BLOG
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...
A Heart-Warming Story of Impact in St. Mary
We think ten years from now, when “the year 2020” in inserted into a conversation, all of us will instantly go back to this time when we had to make some tough choices in our lives. For us at ACE, we are not exempt from the challenges of the past eleven months, when...
Marla’s Minute: New Sounds on the Farm
Everyone who knows me knows I am anything but a farmer or cattle girl. In a staff meeting the other day, I confessed to everyone that all I know about farming and cattle is how to dress for it. Everyone laughed as if to say, “We already know that!!” We have a saying...
Wisdom Over Age
The seniors have our hearts every time. Of course, our sponsored students are the life of ACE and the future of Jamaica, but without the wisdom of our seniors who have made the way for us, we would be lacking development and vision built on life experience. And such...
A Word from our Board of Directors Chairman, Dr. Guy…
Sitting on a recent flight to Jamaica reading the “American Way” magazine, I came across an article entitled “Refueling Your Emotional Tank”. I reflected on how little time I had spent over the last eight months in recharging my emotional batteries. Covid has robbed...
Marla’s Minute: ACE and AVC
Since all the craziness continues in the Education Department in Jamaica over who learns online vs. who goes to school, ACE found a common problem happening among our sponsored students…well, among several common problems. Most of our students were unable to learn via...
A new arrival at Green Life Llanrumney Farm
Anyone who has ever been to Jamaica with ACE knows that Marla and Allen are not natural farmers – particularly Marla. She can dress the part, but when it comes to knowing how to handle the cows, pigs, and donkeys, well, let’s just say, ACE leaves the real work to the...
And yet another one got married!
During this time where the line “and yet another…” seems to be filling our evening news, usually about something bad, we are thrilled to be able to steal that phrase for good news -- yet another member of our beloved ACE family has reason to celebrate! Katie Guy,...
Marla’s Minute: Keeping it Going
For months, we at ACE have been upbeat about writing our monthly newsletters, letting you see how God is “retooling” our ministry for the times at hand and how our Jamaican employees are adapting to new job descriptions to keep working and contributing to the welfare...
Solar Sustainability
The utility bills are adding up at Galina Breeze Hotel. Even when the hotel is all but closed, the electric bills are rising. After looking at the actual monthly bill, almost 50% of the bill charges are what Americans would call “junk fees and service charges”. Thanks...
What do you do when you can’t see your friends at the Infirmary?
This is the question so many people have asked us during this COVID season of masks and isolation. We were asking the same thing at the beginning. At first, we decided to keep the driveway maintained to the Port Maria infirmary which was something we always did...
A gift that makes a person well rested
Recently, one of our sponsors, Deborah, did something out of the ordinary in addition to her monthly sponsorship for her little boy, Shieem. Deborah bought him and his mother a mattress and bed. When times are tough and money is tight, we are continually amazed at the...
It’s Official!!
iQuest made it through Summer 2020… For the past 18 plus years, ACE has enjoyed having many young adults ranging from 18 to 26 spend their summers to help us out in Jamaica. This program, called iQuest, has turned out to be one of the best “pauses” in a young adult’s...
Farming With the Family: August 2020
Last Tuesday, Green Life Llanrumney Farms (GLLF), an ACE micro-business, hosted its first “Llanrunmey Agricultural Meeting” at Buccaneers. Local farmers in the area and district were invited to attend a one-hour meeting to learn about what ACE, through GLLF, plans to...
It’s Got to be Covid!
All our dearest friends of ACE seem to be falling deeper in love as they exchange nuptials in the middle of this unusual summer. First, it was our Chairman of the Board Dr. Steve Guy and his wife Carol last month. Now it’s our Child Sponsorship Coordinator, D’Vaun...
Now Showing!
Our vision at ACE is to change lives and transform communities. We think we’ve been pretty good at it – with God’s help, of course – over the past three decades by involving ourselves directly into the four aspects of a person’s life: education, wellness, spiritual...
