Child Sponsorship Fun & Friendship!

Child Sponsorship Fun & Friendship!

Curfews and mask mandates have ended! ACE is so happy to restore something we always did before the COVID years, and that is to hold a pool party for our sponsored students and staff families. Our friends and volunteers from the States took full advantage of the opportunity to bring smiles and laughter to our community families. It’s these little things that bring back the normalcy in the lives of children and their parents. Why worry when you can swim!

On a personal note, last summer, a college student came down with a team and learned about our sponsorship program. After returning home, she sent an inquiry through our website and was matched up with a child on our sponsorship list. When Emily returned to Jamaica in March, she was able to meet with Neilo live and in person! They had a great afternoon of getting to know each other. 

As Emily shared at her group’s debrief at the end of the day, every month when she sent in her support for her student, she wondered if she would get to see her sponsored child as sometimes organizations can’t always guarantee an in-person meeting.

ACE does. When Emily saw Neilo, instantly there was a great connection. She told her peers that it was her high for the trip to see how she’s making a difference in someone else’s life, seeing how she truly has impact. We think the Frisbee Emily brought Neilo might have been a winning factor as well, but there is no doubt that a new friendship has been made!

Never think one person can’t make a difference! There are real smiles and real stories behind every donation, especially in our Child Sponsorship program. And there is no experience required to be a sponsor — just love! Thank you all for the awesome support you give ACE through your sponsorships. It does not go unnoticed and we are grateful.

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At the Last Minute

At the Last Minute

As soon as the previous Men and Women’s Conference wraps up each year, we are already setting the date for the next one. So, 2022’s conference dates had been on our calendar since last March, with lots of interest brewing and the format in the making. Our friends from Trinity on the Hill continued to support the program (now in year 16) as the backbone of running the men’s side, Teresa was coming back with many other familiar faces to organize the women, and our long-time worship leader Paul was set to return, and then….

Suddenly, Paul had a huge schedule conflict which meant he sadly had to decline coming to Jamaica. Pastor Helen, who normally presents to the group, could not come again this year as she had family challenges which required her constant attention, and so many other conference veterans had to bow out due to other issues. While we understood, missed them and prayed for their busy lives, we wondered what God was up to. ACE was just weighing the decision to cancel when God gave us another way! Pastor Omar and Lady Stennet from Church on the Rock in Ochi (our local church) said they would be happy to take over the speaking and music this year! Hallelujah!

The theme for this year’s conference was “Stay the Course”.  So many of us have had our world turned upside down and all around. Our comfort zones have been rattled, but, yet, God continues to call us to trust in Him and to stay the course on HIS path. He’s got this covered! When Pastor Omar was told about this theme, he and his wife jumped at it as it resonated in their own hearts that this is what God is calling us all to do.

Everything was executed beautifully, thanks to Teresa and Stephanie, our solid organizers, and our dear Roy who led his Trinity team. The music was great, the theme was something that every person needed to hear, and Roy and Marla got to watch great movies each evening by the pool with the kids under 12; watching animated movies that highlight Biblical stories is right up Roy and Marla’s alley.

Was the conference different? Yes. In many ways, it was better than ever. God led us down the right path to find the perfect people to speak the exact words we needed to hear. We filled our days before each evening’s conference working on the Peace House, helping out in ACE micro-businesses, baking and spending time in fellowship. The group that God brings together (and every year, this is true) is always the best, and we walk the road as a team, helping each other and all our conference participants to Stay the Course! Join us next year; the dates are set: February 25 – March 1, 2023!

Wellness Comes in Many Forms

Wellness Comes in Many Forms

For the first time in two years, ACE has enjoyed having friends come to Jamaica to serve our lonely residents and needy families in St. Mary. This month, Dr. Steve Guy, our Chairman of ACE, brought down some neat friends of ACE.  Some were new, some return volunteers, but all were willing to reach out and help us with our elderly and special needs community.

One of the four impact areas of ACE focuses on wellness. Automatically, most people think of wellness as working out or eating healthy. ACE’s definition of “wellness” covers so much more, as we find the human connection to heal not just physical ailments but emotional and spiritual needs as well. In the past, pre-Covid, we held many Wellness Clinics for medical and dental treatment and visited the infirmary patients, where so many of our medical volunteers so skillfully used their talents and expertise.

