Welcome to Our Blog
Welcome to our blog—a space where we share the heart of our mission. Through stories, updates, and reflections, you’ll see how God is moving through our community outreach in Jamaica. Whether it’s a small act of kindness or a life-changing moment, we’re here to shine a light on the love and transformation happening every day.
Marla’s Minute – Mother’s Day in Jamaica
Mother’s Day always comes in May, right? Except this year… my Mother’s Day came early. My mother (Mommy) and Fred (my dad) and five friends landed in Jamaica a few weeks ago to lend us all at ACE a hand on the ground. I love that my mom is still very much alive and...
It’s iQuest Time Again!
Are you a college student seeking a life-changing experience? We are looking for you! With teams filling in on our 2021 schedule, we are ready for a new group of iQuest interns to come from June 5th to August 19th! Working with ACE staff and volunteer teams for the...
Marla’s Minute: The Widow, Flour & Oil
The other day I was reading a story in 1 Kings, Chapter 17, about the widow who, when the prophet Elijah asked her for a drink and a piece of bread during a severe drought and famine, her reply was “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a...
Jamaican Cowboys
It sounds funny when you read the title. A Jamaican cowboy? Our age is showing when we think of TV shows like Gun Smoke and Bonanza or all of those John Wayne movies where everyone is Caucasian with fancy boots, spurs, big hats and a horse to ride. But when we talk...
Marla’s Minute — Holy Cow!
Whenever Allen and I travel to KY to see my parents, we usually go to a place my dad loves to go for breakfast. We don’t have these restaurants in GA anymore, but Bob Evans is our place and their slogan used to be “Down on the Farm.” To me, that phrase meant eating...
Meet Sarah!
ACE has been fortunate to have extra helping hands from time to time. Sarah has been one of the people who has been down to Jamaica several years in a row and saw a need that she might be able to fill temporarily. We would to take this opportunity to introduce you to...
A Tale of Two Sisters
We’ve been blessed to have Emily and her sister, Mary, as leaders and contributors to ACE for many decades. Both have led multiple teams – Emily through school mission groups and Mary leading medical trips – and both recently came down to serve with ACE together....
Marla’s Minute: How The Pieces Fall Together
ACE always has a great impact story every month. Personally, however, I often wrestle about how much to share. So many things happen on the ground that change our lives and my perspective daily that I struggle to give the details of how ACE made a particular person or...
More Than A Vacation
When ACE first came to St. Mary, we called it a Vacation with a Purpose. This was pre-Galina Breeze Hotel; we were staying in an older hotel across from the main road with a view of the beach and some garbage. We knew that when most people take a vacation from work,...
HAPPY NEW YEAR?
Is it really a Happy New Year or, rather, a new year with the hope of happiness? That’s what our staff was talking about yesterday as we enjoyed the last chapter in our book club, before flipping over the old year of 2020 to the new year of 2021. As the discussion...