Community | American-Caribbean Experience

Marla’s Minute: Still Seeing God At Work 36 Years Later

by American-Caribbean Experience | Apr 29, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community

I’m Old….

That’s what I was thinking inside my head as I was standing beside a group of teenagers and college students this spring. We began the famous bucket brigade slinging gravel onto ACE’s greenhouse floor. The fact that ACE has aged about 36 years since the beginning shouldn’t impact me at all physically…or am I just off in my addition?

Either way, it’s still happening…those extra minutes of staying in bed before starting the day with pops and cracking in the joints. Getting to the work site only to see that our Jamaican ACE staff already got the volunteers briefed, lined up, and ready to go.

Watching the ACE staff take the lead and owning what used to be just a job is exciting and a promise coming true for me personally. More and more, I find I have time to read my emails, have conversations with the friends of ACE who come through our doors, and well, just savor the moments of a successful ministry that has grown in a direction no one could have foreseen.

Yes, I’m older; and perhaps to youth, I’m old. But most of all, I’m so proud of our national and U.S. staff that have played a vital part of ACE. The succession that ACE has planned for years is taking place, and I get to be a part of seeing God at work. It’s an answer to prayer.

My advice to you: don’t let time catch you waking up and wondering where all the time went. Rather, be intentional with your relationships, your goals, and your passions. Then, smile as God gives you the time to grow old alongside the new team that takes up the mantle and moves up front.

“Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” – Galatians 6:8-9

Those of you coming to serve with us in Jamaica this summer, get ready! Jamaicans are running ACE like never before. And I’m so excited for you to see what a great and exciting time it is for ACE, all thanks to the Lord.

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Marla’s Minute: A Home Run For Lashauna

by American-Caribbean Experience | Feb 26, 2024 | Community, Discipleship, Outreach

Last week, ACE had our annual Men’s & Women’s Conference in St Mary. However, unlike the past 16 years of holding the conference at Galina Breeze Hotel, we moved the conference to an outside event space, Buccaneers Jerk & Juice Centre.

When some very insightful men from Trinity on the Hill started the Men’s & Women’s Conference back in 2007, only a few people attended. Fast forward to last year, we had over 150 people attend our short 3-night event filled with worship music, a great message, and our desire to spread God’s Word to everyone.

As seasons change, so does ACE. We realized that we wanted to not only reach our friends and neighbors around the hotel, but also reach the many homes and families that surrounded Green Life Farm where Buccaneers Jerk & Juice is held. By making the move, ACE created an open-air venue just like our weekend movie night on the lawn that Buccaneers holds every Saturday and Sunday evening.

The same loyal team of adults from Trinity on the Hill in the States showed up ready to serve no matter what. Game chairs were set up, we all wore our favorite sports shirts, made popcorn, and just enjoyed each other’s company. Jeff Chandler and Annaleise Stennet led the music while everyone else joined along.

This year’s theme was all about setting a baseline, meaning everyone has a baseline they follow throughout life. Pastor Omar from Church on the Rock challenged everyone spiritually by connecting the fact that every sports game has rules and guidelines players must follow to win with the fact that people who want to know what God’s Truth is must follow a set of guidelines in order to start their spiritual journey with Christ.

One of our favorite testimonies from the conference surrounds one of ACE’s sponsor students, Lashauna. For 21 years now, Lashauna has been unable to go anywhere but her bed, house, and hospital. Although she was born perfectly healthy, Lashauna endured a medical mistake as an infant that left her crippled.

Lashauna’s sponsors recently purchased her a brand new wheelchair that reclines and ensures she is strapped in safely. Friends of ACE were able to go to Lashauna’s home and help get her ready to attend the conference in her new wheelchair. And what can we say? She loved it!

What’s more, her wheelchair has proven to be a huge blessing in several areas of her life. Now, Lashauna’s mother, Latoya, can take her to work a few days a week and also let her more easily be a part of what ACE is doing around the community.

Now that’s a home run!

Lashauna headed to the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

Lashauna at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

the crowd at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

attendees at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

concessions at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

worship at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

attending the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

preaching at the 2024 Men's & Women's Conference

2024 Men's & Women's Conference attendees

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Answering The Holy Spirit’s Call

by American-Caribbean Experience | Feb 26, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach

In 2009, my wife and I took our first trip to Jamaica to serve with ACE. I recall our uncertainty on the long roller coaster ride from Montego Bay to Galina Breeze, survived only by the assistance of Dramamine. The main highway looks a lot better now than it did back then! We didn’t know what to expect or if we were even qualified to be there. We sat down by ourselves at a table in the corner – exhausted and questioning our sanity. A wide-eyed, recently married couple in our mid-twenties, we must have looked quite pitiful at our table surrounded by empty chairs.

