by American- Caribbean Experience | Mar 24, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach
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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by American- Caribbean Experience | Mar 24, 2021 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach
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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by American- Caribbean Experience | Oct 23, 2019 | Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach
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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by American- Caribbean Experience | Oct 22, 2019 | Community, Outreach
We have enjoyed the multi-colored logo of ACE for many years. Like seasons that change, we thought it was time for a new leaner and simpler ACE look. Let us know what you think! We love it, especially with its nod to the wave from our previous logo!
We equate the new look to changing out of the same ol’ clothes into a fresh new pair of jeans! We’d love to hear what sort of logo merchandise you’d like to see in our gift shop!
by American- Caribbean Experience | Oct 14, 2019 | Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach
For years, we’ve been talking about building our own school. Then our plans changed, as God withheld the property we had hoped would open up for a school, at least for now. Believing God’s timing is far better than ours, we pulled back. ACE wanted to build a special needs school at one time but found that putting both schools together would not attract the local families, as there seems to be a stigma with joining a special needs school with a regular school.
Every day for the past five years, as we drive to the ACE Campus, we pass a school called Edge Hill . You might have seen it – the name is on a big Digicel sign. In checking online, we realized that the Digicel Foundation had in fact built this school for the 30+ students who were assessed as special needs. Remember when your parents and teachers would say to you, “Never assume, always ask?” Well, I must have forgotten that because I assumed Digicel was actively involved in the day-to-day needs of running the school. I was wrong.
After meeting the vice principal, Mrs. Lee when ACE donated the stove a few months ago, we learned that Digicel only built the building but doesn’t support the actual operation and costs involved to run the school. And that’s when ACE enthusiastically said, “We will!!!” We became partners this year with Edge Hill Special Needs School and feel honored to have access to the students and wonderful teachers.
Our first interaction with the students was last week, when our friends and partners at Castine Church conducted our first home economics and shop classes for the students. Eyes got wide and smiles began when we opened the chocolate chip cookie mix and the peanut butter cookies. Who doesn’t love cookies?!
While the cookies were being made, another class on table-setting was being conducted across the hall. Setting a table with forks and knives might come in handy if the Mayor were to stop by. The best part of was cutting the peanut butter sandwiches before eating them.
In another class room, the shop students all built sailboats. Using drills and an electric saw, our expert volunteers allowed the students to actually cut and drill into their wood for their boats. I’m not sure which had a greater impact, using the equipment or finishing their boats! It was a wonderful time. The school asked if we would be willing to sponsor some of their students as the need is great. Of course! We are honored to have so many volunteers on a waiting list to adopt/sponsor students so that should be an easy ask.
Next time you visit us in Jamaica, bring us some home economics stories and cooking items. Cookie sheets, pots, pans,, bowls, spoons – you name it, they need it. And if you are the shop kind of person, bring your old tools, new tools, levels, safety goggles, measuring tapes, and anything to build. They love it and, frankly, so do we!!
TRIP COST
There is an old proverb, “If you give a man a fish, he’ll eat for a day, but if you teach a man to fish, he’ll eat for a lifetime.” History proves that lasting change in a poverty culture is achieved by empowering the people to reach their full potential and become self-sustaining. ACE is invested in our community long-term and in conjunction with our partners in the US, we are identifying the circumstances of those around us in order to find real solutions for their unique needs.