Farming with the Family
Every day, something new happens on the farm that we didn’t know could happen. We find hidden skills we didn’t know we had, as well as hidden treasure in the bushes or creeks. All of us have enjoyed having this new property in St. Mary to share with our neighbors and...
Mountain Lake Does it Again!
In this digital age, many may not remember the U.S. Postal Service slogan which began: “Neither snow nor rain nor gloom of night…” To paraphrase, the postman always delivers, no matter what! That’s sort of what we think about when we see our friends from Mountain Lake...
Marla’s Minute: Climate Change Happens in St. Mary
It’s hot and dry… that about sums up the day-in, day-out conditions here on the island since March. But that’s not the climate change I’m referring to. I’m talking about the climate in which ACE is used to working and how we do outreach to our hundreds of students,...
Arlene’s Adventure Home
“The Lord has said, ‘I know the plans I have for you.’” That was the verse that spoke to my heart when I returned to Jamaica on January 11 of this year, since I knew I was facing decisions for the future. However, once COVID-19 reared its ugly head, I found myself...
Prayer Works!
As we watch the USA express their anger over injustice, Pastor Omar, our Pastor at Family Church on the Rock and always part of the ACE family, had some thoughts to share: Shalom, If there was ever a time we needed to pray, it is NOW! Like many of you, I have had to...
Marla’s Minute: Farming with the Family
As a wanna-be farmer, I'm learning a lot about pastures this month. I'm learning that if you are raising cattle, which we hope to be doing soon for income, you have to have a specific type of grass, and that grass has to grow without trees in the way. Remember all...
Peat and Repeat
The rhythm of life is different than this time last year. It's humbling, frankly, to know that in a matter of days, everything we've done in the human realm can be wiped out … that is, if God wasn't in charge. We started this newsletter with the title “Peat and...
Cloud 9 Chocolates featured in article
Cloud 9 Chocolates has been featured in an article published by the The Manufacturing Confectioner! Check out the article here!
Marla’s Minute: Farming with the Family
As most of you are aware, ACE has stepped out and purchased the historic Llanrunmey farm located next to the Campus. It is a big step of faith, particularly now that the virus has nearly stopped Jamaica and the world. However, this is just another chance to see God at...
A Word From D’Vaun
We’ve told you about our ACE staff visiting the homes of our sponsored children. Here are some behind-the-scene moments from D’Vaun on how these visits are going. The very first greeting we get as we approach any home is, "I hope the ACE family are all safe" or "How...
A Family Reunion
Guess who came back to Jamaica to attend the ACE Men and Women’s Conference? You guessed it – Amber, or, as her Jamaican students called her, Miss Amba! If you have served with ACE in the past ten years, you’ve met this good looking blonde whom everyone asked if she...
It’s About Time
February was the calm before the storm. Our annual Men and Women’s Conference held at Galina Breeze Hotel was not only refreshing for the soul but a pleasant surprise for all who attended. Little did we know that this extraordinary team made up of 19 people from...
April Firsts!
ACE did a number of firsts this Easter season! FIRST – Through Facebook, we live streamed a Sunrise Service down by the sea at Galina Breeze Hotel. You can still view it online! FIRST – Sunrise Service for the Jamaicans! No one except Arlene even knew what a Sunrise...
Arlene’s April Update
Many of you know that this is my last three-month stay here in Jamaica. However, this is not the end of my work with ACE. I will return periodically for shorter periods of time, 2 weeks to a month, as needed. I was planning to return in early July for Anthony’s high...
Wellness Goes A Long Way
As you can imagine, the first place to close down due to the virus was the infirmary. We hate it, but we understand. I was at the infirmary with some staff two weeks ago when the Matron came over and asked us politely to leave immediately. She had just received the...
Our Children In St. Mary
With this “stay close to home” policy, how can we know if our children and their families are doing okay or have needs? After discussions with the Child Sponsorship team on how we can continue our impact and support from us and from you, their sponsors, we have a...
Marla’s Minute: Working and Sweating
Normally, those two verbs are not something anyone would be attracted to unless you were an athlete. But here in St. Mary, we have lots and lots of hard manual outdoor work to do that keeps us busy for as many hours as a day can hold. For the past two weeks, all our...
