A Lent Devotional

A Lent Devotional

ACE volunteer Christina Kershaw came down on a mission trip with Bethel Baptist Church in 2018. As she was recently reflecting on her time in Jamaica, she wrote the following devotional. May her experience and reflection bless you during this Lent season!

READ: John 13:1-17

Story time: I had the amazing opportunity to spend a week on mission serving with ACE in Jamaica back in 2018. Prior to covid, the local infirmary was open for visitors to come hang out and minister to the residents. These residents consisted of mostly elderly men and women who had no family, were disabled, or just had no place in society outside of the infirmary walls… the “forgotten,” for lack of a better word.

We had the opportunity to sing songs, play games, paint their nails, and even apply lotion for them. I went ahead and grabbed a bottle of lotion and went around slathering everybody up! I thought, “This is nothing new. I’m in my comfort zone. I basically do this for a living working as a nurse at the hospital.” So great! Until…. one of the residents asked me to lotion up her feet. Her BARE FEET with my BARE HANDS. Up until this moment, everyone had been getting nice little hand and arm massages from me, but I didn’t dare go for anyone’s feet!

I was hesitant. I asked her to clarify it was in fact her feet she wanted me to lotion. She, of course, nodded yes. I started sweating (and it wasn’t because of the Jamaican sun). If anyone knows me personally, I can be quite the germaphobe, so the thought of me touching someone else’s feet (without gloves like in a hospital and ESPECIALLY someone I don’t know) freaked me out just a little bit.

I pumped a few squirts of Suave lotion, said my prayers, and went for it. She thanked me and I continued on to the next person.

WHY am I telling this story you ask?

Right before I decided to tend to her feet, I immediately thought of the story in John 13 where Jesus washed His disciples’ feet. Feet are one of the dirtiest parts of the body, especially the feet that walked the earth during ancient times. It was cultural for men to wear open sandals and sometimes even be barefoot. Imagine the dust, dirt, and grime that these disciples had hiding in between their toes! But, Jesus, the King of the cosmos, humbled Himself and washed their feet. Wow.

To put this into perspective, read how Jesus “knew his hour had come” and yet, He still ministered to His friends. He knew that He was about to be tortured in insufferable ways, die a horrible death, and ultimately be ripped apart from His Father in just the next few hours! Can you imagine all the agony He was feeling inside knowing these terrible events were happening, and happening soon?

And yet…

He served His disciples and washed their feet. Not only would He make one of the dirtiest parts of their bodies clean, but soon, completely and eternally cleanse them of the dirt in their hearts that separated them from the Father. Jesus, who rightfully deserves ALL glory and worship from us, humbled Himself to a man to serve us and die for us. How much more should we as His followers walk in His footsteps and love others just the same?.

The next time you are faced with an opportunity to minister to your neighbor, think of your Savior and don’t forget to WASH THEIR FEET!

PRAY: Thank You, Lord, for humbling Yourself and dying a criminal’s death so that I may live eternally with You. Thank you for washing away all my iniquities and making me a new creation. Help me to die to my flesh daily and serve those around me so that they may know and experience Your love for them. Amen.

John 13:14: “If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

Answering The Holy Spirit’s Call

Answering The Holy Spirit’s Call

In 2009, my wife and I took our first trip to Jamaica to serve with ACE. I recall our uncertainty on the long roller coaster ride from Montego Bay to Galina Breeze, survived only by the assistance of Dramamine. The main highway looks a lot better now than it did back then! We didn’t know what to expect or if we were even qualified to be there. We sat down by ourselves at a table in the corner – exhausted and questioning our sanity. A wide-eyed, recently married couple in our mid-twenties, we must have looked quite pitiful at our table surrounded by empty chairs.

A lady we did not know joined us. She sat down, introduced herself and we found ourselves having dinner with the founder of ACE. Through the course of our meal, we heard her origin story of how she found herself in Jamaica to begin with and how ACE had come to be. For some reason that I still don’t understand, at the end of our conversation I told her, “Well, we are in!”

Anyone who has served with ACE knows that there is a presence of the Holy Spirit there that is both palpable and beyond comprehension. Even though I didn’t entirely understand what I was saying in that moment, the Holy Spirit was pulling us in and making it clear that we were a part of this now. It took one meal and less than an hour.

Fast-forward to 2024 and we had the privilege of serving with ACE on a combined medical and dental team from February 3-10. The team consisted of doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists, and servants from multiple states and even New Zealand.

Aches and pains, high blood pressure, diabetes, and dental abscesses were the primary diagnoses for the week and a multitude of patients were served with both medical but also spiritual care. In turn, the team was cared for with gratitude and the occasional gift of fruit from our patients. I always leave for home after a week in Jamaica feeling as though I had received much more than I could give.

However, the theme for the week was that of Hope, both present and future. I saw ACE staff that had grown and become leaders. I saw multiple generations of families serving together, including a dentist and her daughter, a physician and his family, a nurse with her son and a pastor from a church looking to establish a relationship with ACE for the first time.

I thought of Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” ACE family, your labor has not been in vain. The Lord has built this house! He brought up the founding generation of ACE, and he is bringing up the next generation to carry the mission forward. If you find yourself alone at the dinner table surrounded by empty chairs and wondering where you fit in, this is your invitation. God wants you in as well!

Josh & Jess Klepinger

The Smith Family Next Door

The Smith Family Next Door

ACE hosts site trips, which invite leaders to experience what ACE does and our “why” in Jamaica. Our most recent site trip happened last October, where we met Jennifer and Mitchell Smith. They are just starting a much-needed ministry called Wet Feet. But in the process, ACE invited the Smiths and their family to spend six weeks with us at the Campus, where they could rest and prepare for their weekend retreats in the States. And did we mention they also helped ACE with the farm, as well as outreach at ACE?

