It's official!

Last night we went before the Elder Board at Grace Point seeking their approval and affirmation to be sent as missionaries to the Micah Project in Honduras. The board voted unanimously to approve and provide a percentage of our monthly support needs. Now, you would think there would be jumping and shouting in the Wiggs house last night. There wasn't. Instead there was an all enveloping sense of peace and calm, that we are truly walking in the footsteps that God has placed before us. Being in the center of His will...there is nothing that can compare.

And so now it becomes "full speed ahead". So much to be done in, what is now, 12 months. Brian returns to Multnomah tomorrow night and will start his missing gen-ed classes next month at PCC. He will need to carry about 21 credits a term from here on out to graduate on time. We are both committing to spending time each day studying Spanish in order to reach an intermediate or higher level of proficiency before we are on the ground. And then there's just the other part of maintaining some kind of normalcy to life within our family.

The first, most pressing, thing is to prepare our home for placement on the market February 1st. In order to accomplish this we need your help! Two work days are being planned in September, the 13th and 20th. On the 13th we will be capping the fence, putting up lattice under the back deck to somewhat enclose it, building a flooring under the deck so the area can be used for storage, staining the fence and both front and back decks, and prepping the house for painting. On the 20th we will painting the house and finishing the yard with bark chips and some foliage. We will supply food and beverages all day in exchange for your labor. If you are willing to provide any of the needed materials that would be greatly appreciated also. We will need:

Approx. 250 linear feet of 2 x 6 cedar for fence caps
11 - 4 x 8 lattice panels
2 - 20 gal containers of fence/deck stain
2 - 20 gal containers of house paint
Approx. 2 gal paint for trim
bark chips
8-10 shrubs
putty and caulking for house prep
plywood for under deck flooring

Ideally we could use 10 people each Saturday. We plan on starting with breakfast at 8 and then working until the jobs for that day are finished. If you can help please call or e-mail us.

In January we will have another work day the last Saturday of the month. We will do top to bottom cleaning inside, and spruce up the outside if needed, and anticipate we will be on the market February 1st.

From the beginning we have said this is not just the Wiggs family going to Honduras. We can not do this without you, the body of Christ, coming alongside us and supporting us in whatever way you can. Thank you all for your prayers and support this far. We look forward to continuing on this journey that God is leading us on.

Love and blessings,

Natasha

God is so amazing!

Yesterday was an incredibly affirming day. I spoke with Action International and next week we will receive our official invitation letter to the September training in Seattle. This is preliminary approval. We will sit before the Action Board on Thursday of the training week and then receive our formal, set in stone, approval on Friday of that week. They explained that invitations are only sent to those that have been approved, and that the interview with the board is basically a formality a "pat on the back".

Then last night we had our first official Team Wiggs meeting. I think it should be called Team God, though. Anyway, after a wonderful meal Doug Winn lead a good meeting where we discussed in greater detail the status of all the items that need to be completed before September 2009. It took every ounce of composure I could muster to hold back my tears as I sat there, completely humbled, by the people the Lord has placed in our lives, and in their willingness to come alongside us and to do whatever they are called to do to bring God's plan to fruition. Thank you all for your love, prayers, support, and your willingness to share your gifts with us so freely.

May God richly bless you in the coming days until our next meeting.

Natasha