ACE has something to say
None of us ever thought we’d be where we are today with such a global event affecting us all. When the virus finally came to Jamaica, there was a panic of everyone looking at each other as if the entire country was a carrier of this strange disease. There is so much...
Marla’s Minute ACE goes to Israel Oct 19 – 27, 2020!!
That’s right, we are going back… and we want you to join us! Dr. Lon Solomon is our tour guide and teacher. Allen and I took the same trip about eight years ago and fell in love with the country. That’s why we want to go again and invite anyone who loves ACE to join...
ACE – Vacation Destination!
When people hear the word “specialty”, they sometimes think that means “only select qualified individuals.” Yes, that’s sometimes true; ACE does have specialty trips with volunteers helping us in Jamaica for specific purposes. But there is a specialty group that we...
Winter may be cold, but ACE Wellness teams were just warming up…
We are not sure if you have ever experienced winter in St. Mary, Jamaica, but if you haven’t, you might want to consider coming down this time of year and joining a wellness trip! Thanks to our ACE Board Chairman, Dr. Steve Guy, we were all fortunate to receive...
MARLA’S MINUTE: After 32 years, she found us!!!
Right after the first of this month, I was cleaning out my emails, and out pops one from someone I wasn’t expecting… and what a surprise! The email was from a young girl named Evete, a name I hadn’t thought of in 32 years! 1988 was not only the year I arrived on the...
Do You Zelle?
Instead of mailing ACE a donation or trip payment with a check through the USPS, you can Zelle! With Zelle, you can send and receive money with peace of mind. Safely and easily transfer money to people you know through your trusted banking app - or the Zelle app if...
He’s Back!
We haven’t updated you recently on Pastor Kermit! We are happy to report that he is back! That’s right… you can never retire at ACE! He’s a little thinner but happy to be back on the job! When Marla and Pastor Kermit were at the hospital to pay the final bill, he was...
Anthony’s Adventures
Anthony’s Adventures For those who have met Anthony Clarke, one of our Child Sponsorship students living at the campus, you will love this article. If you haven’t met Anthony, go to our website at www.acexperience.org and check out the short video clip of Anthony’s...
Happy Fall & Thanksgiving!
Last night, D’Vaun asked a funny question after we had returned to Jamaica. His question was “Is it still fall?” We knew why he was asking; every time we landed or drove to a new city last week in the states, D’Vaun seemed to bundle up more and more in loaned-out...
Volleyball team visits the Infirmary
Did you know that even when teams are not down in Jamaica, our staff and those associated with ACE still make visits to the infirmary at least three times a week? We know the importance of consistent visits, building relationships, bringing food and just spending...
EAST COAST TRAVEL
This month, Allen, Marla, and D’Vaun had the opportunity to visit several of our partners along the northeast coast of the U.S. Partnership with ACE isn’t just about coming to Jamaica and helping us with our agenda’s for success in St. Mary. A partnership is about ACE...
When Things Don’t Go Your Way (Even When You Know They Should)
This month was finally the month that we got to see a well dug for water at the Campus as well as the farm. For those of you who don’t know what is happening, the water pipes from the National Water Commission (government water) do not come to us at the Campus or the...
Have a Team? Want a Team? Need a Team? Join a team!
That’s right, ACE wants you and your family, your friends, your church, your school, and anyone who wants to know what is happening here on the ground in St. Mary Jamaica to come this spring or summer. We have grown and are growing at levels we have never seen before....
iQuest Application page is open…Apply today!
Over the many decades of serving at ACE, I personally have been blessed to get to know so many young adults who have given their summers to serve with ACE, growing so much in the process. You see, ACE isn’t just about spending your summer in Jamaica, it’s about...
Saskia moves away
If anyone has ever been to our Jerk Centre, you know that our former ACE Administrator is called “Brownie”, at least, by her father, MacGyver. We know and love her by her real name, Saskia. We are sad but proud to report that Saskia is moving on to pursue her dream of...