Birdwatching Adventures with ACE

Birdwatching Adventures with ACE

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.

ACE’s Four Impact Buckets Unite for Spring!

ACE’s Four Impact Buckets Unite for Spring!

What a fantastic start to our 2025 outreach year in St. Mary, Jamaica! In February, our medical and dental teams served the community, providing exams, cleanings, fillings, and other essential wellness services. 

This month, our ACE team, along with volunteers from the States, helped feed and care for many elderly and special needs neighbors who lack support. They also helped clean their homes. It was inspiring to see college and high school students make such a significant impact in the lives of the lonely and hungry. In just four days, we received an overwhelmingly positive response to our staff and volunteers’ loving hospitality. 

The Ricardo Ranch

While love, care, and support are essential, nothing compares to the impact of a dedicated team like the one from Ringgold Baptist in Ringgold, GA. Each year, they generously offer their construction skills to address a critical need: providing safe, dry housing for those in need.

This year, they supported Ricardo, a construction worker who suffered a life-changing accident when he fell from a roof and broke his neck. Despite being paralyzed from the waist down, Ricardo’s spirit and hope inspire everyone around him, making it hard for anyone to complain.

Thanks to ACE’s commitment and the many hands that joined in, we built Ricardo a new home. Just today, Ricardo moved in and can finally call this place home, all thanks to the generosity of those who dedicated their time to make a difference in his life.

Education & Edgehill

Many of you may remember that ACE is the primary sponsor for helping Edgehill School of Special Education meet its specific needs outside the classroom. This year, we aimed to transform a large closet into a computer lab, where 13 donated computers and a whiteboard will enable special needs students to access the world beyond their reach.

Construction began one day and was completed by noon the next. All that remains is for the electrician to install the electrical outlets, and then we’ll be ready for the students to embark on their journey to explore the “safe web.”

Our volunteers enjoyed reading, singing, and interacting with the classes during construction. It’s hard to say who had more fun at Edgehill—us or the students. 

Help for Hampstead

Volunteers can’t discuss ACE without mentioning the “bucket brigade.” It’s true—ACE is known for tackling challenging projects in just a few days.

This week, Hampstead Primary School, one of our sponsored schools, requested our help to finish their multi-purpose court, which will be used for sports events and general assemblies. This month, we began constructing the seating for attendees. 

This will be a full summer program, as it takes more than just a few days to complete. ACE is committed to our students and schools. If you’ve never participated in a “bucket brigade,” there’s still plenty of time to sign up. Many hands make the work light!

Pigs & Microbusinesses

What do pigs and microbusinesses have in common? In some businesses, the answer might be a lot of fat. But not with ACE! The Green Life Farm pig pen business is thriving at Buccaneers, where Jamaicans flock to enjoy delicious jerk pork sandwiches and ribs.

Our pigs have outgrown their pens. So this month, with the help of volunteers from Kansas City Christian School, we tore down the old pens and constructed new ones—all in one day! This is what happens when you have seniors in tip-top shape doing the work. Our farm staff truly appreciated the assistance.

While most of the work is completed, we still have a few posts and some painting left. The pens almost look nice enough to spend a little time with the pigs… almost!

In other great news, we recently received a call from a couple we’ve come to love, Marty and Christa Bevel from Kentucky. They asked if they could assist on the farm for a month. Our answer was a resounding YES! We met Marty and Christa years ago and invited them to visit ACE about four years back. This time, they felt called by God to help us, and we couldn’t be more grateful. God always brings us the most incredible help!

Spiritual Development 

Marty and Christa are knowledgeable about pigs, chickens, cows, and all things farming. More importantly, they have an incredible love for Jesus, which shines through in everything they do.

The Jamaican staff at the farm has fallen in love with them and even asked them to stay longer. Marty leads daily staff devotions to start the day, while Christa invests in the ladies on the farm and our ACE staff. We have all come to love them and will miss them when they return to Kentucky. But we’re keeping the lights on for them and expect a return visit. Please pray for a longer stay!

Marla’s Minute: Unto the Least of These

Marla’s Minute: Unto the Least of These

The heart of ACE has always been and will always be focused on people. We call Jamaicans “our people,” “our seniors,” and “our extended families.” When you come to Jamaica to volunteer, you can rest assured that one of the days, if not two, will be spent in our community with one of “our people,” through our AMI visits.

This month made the top of the list compared to all of our previous Februarys for reaching out and helping our elderly and those in need. Friends bought food for distribution and helped clean up individuals and their living spaces. We even had friends assist our ACE staff by singing and reading to our elders. They were also treated to a gardening lesson or two from local yards. 

Does it feel good to leave a home seeing smiles on our seniors’ faces? You bet it does! I just pray and hope someone will come visit me when it’s my time to rest. And hopefully have a garden of something to show or a song to sing.

Thank you, friends, for never growing tired of doing good for the least of these.

Blessings,
Marla

Back in the Saddle Again

Back in the Saddle Again

This month seems to be all about using farm verbiage to express how the beginning of 2025 is going for ACE. We mentioned last year how we are all relieved to know the COVID years are now behind us and we are now positioned to do what we do best in St Mary once again. That is to go deep and not wide in serving our neighboring communities.

