Wayne, with his wife Deanna, served as the mission president of the Philippines Tacloban Mission (Leyte) from 2002-2005 where they lived among the beautiful people of the Philippines and witnessed, first hand, the malnutrition and poverty of so many. He was one of the missionaries that returned to Tacloban to help rebuild homes after super typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) in 2013. It was then that he became acquainted with Ray and Debbie Goodson and has since been a cheerleader for the work of the Rise and Rebuild Foundation, especially as the first garden project was developed in his mission.
Wayne was a CPA with many years of experience working with troubled businesses and their associated legal proceedings across the United States, in Europe and in Asia. He is retired and the Elggrens live in Sandy, Utah.