It is all becoming REALITY!

Well, camp is officially over for both me and Holly. Holly got into Birmingham around noon today and leaves for Tampa (her home) tomorrow morning. It has been nice for us to spend the day together debriefing camp, and making plans for the next year of our lives. AAHH! Yes, the reality has finally set in. The "goodbyes" have started, tears come and go, but the excitement and anticipation only increases as we get closer to our departure date!

Holly and I will both be home in Florida for a few weeks before we leave. I will make the long drive to Orlando on Saturday with my dad, who is coming to help me move. The boxes and tubs are already taking over my apartment. I don't think dad knows what he is getting into! woops! I am excited about spending some time with my family and friends before this big transition. I am looking forward to a trip to the beach and some of Nanny's cooking! My extended family is coming in town for my commissioning service on August 16th at my home church, College Park Baptist. This will be a special time for all of us.

The big day has finally been set for August 20th. Holly and I will both fly out of Orlando, make stops in New York and Brussels, and then arrive in Monrovia, Liberia on August 21st around 5:00pm. Whew! Can't wait!

25 DAYS!! 

Can't Sleep

It is 2:00am. Why am I not asleep? I am lying in my bed, trying to take my mind off of everything I have to do in the next few weeks... doctors appointments, packing, saying goodbyes, etc. It is an overwhelming mix of emotions.

I just got back from camp late Sunday evening. Once again I was reminded that God works in mysterious ways... ways that I cannot even begin to understand. I left Crossville, TN with a support system that is beyond words. People that I have known for years, and people I had just met, were all so encouraging. I have realized over the last few months that asking for help is not always easy. I was amazed at the response I got when I finally said the words "I cannot do this alone. I need your help." People were stopping me left and right, wanting to know what they could do to support me. Since I got back I have received many emails and facebook messages from people that want to be involved in my journey. Jesus makes it very clear that we are to be fully dependent on God, and work interdependently with one another. I am learning this in an incredible way. 

Many of you are asking how you can help. To be honest, right now Holly and I are both in the middle of raising support. With the economy the way it is, it is hard to ask for money or to even think that people have the resources to give. I still don't know where all of the money is going to come from, but I am faithful. 

I would like to ask you all to please pray for Holly and I as we prepare for this 10 month journey together. Pray that we will be open to all that God has in store for us. Pray that the financial resources will be there, and that we will have all the materials needed to fulfill this position.

If you would like to help me or Holly by giving a financial contribution to our ministry, please see the below information:

 Please have contributions sent to:
 Cooperative Baptist Fellowship
 ATTN: Becky Buice Green
2930 Flowers Road S
Suite 133
Atlanta, GA  30341
 
The project number 87602 needs to be ON the check – with a note attached that says Ann Elizabeth McInvale.   

Thank you to each one of you who are already supporting me! Words cannot describe how grateful I am. You are a blessing in my life!

Student.Go Orientation

Well... a lot has happened since my last post. My last day of school with my students was Thursday, May 21st. It was much harder than I ever expected. Very bittersweet! The last two years have been transformational. I feel so blessed to be a part of the Shades Mountain Elementary School family. I could not have asked to work with a more supportive faculty and administration. I know that some of them will continue to be lifelong friends. My students have inspired, challenged, and stretched me. I love them all, and have learned so much from each of them. 

After school ended, I didn't have much time to catch my breath before Student.Go orientation. We began with dinner on Wednesday, May 27th, and finished with lunch on Saturday, May 30th. There are 42 students/young adults serving through the Student.Go program this year. I really enjoyed making friends who are answering a similar calling. Many of them are volunteering in the following locations this summer: Miami (Touching Miami with Love), Arkansas (Helena), DC, China, Uganda, Brussels, Alabama (Perry County), Virginia, New York, California (Freemont), Liberia, etc. Please join me in praying for them.

Most of the weekend was spent getting to know our team. I feel so blessed to be going to Liberia with Holly Wegman (in the picture above). Holly and I both work for Passport camps over the summer, but have never been on the same team. Our friendship has developed and grown since February, when we both answered our call to this position. Holly will be teaching 7th-9th grade Math and Bible classes, and I will be teaching 2nd grade. These four days allowed us the opportunity to learn more about our personality types, set goals, pray together, and talk about preparations for the next year of our lives. After orientation, Holly stayed with me in Birmingham until she left for camp today. We had lots of bonding time! Please keep her in your prayers as she begins camp this week. She is the director of Passport Missions at Mercer University. It is an exhausting, but a very fun and rewarding job!

As for me... I am finally catching my breath and getting ready to begin my 5th summer with Passportkids on Friday, June 12th. Hard to believe it has been five years, but it is a ministry I love! 

Thank you for all of your thoughts and prayers as this journey is becoming reality! Keep the prayers coming!

And the Journey Begins...

This year has been a very eventful one, filled with excitement and new opportunities. God is so good!! 

I graduated from Samford University in May 2007 with a degree in Early Childhood, Elementary, and Special Education. For the past two years I have been teaching kindergarten at Shades Mountain Elementary School in Hoover, AL. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to work with such a supportive faculty and administration.

In June I will begin my fifth summer working for Passport, a camp that empowers students to encounter Christ, embrace community, and extend grace to the world. I will be directing the Passportkids Special Team, which consists of a session in Texas and two in Tennessee. Through this ministry I have learned so much about myself, and what it means to be the hands and feet of Christ in a world without borders.

From the time I was old enough to play school with my stuffed animals, I knew that I wanted to be a teacher. It was not long after that when I began to feel called to teach students from diverse backgrounds, knowing one day that would take me to another country. Through the love and support of people like you, I feel ready and able to pursue my calling to work with children in Africa.

After camp, I will be home in Orlando for about three weeks before moving to Liberia. I will be serving through the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship Student.Go program for the 2009-2010 school year.  I will be teaching second grade at Rick’s Institute, a school that is leading the way in free primary education in Liberia.  The students at Rick’s are native Liberian children, half of whom are boarding students. You can learn more about Ricks Institute by visiting the website www.ricksonline.org.

I have been praying for an opportunity like this for years, and I am so excited about the way God is going to work through me. In preparation for this transition, I have realized that pursuing Gods call is not always easy. It involves a lot of trust and full dependence on God.  I have also learned that I cannot do this alone. Therefore, I would like to invite you to participate in this incredible journey with me... 

You can start by praying! 

Much Love!