ACE | American-Caribbean Experience

Our Community is Transforming

by American-Caribbean Experience | May 23, 2022 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

ACE’s vision from the beginning has been “changing lives and transforming communities” one person at a time. One of our most needy communities that lines our farm property is Hampstead, and one woman we met there through our sponsorship program is a testament to that transformation.

Meet LaToya Newell, a sponsored child’s mother who received a home several years ago with her four children. LaToya used to be what we call a haggler. She would buy our things from thrift shop and other shops, then flip them to make income for her and her family. Hard times fell on LaToya, who also has a special-needs child, and much of her income shut down.

Until…

ACE needed an animal caretaker at our micro-business, Green Life Llanrumney Farms. For those of you who don’t know the story about the farm, in short, it’s for ACE to incubate small agriculture businesses for our local families who are unemployed and want to work but have no training or ability to compete in the tourist trade market miles away.

That’s where Ricky comes into LaToya’s life. Ricky is one of six horses GLLF has on property to be trained to round up cattle when they get “way up in the bush” and LaToya is going to teach him! At first, she was very nervous about being close to such a big animal (her first time). But after the introduction, the bathing, the saddling, and then the riding, she’s getting to be a natural – a real “Jamaican Cowgirl,” says LeRoy, our horse trainer in St. Mary who is working with her.

LaToya said it is great therapy for getting back to the simple things that really make a day at work fun and fulfilling. It started with a sponsored child, then a family, a home, a skill, a future. Thank you, sponsors, for changing this life and ultimately transforming our community one person at a time.

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ACE goes DEEP and not WIDE

by American-Caribbean Experience | May 23, 2022 | Book A Trip, Community, Discipleship, Education, Outreach

How many times have you heard ACE say “ACE goes deep, not wide” about the way we do life with our community? In three decades, we’ve never changed that direction of depth vs width. We can’t reach every single person in St. Mary, but we hope that those we DO reach and invest in – emotionally, spiritually, financially – will be changed for the better as they then go out to help others.

Do you remember little Orlando from Bonny Gate? We remember meeting him when he was in third grade at Jackson Primary, one of our first sponsored schools. Orlando would run up with eggs in his hand to give us from some of his wild chickens in the yard.

As you may know, that little boy grew up and became the caretaker of Pastor Kermit until he passed earlier this year, and now Orlando’s farming again.

He was one of ACE’s first recipients of a loan with which he purchased his first cow named Betsy. Orlando now owns thirteen cows and sells them to grow his other farm business – pigs. Just this month, he called and asked if we needed any piggies as his pigs Penney and Peggy both had 14 babies each. Now that’s a record!

The farming experience has not only been educational and profitable for Orlando, but it’s been a spiritual journey as well. When Orlando first began to raise pigs, he had a big beautiful one named Tamarind. A man in the community with a reputation for being cruel poisoned Orlando’s pig out of jealousy. Tamarind died a horrible death, and Orlando was devastated and very angry. Years later, as the wicked man lay on his death bed, he asked for Orlando to visit him. Orlando didn’t want to go, but his curiosity got the best of him. The man asked his forgiveness.

ACE provides the opportunities, and opportunities provide life lessons and purpose. We are very proud of our young men like Orlando; no matter how many challenges pull them off the path, they get right back on and do what they are called to do. In Orlando’s case, that’s farming, which creates a business for him and food for others. Our investment in relationships runs deep, and that will make all the difference.

Please keep Orlando in your prayers as he still struggles with the loss of Pastor Kermit whom he called “father”. He still has us and we will be there for the long haul.

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Wellness Comes in Many Forms

by American-Caribbean Experience | Feb 23, 2022 | Book A Trip, Community, Outreach

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

by American-Caribbean Experience | Feb 23, 2022 | Book A Trip, Community

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!!

by American-Caribbean Experience | Feb 23, 2022 | Book A Trip, Community, Education

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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