Celebrating Mary Ann Connor

Most of the groups we take out have unsung heroes behind them. Behind most good youth ministers, teachers, chaperones, or team leaders is an administrator who takes care of all the vital details necessary to pull off a trip. These quiet background folks, sometimes staff and sometimes volunteers, allow the team leaders to dream of a transformational journey doable by keeping the team connected, collecting funds, scheduling training meetings, collecting paperwork, double-checking passports, purchasing plane tickets, and arranging vehicles while staying up to date with our Wonder Voyage office, making sure everything is in order and on time. 

Mary Ann: Administrator Extraordinaire

We’ve been taking Irving Bible Church out for 20 years. They often take two or three teams out a summer, sometimes reaching more than 30 people on a trip. As one of our favorite mission groups, this team is always prepared on and before the trip.

For the first 15 years that we took out IBC, their youth ministry administrator, Mary Ann Connor, kept these large groups of students in order. Mary Ann was more than an administrator extraordinaire. She kept the ball rolling and often went on a Wonder Voyage with the students. 

Mary Ann has a love for people, the patience of Job, and special discernment. She views people the way God sees them. Mary Ann encouraged students, led them in discussions, shared about faith and insights from the Bible, and cried with them. Mary Ann was as good a youth minister as she was an administrator. 

Seeing her in action convinced us we needed her on the team. Today, Mary Ann administrates at a fantastic school and still devotes time to her roles as a Voyage Coordinator and a Voyage Guide for Wonder Voyage. She is an active part of the Wonder Voyage community, now speaking into the lives of hundreds of students on pilgrimage.

Happy birthday to our Mary Ann. We are thankful for your presence in our lives.