IM Inc. News Release – Ellis’ Resignation Accepted with Hopes for a Later Return

November 24, 2021

Antioch, TN – Annabelle Ellis, a missionary intern to Japan, recently brought her resignation to the IM board. On December 11, 2019, she was accepted for a two-year term to serve in Tokyo, Japan, with the Hope Alive Church plant. Annabelle raised her funds, despite the effects of COVID-19. Ironically, COVID-19 has prevented her from entering Japan for almost a year; Japan is one of the last countries to open for new visas.

While Annabelle was awaiting entry to Japan, she began a relationship that has grown, and now she feels it would be better to take an intermission and later go through the candidate process together as a married couple. Annabelle said in a letter to her ministry partners, “I am ‘pushing pause’ resigning from my two-year term with the hopes of returning as a married couple for an internship with IM.”

Miss Ellis reflects, “The term ‘resignation’ is what best fits my current situation; however, you should know that my heart is in NO way resigning. God knows what is best, and I will trust Him. I don’t understand why things have worked out the way they have. I DO know that He is worthy of all trust. Thank you for praying for me. Thank you for supporting me. Thank you for trusting the Lord with me.”

The IM Board has agreed to permit Annabelle’s missionary account to be suspended for a time with the intent of Annabelle returning with her then-husband to reenter the candidate process at a later time.

“We are eager for Miss Ellis to return, and we are confident that in the near future, she will begin a long, vibrant missionary career. This has not been an easy decision for her because she just didn’t want to let anyone down. Yet, we’ve seen God move, in record time, in her fundraising and the relationships she has built with ministry partners. His timing is perfect, so we rest assured her future is bright and we can trust He goes before us and is a light unto our path.” Don Matchett, Director of Development.

IM, Inc. labors with the body of Christ to fulfill the Great Commission through 103 missionaries and 22 partnering missionaries in 20 different countries with the purpose of mobilizing every believer to reach every nation.