Trust God’s Calling

Trust God’s Calling

Chelsea Peterson served on ACE’s iQuest internship program in 2014. But the journey to get there brought about its own set of challenges and need for dependence on God. The following is her story that she shared with our team.

This month marks the 10-year anniversary of my time as an iQuest intern at ACE. When I look back at everything God did that summer, even before I was accepted into the program, I am amazed at His goodness and faithfulness. 

I am type A personality through and through. I want everything planned to a “T” before I ever commit to saying yes to something. Some call it a control issue, I like to say I’m just very organized… Flash back to 10 years ago, when I felt God calling me to apply for the ACE internship going into the summer after my second year of college. 

I had been to Jamaica twice already for a week at a time the previous two years, and I KNEW without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to get that internship. I had never been more sure of something God wanted for my life before. 

And guess what? I didn’t get in. 

I honestly can’t remember the reason I was told; something about someone who was supposed to intern the year prior but had to back out was able to come this year. Needless to say, I was devastated. Not even particularly because I didn’t get in, but because I was so sure that’s where God wanted me to be. Oh, and now I had to totally reorganize my plans for the summer. 

A couple of months went by, and I had started filling my upcoming summer with a job, family beach trip, and different outings with friends. And just as everything started coming together, I got a call from Marla. Another something came up, and the internship was mine if I still wanted it. 

Of course I wanted it. But my controlling mind was freaking out. So many logistics to think through – now I have to cancel all my summer plans, plan and pack for the internship, AND raise the funds to be able to actually get to Jamaica. All in about a month.

Somewhere in the craziness of all of the preparation, it hit me – God was already working in my life through the months leading up to the internship. 

Where I felt unequipped and even unwanted since I wasn’t originally accepted into the internship, He was gently reminding me that I had the internship all along. Because it was His plan for me. He just needed me to release control and trust in Him and His timing, not my own.

Not surprisingly, God came through in every way, helping me raise the funds I needed, get everything in order, and have the best summer of my life. A summer that pushed and challenged and strengthened me in every possible way – physically, spiritually, emotionally, professionally, mentally, etc. 

And I wouldn’t change it for the world. 

The Lord’s Garden

The Lord’s Garden

Former ACE iQuest intern Audrey Renner recently came back down to St. Mary, Jamaica, with her husband and father. After her trip, she headed back to the States and shared the following letter with our team. 

I’ve always loved springtime in Ohio. Suddenly, after months of the cold, gray, desolation that is winter in the Midwest, the natural world springs back to life. Each spring, when I see the flowers springing up out of the cold ground, I can’t help but to remember the final verse of Isaiah 61:

“The Sovereign Lord will show His justice to the nations of the world. Everyone will praise Him! His righteousness will be like a garden in early spring, with plants springing up everywhere.” – Isaiah 61:11 NLT

My husband Ricky and I just recently visited ACE after being away for 6 years. The last time we visited was on a college service trip in March of 2018. I had given my life to Christ the summer prior, during my internship with ACE, and Ricky did the same on this very trip in 2018. If our faith was a plant in the Lord’s garden, it would have looked like a delicate baby sprout the last time we were in Jamaica.

Returning 6 years later, so many things had changed, both in our lives and at ACE. Our proverbial faith plant had grown, matured, and started producing fruit while we were away. Upon returning, we saw how God had used the past 6 years to grow the “gardens” at ACE, too. Projects that were once seeds waiting to be planted, are now a reality. I remember Marla talking about her dream for the Children’s Village and the Peace House and about buying the neighboring property to the campus (now Green Life Farms). God reminded me of His faithfulness as we got to see the smiling faces of Lotoya’s family at their new home in the Children’s Village, as we lifted His praises with neighbors at the Peace House fellowship night, and even as we sifted through countless suitcases of thrift donations at the ACE office on the new property. 

Here’s the thing about spring flowers. You never know when or where they will decide to pop up. Only the Lord knows what is happening beneath the surface of the soil. Our trip to ACE reminded me of this. 

Since I gave my life to Christ, I have been praying that both my parents would grow in relationship with Him. After years of seemingly no progress, I grew tired and weary waiting for a sign this prayer would come true.

When Ricky and I felt the Lord calling us back to Jamaica in 2024, we also felt His call to invite our families to join us. Incredibly, my dad immediately jumped on the invitation. This was it, finally! I could see the “soil” start bumping up, preparing for his little faith plant to break the surface. 

While my dad did not give his life to Christ on this trip, his presence on our trip gives me a steadfast confidence that the Lord is moving in his heart. He got to experience the Lord’s presence in the very place that both Ricky and I had poured our hearts out to Him years ago, desperately searching for answers as we stumbled through our own spiritual journeys. 

Don’t give up, dear reader, on the seeds that you have planted. Even if you can’t see them, know that they are growing under the surface of the soil. Remember the Lord’s promise in Isaiah 61. You’ll never know when or where, but just as the plants come back every spring, He will bring your people, your faith, your peace, and your joy back to life, too. Keep planting, keep watering, and don’t give up!

Marla’s Minute: Reaping A Harvest

Marla’s Minute: Reaping A Harvest

The manual for life, The Bible, continually says that sooner or later, whatever choices we make in our lives, we will see the results of these choices come to light in our lives or the lives of others. 

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:8-9

Let’s look at an example of what has been going on in Jamaica for the past few years, which happened again this month through an I-Quest intern alumni, Gentry. Many years ago, ACE had a season with Gentry in Jamaica where we got to share with her all the things God was removing and adding to her “spiritual toolbox” for life.

Through our relationship, Gentry introduced us to the rest of her family, and we quickly learned she doesn’t fall too far from the tree. Yes, Gentry, like her sisters, comes from good stock. And after all these years, she came back to ACE to serve with her father and older sister. Earlier this month, David, her father who is a carpenter, helped Allen build a larger and better tool closet for all the tools that have often been easily misplaced over the years.

What most I-Quest interns don’t realize is the gift they give to us personally. That gift is the opportunity to catch up with their fast-paced life and see how they have chased after God with all that they do. And Gentry is just one example. Audrey, another intern who is now married, also brought her father down to ACE recently to volunteer in helping lead our spring break teams. Who knows, we might just get another family involved the way Gentry did. 

We want to give a huge and sincere thank you to Gentry and her family for the many years they have given their treasures and time to ACE. And even beyond just Gentry’s family, we are reaping so many years of faithful friends and family at ACE in Jamaica. Thank you for your continued love and support!

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

Christmas and Celebrations

Christmas and Celebrations

Thanks to ACE’s dear friends, Tina and Luke, all of our sponsored students and friends celebrated Christmas in style! As the COVID syndrome continues globally, the Rebel Ministries team came through unafraid, full of life and energy. The last week of 2021 ended with lots of laughter and smiles as our team and staff hosted several separate parties across a few days.

The farm was our background for open air fun and storytelling. Students had cards and gifts from sponsors, and the celebration of Jesus’ birth was at the forefront! Most of all, it was such a “shot in the arm” of encouragement for ACE. Beyond the partying, this team worked so hard every single day, and it gave us hope for what 2022 will look like. Thank you all for making our end of year and first of year so fantastic

As for the rest of you considering coming to Jamaica, well, come on… we’ve got work for you and our staff is ready for some American humor! Are you ready for us? Let’s make it happen!

 

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