I wrote a post for the Bright Minds, Helping Hands, and Holy Hearts today that is really from the heart, but I needed it over there so... I am going to paste the link here. and put a little personal note on this that I did not include in the post since it is a "professional" kind of thing and is for the group not me personally. http://brightmindshelpinghandsholyhearts.blogspot.com/
The last few years have been "very interesting" to say the least. I am diligently working on being positive and less complainy so I will leave it at that. I am the kind of person, that looks for something to take away or learn from every experience. I was trained young to look for things and improve or fix them and that has been a good skill to have in some areas and very "challenging" and isolating in others. Helping people comes natually, when you are the oldest of four children and your parents are always helping someone else. Children love to imitate and repeat things and do what their parents do. If my parents heard that some needed, we were looking around the house to see if we had what they needed, and my dad was making calls trying to find someone who could help. We were equally blessed by others, we just thought that is what people do, you have extra turnip greens, I have an extra pork roast we swap.
As an adult this way of life kind of evaporated. People that needed stuff were always "evaluated"first to see why they did not have what they needed and if it was decided that they did something to make them lack, then well "they are reaping what they sowed". I always hated hearing that, I often questioned if that is really what the scripture meant and just received snorts and eyes rolling. I learned quickly that helping too much, got you "known" but not in a good way. At work I was nicknames "Polyanna" it took me a while to figure out this was not a very complimentary comment and that my efforts were not well received by those around me.
But, then life turned the corner, as it tends to do and I found myself on the needing end and well, I do not know if it was the area, or just times but help was not that easy to find, and well I learned so things about people that I really admired that I wish I had not. I learn pretty quick and I was not easily detered, (back then) I found what I needed got back on tract and decided I would rather be a "Polyanna" and known for being "usable" than to be unuseful and to watch people suffer and do nothing to help. I just did not understand how that could be right. That is how I read the scriptures and I was going to do, what I wish someone was available to do for me.
Loved me like Jesus and told me the Truth with Scripture that would have lead me to the Saviors feet. That is what I needed.
Praying is the first step to helping people. Pray for them and pray for yourself "Lord, soften me, wise me up to your leading, use me if you chose or move me so that you can get to this brother or sister and heal and strengthen them" If it is your will Lord, I am here, send and use me." Be in the word, Be walking the straight path, above reproach, get your Armor shined and ready. Helping people is not for the faint of heart and it is not a popularity contest or to build your reputation. If you do it right, they should credit it all to God, and not really remember you at all. All to Him, I owe! We are just extending the Love that Christ has given to us every day with our breath.
Anything you do without Love, is as if you did nothing.
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
First Report Card!!! Charles Almost Made Honor Roll
Huge Praise!!!
Charles Finished the First Nine Weeks with good marks!!!
Our First Franklin County Public School Report was good!
Check out the details on our Homeschool Blog.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Dotwigg/615701
It took alot of work, a few boxes of kleenex, many phone calls, and lots of prayer but we have finally crossed the canyon and are on our way on solid ground, toward academic success. Charles has turned the page and is moving along beautifully and things are looking bright. If you want to send him a congratulatory note his email is CharlesLWiggins@nc.rr.com. Or you can comment here and I will print them and give them to him.
Dot's School Update......
My grades are still mostly A's I have one that is probably going to be a B, but I still have a few weeks and exams, papers, and a presentation to go. Big prayer request is my Presentation that I have to do on December 10th. I do not do well with presentations, I hate getting in front of people and usually blow it, but hopefully I can plan and practice so that it goes well. We are scheduling for next sememster, and hopefully I will get the classes I am selecting which will be perfect!!! 4 online and 2 traditional classes. This first semester has been very interesting and a huge growth experience. I am finally settling in and enjoying it. I will post my final grades and the results of the Grade Competition when my semester ends.
Charles Finished the First Nine Weeks with good marks!!!
Our First Franklin County Public School Report was good!
Check out the details on our Homeschool Blog.
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Dotwigg/615701
It took alot of work, a few boxes of kleenex, many phone calls, and lots of prayer but we have finally crossed the canyon and are on our way on solid ground, toward academic success. Charles has turned the page and is moving along beautifully and things are looking bright. If you want to send him a congratulatory note his email is CharlesLWiggins@nc.rr.com. Or you can comment here and I will print them and give them to him.
Dot's School Update......
My grades are still mostly A's I have one that is probably going to be a B, but I still have a few weeks and exams, papers, and a presentation to go. Big prayer request is my Presentation that I have to do on December 10th. I do not do well with presentations, I hate getting in front of people and usually blow it, but hopefully I can plan and practice so that it goes well. We are scheduling for next sememster, and hopefully I will get the classes I am selecting which will be perfect!!! 4 online and 2 traditional classes. This first semester has been very interesting and a huge growth experience. I am finally settling in and enjoying it. I will post my final grades and the results of the Grade Competition when my semester ends.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Prayer is Urgently needed for those in India
Missionaries face many challenges and sacrafice alot to do the work they feel God has called them to do. And after all the sacrafices, and changing, learning and serving the people, leading them to christ, teaching them to walk in the faith. They are loosing their lives in a gruesome manner and hundreds to thousands are in fear. They are held up in there houses praying to survive.
