Belleza ~ Beauty

We just returned from a vacation filled with God's beauty! We went to visit friends in the Aspen, Colorado area. We had a great time relaxing and enjoying God's creation! Their house is located in a valley with mountains all around, across the street from a beautiful lake and next to a mountain stream. We fell asleep to the sound of the babbling brook! It doesn't get much better than that! That is belleza, beauty! We praise the Lord for this blessing!

What adds to the amazement of this trip is that we had only met the people we stayed with one other time and there was an instant bond in Christ. Our kids are the same age and hadn't met each other and they hit it off great. We all had a great time together. In addition to their 3 kids, they had a former foreign exchange student of theirs visiting from Germany and a friend from California and their daughter's boyfriend. So there were 12 of us hanging out together.



We rode up to the top of Aspen mountain. The view and some of the roads reminded us of Guatemala. The beauty was breathtaking from there!



We got the chance to go white water rafting. Since we had to split into two rafts, we didn't have to worry about staying cool, when we weren't being splashed by the rapids, water fights broke out between the rafts. And I am happy to say that I did not follow in my sister's footsteps and fall out of the raft. :)





We also spent some time hiking and saw some beautiful lakes and waterfalls, and the kids went cliff jumping (Norman was disappointed that he didn't get to go!) On the way home we crashed at Norman's brother's house (who were out of town) north of Denver and then had breakfast with my Aunt and Uncle. It was great to see them. We had a great family time and are so glad we took the time to make some memories before we all go our separate directions. We are also thankful for the opportunity to go to such a beautiful place and see and do some really fun stuff with some really fun people! (vs)

July 2009 Newsletter

July 20, 2009

Dear Friends,

As of today there are 32 days, 22 hours, and 30 minutes until we board a plane on August 22nd headed for Costa Rica to begin the adventure we have been preparing for the last year and a half and God has been preparing us for over the last 8 years or more. We are at 60% of our monthly support. We hope to be at 100% by August 1st. If you haven’t done so already, please prayerfully consider whether God wants you to be a part of this ministry through monthly financial support.

Over the last year or so we have sold our house, bought a new one, moved, quit our jobs (Norman’s last day was July 15th), sold a big bulk of our belongings and prepared to move to a new country. There have been quite a few changes, and some stresses to go with, but amidst it all God has remained our constant rock, our foundation and consistency. We are choosing to obey Him and He is blessing us along the way. Sometimes the blessings are in big ways and sometimes in the little details, but they always remind us that He is there for us and He is paying attention!

We want to thank you for your words of encouragement, your financial investment in God’s work in Guatemala, and for your prayers. We know you have heard it before, but we couldn’t do it without you! And now as we will soon no longer be here with you physically, our need for your support and prayers is even greater. Thus the need to make sure we stay in touch.

Here are some ways you can help us stay in touch:

-Check out our blog on a regular basis at http://suttonsserving.blogspot.com/
-Make sure we have your e-mail so you will get our periodic updates and prayer requests. Send your e-mail address to: nvsuttons@gmail.com
-Put our magnet, business card, and prayer card in places that will remind you to pray.
-Keep us updated of any address changes for periodic newsletter mailings.
E-mail your address changes to: nvsuttons@gmail.com
-Keep us updated on your lives and prayer needs and requests by e-mailing us at: nvsuttons@gmail.com

We will be having a couple of dessert receptions before we leave. One in Davenport, IA on Sunday, August 9th at Grandview Baptist Church from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. We will then have one in Omaha on August 15th at the Teply’s home at 18522 Trailridge Circle from 6:30-9:00 p.m. Please stop by if you can, we would love to see you before we leave on August 22nd!

Our remaining 5 weeks of preparation will consist of the following:

July 20-24 Family vacation in Colorado
August 1-2 Reynolds family reunion in Ottumwa IA
August 8 Sutton family reunion in Davenport IA
August 9 Dessert reception at Grandview Baptist Church in Davenport IA
August 10 Deliver Ryan back to school in Chicago
August 11-13 Visit Children of Promise headquarters in Ohio
August 15 Dessert reception at the Teply’s in Omaha
August 16-20 Wind up loose ends and try not to panic
August 21 Attend UNMC College of Medicine Family Day and White Coat Ceremony
August 22 Fly to Costa Rica on Continental flight 1724 departing at 7:00 a.m.

We love you guys and will miss you greatly, but we look forward to sharing with you how God is using your investment of prayers and finances to further His kingdom and make a difference in the lives of people, both young and old, in Guatemala!
In His love, Norman & Vickie


~Praises~
-For God’s provision in providing helpers when needed, buyers of things we need to sell, and wonderful friends and family who love and support us.
-Praise that to date the Lord has raised up financial partners for 60% of our monthly need.

