There are some new announcements in the new year about ACE in Jamaica. For many years, you have been loyal in reading our monthly newsletters, with articles mostly written by Marla, 90% of the time. As the ministry continues to grow and the legacy of ACE expands more than ever in St. Mary, there are always new avenues and features to note. This requires more writers and experts in the field to share the many facets of ACE.

We use the word “writers” loosely. They are more like casual storytellers giving descriptions of their experiences, work and interactions.  God has given us the right people in the right places, and hearing from them directly will give you, our readers, the right and most updated information. The familiar names of D’Vaun, our Senior ACE Coordinator, and Althia (or Ms. Foster, as everyone calls her), our Executive Director of ACE Ltd., will be offering up insights in a first-person style to share with you. They can truly attest to what being Jamaican, living Jamaican, and impacting Jamaica looks like. There will be some new names and faces coming your way, too!

Of course, Marla will continue to contribute insights and observations of the overall developments taking place under the blanket of what we call the American Caribbean Experience, writing her Marla’s Minute with encouraging news and challenges to keep moving forward in this ministry. Our newsletters will be filled with grateful thanks for the many volunteers that come down, complete with anecdotes of their time spent with us, projects completed and lives they’ve touched.

In this new year, we look forward to sharing with you the whole experience of ACE from many different voices. And we’d always love to hear from you on YOUR experience with us!

With 2023 here and lockdowns in the distant past, we at ACE had hoped and prayed the infirmary we had been calling “ours” for so many years would be open, with the residents happy to see all of us and our volunteers. Sadly, that hasn’t happened. Though we keep sending short messages to our friends like Richard and others through employees, telling them that we love them, it isn’t quite the same as getting hugs and face-to-face smiles....

Most of you know or have heard us mention Dawn, our Child Sponsorship Stateside Coordinator. She has worked diligently for nine years with our Jamaican staff via email and phone calls, coordinating sponsor/child relationships, home visits, and learning about the needs of the children in our program....

With the start of 2023, I'm so thankful to see another year but even more exited to know things are getting back to some normalcy, getting to see our ACE friends we have not seen for a while. I am also happy to update you on how our microbusinesses (Galina Breeze, Buccaneers and Green Life Farm) are doing, as well as our newest addition of the Peace House!...

Answered Prayers & Prayer Requests

PRAYER REQUEST We need summer iQuest interns! Do you know any college-age student who is ready for a life-changing adventure? Send them our way! Please pray we find the right people to help lead our teams and work with our wonderful staff this summer.

ANSWERED PRAYER We are very close to making another payment on the farm. We have a special donor who faithfully continues paying on the interest of the loan.

PRAYER REQUEST We need another ATV. Please pray we find an opportunity to purchase one or a generous donor who may have one to donate.

ANSWERED PRAYER Thanks to a generous donor, we are installing a kitchen in the peace house and able to complete the tile in additional rooms.

PRAYER REQUEST We are having our board members down to Jamaica in February. Please pray for safe travels and clear directives for all our ACE entities.

ANSWERED PRAYER We are excited about all the events and teams scheduled in the coming months. We have nearly full schedules for our busy seasons of spring and summer, but we always have an opening for you!

PRAYER REQUEST We need 2 miles of PVC piping to pump water up to pastures that are difficult to get to and have no water, which is essential for cattle. We’ve estimated the cost to be around $5,500 US. This would eliminate wear and tear on our vehicles and increase our productivity with our employees. It takes an entire day to fill up our tanks to water all the pastures.

PRAYER REQUEST We would love to find any adults willing to come for a few weeks at time – or maybe a retired couple staying for a month – to live at the campus to house-sit, take care of the animals, and do light gardening. If you have the skills to can food and possibly teach canning, that would be a plus. Call the Stateside office for details.