This video is about mission work in Orissa.
This is an email that I received this morning and it just rattled me.
http://www.ywam.org/articles/article.asp?AID=579 For more info -
> Please PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>
> This is a request for prayer for YWAM (Youth With A Mission)
>
> missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. The request
came from Janet Petersen, the forwarding agent for Edio & Ema
Cárcamo, the missionaries we work with in Osorno, Chile. Please read
and make this a matter of urgent prayer.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.
>
> We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was
the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is
concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we
faced as we went about His work. But none of our staff imagined that
they would see this kind of carnage.... And it seems to be totally
under the radar of the Western Media ....
>
> Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his
attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and
'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown
assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians
were blamed. The cry rose up...
>
> 'Kill the Christians!' And the horror began.... In the past 4
> days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being
blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have be
en slaughtered. For no other reason than they bear the name of Christ.
>
> Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India
Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right
in the middle of all this chaos. In Tihidi, just after the police came
to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to
kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not allowed to get in,
but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and
bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They have promised to come back and
'finish the job.'
>
> Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way
with doors and windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of
desperately calling on the Lord in prayer.
>
> More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the
police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave
our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time
to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they
fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We
would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace.
>
> In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and
missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by
saying that there were no Christians in this area.
>
> So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.
>
> All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff
huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside
waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a
nearby Catholic orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in house and burned them to death.
>
> Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left
on the road.... even women and children. At another orphanage run by
another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife
jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children
and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to
said: 'We stay with our kids..... we live together or die together,
but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.'
>
> More than 5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or
destroyed. They have fled into the jungles and are living in great
fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no
peace is foreseen. This will continue for another 10 days....
supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many
more Christians will die and their houses destroyed. Many more
churches will be smashed down.
>>
> The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps
things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God
can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But
now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids
coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at
what is happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled
into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during these
trying times.
>
> Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with
our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its children.
> Orissa will be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can take
these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become
disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region. It is a long
term goal, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great Commission.
>
> What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer
>
> Second, pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can.
>
> We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is
spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fighting
the devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are
crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa. Thank
you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us to
get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to
fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations.... Prayer
works!
>
>
>
> Blessings, Chip & Sandy Wanner Col 2:2 MBI Team Facilitators to
YWAM frontlines
Please join us in praying for this country and for the people being persecuted. If you have a blog please tag this or write your own message about this need. We need to get the word out that our brothers and sisters in Christ are dying for their religious beliefs in horrible ways.
This video is about mission work in Orissa.
This is an email that I received this morning and it just rattled me.
http://www.ywam.org/articles/article.asp?AID=579 For more info -
> Please PRAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!>
> This is a request for prayer for YWAM (Youth With A Mission)
>
> missionaries and their churches in Orissa, India. The request
came from Janet Petersen, the forwarding agent for Edio & Ema
Cárcamo, the missionaries we work with in Osorno, Chile. Please read
and make this a matter of urgent prayer.
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------
>
> Dear beloved sponsors and friends of Good News India.
>
> We have never seen anything like this. We knew that Orissa was
the most resistant and hostile State in India as far as the Gospel is
concerned. And we brushed off the continuous threats and harassment we
faced as we went about His work. But none of our staff imagined that
they would see this kind of carnage.... And it seems to be totally
under the radar of the Western Media ....
>
> Let me explain.... A militant Hindu priest and 4 of his
attendants, who were zealously going around the villages of Orissa and
'reconverting' people back to Hinduism, were gunned down by unknown
assailants in Central Orissa last weekend. Immediately the Christians
were blamed. The cry rose up...
>
> 'Kill the Christians!' And the horror began.... In the past 4
> days, we have first hand witness to hundreds of churches being
blown up or burned and many, many dozens of Christian tribals have be
en slaughtered. For no other reason than they bear the name of Christ.
>
> Night and day I have been in touch with our Good News India
Directors spread across 14 Dream Centers in Orissa... they are right
in the middle of all this chaos. In Tihidi, just after the police came
to offer protection, a group of 70 blood-thirsty militants came to
kill our staff and destroy the home. They were not allowed to get in,
but they did a lot of damage to our Dream Center by throwing rocks and
bricks and smashing our gate, etc. They have promised to come back and
'finish the job.'
>
> Our kids and staff are locked inside and have stayed that way
with doors and windows shut for the past 3 days. It has been a time of
desperately calling on the Lord in prayer.
>
> More police have come to offer protection. In Kalahandi, the
police and some local sympathizers got to our dream center and gave
our staff and kids about 3 minutes notice to vacate. No one had time
to even grab a change of clothes or any personal belonging. As they
fled, the blood thirsty mob came to kill everyone in the building. We
would have had a mass funeral there, but for His grace.
>
> In Phulbani, the mob came looking for Christian homes and
missions. The local Hindu people, our neighbors turned them away by
saying that there were no Christians in this area.