~Prayer Requests~
-That God shows us everything that needs to be done before we leave the country and we complete those things in a timely manner.
-That our remaining support comes in by August 1st.
-For the host family we will be living with in Costa Rica. That we will bond with them quickly and be a blessing to each other!
-For Heather and Ryan as we all prepare for the adjustment of us living in another country.

Donations can be made payable and sent to:
Children Of Promise Int’l.
Sutton Support-Guatemala
6844 Loop Road
Centerville OH 45459-2159

On memo line of check, please write: “Norman & Vickie Sutton Support”

An End of an Era - The Beginning of a new one

Well, I officially turned in my keys and walked out the door at Siemens Building Technologies after 12 plus years. It was a pretty good run while it lasted.
The sun did come up this morning, for a little while and now it's cloudy... Hmmm...

I suppose the whole not having an income thing will hit sometime but we are still excited about our upcoming adventure that is before us.

Now it's off to work here at the house to get things in order before we pull out of here.

Coincidentally (or not), yesterday's devotion was on Revelation 22 - the end. It also goes on to remind us of who we are only to worship - God and God alone. vs 22:9
With an obedeient heart we all can worship God. Our prayer is that we all can experience true worship wherever you are. ~ (ns)

Time Flies!

I can not believe how fast time has been going! It is unbelievable. I know they say that the older you get the faster time goes, but this is way beyond that. The Bible says that 1 day is like 1000 years to God (2 Peter 3:8), well I feel like 1 day is like 10 minutes to me! We have 6 weeks left before we climb aboard an airplane and fly south. 6 weeks! Just yesterday we were telling people we were leaving in a year and a half. Oh, my! We have a few things to get done in these next 6 weeks. Please pray for us to not PANIC and that God will bring to mind what needs to be done. Also pray that we take the time to spend with people because that is what we will miss the most! (vs)

Proverbs 20:24 "A man's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand his own way?"

Into Details

Once again we have seen the evidence that God cares about the little details of our lives. The language school we are going to attend in San Jose, Costa Rica, assigns you a Big Brother or Big Sister to help line up housing before your get there, meet you at the airport, and then help you get acclimated to your new surroundings. Our big brother and big sister called us yesterday. They are a married couple a little older than us who are in their second trimester of language school preparing to serve as missionaries in Costa Rica. We had a very nice conversation with them, passing the phone around based on who had the question and who had the answer. At one point, Norman was talking to the husband and some how it was discovered that 20 years ago the wife had worked in a hospital in Missouri as a nurse with Dena Stromstad. Tim and Dena Stromstad are the missionaries who we are going to work with and who will be our supervisors and mentors. The wife shared emails with Dena a couple years ago but didn't know that she was also serving in Costa Rica. We were once again blown away! This is not a coincidence, this is God's planning the little details down to who our Big Brother and Big Sister are! They were excited to learn that we know the Stromstads and want to come visit them with us. We have an automatic connection and common bond! Isn't God good?!?!?!

Please continue to pray for our preparations. Our departure date is now a little over 6 weeks away! AHHH, that is scary, but incidents like the above keep reminding us that God is in control and He is into details! (vs)

This is the Administration Building at the Instituto de Lengua Española, The Spanish Language Institute, where we will be attending language school in San Jose, Costa Rica.

Glorify

glo⋅ri⋅fy [glawr-uh-fahy, glohr-]
–verb (used with object), -fied, -fy⋅ing.
1. to cause to be or treat as being more splendid, excellent, etc., than would normally be considered.
2. to honor with praise, admiration, or worship; extol.
3. to make glorious; invest with glory.
4. to praise the glory of (God), esp. as an act of worship.

John 17:3-4
"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do."

This morning I was reading Jesus' words above and it hit me that this is our true desire. This is the reason we are going to Guatemala. This is the prayer of our lives: that those who are placed in our lives will know eternal life through the only true God and that we will bring glory to God on earth by completing the work He has given us to do! So on days like yesterday when I feel overwhelmed by the task before us I need to remember that God will equip us and be with us to complete the work He has given us to do!

Our prayer for you is that you too will know the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom He has sent and that you will bring glory to God on earth by completing the work He has given you to do!

May you have a God glorifying day with God's blessings written all over it! (vs)

All Clear

We received the biopsy report back today from the spot removed from Vickie's arm last week and it came out clear. YEAH! So she has an all clear and we press on towards Guatemala! Praise the Lord and thanks for your prayers! (vs)