travel | American-Caribbean Experience

Birdwatching Adventures with ACE

by American-Caribbean Experience | Mar 26, 2025 | Book A Trip, Community

At ACE, we love welcoming teams with all kinds of talents and interests to visit us in Jamaica. Recently, we had the privilege of hosting a group of passionate birdwatchers who experienced firsthand the island’s beautiful wildlife.

Led by local eco-certified guide Dwayne Swaby, Greg, Sarah, Matthew, and Will set out on an early morning expedition, eager to explore ACE’s different properties. Greg mentioned they were “all ‘in it, to win it,’ excited to see what birdlife and nature [they] would see,” despite the muddy trails and intermittent rain they encountered.

The team enjoyed spotting roughly 45 incredible bird species, including the Jamaican Tody, the Jamaican Woodpecker, and the Red-billed Streamertail—Jamaica’s national bird. The national bird is a hummingbird and, as Greg put it, “unbelievably stunning with its long trailing tail feathers and green body with black and purple on its head.” Greg also mentioned that “God had a sense of beautiful humor when he designed birds.” We have to agree, but more so with all of His creation, including His people.

Our staff at ACE loves connecting people with communities in meaningful ways. Whether through education, healthcare, microbusiness, or even birding, we believe every visitor has something valuable to contribute to our community in St. Mary.

If you have a passion, skill, or hobby you’d love to share, we’d love to host you! We still have a couple of open weeks at the end of July, so gather your team and come experience Jamaica with us. Whether you’re a birdwatcher, a medical professional, a teacher, or someone who just wants to make a difference wherever you can, there’s a place for you at ACE. Email Susan, our Stateside Director, at office@acexperience.org or call 877-500-5768 for more information.

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Marla’s Minute: A “Full Court Press”

by American-Caribbean Experience | Aug 27, 2024 | Book A Trip, Outreach

In high school, I was called “Roberta Rebound” by my basketball team. While I would have rather been called “Hanna Highpoint scorer” for my ability to put points on the board, I recognized I had a keen ability to retrieve the ball after a missed shot or a long-court steal…. and take our team all the way to state without scoring a single point for the team.

Being part of a group sport taught me many things in life. One of the biggest lessons I learned was that we all succeed when we have a team around us to pull for us, share with, and even contribute to our best so that others can do their part to score for the team. When our basketball team went to the playoffs at the end of a season almost every year, many times, the other teams were as good at the game as we were. In a close game where the last few points meant win or lose, our coach would call us to the bench on a time out, look us all in the eyes, and say… “Girls, it’s now time for a Full Court Press. Let’s get the job done and go home with the trophy.”

Next month, September 16th to be exact, is the beginning and the end of a big game for ACE in Jamaica. September marks the end of a five-year “Full Court Press” for purchasing the Legacy property for ACE called Green Life Farms.

God has allowed ACE to own an incredible 838 acres of prime farmland just outside of Port Maria for future micro-business and development focused on clean food and agriculture.

The final note on the property is due September 16th, and while we are still moving up the court, we could use your help to make the last point to win the game. We started with a sale price of $1.2m US and went 2 years without an income due to COVID. As we round the corner, ACE owes approximately $150,000 US. Only God can make this happen in this short of time.

Will you help us score here at the end of the game so next month we can say, “Paid in Full”? As a teammate and not the captain, I want to say thank you to all of ACE’s supporters and givers who have been a part of the team from the beginning. Thank you for the servers who have literally given physical and emotional power behind and within the game. And thank you in advance for some of you who are still waiting to get in the game in the last few minutes.

We need all of you to help us with a Full Court Press and celebrate what God has done with his little ACE team. Because we may be a little team, but we serve such a big God.

Much Love,
Roberta Rebound

Ready to join the Full Court Press and help us pay off the mortgage on the property?

Donate online through the link below. If you prefer wire transfer, please contact our Stateside Office at Office@acexperience.org or (770) 573-7024 for details.

Donate Online

ACE is a 501c3 non-profit organization and all donations are 100% tax deductible. Annual giving statements are mailed out at the end of the year.

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Marla’s Minute: Let’s Hear it for the Boys

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

Let’s hear it for the Boys…….

Remember last month’s Marla Minute when I said I was getting old? Well, this proves it. One of my many favorite songs during the 1980s (and many of you weren’t born yet!) was a song called “Let’s Hear It For The Boy”. Since Father’s Day falls in the middle of this month, we want to reflect on ACE’s admiration for the men and boys that help us at ACE.

In Jamaica, as in the states, we know that if it were not for the strength of men who come down to serve, all of us on the ground at ACE would have a much more challenging time in completing our many tasks that spring up. Just ask Allen; he is the tractor driver, who not only repairs the tractor, the bobcat, and the billy goat (as we call our large grass cutter) but drives them all when no one is around to help out. He sees firsthand the work that gets done when a strong team is serving. During one of our June weeks, we had 25 boys-to-men coming with our friend Tina’s team. These men, along with others throughout the month, have helped our men at ACE and on the farm finish the many hard and heavy things we don’t have the hands or feet to do.

Before you ask, we are not forgetting our strong committed girls and women who are the experts at supervision and clean up after these guys complete the heavy lifting… and even do some heavy lifting themselves! It takes the unique talents of many to finish a project, and to all of our volunteers who give up their vacations and time at home to do the hard work here in St. Mary, we are grateful!

I know, it doesn’t fit our time in history to make these statements on the specific talents and strengths of men versus women. The world seems dead set on erasing our differences, but we are reminded that, to honor God, we are not to conform to the things of this world, “but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2

Thank you, Allen and all the men that choose to make a difference, at ACE and at home. We hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day!

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30 Years of Growth

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

“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.”

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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.