adding html into edge animate text box from external js file

I have a text field in edge animate that I want to update with a score. The function that is used to click and update the score is in an enternal file so I'm trying to figure out how to get my edge animate div to be read by jquery in the external file. This is what I have so far in the external js but it isn't reading the edge animate text field properly:

external .js file:

        AdobeEdge.coinCounter += 250; // this calls the variable coinCounter which was set in edgeActions.js and updates it from the original 0 value
                alert(AdobeEdge.coinCounter); // this shows it works and updated correctly
          
       var comp = AdobeEdge.getComposition("EDGE-172492634");

       var stage = comp.getStage();

     stage.sym.$("gameText").html(AdobeEdge.coinCounter); // this is where things go wrong. I want this updated value to read back into the textbox called "gameText" that is in the edgeAnimate composition

      stage.sym.$("gameText").html("NewText"); // nothing reads to the "gameText" textbox; something must be wrong how I am referencing it outside of edgeActions in the external .js file

Would someone mind helping me reference the textbox "gameText" correctly so I can input my new value? Thank you!!