May 19, 2012

Dear Friends and Family,

On May 1st we completed 2 years of living and serving full time at Home of Life and Nutrition in Guatemala.  Living and serving at a children’s home is a lot like parenting, it is hard to see the fruit of your efforts from day to day but you hope and pray that you are making a difference and an impact on the lives of the children you interact with daily.  We try to live out our faith and demonstrate the love of Jesus in everything we do. 

Though we both have jobs or projects to do, we find that the most important thing is how we interact with the people God puts in our path from day to day.  In addition to ministering to the staff and children at the home, we have the privilege to host teams who come to serve throughout the year.  We enjoy meeting all kinds of new people and seeing God work in their lives as they experience a new part of this world God created.  Now that we are feeling more established and comfortable in our surroundings, we are also hoping to reach out more to the people in the community we have met, have them over for dinner, just get to know them on a more personal level. 

Now to get into some details of what we have been doing since our last letter in December.  We started off the 2012 year with a “family” vacation.  We loaded all the kids age 3 and up, about 25 in total, along with 10 adults onto a school bus and headed to the beach.  In addition to the beach we visited a zoo and an awesome water park.   It was such a blessing to be able to give these kids, who have barely been out of San Andres, a chance to experience another part of their country and to enjoy some great “family” fun.   

A few days after we got back, all the kids started back to school for their new school year and we received a few visitors.  Our visitors included a family who adopted a boy from the home 13 years ago.  They came back to visit on his 21st birthday.  It was a blessing to see God’s hand on this young man’s life.  After that Norman’s brother and 3 men from his church came to help with some mechanical repairs and to start building cupboards for our kitchen.  It was such a blessing to have them.  Then came a team from Lifegate Church in Omaha.  This team was unique in that the team leaders have spent a lot of time here at the home and know it well.  Because of this, the team was able to take over the daily running of the home and send all the Staff away for a 2 day retreat.  What a blessing!  We all came back rested and refreshed!  Shortly after the Omaha team left, we celebrated Vickie’s 50th birthday.  With 30 kids around it isn’t possible to let your birthday just pass by without much notice!  The week before Easter we hosted a team from Grove City College.  They come every year and never cease to be a huge blessing while here.  Currently our Supervisor, Dena Stromstad, is here for a visit and we are anticipating the visit of Vickie’s sister and niece in one week.  After that, bring on the teams.  We are hosting 4 different teams throughout the summer months and squeezing in a short visit from our very busy daughter. 

We would greatly appreciate your prayers.  Please pray for Heather as she finishes up her 3rd year of med school and looks forward to graduating in one year.  Also please pray for our son, Ryan, who will be returning from his internship in India in July and will also have one year left before he graduates with an Architecture degree.  Please pray for wisdom in our lives as we daily minister to those around us and for our health and safety. 

We cannot tell you how blessed we are by all of you, our faithful financial and prayer supporters.  You are the best!  Our monthly financial support continues to stay right around 95% of our need.  And once again the difference has been provided through one time donations.  It is such a blessing to be able to serve in Guatemala knowing that you all have our “backs”.  If you are not already supporting us financially and are feeling led to become a part of this ministry through being a monthly financial partner or through a one time donation, you may do so by sending donations to the address on the right.  We pray that the blessings you have poured on us will be returned to you! 

Blessings,

      Norman & Vickie

May 2010 Newsletter

April 29, 2010

Dear Faithful Ones,

The hardest part about moving on to new places and new experiences is the people you leave behind. As we end our 8 months here in Costa Rica we leave behind many new friends and loved ones. We had the privilege of meeting some awesome people during our stay here. We lived with a wonderful Costa Rican family who served us, prayed for us, and poured their life into us in a way that will impact us for eternity. Before we came we prayed for a good family to live with. God answered in a mighty way!

We attended school daily with a new group of friends. Together we took on the monumental task of learning a language different than our native tongue. We laughed together, we cried together, and we struggled over the conjugation of verbs and the meaning of idioms together. We come from different backgrounds and experiences from all over the United States, Canada, England, Ireland, even South Africa. We are doctors, lawyers, pastors, accountants, highway patrolman, students, psychologists, teachers, salesmen, stay at home moms, etc., but we all have one thing in common: We love the Lord and are willing to follow Him wherever He leads us. We all left our family and friends and our comforts of home to follow our loving Father who sent His one and only Son to die for us so that we could share this love with others who have not yet had the chance to hear. And we mustn't forget to mention our teachers. These men and ladies have a calling to equip missionaries to be able to speak to the people to whom they will minister. Without at least some form of communication our job would be next to impossible. But through the heart and patience of these teachers, we can now go and communicate, even if it is on a simple level, that God loves us so much He sent His one and only Son!