A lady we did not know joined us. She sat down, introduced herself and we found ourselves having dinner with the founder of ACE. Through the course of our meal, we heard her origin story of how she found herself in Jamaica to begin with and how ACE had come to be. For some reason that I still don’t understand, at the end of our conversation I told her, “Well, we are in!”

Anyone who has served with ACE knows that there is a presence of the Holy Spirit there that is both palpable and beyond comprehension. Even though I didn’t entirely understand what I was saying in that moment, the Holy Spirit was pulling us in and making it clear that we were a part of this now. It took one meal and less than an hour.

Fast-forward to 2024 and we had the privilege of serving with ACE on a combined medical and dental team from February 3-10. The team consisted of doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists, and servants from multiple states and even New Zealand.

Aches and pains, high blood pressure, diabetes, and dental abscesses were the primary diagnoses for the week and a multitude of patients were served with both medical but also spiritual care. In turn, the team was cared for with gratitude and the occasional gift of fruit from our patients. I always leave for home after a week in Jamaica feeling as though I had received much more than I could give.

However, the theme for the week was that of Hope, both present and future. I saw ACE staff that had grown and become leaders. I saw multiple generations of families serving together, including a dentist and her daughter, a physician and his family, a nurse with her son and a pastor from a church looking to establish a relationship with ACE for the first time.

I thought of Psalm 127: “Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain.” ACE family, your labor has not been in vain. The Lord has built this house! He brought up the founding generation of ACE, and he is bringing up the next generation to carry the mission forward. If you find yourself alone at the dinner table surrounded by empty chairs and wondering where you fit in, this is your invitation. God wants you in as well!

Josh & Jess Klepinger

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Marla’s Minute: Saying Goodbye to an Old Friend

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jan 23, 2024 | Community

It’s never easy to lose a foundational pillar in any organization, but since Jesus loves Mr. Myers more than we do, He decided to bring him home for company last month. Mr. Myers was 89 years old, still riding a motorcycle to work, and kept an incredible work ethic going for ACE working at our farm. On January 20, we honored him by being a big part of his funeral, which was held at his home church in Port Maria. We will miss Mr. Myers, his singing, his encouragement, and the way he served alongside many medical teams so well.

However, in true ACE style, God had two wonderful employees waiting to tend the gardens that Mr. Myers did such a wonderful job preparing. Stephanie and Orain picked up the important tasks of planting, weeding, and reaping of food Green Life Farms produces for Galina Breeze and Buccaneers. While no one will be able to fill the shoes of Mr. Myers, we are certain he is smiling as his legacy continues to be filled with young people from his community.

We love you, Mr. Myers! Keep the lights on for us! In honor of the 19 years he worked at ACE and became a part of our family, we’ve put together a video of just a few of the countless memories we have with him.

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The Smith Family Next Door

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jan 23, 2024 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach

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.

little boy helping with christmas decorations

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A Child Sponsorship Heart Warmer

by American- Caribbean Experience | Jan 23, 2024 | Community

As most of you are aware, ACE’s Child Sponsorship program strives to not only give every child a step up in their education, but also help grow them into young adults who contribute to their community and society in Jamaica. This is the case with 22-year-old Anthony Hucey, who joined our child sponsorship in 2011.

After ACE learned that he had a learning disability, we helped him get accepted into Edgehill School of Special Education. And once he graduated high school, he received ACE’s Apprenticeship Sponsorship, where he was able to get a job on the Green Life Farm (GLF).

Anthony has been working with the GLF team for over a year now and is loved by all. In fact, he has actually become one of the best GLF employees according to his supervisor. That’s because he is always stepping up to learn a new way to serve on the farm, and showing up early to work every day and every week.

We recently learned that there was one thing Anthony has always wanted more than anything…can you guess?

A TV!! ACE provides every employee with a savings plan where they can put a certain amount away each month for an emergency, or even a TV! Anthony was so happy to know that he had enough money to buy the TV of his choice.

He absolutely loves his TV. He doesn’t have internet or cable, but he can still get local channels and borrow others’ internet for limited use. In addition to the new TV, Anthony is also excited to be able to have his own bed, thanks to his two sponsors coming together and chipping in to gift him one for Christmas.

Anthony is one of many special needs adults who are truly wonderful men and women who enjoy entering into new stages of life by working and earning their living. And our team at ACE loves getting to see these accomplishments and celebrate their victories with them!