is Coming!!

The Second Container is Coming!!

We are not sure if you remember the drama around shipping the first container to Jamaica a year and half ago, but the good news is there is NO DRAMA this time! We purchased the 40-foot container for ACE before the prices on containers more than doubled, AND we were able to gather all the previously limited supplies to fill it!

Thank you to all of you for helping us raise the funds to buy everything we needed for the ministry and farm for a while. We are really thankful for David and Pam who made our staging area, again, a huge platform for all kinds of inventory for several months.

The container pulled out of the yard on its way to Savannah, GA, to load on a ship. We are thrilled to know we will be receiving all these much-needed items. Stay tuned for the arrival. More equipment, more jobs, more reasons to give thanks!