We Are Warriors

We Are Warriors

Tina Gerke has been volunteering and leading trips with ACE for 23 years now. After her latest trip in March, she shared the following story with our team.

My recent two weeks in Jamaica were another amazing time of watching God work. I never cease to be amazed at how He chooses the right people at the right time and weaves our stories together for a week or two.

I had the opportunity to work alongside the elite eight! A small group from Grand Valley only 2.5 hours from my house! We became fast friends through buckets, shovels, and rocks. It’s amazing how a good ole bucket line brings people together!

We talked about life, Jesus, and just about everything in between.

We had the chance to take the Edgehill students to the farm and had an awesome time watching their excitement as they got to hold and pet the baby pigs, and then walk up to the Great House! There, our staff set up several areas where everyone could just enjoy God‘s nature, realizing that we are all created by Him!

There was one particular moment that struck me, and made me stand in awe of what God wants to speak to all of us about. My friend, Kelley, was painting a warrior mask on a young man’s face and she looked at him and said, “God may ask you to do hard things but now you’re a warrior, and you’re gonna be able to say yes!”

He walked away saying, “I’m a warrior!”

Such a precious innocent kid spouting powerful words! It was amazing!

And the same week, I walked out of the lunch area and saw a white flower tucked into the arms of a cactus-like plant. A light bulb moment happened, and I realized that all of us have the same chance to declare that we are warriors, too! Our life may look a lot like the prickly pieces of a cactus, but with Jesus, we have the ultimate honor to bloom right there in the middle of it all! Declaring for everyone that HE is Lord and through Him all things are possible!

Tina Gerke

The Smith Family Next Door

The Smith Family Next Door

ACE hosts site trips, which invite leaders to experience what ACE does and our “why” in Jamaica. Our most recent site trip happened last October, where we met Jennifer and Mitchell Smith. They are just starting a much-needed ministry called Wet Feet. But in the process, ACE invited the Smiths and their family to spend six weeks with us at the Campus, where they could rest and prepare for their weekend retreats in the States. And did we mention they also helped ACE with the farm, as well as outreach at ACE?

While we really didn’t know the Smiths when they arrived, we officially consider them an extension to our ACE family as they head back to the States this week. 

To the Smith family, thank you for investing your time and talent with us and our National team. We will keep the lights on for you at the Campus, as we anticipate your return soon. 

If you would like to know more about Wet Feet Ministries, go to their website or contact the Smiths at jennifer@wetfeetministries.org. God continues to raise up families that love Him and loves others., and we are so thankful to witness it happening in and through ACE as well.

It’s iQuest Time Again!

It’s iQuest Time Again!

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!

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Marla’s Minute: The Widow, Flour & Oil

Marla’s Minute: The Widow, Flour & Oil

The other day I was reading a story in 1 Kings, Chapter 17, about the widow who, when the prophet Elijah asked her for a drink and a piece of bread during a severe drought and famine, her reply was “I don’t have any bread – only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. I’m gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it- and die.” The story goes on to say that Elijah asked her to take what she had for herself and make a small cake of bread for him to eat and then make something for herself and her son. Elijah then added this one sentence that changed the widow and her son’s situation instantly… “For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: the jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain” on the land.

The widow went away and did as Elijah had told her. Sure enough, there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. The jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

This past month, God sent us, figuratively speaking, a jar of flour and a jug of oil in the form of fifteen volunteers to supply us with encouragement, help, and unconditional love. In the midst of the “famine” of visitors we have been experiencing (thanks to Covid and the lining of fear in the mix), God sent us exactly what we needed, as ACE knows He always will.

On February 20th, these fifteen American friends (and new friends!) arrived into Galina Breeze Hotel with much excitement, big smiles, and lots of needed supplies for us and our many neighbors who were living on that last drop of oil and flour. They came to serve and not be served. And serve, they did! 

I often think about the widow story; to put it in real time, what if we believed ACE won’t make it through this famine and we were all going to die from Covid? Do we ignore God’s promises that He alone controls our future and is waiting for us to step out in faith and trust Him? It’s a challenge to overcome the fear of travel, the fear of stepping out and yet every time we “do it afraid”, as ACE says, we see a miracle happen right in front of us! The sheer joy of being part of that miracle God is working through us is exhilarating.  

That week, the last week of February, was normally our annual Men and Women’s Conference, where Jamaicans come to us for praise and fellowship. While it didn’t happen the way it has for decades and we upheld all the Covid rules it was exactly the way God set it up to happen this year. Take a few minutes to watch this incredible video made by our ACE friends when they returned to the U.S.

We hope this will encourage you to see all that needs to be done – and that CAN be done – and to get on a plane and get here! That oil and flour goes a long way, as one team builds on another and God always provides what we need when we need it. If you hear that call to come down, perhaps you are part of that miracle!

Thank you, friends and families, for the love!
Marla

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 Have a Team? Want a Team? Need a Team? Join a team!

 Have a Team? Want a Team? Need a Team? Join a team!

That’s right, ACE wants you and your family, your friends, your church, your school, and anyone who wants to know what is happening here on the ground in St. Mary Jamaica to come this spring or summer.

We have grown and are growing at levels we have never seen before. It’s wonderful!! ACE is touching so many lives through our sponsorship programs with our local students, ACE Quiz Bowl coming up next month, Cloud 9 Chocolate, Peace House construction, canning sessions, lunch-and- learn programs and much more! We need your help in a real physical way!!

If you are thinking about getting involved this coming year and making a huge impact for one week, think ACE. We need you more than ever. If you can read a children’s book, massage lotion on our dear infirmary friends, teach at lunch, mix cement, or even brush a horse or two or three, we need your help. Our Peace House is off the ground, while new employees are being trained to take over.

God has expanded our borders way beyond what we thought possible and we are excited. At the same time, it’s scary as we can’t do all of this by ourselves. That’s why we are asking you to seriously think about getting involved this coming year physically. Come down ready to work and laugh and make a difference. ACE is the place and we’d love to see you!

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