Schools are back in session. Our AMI (ACE Mobile Infirmary) visits are met with great appreciation and a feeling of security that someone in the ACE family cares about them enough to check in on them. The micro-businesses are growing, so employment is increasing locally. That means Nationals are able to grow and earn and learn. 

We are firm believers that when God gives you a vision, you stick with it. Not based on the difficulty of the task at hand or the time it may take to accomplish. ACE always finishes what we start. And that creates patience in our ministry. 

If anyone spends any amount of time with me, you will know that learning patience is important to me. And this may not come as much of a surprise to those of you who have quite literally grown up in ACE, but one of the greatest compliments I was given at the end of last year by a board member was, “You have really grown in your level of patience with projects and people.” 

I’m continually reminded of the Bible verse that says, “‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,’ declares the LORD. ‘As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts’” (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV).

I used to think that meant that God will make things happen in a month for ACE. Now that I’m older and hopefully wiser, I cannot help but better understand the old saying, “It’s not the destination that counts; it’s the journey to get there.”

ACE is back in the saddle, enjoying God’s journey once again. We are all so excited to see volunteers this year signed up to help us accomplish all the good things God has set in play for ACE so that He alone gets the glory. We are looking forward to seeing you in Jamaica, where the weather is nice and warm! 

Happy Trails!
Marla

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

So many miraculous things have happened at ACE in 2024 that listing them all would turn this last newsletter of the year into a novel. Instead, we decided to share highlights with pictures below, since photos tell a thousand words.

Starting with the most recent highlight, we hosted a fantastic Christmas party at the ACE office for all of our sponsor children and their families. We even had some ACE friends/donors volunteer for two weeks to help provide a lot of fun and act as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus.

Throughout the year, we’ve seen the hand of God answer prayers that we’ve asked for and provided help from our ACE family like you. Our 840-acre farm, where our micro-businesses begin, was paid in full. This allows ACE to focus on impacting more families and giving individuals who are within walking distance a chance to earn and provide for their families.  

Another prayer answered: The ACE Mobile Infirmary program has located and started helping over 100 senior citizens around our community in great need of housing, food, love, and tender attention.

Our leadership has been growing in leaps and bounds as Marla and Allen take more of a back seat on the ground with ACE to focus on developing and promoting ACE. Mr. and Mrs. Foster have everyone on the move, cross-utilizing jobs and introducing our hotel staff to the real “why” of service by taking them out with our ACE team to visit those neglected and needy in our community. 

While the economy continues to suffer here in Jamaica, ACE is doing our best to stay ahead of the price increases with prayers of wisdom on how to spend what we receive. That is very important to us, and we never want to forget that it’s because of your generosity that we are able to make such a big difference in the lives of the families God sends our way.

Our motto at ACE is “Love God, Love People.” We at ACE believe it’s the only way to live life. We hope you feel the same way and remember that the main reason for Christmas is always about celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas won’t be complete without the story of why God sent His only Son to get us back to where God created us to be, and that’s to be free to live and love a God and Savior that has never left us hanging. 

We wish all of you a happy Christmas and one in which you impact someone in your family or community with the good news of Jesus. The “why” behind the true holiday.

Let’s Put Love In Action

Let’s Put Love In Action

The Christmas season is a time for reflection, gratitude, and giving. As we approach Giving Tuesday, we’re reminded that love isn’t just a feeling—it’s an action. At ACE, we’re committed to putting the love of God in action every day by serving the community of St. Mary, Jamaica, through healthcare, education, discipleship, and sustainability initiatives.

From mobile infirmary visits and child sponsorships to supporting single mothers in our Children’s Village and more, every program we launch is a reflection of God’s love in action. But none of this would be possible without your help.

Together, with your support, we can continue to strengthen our programs and transform more lives. Please prayerfully consider partnering with ACE this Giving Tuesday by helping make a greater impact in St. Mary in the following ways:

1. Donate to ACE’s General Fund

Your contributions to our general fund enable us to meet urgent needs as they arise. Every gift, no matter the size, plays a vital role in building stronger communities. Whether it’s providing a warm meal, purchasing medical supplies, or repairing homes, your generosity makes it happen.

2. Sponsor A Child

ACE offers six sponsorship opportunities to assist children, adults, and families in our community to reach their fullest potential. As little as $45 a month can help change the course of a child’s life by sponsoring their education and providing them with the essentials they need, including school uniforms, lunches, and access to annual medical and dental checkups. With your support, they can receive the education and opportunities they need to thrive.

3. Shop ACE’s Amazon Wishlist

Putting the love of God in action can even look like sending socks, diapers, hygiene products, canned goods, and school supplies to those who need it most. ACE’s Amazon Wishlist is filled with items that directly support the people we serve in Jamaica. It’s a simple way to make a tangible impact from wherever you are.

Every Act of Love Makes a Difference

The beauty of putting love in action is that even the smallest contributions or the most simple gifts can create ripples of hope. Thank you in advance for choosing to support ACE this Giving Tuesday. Together, we can put the love of God in action and empower the people of St. Mary, Jamaica, to reach their full potential.