Education | American-Caribbean Experience

VBS in July!

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jun 28, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

It’s true – the first VBS for the ACE students and community since 2019 is going to happen. Just a few days ago, the Government of Jamaica opened up the country to allow up to 100 people to be part of an outdoor gathering and lifted the curfew to more reasonable and normal hours. ACE is not only thrilled this is happening but excited that we will get to hold VBS at the new farm and school area at Buccaneers.

Are you a VBS leader? Do you love working with children? Want to be part of this exciting outreach? If so, please contact our office and get the details. We already have the curriculum and a college group helping us facilitate, and we’d love to have your helping hand and expertise! It’s three days of wonderful fun and blitz. Having experienced leaders helping our local staff would be an additional gift. Consider coming down and contributing to this post-Covid activity!

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Little Faith, Big Faith

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jun 28, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

Everyone seems to know what the word “faith” means. In daily conversations, some say, “keep the faith,” others say, “just have faith,” and, during the last 15 months, many have used the phrase, “I’m losing faith.”

Often, we highlight what our child sponsors have done to help their students and families in Jamaica during the past year and a half, from donating beds, mattresses, refrigerators, rooms, food, clothing to sending encouraging notes and letters. This is faith in action. And sometimes, the story of how God works through faith is even deeper…

During this time of high unemployment, Romeo, the father of triplets, and his wife made the decision to start building a home for their family. By working every little job that came available and through the help of family and friends, Romeo was able to put money aside to build the “block” house for his children to grow up in and to pass down through the generations. Building a block house is not a cheap or easy thing to do. The land he was building on was family land, passed down to him. The cost of the block, steel, cement, sand, stone can add up, but, even more than that, it’s a lot of work for one man!

Little by little, day by day, the children would help their daddy build one row of block at a time. When the funds ran out, they would wait, praying for increase in work and income. It came, little by little… one day here, one week there, but it came, as they, even the children, knew it would. Little moments of faith in action.

He needed hands-on help. This month, one of our dear friends and her team of volunteers committed to helping Romeo and the family complete the first two rooms for them to move into by the end of July. When the Walkers found out that their project was the one this team wanted to help with, they all smiled, knowing that prayers were being answered. Little moments of faith confirmed.

Once we knew the project timeline was accelerated, thanks to the extra help of the team on the way, our ACE office reached out to the family who sponsors the triplets and asked if they could help with some supplies, as the Walkers were tapped out of funds. Miraculously, they were able to donate most but not all the funds to pour the floor. Little moments of faith continued.

The project began, but unfortunately, the funds ran out. There was not enough there to complete the project. We just needed a little bit more, but we all had faith that God would provide!

Then, unexpectedly, while the team was still working, a donation came from someone separate from the team, this project, or the Walker family. This donor, who had never given prior to this, felt called at this moment to give a gift that coincidently covered the exact amount needed for the Walker family to complete the floor. The cost was covered, the job was completed with many helping hands, and the family was on their way to having a place to call “home”. This is Big Faith at work.

And that’s how you see God working at ACE, in the Walker family, and in the lives of all of you who have invested into Kingdom things through sponsorship and volunteering. Those little moments of faith turn into Big Faith moments every time when God is in it.

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Our Patrene Exits, Stage Right

by American- Caribbean Experience | May 25, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

Patrene, our wonderful administrator for ACE, is leaving for a season to take a position in the work-abroad program that the Jamaican Government offers adults to work in the states.

Patrene will be gone for at least six months. We gave her a party at our own bamboo oasis by the river. We wish her well and she promises to stay in touch. In the meantime, we all will be handling her admin work one topic at a time! She leaves big shoes to fill! All the best, Patrene!

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The Green Life Village

by American- Caribbean Experience | May 25, 2021 | Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

Is it finally happening? After all these years of hearing Marla talk about her Children’s Village, a place for families to live together and grow together, it is finally happening. Note that the illustration above is from our original artwork drawn up in 2013. We are in the process of having updated plans drawn to reflect a more current vision.

Up on the hill, around the river, through the woods, and across the gravel is a tiny road leading to a community called Cambridge. The Green Life Farm borders the community all the way from the main road to the river. Thanks to so many friends of ACE, the clearing of the coconut grove – or “walk” as they say in Jamaica – has begun. While we are keeping many of the coconut trees (coconuts are in big demand for their water and jelly), this is the location for our village to be built.

ACE has named it the “Green Life Village” (called a village because it truly takes a village to raise a child). Many children we have sponsored will be living in this community with their parents or parent.

We will have our own D’Vaun and Saskia living here as the small-group/family leaders for ACE. We will be very intentional about who will reside on the property and what they will be doing to grow, thrive and survive in a healthy and productive way. More information to come, but if you are interested in finding out how you can be a part of this long-in-coming dream of ACE, give us a call or email! We will be happy to share with you what the needs are and how ACE plans to make this the most sought-after community in St. Mary.

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It’s iQuest Time Again!

by American- Caribbean Experience | Mar 24, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

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 summer is just the ticket for adventure, growth and renewal. What an opportunity to go outside your comfort zone, learn new skills and make a lasting difference in the lives of others, while making friends to last a lifetime.

We are slowly getting back into our busy world after a year spent on “pause”. As our time at home comes to an end but before our schedules become overwhelming again, spend the summer with ACE! Discover the ways that God can use your energy and talents to connect to so many who need a smiling face and a helping hand. Go online today to sign up to be a 2021 iQuest intern – and find your new home away from home!

IQUEST APPLICATION

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Marla’s Minute: How The Pieces Fall Together

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jan 27, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

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 family’s life better, safer, healthier. It’s important that we protect the privacy of our families and individuals and not exploit them for the sake of the story. Every day is filled with specifics but we try to talk in generalities. I preface with this because I’m going to keep names out of this story in order to protect this family, but I still want you to see how, even in adversity, God shows up.

A mother with her two sons, one of whom has special needs, called our office in a hopeless state. This mother had taken care of a senior for many, many years when his own grown children did not. It was understood by everyone in the community that, when he passed, she and her boys would have a place to live as payment for her years of committed care for him.

After the older gentleman passed, the family decided that they wanted the space and caused a lot of strife in order to force her and her boys to leave. One day while she was out seeking work, they burned down the house. As a result, she and her two sons built what we would call a shell of a home to live in, with a dirt floor and no utilities or furniture to speak of. Because the special-needs teenager was sponsored by a neat couple in the States, the mother felt her only avenue for help would be to call ACE.

Fast forward… a home that ACE built (thanks to another supporter) for Indian, our GLLF farm hand, was currently empty, clean, and ready for move-in. We had moved Indian to an apartment at the front of the farm for security duty. ACE created a job for this mother cleaning up at Buccaneers three days a week so that her sons can come to work with her and so her youngest, who is five, has access to internet for school at the ACE office.

Isn’t it amazing how the pieces fall together when God is involved? I often tell our friends who feel bad about not being able to physically be here to not sell themselves short. God loves the orphans and widows, and He certainly loves a cheerful giver. Thank you, cheerful givers, for changing the lives of these three individuals. One act of kindness (for Indian) ended up providing a life-saving opportunity for a family in need, a mother whose own act of kindness in life becomes repaid even when it seems hopeless. When you can get boots on the ground, you will meet our new family and, perhaps, she can tell you the story herself with all the details. As they say, God is good ALL the time.

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