These days, clinics are not allowed and the infirmary is still closed to the public after almost two years. We’ve been finding new ways to fill the gap, and our hearts have been moved by the number of in-need families and individuals in our own community. This team of volunteers filled that gap perfectly, as they served the elderly and lonely living around us by simply being present. Love and Rub worked well as did Shaves and Songs. Who says it has to be all medical? Even though our volunteers were in the medical/wellness field, they knew that a little love goes a long way.

We painted, we massaged, we sang – and it was all good. These professionals, who in their daily lives and past trips have focused on medical and dental needs, found that this year was different – it was all about relationships. Many said it was so refreshing! There are many seasons in life, and we are grateful to Dr. Guy and the team for bringing in the “season of love” team. We can’t wait until the Ministry of Health opens up the country for medical and dental health for our community, but in the meantime, we will do what we can to bring wellness in many forms!

 

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Recycling an Old Tree

Recycling an Old Tree

There are a lot of beautiful over-100-year-old trees on the Green Life Farm. One of the most beautiful and sought-after trees is called a Guango. To us, it looks like the Tree of Life in Avatar, where everything lives in it and under it. A few months ago, Allen and the farm team were opening up the original path where our creek flows through pasture. At one point, Allen noticed a huge Guango that had apparently been struck by lightning who knows how many years ago. While we saw the burnt-out area of the tree, we decided to cut it down since it was already dead.

What a treasure we found when we saw the beautiful wood intact all around the strike area. With the help of many of our staff, we were able to take the Guango to the woodworking shop at GLF. Just this week, after drying out the wood for a few months, we asked members of the team from Orlando, FL, to help us make tables for our dining area at Buccaneers. Take a look at what a little sanding and varnishing can do to an old tree.

Not only do we have some beautiful tables for our guests to enjoy, but we have over 100 pieces of lumber to help with the other projects we have at the farm. Never think because you are “old”, you can’t be used. The Bible has a verse that reminds me of this old tree: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” (2 Cor 5:17)

 

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Cloud 9 gets crankin’ again!!

Cloud 9 gets crankin’ again!!

It’s been a while since Pat has been making chocolate in our Cloud 9 chocolate factory. But this week, the lights were on, the machines were grinding, and the sweet smell of Jamaican chocolate was in the air again. Bruce Smith, our founding ACE chocolatier, arrived on the island after a year and a half to help Pat get the St. Mary chocolate bars rolling out again.

Not only was Bruce surprised to see what Pat and her helpers had been working on, but he and the team of volunteers from Bethel Baptist got to be the first ones to experience the chocolate-making tour and taste the new, improved flavors of St. Mary chocolate.

We delivered our first wholesale order to a shop in Falmouth where some of the big cruise lines dock! With the help of Bruce, Pat and her team can now make about 100 bars per day. This is 100% increase in production from 50 bars last created pre-COVID years.

ACE is so proud of this micro-business. We hope to launch our first tour next month to our friends at the tourist board. We are praying for a “sweet deal” in bookings from the hotels and ships as we move into fall.  Need some chocolate? Go online to our Cloud 9 website to read all about our story and our flavors, and then come on down to Jamaica to pick some up!

 

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Until We Meet Again

Until We Meet Again

Pastor Kermit Jones was such a special man to all of us at ACE and our community. He transitioned to Heaven on January 26, 2022, at home with his daughter Enna and his long-time friend and caregiver, Orlando, by his side. 

We are still processing his passing and compiling the right words and stories to tell. He made us laugh when he said to remember his name like Kermit the Frog; his humor and good nature could always light up a room. His preaching and worship would inspire us, and his wisdom could fill endless books.

We are reading so many wonderful comments on our social media from all of you about your experiences with Pastor Kermit. Thank you for helping us remember him! We know God has welcomed him with open arms, for if anyone was prepared for his Eternal home, it was him. His life on earth touched so many souls and his memory will continue to do so. He will be missed.