The Green Life Village

The Green Life Village

Is it finally happening? After all these years of hearing Marla talk about her Children’s Village, a place for families to live together and grow together, it is finally happening. Note that the illustration above is from our original artwork drawn up in 2013.  We are in the process of having updated plans drawn to reflect a more current vision.

Up on the hill, around the river, through the woods, and across the gravel is a tiny road leading to a community called Cambridge. The Green Life Farm borders the community all the way from the main road to the river. Thanks to so many friends of ACE, the clearing of the coconut grove – or “walk” as they say in Jamaica – has begun. While we are keeping many of the coconut trees (coconuts are in big demand for their water and jelly), this is the location for our village to be built.

ACE has named it the “Green Life Village” (called a village because it truly takes a village to raise a child). Many children we have sponsored will be living in this community with their parents or parent.

We will have our own D’Vaun and Saskia living here as the small-group/family leaders for ACE. We will be very intentional about who will reside on the property and what they will be doing to grow, thrive and survive in a healthy and productive way. More information to come, but if you are interested in finding out how you can be a part of this long-in-coming dream of ACE, give us a call or email! We will be happy to share with you what the needs are and how ACE plans to make this the most sought-after community in St. Mary.

 

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God’s Little Creatures, Great and Small

God’s Little Creatures, Great and Small

As pet owners and animal lovers at ACE, we would be remiss to leave out our incredible vet, Dr. Ryan Chanona. We met Doc and his wife Kristin – also a vet – many years ago at an animal-spaying event sponsored by Sandals Resort in Ochi. Since then, he and Kristin are family to our GLLF staff. Most Wednesdays, when funds permit, he drives out and begins neutering our feral cats and lost puppies. 

Last week, Dr. Ryan neutered four male cats and spayed one female puppy. You may ask, where do all these animals come from and where do they go after being treated? The answer is the same…. everywhere. We hope that someone will adopt the puppies, but the cats just seem happy killing rats, lizards, frogs, all the island has to offer. And somehow, they know we love them too. Want to help us keep going? Each kitten and puppy up to a year old costs us around $150US per animal to “fix”, deworm, and treat.

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The Seniors of St. Mary

The Seniors of St. Mary

A year ago last month, we were told we could no longer visit our senior family at the St. Mary Infirmary. While it’s understandable, all of us at ACE have felt a tremendous loss. Yet, with the needs mounting, we’ve continued to visit the many “shut in” seniors in the community who are elated that we have found them!

Rose has a sore on her foot that won’t heal. She also doesn’t have anyone to clean it and change the dressing. When Dr. Guy and his wife, Carol, were here, they made house-call visits for this purpose as well as to just cheer our seniors up a little. Most docs and their wives, I’ve noticed, are not so willing to clean and bandage a poor lady’s foot like Rose’s. But Dr. Guy and Carol, who is a nurse, are not the normal medical professionals. They are outstanding, always going above and beyond with a personal touch.

Meet Angus, one of the many blind seniors ACE has taken under our wing. When our friend of ACE, Teresa, was here, she cleaned and sang, and cooked and sang, and… well, you get the picture. What joy she brought to Angus and so many others!

Another wonderful person is Ezra, the uncle to Sheldon, one of our fathers and employees at the farm. Ezra is blind as well, but that never stops him. While he can’t see in the natural world, his supernatural abilities are amazing. Spending time with him helps us all see the world in a new way.

With your help, love and the support you continually send us, we keep the road busy and the paths to their homes well worn. Thank you all for making a difference. Now if we can only get you on the plane to come see us, we can show you the way to the Seniors of St. Mary!

 

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A Silver Lining For Our Families During COVID

A Silver Lining For Our Families During COVID

Every once in a while you read something or see something on TV about how COVID actually helped someone in a way totally unexpected. This is exactly what has happened not just once, not just twice, but several times with our sponsors helping their sponsored children and their families. The children have not been in school, and most of the families, as you can well imagine, have suffered loss of income and many times have nothing to offer their children. Thanks to so many sponsors, ACE has been consistent in supplying food staples to the many families who have nothing to eat.

In addition, some of you, since you could not come in person, elected to send the funds you’d normally spend to come down to Jamaica directly to us to help these families! Beds, refrigerators, tables, mattresses, more food and a lot of love has been coming down this past month. Take a look at the smiles! We cannot thank you enough, and neither can your sponsored children and their families. 

While COVID may have changed how you’ve helped ACE from afar this past year, we still want to see your smiling faces in Jamaica soon! We may have some friends who want to say thank you in person!

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It’s iQuest Time Again!

It’s iQuest Time Again!

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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Marla’s Minute: The Widow, Flour & Oil

Marla’s Minute: The Widow, Flour & Oil

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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