Discipleship | American-Caribbean Experience

Marla’s Minute: Finding Your Purpose or Calling

by American-Caribbean Experience | May 19, 2025 | Book A Trip, Discipleship

While enjoying my first cup of coffee the other day, I began rereading the book of Jeremiah. It’s interesting how the New and Old Testaments go hand in hand if you analyze the verses a little deeper than normal. I’m sure God knew that when He wrote it.

Jeremiah was a priest who noticed one day that his community was overthrown and enslaved by another group of people. I don’t know about you, but this is very apropos for today. While we don’t exactly have that type of event so blatantly happening in our “yaad” as they say Jamaica, many cultural thoughts and practices have moved into our communities, some subtle and some bold.

However, what struck me were the next verses where God described to Jeremiah who he is and what his next career move was. God then spoke to Jeremiah about how he was born for this time and given what I would call a “special coat of protection” to be a spokesman to all the world. Jeremiah was told to warn the people to “get it together” or there would be consequences. I don’t know about you, but there is no doubt that Jeremiah had a purpose/calling by God to do something radical and not to be afraid that something might happen to him.

You should read the book yourself to follow the ending, because it’s incredible to see how Jeremiah did whatever God told him to do each day. Yes, he was afraid, but he “did it afraid,” as we say at ACE.

We at ACE run into a lot of young adults trying to figure out who they are, how they can make an impact, what decisions they should make in life, and how they can find their purpose. My advice is to start by asking God to show you where you can make a difference in someone’s life within your own “yaad”. It’s easy to pray if you don’t have to follow prayer with action, which leads me to the challenging part…

The best exercise to find your purpose in life is to begin to do things that you would normally be opposed to. This may sound funny, but remember after every holiday when you want to lose weight? You join a gym or make a promise to yourself that you will give up sweets? Well, that might last a month, and then your flesh cries out that it wants something sweet. Before long, you are right back where you started.

So, if you want to know what God has for you as a purpose or calling, you have to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to your mind and bypass the comforts of the body. I’m no expert at this, but over the past 30-something years, I’ve seen young adults who were serious about finding their purpose begin the journey of curbing their flesh feedings by doing things they wouldn’t normally, such as giving back or volunteering their time.

It’s easy find time to go on vacations and retire comfortably, yet we seldom think to schedule time in our busy lives to give a few hours a week to something that offers little to no benefit to our natural flesh. And, then to try and keep your volunteering a secret from family or friends, so you won’t get a pat on the back.

This month, before our busy season hits, we’d like to highlight a few of the incredible volunteers who gave us time to serve without pay. They had to pay for their tickets and sacrifice their personal work time to give back. They spent quite a bit of money to just get to us, and then they also covered all of their expenses while at ACE. These people are the heroes who discovered a long time ago that true purpose is living outside of your own needs and putting others first. Even when you could have seemingly better options. We at ACE rarely think of ourselves as heroes, if at all. But we know that what we do each day counts for Kingdom growth and helps people find their purpose in life by finding their spirit walk and then moving out from there.

Do you feel like you’re too busy to give back? Be grateful God didn’t show up and tell you what your career would look like, as in the day of Jeremiah. Yet Jeremiah did it afraid and grew in his faith and wisdom. His availability and willingness led to him seeing a great movement happen.

Pray for ACE as we start our wonderful, busy summer. We cannot express our gratitude to each of you who is coming to serve along us in St. Mary.

For those of you still seeking your purpose, I encourage you to just start somewhere and ask God to direct your path. We can help with that part as well. We love welcoming people to ACE who are seeking God and want to make their lives count.

I hope to see you soon,
Marla

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Althia’s Angle: Kindness Never Goes Unnoticed

by American-Caribbean Experience | Apr 17, 2025 | Community, Discipleship

At just 13 years old, a girl in ACE’s Child Sponsorship program got pregnant and had a baby. Typically, ACE doesn’t sponsor girls with children because we are not equipped to meet the needs of pregnant women or young mothers with babies.

But God found a way!

In this specific scenario, ACE was given the opportunity to show this young lady grace and keep her in the program because of her incredible sponsors, who already know and love her. They know she hasn’t had the easiest childhood and has often been taken care of by other people in her community. And they wanted to help her as much as they could.

Thanks to her sponsors who chose to show her the abundant love and grace of Jesus Christ, this student is able to not only continue to go to school, but also receive monthly groceries for herself and her baby, as well as her mother, sister, and grandpa.

What a blessing!

If you’ve ever wondered if you can make real connections with your sponsor children and truly make a difference in their lives with your monthly donation, may this story bless you and encourage you. And may you remember that your kindness matters and never goes unnoticed.

