Remember at family functions as a child when you walked into the room and all the relatives made comments about you like, “You are growing like a weed” or “I can’t believe you’re taller than me now” or “Look at you, all grown up!” It’s amazing how quickly children change and grow into young adults. This month, as Americans and Jamericans celebrate Thanksgiving, we feel like those proud relatives watching the kids around us come into their own, grateful for the part we’ve played in their lives and amazed at their accomplishments.

Remember Tahj, Lorna’s son? We’ve mentioned him in previous newsletters. Tahj came into the ACE program when he was a student at Water Valley School.  This month, Tahj has graduated from the Caribbean Maritime University in Kingston.  Thank you all for contributing to this young man’s future, the first in our Child Sponsorship Program to earn a degree. We are so proud of him and his perseverance to follow his dreams.

We all know Anthony.  Anthony moved into the Campus when we had an iQuest team in 2015. Anthony is a survivor, finding a different path than Tahj, with his own dreams and aspirations on how to earn a living. Anthony stayed in St Mary and became an integral part of the ACE team while completing high school. At 19, Anthony took a job, learning the trade of rewinding pumps from small to super large in Ochi. Today, Anthony, soon be 21 in February, has joined Buccaneers in a management training position to run Henry’s Hideout Pizza.

Meet Darron Campbell.  When this little boy needed a safe space to live, his sponsor and some of you answered the call many years ago to help build Darron a home for him, his mother and siblings. Speed forward ten years – guess who called and asked if we were employing workers at ACE or Green Life Farm?  You guessed it! Darron, who now goes by his nickname Carrot, is 19 and, according to Bulla his supervisor, a hard worker.

The nicest, most fulfilling part about our job is being involved in young students’ lives through the Child Sponsorship Program and then, with joy, seeing them move into adulthood with a purpose. This is why staying put in one place for a least a decade or two or three can really prove to be beneficial. We are constantly reinvesting in each other’s lives, day by day, with God at the center. We are grateful for their sponsors and for the opportunity to witness the journey of these young men.

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It’s safe to say that there have been some real challenges this month in our ACE family. Dawn, our Stateside Child Sponsorship Coordinator, experienced severe pain one evening that put her in the hospital. Dawn has been battling illnesses for much of her adult life, but this was unexpected. She is one of those team members who, even a few years ago when she was in intensive care, had her laptop on her chest, texting families of our students updating them on the many happenings here in Jamaica. Now that is what we call dedication!

Frankly, all of us at ACE see Dawn as a hero, cheerful and diligent in adversity, while we struggle in our ability to cope with splinters and stubbed toes. No matter her health setbacks, not one of our ACE students is forgotten when it comes to needs, birthdays, and making sure you, our sponsors, are kept aware of any changes happening in the lives of these children.

While we highlight one of our heroes at ACE, we want to mention a big zero that happened earlier this week. One of the families in our community had a person throw a Molotov cocktail into their wood home in the wee hours of the morning, killing a four-year-old and her mother. The grandparents and father survived with burns, but the tragedy left all of us in shock. The angry man was caught and is now in jail pending a hearing.

While we don’t know why someone would be so filled with rage to do something like this, it seems that even in our community, angry people are everywhere. ACE was contacted yesterday to see if we could offer help. The Red Cross gave the family two mattresses, and the next-door neighbor gave them a small room to temporarily move into, but that’s it. Their local church is collecting a little bit of money to have a memorial for the mother and child, but in a poverty environment; most of the friends and neighbors can only sympathize with them and offer what little food or clothing they may have.

Which brings us back to heroes – we are so proud of our ACE team lead by D’Vaun and Patricia. When the news was given to us about this family’s crisis, we were having our weekly book club. The tone quickly changed from books and schedules to what do we have to offer and how can we help? I have had the privilege of watching these young adults grow in their commitment to ACE and to others, and it was encouraging to listen to their planning and brainstorming as a team, finding ways for ACE to help this family at least short term until a long-term plan could be developed. Many times, we see the Jamaican ACE team as fun-loving PE instructors, tutors, fruit pickers, and team leaders. When this sort of tragedy happens, it’s tough but reassuring that our staff understands the focus of why we exist in Jamaica: to be a blessing and help in time of need.

You, our extended ACE family in Jamaica as well as in the states, are very much a part of this assistance. Thank you for seeing us through the many years of fun and challenges. Next year is our big 35^th anniversary – 35 years strong! And we owe it to all of you and our staff who show up even when it’s hard. More heroes and less zeroes in the world will make all the difference!

It is Fall! Granted, the leaves stay green here and the students still wear their cute uniforms with short sleeves, but there are changes happening all around St. Mary and ACE if one takes the time to look and listen.

If you have been reading our newsletters for the past few decades, you might have found a prayer request that seemed funny. I had asked God to restore the beautiful birds that once lived on the property, around the farm and hotel, that so many of the “old timers” speak about. 

This morning, I noticed that my prayer had been answered. Birds I have never seen sang in the trees eating the sea grapes right outside the veranda. Parakeets flew through the pastures by the dozen yesterday as staff was finishing up their day. It seemed surreal to be enjoying all these simple gifts. It was then I was made keenly aware of God’s presence, even in time of turmoil. Like that old church hymn “His Eye is on the Sparrow”, God never takes his eye off me, and He is with all of us in especially in the smallest moments. And now, just last week, a member of the Bird Watcher Club in the UK contacted us and asked if they could come out and identify birds on our property with the hope of sending members of their club to enjoy the many species in Jamaica, some of which cannot be found anywhere else in the Caribbean.

Maybe I’m getting soft in my maturing age, but watching the children skip, jump and play in their crisp uniforms as they walk to school has me seeing all those simple beautiful things I tend to miss because my eye isn’t on the small things. I can get distracted like any other person and see the big disruptions happening in the world. All the while, the birds sing, the flowers bloom, the children laugh, and unless I am intentional, I can miss it all, worrying about what is going to happen next in the news around the globe that I can’t do anything about.

That’s when I choose to allow a Big God to handle the big disruptions so I can enjoy the very things He has given me to watch after… it’s called “my life.” I can do the best I can in my own world with the people around me, enjoying the moments and even sharing them with others. His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me.

“And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.” Luke 12:7

For two years, ACE has been unable to help with physical education in the schools due to lockdowns. And how we have missed it, not only for our own health (who doesn’t get in shape keeping up with kids?) but for the joy of playing with the children through energetic, fun activities. But, just as the school year is getting back to normal, the tide has also turned on our PE opportunities!

Hampstead Primary has a new principal who knew about the PE courses with which ACE had assisted in our area primary schools, and she asked us about resuming our lead in the programs. She was very grateful to hear the answer “yes”, and we will officially begin conducting PE according to the Ministry Curriculum two days a week for all grades, 1st – 6^th, starting the first week of October.

We are so excited to once again be part of this much-needed activity. Not only will the kids have a blast, we might even have to go down a few sizes in our clothes by next summer as we run, jump and play our way into better physical health.

Teams, be ready for some fun!