She first heard of the Faith at the age of 21 in 1899 under miraculous circumstances. [Mabel Ives & The Mysterious Trolley Car Ride]

In 1903 she married Theron Canfield Rice-Wray and they lived in California from 1909 to 1914 where her marriage ended and she returned to the East. In 1919 she met Howard Colby Ives and they married in 1920. They teamed with another couple, Grace and Harlan Ober as well as Doris and Willard McKay in both business and the teaching work, moving from one virgin territory to another.

• See Fires in Many Hearts - Memoirs of an early American believer by Doris McKay.

See the story of how Mabel resolved the situation when she could no longer tolerate the itinerate lifestyle in the story When Mable Ives Could Endure No More, She Prayed .

In 1937, the suggestion was made that Moncton, New Brunswick would be a fertile ground for the Cause. The Ives went. During the first six weeks of her stay, Mrs. Ives gave public lectures, radio addresses and formed a study class. She introduced the Faith to St. John, N.B., Halifax, N.S. and Charlottetown, P. E. I. Her untiring efforts, led to Moncton, NB forming the first Spiritual Assembly in the Canadian Maritimes, April 21st, 1937.

In spite of Howard's failing health, they travelled to Toronto in November of 1938 for ten months to assist in the formation of Toronto's first Spiritual Assembly. Rizwanea served on that new Spiritual Assembly until she left Canada. She gave more than 150 lectures in Toronto and 70 in Hamilton, Ontario, Toronto's expansion goal. Howard, although experiencing heart problems and rapidly losing both his sight and hearing complemented her abilities by doing personal deepening with receptive souls downstairs, while she would be presenting the Teachings upstairs.

See the tribute paid to her in the Canadian Bahá'í News No 202 November 1966 p4.