christian | American-Caribbean Experience

Marla’s Minute: New Life & Freshness

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

Easter brings life and freshness to old things.

As most of you know, this is Holy Week. In most of our books, it’s just like any other week. We have our daily jobs to go to in town, in the country, or on the farm. And with spring break happening at the same time, Holy Week can also look like family time together at the beach or the mountains.

For ACE, it’s all about giving back and being thankful that we get the opportunity to accomplish the many “to-dos” for our community in St. Mary through our friends and donors.

With this season of gratitude in mind, Allen and I had a chance last week to reflect on why Easter matters so much during a trip to Virginia near the DC area with some dear friends and ACE board members. We visited the Bible Museum for the first time. And as we went from floor to floor reading the facts about the thousands of translated versions throughout history in different languages, it was very apparent that God’s Word isn’t just a book. It is the Living Word of God speaking through many passages to ALL the people He created throughout the Earth.

Allen and I enjoyed watching people from every walk of life and every nation walk through the museum, thrilled to see their nation’s Bible under the glass and their rich history of how Jesus touched their country throughout time. We may not have seen a lot of rabbits and Easter eggs on display, but we did see many of Christ’s sayings and promises that He gave us as He ascended to His Father.

Matthew 28:20: “…And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

John 10:10: “…I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

Not just Americans… Not just Europeans… Not just Africans… But everyone!

Seeing families of all colors and sizes made us smile. Easter really is all about our risen Savior who died so that ALL may have eternal life — a new and fresh abundant life. As you prepare for Easter, whether you attend church once a year, you attend every Sunday without fail, or you sit on the beach as the sun comes up on Easter, ask God to touch your heart as to why Easter is so important to all mankind.

Here’s one final verse to ponder as you reflect on that: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35)

Happy Easter,
Marla

Bibles stacked on Galina Breeze's dining table before church

RETURN TO NEWSLETTER

Let’s Put Love In Action

by American-Caribbean Experience | Nov 25, 2024 | Community, Outreach

The Christmas season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and giving. As we approach Giving Tuesday, we’re reminded that love isn’t just a feeling—it’s an action. At ACE, we’re committed to putting the love of God in action every day by serving the community of St. Mary, Jamaica, through healthcare, education, discipleship, and sustainability initiatives.

From mobile infirmary visits and child sponsorships to supporting single mothers in our Children’s Village and more, every program we launch is a reflection of God’s love in action. But none of this would be possible without your help.

Together, with your support, we can continue to strengthen our programs and transform more lives. Please prayerfully consider partnering with ACE this Giving Tuesday by helping make a greater impact in St. Mary in the following ways:

1. Donate to ACE’s General Fund

Your contributions to our general fund enable us to meet urgent needs as they arise. Every gift, no matter the size, plays a vital role in building stronger communities. Whether it’s providing a warm meal, purchasing medical supplies, or repairing homes, your generosity makes it happen.

Make A Donation

2. Sponsor A Child

ACE offers six sponsorship opportunities to assist children, adults, and families in our community to reach their fullest potential. As little as $45 a month can help change the course of a child’s life by sponsoring their education and providing them with the essentials they need, including school uniforms, lunches, and access to annual medical and dental checkups. With your support, they can receive the education and opportunities they need to thrive.

View Sponsorship Opportunities

3. Shop ACE’s Amazon Wishlist

Putting the love of God in action can even look like sending socks, diapers, hygiene products, canned goods, and school supplies to those who need it most. ACE’s Amazon Wishlist is filled with items that directly support the people we serve in Jamaica. It’s a simple way to make a tangible impact from wherever you are.

Shop ACE's Wishlist

Every Act of Love Makes a Difference

The beauty of putting love in action is that even the smallest contributions or the most simple gifts can create ripples of hope. Thank you in advance for choosing to support ACE this Giving Tuesday. Together, we can put the love of God in action and empower the people of St. Mary, Jamaica, to reach their full potential.

RETURN TO NEWSLETTER

Marla’s Minute: Beryl, Blessings and Beets

by American-Caribbean Experience | Jul 29, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach

All we can say here on the ground at ACE in Jamaica is……whew!!! What a surprise hit we received from Hurricane Beryl. Who would have thought, this early in the summer? As we watched Beryl coming towards us, all hands on deck began preparing for the storm. God answered all our prayers throughout the Nation by turning Beryl slightly away from us getting a direct hit at the last minute.

We were fortunate the 97-year-old hotel stood her ground and only a few trees and small roof tiles went down. However, the generator that sustained a fire almost 10 months ago was no help. We sat without electricity for over a week. The fortunate part is that we had no guests or volunteer teams the week Beryl went through Jamaica.