While we really didn’t know the Smiths when they arrived, we officially consider them an extension to our ACE family as they head back to the States this week. 

To the Smith family, thank you for investing your time and talent with us and our National team. We will keep the lights on for you at the Campus, as we anticipate your return soon. 

If you would like to know more about Wet Feet Ministries, go to their website or contact the Smiths at jennifer@wetfeetministries.org. God continues to raise up families that love Him and loves others., and we are so thankful to witness it happening in and through ACE as well.

Marla’s Minute: Generational Blessings

Marla’s Minute: Generational Blessings

Earlier this month, ACE hosted a choir group from Augusta. This was somewhat new to ACE as we are used to having volunteers coming to work, sweat and serve. What a special blessing to not only see the projects done with love, but to hear in song their servant hearts. 

During the week, one of the singers by the name of Carter came up to me one evening and asked if I remembered his big sister, Susanna, from 2010. Well, I have to say, remembering back some 13 years would be a big challenge for… well, let’s say anyone over 40, so I was honest and said no. Then he tweaked my memory with, “She was the high school student who, for her school project, took on the challenge of raising funds for the infirmary mattresses.” Immediately I knew who Susanna was!

My memory flashed back to the day when this high school senior said she wanted to make an impact through ACE helping our infirmary residents by replacing their 20-plus year-old warped mattresses. Of course, we said yes. Anyone who has served ACE pre-Covid at the infirmary understood why these particular mattresses needed to be retired and changed out for new ones. 

Susanna single handedly replaced at least a dozen mattresses, allowing ACE to take the old ones back to Galina Breeze to wash, bleach and sun them in our green space down to the pool. After all the cleaning, we gave them to children in our sponsorship program who were sleeping on the floor. 

I remember this time very well, and I looked at this handsome young man named Carter and smiled. Generational blessings. A sister that set an example for her brother to follow. Service before self.

I asked Carter if I could send Susanna a message; he smiled and said sure. As I wrote a small note to his sister – who now is married and just had a sweet baby – I thanked God that this young girl, now a mother, had such a great influence on her brother to come to ACE, and that I had the experience of witnessing that positive influence does make a difference in the family. Thank you, Carter, and thank you, Susanna.  

Many Hands Make Light Work

Many Hands Make Light Work

Many hands make light work

This old saying portrays a picture of what ACE has experienced this spring on the ground. For the first time in years, we have been blessed with many incredible volunteer teams in a row! Ranging from families, high school students, college teams, and a great mix of young adults, they came to help us get caught up on our many outreach programs. They worked tirelessly around St. Mary at the schools, on our farm, and even preparing for some new businesses and items coming online later this year. We’d love to highlight some of the many projects they worked on.

For those of you have contributed to many aspects of the Peace House, the update is that it’s almost complete! Yes, you have heard this before, but it’s true; we just had no idea how much back and forth it takes to complete a building like this. The final touch this week was the addition of the front doors. Thanks to some friends and donors of ACE, our doors were purchased and ready for painting. Granted, we still need a door opener and glass on the side, but just looking at these doors makes all of us swell with pride.

While all that was going on the Peace House, some of our volunteers focused on the Campus right next door, where our interns and long-term volunteers stay. It has been challenged for years with popping floor tiles and cracking in the main hall and the dining room. We decided to commission a group to chop it up and remove the tile, and what we found underneath was a beautiful terrazzo floor. It’s been there since the early 90s when the house was built. Anyone know how to make it come alive again? It’s dull but has potential. Every time we get this kind of help, we are pleasantly surprised at what our teams uncover. Thank you for making the old new again.

In the last few busy months, it’s been fun to see how our Jamaican ACE staff pulled together in such a great way to work with them and each other. Ms. Foster, our Executive Director, has done an excellent job training, teaching, and coaching all of us to work as a team. Charity and Brian Zalk and family have continually increased their availability on the ground with the ACE crew. Things are going so smoothly that Allen and Marla sit back and smile, pleased at how everyone is beginning to own their own lane. Keep all of us in your prayers as everyone is learning how to operate as a team.

Teamwork makes the dream work, another old saying… and in this case, we are so grateful for such a successful and fun start to the year!

Marla’s Minute –God Gives Me Grace

Marla’s Minute –God Gives Me Grace

This is the month of valentines! I can recall those paper valentine punch-out cards where you write on the back and then give to your teachers and friends. They always seemed to say the same thing: “from _________ “to ________ — Would you be my Valentine?”

A special valentine arrived this month from Virginia just for me. While it wasn’t a punch-out card or even chocolate – remember, Cloud 9 is already here — it was in the form of a sole intern named Grace.

ACE has never had an iQuest intern come in the winter. Grace just graduated from James Madison College and, instead of jumping into her career, she asked if she could join us for the winter season and become our first winter intern.

Grace is my Valentine. I have been without an assistant for four months with Sarah in the states, so administration tasks have been bogging me down in the office. Grace arrived in Jamaica with a big smile and lots of energy, saying “perfect” to every request I asked her to help me with. She loves collecting data and putting it in great graphs and excel formats. She thrives in math and can count money almost faster than a machine!

Grace will be in Jamaica until April, at which time, she will return to begin her career in… well, just about anything she wants, smart enough to master anything and eager to be wherever God leads her. Thank you, Grace, for being my Valentine for these 75 days. You are a blessing, and maybe, just maybe, I can convince you to be our house mother this summer for our new iQuest signups.

Which reminds me… I’m hoping we will get some summer interns who want to grow, thrive, and serve with ACE this summer. Now is the time to sign up and get ready for a season you will never forget in Jamaica with ACE. Teamwork makes the dream work and we need you on our team!

 

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