A gift that makes a person well rested

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 generosity of our supporters to go a step beyond monthly funds and reach out to families who may not have a place to sleep at night.

We had a couple of volunteers come down last week to lend a hand, and while here, D’Vaun asked for help to deliver this incredible gift to the sponsor house. We thought that you would enjoy seeing the bed delivered. Not in real time of course, but it’s real… for the sponsor and, most importantly, the family. Thanks to those sponsors who are able to go above and beyond their normal sponsorship for our families.

Sleep well!

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It’s Official!!

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 life ever. This past year, we opened up our intern application process in October 2019. Usually, we have anywhere from six to eight immediate applicants going on to our website. Not this time. Instead we had three, then two, then one. We were scratching our heads wondering what was going on.

God knew what was coming… and, in usual style, we went along.

Moving forward, Covid became a popular topic after the first of the year. One by one, all our volunteer teams cancelled for the summer. But, there was one young man who didn’t cancel, didn’t back away and in fact kept pushing forward to come be an Intern for the summer.

Meet Abe. Abe came from Indiana in May and was ready to meet any challenge ACE had for him. With our own Super Student, Tahj, as the house father, Abe stayed with Anthony and Tahj at the Campus this summer. We called it the Jamaican Guys Club and it worked! Not only has Abe developed muscle, but he has developed a love for his new home in Jamaica. Like most interns who complete the Leadership Course, we hope he’ll always consider this his “go to” spot when he needs a getaway from life in the U.S.

ACE is offering iQuest intern programs all year long in 2020. Look at your calendar and see if ACE fits into your life for that much needed “pause”.

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ACE – Vacation Destination!

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 love to have surprise us anytime – our family groups!

You may have heard us use the phrase “Vacation with a Purpose”. What a great way to describe enjoying time together as a family while simultaneously fulfilling a higher purpose and leaving with a sense of accomplishment and peace.

We’ve enjoyed seeing families of young and old, from the cold states in the north all the way to sunny Florida and everywhere in between. We’ve been so happy to have the help of canning, painting, pulling down vines off of the ruins, to being kind to one of our horses who wasn’t doing so well. Then, in the evenings after dinner, we enjoy sitting around by the pool and listening to everyone debrief with their high and lows; it makes all of us on staff smile and be reminded of how good God is to us.

Thank you to all our friends who include ACE each year into your vacation time. Families really do matter when it comes to reminding us how relationships are the most important part of the vision. A family that works and prays together truly makes a difference in the lives of many.

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Winter may be cold, but ACE Wellness teams were just warming up…

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 another team of medical and dental volunteers this winter to keep us all feeling great, both physically and in spirit. This trip not only gave our health professionals a chance to make a difference, but it gave their family members (who might have thought they were just tagging along for the good weather) the opportunity to serve in other much needed outreach areas all week.

Medications were administered, counseling was given to the low in spirit, and teeth were extracted, along with many teeth cleanings. All in all, so many of our community families were relieved of pain and experienced the love only our ACE healthcare professionals could give.

During the middle of the week, our friends helped out on the farm and we have begun to uncover the old ruins on the property where Captain Henry Morgan built a home. While it may be years before we can fully uncover the whole house, we are getting lots of potting soil for our chocolate trees. Who knows, we might start another business called Pirates Potting Soil!

Thank you to Dr. Guy and the incredible health professionals who worked long hours to ensure we were all left happy and healthy.

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