>
> So they left. We had favor. The same thing happened in Balasore.
>
> All our dream centers are under lock down with the kids and staff
huddled inside and police outside. The fanatics are circling outside
waiting for a chance to kill. Others were not so fortunate. In a
nearby Catholic orphanage, the mob allowed the kids to leave and locked up a Priest and a computer teacher in house and burned them to death.
>
> Many believers have been killed and hacked into pieces and left
on the road.... even women and children. At another orphanage run by
another organization, when this began, the Director and his wife
jumped on their motorbike and simply fled, leaving all the children
and staff behind. Every one of our GNI directors that I have spoken to
said: 'We stay with our kids..... we live together or die together,
but we will never abandon what God has called us to do.'
>
> More than 5000 Christian families have had their homes burned or
destroyed. They have fled into the jungles and are living in great
fear waiting for the authorities to bring about peace. But so far, no
peace is foreseen. This will continue for another 10 days....
supposedly the 14 day mourning period for the slain Hindu priest. Many
more Christians will die and their houses destroyed. Many more
churches will be smashed down.
>>
> The Federal government is trying to restore order and perhaps
things will calm down. We ask for your prayers. Only the Hand of God
can calm this storm. None of us know the meaning of persecution. But
now our kids and staff know what that means. So many of our kids
coming from Hindu backgrounds are confused and totally bewildered at
what is happening around them. So many of their guardians have fled
into the jungles and are unable to come and get them during these
trying times.
>
> Through all this, I am more determined than ever to continue with
our goal: the transformation of a community by transforming its children.
> Orissa will be saved... that is our heart's cry. If we can take
these thousands of throw-away children and help them to become
disciples of Jesus, they will transform an entire region. It is a long
term goal, but it is strategic thinking in terms of the Great Commission.
>
> What can you do? First, please uphold all this in fervent prayer
>
> Second, pass this e-mail on to as many friends as you can.
>
> We must get the word out and increase our prayer base for this is
spiritual warfare at its most basic meaning. We are literally fighting
the devil in order to live for His Kingdom. The next 10 days are
crucial. We pray for peace and calm to pervade across Orissa. Thank
you for taking the time to read this. Please pass it on and help us to
get as many people to partner with us on this cutting edge effort to
fulfill His mandate: Go and make disciples of all nations.... Prayer
works!
>
>
>
> Blessings, Chip & Sandy Wanner Col 2:2 MBI Team Facilitators to
YWAM frontlines
Please join us in praying for this country and for the people being persecuted. If you have a blog please tag this or write your own message about this need. We need to get the word out that our brothers and sisters in Christ are dying for their religious beliefs in horrible ways.
Happy Anniversary To Us, We have been North Carolinian's for 8 years
Oh, my I just realized we missed our anniversary, Sept 1,
We have been in North Carolina 8 Years!!!! That is 2 presidential Elections. So many changes, milestones, birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Holidays, good times, and not so good times. Wow!!! time flies and it is amazing to get to the other side and see God's divine plan. To say I have been in tune with this plan and have celebrated the whole time, would be a HUGE!!! lie, I mean like Thunderstorm, lightning bolt, lie. But, God is bigger and God is faithful and God is always Right and so gracious and loving to stay with us and guide us to his awesome place.
These years have been monumental in my life, and very significant in Charles, Chris and in our families. Our move was so hard!!! See the post "Prayer answered, Carolina not quite the move we planned" http://fromtheheart-dotwigg.blogspot.com/2008/03/prayers-answered-north-carolina-not.html But God is good, and patient!!! and faithful and he got us through it and we will never be the same!! (AMEN!!!!!).
I can finally say, that it is good to be in Carolina, and Carolina is our HOME!! Although I do not know if the Carolina Panthers will ever be MY Football team, I am with DALLAS COWBOYS 110%, and some day would love to go to Texas again. But, God picked me up and placed me in Carolina, more specifically Youngsville and as for me and my family we are HOME here until we get to ascend in the sky.
Our favorite places when we first got here are no longer here, but they were slices of heaven.
The Philly Bistro, and then it became the Four Seasons, the owners Rick and Susan were great, back in the day we ate out alot!!! (before I studied Proverbs 31 :)
The Armidillo Grill (where Brigg's is now)
and Chris's favorite was the Johnson's Country Cooking (which just closed recently when a Dollar General truck ran through the dining room).
Another of our favorites which is still open is the Kanki Japanese Steak house and The Royal China Buffet, (awesome Sushi !!!)
The memories and the pictures we have of our life here in Carolina.
Our Home! We moved-in in 2003 as renters, our friends moved back to California and our lease was up, and I loved there house, the kitchen, the master BATHTUB, and the yard with trees!!! and it was just 3 doors down from the old house that we were renting and beside AWESOME neighbors that we hung out with (and who moved us!!). We purchased the house in 2005. And this is were we plan to stay.
Charles and Tiger (1 month old) May 23, 2005
Chris affectionately calls her "Just looking" She is MUCH bigger now, but the most loving dog you will meet. Charles and Tiger have grown up together and she is such a part of the family.
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