Green Life Llanrumney Farm, on the other hand, took a greater hit of destruction than we expected. As Beryl passed by Jamaica south of Kingston, the rain poured into the downtown area, but St. Mary and the farm seemed to have caught mostly wind. All our inside and outside roads to the pastures, Greathouse, village etc., disappeared into the thickness of bamboo. It was a reality check for all of us as we realized we had no place to go with cattle and other livestock. And then…

God showed up with shovels of favor. Friends of ACE from all over the US and Canada began asking our US office, how can they help. What do we need? And funds helped us get going with parts for the tractor and chainsaws that we desperately needed. Most of all, ACE friends helped us get a team of three men down to help Allen begin to clear the inside roads. As I write this, there still isn’t any power at the farmhouse. Huie got the pump working again down by the river, so we can pump water for the cattle.

Our greenhouse was destroyed, but we didn’t have any growing towers installed yet which could have been devastating. While we are praying for more manpower to help us, we have our summer volunteers coming in to help Allen and Foster clear the roads, repair the fences, replace broken tables and, yes, even help us begin our mid-summer planting. This time, in addition to the above ground crops, we are going under with planting our beets. At least they can go through a hurricane without much damage.

So, yes, we had Beryl early, but we got to see how God blesses us with our friends who care and love ACE. Needs? Oh yes, we have lots of them. Please see our prayer requests and know that we are so grateful for you all and the generosity you have given ACE.

Keeping up the God work,

Marla and Allen

RETURN TO NEWSLETTER

The Harvest is Great

by American-Caribbean Experience | Jun 24, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

Before 2008, my perception of Jamaica was based on the cruise ship port in Ocho Rios and commercials for the huge all-inclusive resorts. All of that paints a picture of a thriving culture where everyone is living the dream life. It was not until June of 2008 that I really experienced the true heart and culture of Jamaica and its people.

In the beginning of 2008, Brandon, my son, who was 14 at the time, expressed an interest in going on a mission trip through our church. The idea of a teenage boy wanting to go on a mission trip to a strange new place, serving others and getting closer to God — who would say no? So, we started looking at the options, keeping in mind that my wife hates flying. We decided to investigate the trip to Jamaica, as it was the shortest flight option. After the first meeting with the trip leader, Teresa, we chose to take that leap of faith and sign up.

Fast forward to June of 2008, when we went down to Jamaica. Little did we know, our perspective of Jamaica was about to be radically changed for the better. Working with ACE, we all experienced the true heart and culture of the Jamaican people, from the schools to the infirmary and their homes. Being able to show God’s love to the Jamaican people and the joy they had was amazing.

Fast forward to today. It has been 17 years since our first trip to Jamaica with ACE. The work we did on that first trip touched our hearts in a way that kept us wanting to return, which led Brandon and myself to continue to do these trips. Over the years, we have gone with various size teams down to just ourselves and meeting up with other teams. The relationships we have created over the years with other US teams and more importantly the Jamaicans, has been a true spiritual blessing.

The experience ACE can show someone in the first year is eye opening on how God can work, but the true benefit comes from going back over the years to see how HE continues to use ACE. The work a team does in a week may not seem like much, but each week another team builds on your work and before you know it there is a house for someone to live in or a classroom for the children. Each year you see how that cornerstone that you put in is now a structure that God created through you. These trips not only allow us to bless the Jamaicans but also the people that go on them. My greatest experiences on these trips have been seeing Brandon getting baptized in the pool and because of doing these trips he was able to meet his now wife, Danielle. If we had not listened to God and did not take that first trip, I would not have a God-loving daughter-in-law and 3 beautiful grand babies.

As I look back over the 17 years at all the changes, I see how God has worked through us, a little bit at a time. It may be hot and the work hard, but it is well worth it for the spiritual reward you receive. I can testify that God is at work during that week because the things I am able to do could not be done without His power in me. The vision that Marla has for ACE has been amazing to watch blossom over the years. It has amazed me how God gives ACE the visions, and supplies them with the staff, volunteers and finances to carry out those visions. I also give a shout out to Allen. He has to be a godly man to support his wife, 1200 miles apart most of the year, for so many years.

The verse that came to me back in 2008 when this all started was Matthew 9:37: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few”. I have held this verse close to heart as I want to be a part of the harvest.

RETURN TO NEWSLETTER

Many Hands Make Light Work

by American-Caribbean Experience | Mar 29, 2023 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach

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!