Marla’s Minute: Finding Your Purpose or Calling

Marla’s Minute: Finding Your Purpose or Calling

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 in 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. They start to curb these 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

30 Years of Growth

30 Years of Growth

“30 years of growth and some things never change”. That’s the thought I had this past week as I mixed concrete at GLLF with my team of 27. You may be thinking that I was bemoaning the opportunity that lay ahead of me, but I really wasn’t. I actually love cooking in the Jamaican sun while mixing concrete, by hand, surrounded by my family and team. It sure beats sitting in an office staring at a computer all day!

This summer was my 30th year serving with ACE, so I was very nostalgic all week long. I met Marla as a high school student back in 1994. She took me and a small team up around Mandeville to a place called Bethel. We spent ten days serving the local community in the same ways that many of you have since.

Some things have never changed: the heart and commitment that Allen, Marla and ACE have for the local community, a heart for service and compassion, which always finds creative ways to invest in those that need help but may feel uncomfortable asking for it.

For those of you that have been there, you know exactly what I am talking about. Many Jamaicans have a quiet need shrouded in pride that takes a bit of patience and perseverance to get to heart of, and ACE has that patience and perseverance.  

In 30 years, many other things haven’t changed as well but one that stands out to me year after year – and keeps me coming back, if I’m honest – is my team and the commitment that I have made to them.  

Team leaders, you will get this. Lean in with me for a minute and be encouraged. Our teams may change in number and gender. Our teams may change in skills and gifts. But the gift of exposing a new member to the ministry never changes. The joy of seeing a member return to that special island never changes. The awe of watching The Lord move among your group never changes, and feeling the weight, the good weight, of leadership never changes.

I’m always astonished at this universal truth; we go to Jamaica to help “Change Lives and Transform Communities”, but it somehow always ends of being my life that’s changed and my little community that’s transformed. “30 years of growth and some things never change.”

The Harvest is Great

The Harvest is Great

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.

Back to School!

Back to School!

While the Ministry of Education is maneuvering the system and making changes daily, our students hardly seem to notice as they enjoy the official start of the 2023 school season. It feels great for us and for them to have a sense of normalcy finally. Smiles and laughs greeted us at our annual (again!) backpack distribution event, where we gave out book bags, supplies and books to each student in our Child Sponsorship Program. Thanks to our sponsors, the day was not only well received by the many students but their parents as well.

ACE staff seemed to enjoy the event as our own Arlene was present with her camera, taking pics of each child as they displayed their name on a sign to identify them after all this time. If you have ever had a child, you know they can grow rapidly from one year to the next – try two!! We loved to see how much they’ve changed and how ready they are for this new year ahead!

Remember all that PB&J we ask each team to bring down? Well, every student received their own PB&J to take home and share. ACE will always find a way to utilize what teams bring down, and this has been a long-standing traditional donation from our volunteers. Kids learn better when they are fed and happy, so we are starting the school year on the right foot, thanks to all of you!

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Paying off the Farm

Paying off the Farm

Remember the ask ACE made to all of you the last quarter of 2021 to help us pay off the Green Life Llanrumney Farm? As you know, the farm is the place where all our micro-businesses will flourish to keep us hiring more and more Nationals. We want to keep you posted on how we are doing in raising the $700k needed by 2024.

Take a look at the graph to see how it’s going. Pretty impressive, we think. It’s also a faith-builder for ACE and, hopefully, for all of you who gave the funding to help us reach these goals. So far, with the help of many generous sponsors, we went over the $100k mark in 2021. Thank you!

If you are led to help us get to the $350k mark by summer and $500k by December, we would be grateful. After all, seeing is believing – and seeing is always a confirmation that it was completed in the supernatural world before it became visible in the natural.

Just watch what God will do this year… and it’s all good!

And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28