Just look at the message below that I received from the young lady in response to everything that’s happened recently.

If you know me, you know these kind words mean so much more than any tangible gift of gratitude. We pray that ACE’s continued support, alongside the outstanding generosity of her sponsors, can help her continue to seek and love God and follow in His footsteps. We pray that she will continue to see the good in everything He does in her life and hold onto the hope He offers.

Blessings,
Athia Foster

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ACE’s Four Impact Buckets Unite for Spring!

by American-Caribbean Experience | Mar 26, 2025 | Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

What a fantastic start to our 2025 outreach year in St. Mary, Jamaica! In February, our medical and dental teams served the community, providing exams, cleanings, fillings, and other essential wellness services.

This month, our ACE team, along with volunteers from the States, helped feed and care for many elderly and special needs neighbors who lack support. They also helped clean their homes. It was inspiring to see college and high school students make such a significant impact in the lives of the lonely and hungry. In just four days, we received an overwhelmingly positive response to our staff and volunteers’ loving hospitality.

The Ricardo Ranch

While love, care, and support are essential, nothing compares to the impact of a dedicated team like the one from Ringgold Baptist in Ringgold, GA. Each year, they generously offer their construction skills to address a critical need: providing safe, dry housing for those in need.

This year, they supported Ricardo, a construction worker who suffered a life-changing accident when he fell from a roof and broke his neck. Despite being paralyzed from the waist down, Ricardo’s spirit and hope inspire everyone around him, making it hard for anyone to complain.

Thanks to ACE’s commitment and the many hands that joined in, we built Ricardo a new home. Just today, Ricardo moved in and can finally call this place home, all thanks to the generosity of those who dedicated their time to make a difference in his life.

Education & Edgehill

Many of you may remember that ACE is the primary sponsor for helping Edgehill School of Special Education meet its specific needs outside the classroom. This year, we aimed to transform a large closet into a computer lab, where 13 donated computers and a whiteboard will enable special needs students to access the world beyond their reach.

Construction began one day and was completed by noon the next. All that remains is for the electrician to install the electrical outlets, and then we’ll be ready for the students to embark on their journey to explore the “safe web.”

Our volunteers enjoyed reading, singing, and interacting with the classes during construction. It’s hard to say who had more fun at Edgehill—us or the students.

Help for Hampstead

Volunteers can’t discuss ACE without mentioning the “bucket brigade.” It’s true—ACE is known for tackling challenging projects in just a few days.

This week, Hampstead Primary School, one of our sponsored schools, requested our help to finish their multi-purpose court, which will be used for sports events and general assemblies. This month, we began constructing the seating for attendees.

This will be a full summer program, as it takes more than just a few days to complete. ACE is committed to our students and schools. If you’ve never participated in a “bucket brigade,” there’s still plenty of time to sign up. Many hands make the work light!

Hampstead Elementary School Construction Project

Fun and Discipleship during the Hampstead Elementary School Construction Project

Bucket Brigades at Hampstead Elementary School

Pigs & Microbusinesses

What do pigs and microbusinesses have in common? In some businesses, the answer might be a lot of fat. But not with ACE! The Green Life Farm pig pen business is thriving at Buccaneers, where Jamaicans flock to enjoy delicious jerk pork sandwiches and ribs.

Our pigs have outgrown their pens. So this month, with the help of volunteers from Kansas City Christian School, we tore down the old pens and constructed new ones—all in one day! This is what happens when you have seniors in tip-top shape doing the work. Our farm staff truly appreciated the assistance.

While most of the work is completed, we still have a few posts and some painting left. The pens almost look nice enough to spend a little time with the pigs… almost!

In other great news, we recently received a call from a couple we’ve come to love, Marty and Christa Bevel from Kentucky. They asked if they could assist on the farm for a month. Our answer was a resounding YES! We met Marty and Christa years ago and invited them to visit ACE about four years back. This time, they felt called by God to help us, and we couldn’t be more grateful. God always brings us the most incredible help!

Spiritual Development

Marty and Christa are knowledgeable about pigs, chickens, cows, and all things farming. More importantly, they have an incredible love for Jesus, which shines through in everything they do.

The Jamaican staff at the farm has fallen in love with them and even asked them to stay longer. Marty leads daily staff devotions to start the day, while Christa invests in the ladies on the farm and our ACE staff. We have all come to love them and will miss them when they return to Kentucky. But we’re keeping the lights on for them and expect a return visit. Please pray for a longer stay!

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Back in the Saddle Again

by American-Caribbean Experience | Jan 28, 2025 | Community, Discipleship, Outreach

This month seems to be all about using farm verbiage to express how the beginning of 2025 is going for ACE. We mentioned last year how we are all relieved to know the COVID years are now behind us and we are now positioned to do what we do best in St Mary once again. That is to go deep and not wide in serving our neighboring communities.