On Friday, April 23rd, a group of us graduated, ready to move on to the next step. There were 61 of us going to 14 different countries. We were encouraged by a message from a local pastor and we were prayed over. Our Spanish may not be perfect but we offer our meager efforts to the almighty God in order that He may take our weaknesses and use them for His glory!

Another thing we will be leaving behind is the wonderful world of technology! We have been so blessed to have high speed internet, Skype and unlimited calling to the states for minimal cost here in Costa Rica. We are now moving to the mountains of Guatemala where technology has just started to creep in. We will have a cell phone but the cost will be a little higher to call to and from the states. Currently our best option for internet is through cell phone technology. Right now all that is available is a connection that is slower than dial-up.

The last 8 months haven’t been easy. We lost a 3 year old nephew from a tragic accident, Vickie’s mom suffered a life threatening injury, Vickie was down a week with a severe infection, we faced discouragement and frustration trying to learn a new language, BUT GOD is faithful. We now stand here at the end of this stretch and look back at how God has sustained us and our family members, provided for us, and encouraged us. He has been faithful! Now as we move on to Guatemala to face the unknown, we know God will continue to uphold us in a mighty way. He has used you to encourage us through your prayers, financial support, and words of encouragement. Please don’t stop! We love you guys and can’t begin to tell you what you mean to us and how much we appreciate you!

We are currently at 88% of our monthly support. If God is leading you to partner with us financially, the information is below.


May God richly bless you!
Norman & Vickie
Praise and Prayer Requests:
-Praise for Vickie’s complete & miraculous recovery from her infection!
-Praise & prayer for continued good health and safety!
-Prayer for travel safety and a good transition into life in Guatemala.
-Prayer that we will adjust to yet another culture quickly.
-Prayer for Heather & Ryan as our ability to communicate will be limited from Guatemala.
-Prayer for the Language Spanish Institute where we attended, that their enrollment numbers will increase.
-Prayer for our host family in Costa Rica that they will be able to find other students to rent out their extra room.
-Prayer that our monthly support will reach 100%.

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

December 2009 Newsletter

December 13, 2009

Dear Loved Ones,

Feliz Navidad! Last year when we were writing our Christmas letter, the thought that we would be writing our 2009 Christmas letter from Costa Rica preparing to serve in Guatemala full time seemed like a very far off dream! And now here we are! As we reflect on the last year we are amazed and humbled by God’s faithfulness and graciousness. He has been so good to us as we have followed Him in obedience and you guys are part of that blessing.

On August 22nd we tearfully bid our good-byes and boarded a plane for language school in Costa Rica. Once we were here, it was no time at all before we saw answered prayer. One of our prayers was that we would have a good host home situation since we are living with a Costa Rican family. We couldn’t have asked for any thing more! Our hosts are awesome in many ways. Besides having the gift of hospitality they have been a great encouragement for us, mighty prayer warriors, and have a deep wisdom and understanding for new missionaries that is borne out of 20 years of hosting missionaries in their home. God is faithful!

We have now completed our first of two trimesters of language school. We heard language school was tough, well that was an understatement. Slowly but surely we are learning Spanish along with a whole lot of other things! One thing we have learned is that learning a new language, especially over the age of 40, is a life long process! We have also learned that God can use us whether we are fluent in Spanish or speaking like a toddler. Thankfully God is not limited by our human limitations! God is also using this time to draw us closer to Him and each other. He is pruning and shaping us so that we can serve Him to the best of our ability. For this we are grateful even though it isn’t always easy!

We have really felt God’s presence in these last 4 months and He has cared for us in a very personal way. The 3 month mark was when reality started to set in. Many other students at the school also hit a hard time around 3 months and we were told that this happens often. What added to the difficulty was that our son Ryan’s birthday AND Thanksgiving were also near the 3 month mark. So we had a triple whammy. But we have to say that God pulled through! First we were able to see Ryan on his birthday through the wonderful invention of Skype. Second, our dear friends Steve and Sally Frick were able to come to Costa Rica and spend Thanksgiving with us. What a blessing! They brought a deboned, smoked turkey with them in their luggage along with some other important Thanksgiving Day ingredients and the four of us made Thanksgiving dinner for us and for our host family. There were 9 of us around the table. This was our host family’s first thanksgiving dinner and they really enjoyed it! We also had a chance to visit with our families in the states via phone and Skype. It was still hard but having close friends to offer a shoulder to cry on made it very bearable! Thank you Lord!

Thanksgiving Day 2009:


We celebrated Norman’s birthday December 9th with our host family and Heather got to watch him open her present via Skype! We are now well into the Christmas season. The hardest part is getting into the Christmas spirit when it is 74 degrees and we are wearing short sleeves and sandals! But the Christmas decorations and a Christmas party on Friday night with fellow students has helped. And once again the Lord is blessing us by providing for our kids to come spend Christmas with us in Costa Rica! They will be here from Dec 20-30th. We are so excited! Then on the 30th, Heather and Ryan will return to the states and we will travel to Guatemala to visit our family there until January 9th. We are looking forward to this as we haven’t seen them for 2 years.

We pray that each of you has a wonderful time celebrating the birth of Jesus. May God richly bless you! Thank you for the blessing you are to us!
Love,
Norman and Vickie

~Praises & Prayer Requests~
-Praise & prayer for continued good health and safety!
-Praise that we are very near 100% of our monthly support goal!
-Praise that Heather & Ryan are doing well on the home front.
-Prayer for travel safety for us and the kids in December & January.
-Praise and blessings for our wonderful host family.
-For encouragement during our second trimester of schooling that starts on Jan 12th, that everything we have learned and are learning will start to all fall in place and that our understanding and ability to understand will increase exponentially!
-Prayer that we will have a special time of renewed vision during our visit in Guatemala.

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”

June 2009 Newsletter

June 8, 2009

Dear Ministry Partners,

As we are preparing to serve on the mission field full time, we have seen the truth of two verses first hand. One is Proverbs 16:9, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.” And Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Our life has been full of changes and plans coming to fruition over the last few months. We are finally getting a breather long enough to give you an update. In our last letter we had an offer on our house and were waiting for all inspections to be completed. We had the course planned, but God determined the steps. After lots of waiting and prayer and patience building exercises, we closed on our house and bought a smaller house in town to call home base for our family and for Heather to live in while in med school. We moved into our new home on April 17th with the help of some wonderful friends! We really like the neighborhood and have wonderful neighbors. We both feel very at home and content here. That is a huge God thing because we both, especially Norman, loved our place in the country. Also, the couple who bought our house is a young Christian couple who love the Lord and want to be kept informed about our mission to Guatemala. Only God could orchestrate such things!

Heather is in Guatemala now until the end of June ministering with a medical ministry. Ryan is home from college in Chicago for the summer. We will all be together in July as a family and hope to spend some quality time together before we all go back to school. We have been accepted into language school in San Jose, Costa Rica and will report to orientation on August 26th. Our airline tickets have been purchased as we step forth in faith and plan to fly south on August 22nd. Reality is starting to set in! This is no longer just a dream that is fun to talk about, we are really going!

As we started down this path of obedience, a word picture that came to mind was that of us
walking into the middle of the river and saying okay Lord here we are, we will go! He then knocked us off our feet and we started soaring down the river at breakneck speed. He has always kept our head above water
and has put the things that needed to be done in our path. We often finish one thing and before we have time to figure out what we should do next, God has already put it in our path. We feel totally out of control and don’t have a clue what we are doing, but that is exactly where God wants us because He is in control and He knows what He is doing. And He does a much better job! He has been faithful to guide us each step of the way!

We are only a small part of His plan to show His love to His children in Guatemala. His plan also includes many others to join in this ministry. We praise the Lord for those of you who have felt the Lord’s calling to be a part of this ministry as a financial and prayer partner and ask those who haven't yet committed financially to prayerfully consider if it is God’s plan for you to be a part of this ministry also. God’s blessings to each of you! Norman & Vickie

~Praises~

-For the sale of our house and the smooth transition to our new home.
-Praise that to date the Lord has raised up financial partners for 50% 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.

February 2009 Newsletter

February 17, 2009

Dear Friends,

“Cock-a-doodle Doo”, the rooster crows the news that the sun is up and it is time to rise and shine. And a day in the mountains of Guatemala begins. As we have been sharing with people about our upcoming great adventure of ministering at the Home of Life and Nutrition in San Andres Guatemala, the most common question seems to be “What will you be doing there?” To be totally honest, we don’t know exactly because day to day life in Guatemala is ever changing and the proverb, “Blessed are the flexible” is applied daily. There is never a dull moment. We do however have a general idea what we will be doing and would like to share that with you.