Schools are back in session. Our AMI (ACE Mobile Infirmary) visits are met with great appreciation and a feeling of security that someone in the ACE family cares about them enough to check in on them. The micro-businesses are growing, so employment is increasing locally. That means Nationals are able to grow and earn and learn.

We are firm believers that when God gives you a vision, you stick with it. Not based on the difficulty of the task at hand or the time it may take to accomplish. ACE always finishes what we start. And that creates patience in our ministry.

If anyone spends any amount of time with me, you will know that learning patience is important to me. And this may not come as much of a surprise to those of you who have quite literally grown up in ACE, but one of the greatest compliments I was given at the end of last year by a board member was, “You have really grown in your level of patience with projects and people.”

I’m continually reminded of the Bible verse that says, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV).

I used to think that meant that God will make things happen in a month for ACE. Now that I’m older and hopefully wiser, I cannot help but better understand the old saying, “It’s not the destination that counts; it’s the journey to get there.”

ACE is back in the saddle, enjoying God’s journey once again. We are all so excited to see volunteers this year signed up to help us accomplish all the good things God has set in play for ACE so that He alone gets the glory. We are looking forward to seeing you in Jamaica, where the weather is nice and warm!

Happy Trails!
Marla

Serving Mr. George with Christmas Dinner

Ms. Denise Richards was so happy to receive a hot meal

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Vision Casting Into Reality

by American-Caribbean Experience | Nov 25, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Outreach

November started with some spectacular visits to Jamaica by our ACE friends and new leaders. If you recall from our October Newsletter, ACE is literally “back to the future” with our outreach efforts. For the first time in years, two vision trips were scheduled for interested leaders who wanted to see what 2025 was shaping up to be for St. Mary and ACE.

The participants got to see and hear from our school principals and how hopeful and grateful they are that ACE is getting back into their schools and assisting with the needs of their teachers and leadership. Sponsored students are on the rise as the needs continue to grow. Our senior adults in the community were met with love, rubbing lotion on their arms, hands, legs, and feet, food, and even haircuts by Gary, the owner of Travis Salon in Atlanta. It was his first time visiting ACE, and we are sure it won’t be his last.

Edgehill, the special needs school that ACE and Galina Breeze partner with, opened their doors for all of us to hear from the teachers what needs they have, as well as receive big hugs from our many students who love to sing, play, and learn. Laura, a pastor’s wife from Mississippi who happens to be an architect, met with the acting principal about designing a computer lab for the desktops they were given from E-learn, an NGO that focuses on teaching tools for the teachers to use.

At the end of the trip, everything was good. We dodged the rain from tropical storm Sara, and our spirits were warmed from meeting so many wonderful leaders who have a heart to grow with us. All of our staff at ACE, Galina Breeze, and Buccaneers smiled over the incredible generosity of these leaders. This is really encouraging and made a huge difference to all of us, considering how much we have grown since we were there last.

How do we move forward from here? The same way ACE has moved for years — from vision to reality. It all happens because of each of you who believe in the progress ACE has made over the decades. If you were not part of the vision trips this year, that’s okay. Call us and we will fit you into one of the 2025 trips we are preparing.

A vision is just a vision unless we have the hands and feet on the ground to make it a reality. Thank you, leaders, for your time and commitment with your teammates.

We are forever grateful.

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Marla’s Minute: Thankful for the Equipment!

by American-Caribbean Experience | Nov 24, 2024 | Community, Discipleship

Being thankful comes in many forms this time of year. With the rains coming late to Jamaica, poor St. Mary was flooded with water. Too much water. Our creeks and rivers were bursting with fast-moving streams that caused bamboo and muck to collect and clog our bridges.

While the horses and donkeys seemed to like the ponds forming everywhere, the rest of us struggled to clean out the bridges where the overflow couldn’t get through. Then, my superheroes showed up and went to work cleaning out the debris under the bridges — my dad, Fred, and another friend, Tim, who are both from Bowling Green. Everyone knows my number one superhero is Allen, my incredible spouse, but these men pull in a strong second.

With bobcats, a tractor, and lots of mud, water was running again in just three days. In a place like Jamaica, modern equipment is a huge help at our farm. And did I mention there is no age limit to helping us at ACE? While Tim is a healthy something-year-old, Fred is just as strong in his 80s, and both men are as strong as most of our cattle. Thank you, friends, for taking time out of your life to free up the flow. We are extremely grateful here at ACE.

Happy Thanksgiving! Come back anytime!
Marla