Our main purpose in going is to encourage and uplift the national Directors of the home, Sebastian and Oralia, and to raise up the children in the home to love the Lord and to have a positive influence on their own people. We will be two extra sets of hands in the daily chores of caring for a family of 30+ children! Since we aren’t quite ready to take on the title of “Grandparents” (even though if we weren’t in denial we would admit that we are now old enough to be grandparents) we like to refer to ourselves as an Aunt and Uncle there to help. We will be doing some mentoring, tutoring, teaching life skills, and most importantly loving and nurturing the children! In addition, Norman will apply his “jack of all trades” skills in the upkeep and daily functioning of the home and Vickie will apply her accounting skills in working with the financial end of the ministry and also in managing the sponsorships for each child in the home.

Currently the orphanage is set up in a traditional format with all the kids together in one building with several rooms. It is a dream to set up the home in more of a family home setting with houses and house parents and a few children in each home. We are hoping to be a part of this dream coming to fruition. Also, right now once the kids turn 18 they can either be employed by the home or they move out and find a job. This can be very difficult. We would like to help the kids continue their education or become trained in a specific skill. We are also praying for better job opportunities in the area and whether God would want us to be a part of making this happen.

So these are the tasks and dreams before us as we prepare to head to language school the end of August. You are an integral part of this ministry through your prayer and financial support. The Lord has truly blessed us in the last couple months by raising up some wonderful ministry partners and we look forward to adding more partners to the Lord’s mission and also to being co-laborers with you in furthering the Lord’s kingdom! We only need a total of 50 people to give $50 per month and 10 people to give $100 per month (or a combination thereof). If you haven’t already done so, please pray and ask the Lord if He wants you to be a partner in this ministry.
Thank you and God bless!

~Praises~
-We have accepted an offer on our house and are waiting for final inspections to be completed.
-Our daughter Heather was accepted into Medical School.
-We have commitments for 12% of our monthly support.

~Prayer Requests~
-That our house passes inspection and the sale goes through without a problem and also that we find a good place to live in town.
-For final selection of language school and housing in Costa Rica.
-That the total monthly need of $3,500 will be raised in time for us to head to language school the end of August.

December 2008 Newsletter

December 1, 2008

Dear Friends,

We are writing to share with you how God has been working in our lives and to ask you to partner with us as we endeavor to serve Him in a new way.

On July 20, 2006, we stood next to a giant size cactus on the side of a dirt road in the mountains of Guatemala looking at the beautiful valley below. We discussed how the Lord had been speaking to us and we both knew that the Lord was calling us to “sell the farm” as Norman put it. We didn’t know the details yet, we just knew that the Lord was stirring a desire in us to serve Him full time in some capacity.

During the two years since, through much prayer, God has made it clear to us that He is calling us to serve full time at the Home of Life and Nutrition in San Andres, Guatemala. So here we are, December 1, 2008, selling the “farm”. We have our house up for sale and are making plans to go to language school in Costa Rica in September 2009 for 6-9 months and then on to live and serve at the Home of Life and Nutrition in San Andres, Guatemala.

The Home of Life and Nutrition, where we have been going on short term mission trips the last 10 years, is all about carrying out God’s command to care for orphans (James 1:27). It is a 24/7 care facility that houses between 30 to 35 children ranging from newborn to 18 years of age. Our role will be to assist in the day to day activities of caring for the children, sharing the love of Christ in all that we do both in the home and in the community. The skills and gifts God has given us will be used to nurture and care for the children to help them mature and develop into young men and women of God.

Sebastian and Oralia are the Directors of the Home of Life. They live on sight with their 4 boys. Our purpose is to uplift and encourage them as we serve along side them.

This adventure has been growing in our hearts for some time now. We know that God is calling us to go and know that He will raise up a team here in the States to partner with us. We ask that you pray and see if God is calling you to be a part of this ministry to orphans through prayer and/or financial support. Our budget once on the field will be approximately $3,500.00 per month. Monthly support can start at any time. Any monthly support or one time gifts that come in between now and September will go first towards start up costs such as transportation and language study and then towards our monthly expenses.

We praise the Lord for each of you and the ways you have supported us in the past. Would you consider being one of our long-term partners through prayer and finances? We value our relationship with you and hope that even while we are living in Guatemala our partnership will continue in order that the Kingdom of God might go forward!

Blessings!

Our future home!