Teaching English, Christmas and Bibles

On Saturday December 18 we had a special Christmas lesson with Power Point slides at the Khok Kloy elementary school and had 45 students.  We also showed Merry Christmas Mr. Bean.  Then gave New Testaments, nativity scene stickers, and snowman pencils to all the children.  There were another 25 children have a sports activity outside, when we prepared to leave they all came received New Testaments also.    Cindy continues to teach four days a week in Thai Muang nearly an hour drive north of us.  She presented the Christmas lesson there to all of her of students (about 350), most of them have Bibles already from last year, but she gave out another 30.  She and Ohn also taught the lesson in the Saturday afternoon Kid's Club in Thanun and another 30 children received New Testaments.  The Wednesday before Christmas my Learning English Together radio program was also a Christmas English Lesson.  Wanta who translates my messages (editing the Google translation that I do) is a long time friend of Al and Karin Brown our friends from Canada who serve the Lord in the Khao Lak area about 6 months out of the year.  Al was asked to do a Christmas lesson in a school there and used the PowerPoint Cindy put together for our classes and another 240 kids heard the Good News.

International Commission

Pray for Operation Andrew happening now in the eight churches and  pray that Magnolia Avenue Baptist church and other churches across the USA will recruit a large number  of participants for this outreach to Thailand March 21 - April 2.  We have made hotel reservations for 30 counting Jeff and Jodie and Cindy and me, so we need 26 volunteers.  Make that 24, we just learn that Duke and Sunshine, a couple who visited us about 3 months ago when Jeff and Jodie were here, are moving to Thailand in March and will be with us for the outreach. 

The hotel is the Khao Lak Orchid Beach Resort.    The ideal team consists of a preacher and 2-3 lay people, we can assign to each of the eight churches.  In previous projects, men, women and young people from all walks of life, ages 13-85, have been used effectively.  

 The two basic areas of project work are visitation and evangelistic services.  Every participant spends two or three hours each morning and each afternoon in scheduled visitations.  They witness in homes,  schools, and wherever the host church desires.  Many other evangelistic opportunities come outside the scheduled visitation.        In addition to providing interpreters to bridge any language barriers, International Commission asks each person to write their personal testimony.  This is translated and copies are printed in the host language.  Each volunteer will have 200 copies in Thai and 50 in Burmese.  Each witnessing brochure provides that participant's personal testimony, the plan of salvation, steps for a new believer, and a decision card that is in the language of those to whom we take the gospel.      Each church holds some other evangelistic services.  Interpreters make it possible for team members to testify and for the visiting evangelist to preach.  The local pastor participates in the invitation and counseling in order to bond the respondents to the local church.  If you are interested in participating complete this application form. A brochure with more information is now available.

Change in missionary support address

 All future donation checks for our missionary support should be made payable to  U Turn for Christ   Mailing address:  20170 Patterson Ave, Perris CA 92570   Reference “Support for Dana & Cindy Bratton” in the memo U Turn is a ministry of Calvary Chapel Phone: (951)943-7097 or donate through   PayPal   Pastor Gerry Brown is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Romoland and oversees U Turn for Christ and the Calvary Chapel work in Thailand and Myanmar.  Our church here is not self supporting.  If at any time you would lke to help us pay our one staff member and building expenses you can send support to Grace Across Asia c/o Thrift N Gift, 4516 Missouri Flat Road, Placerville, CA 95667  That is the non profit organization set up by James Garwood and Joe Cochran to support the Calvary Chapel churches in Thailand.  Please indicate the gift is for Calvary Chapel at the Bridge.

Christmas caroling at Bangkok Phuket Hospital

On Christmas eve, Cindy, Sana, Faa (a new lady attending our church) and I joined the staff of the hospital in Christmas caroling.  We visited about 40 English speaking patients (a few of them were non English speaking foreigners).  Most of them allowed me to pray for them, we gave a chocolate gift from the hospital, a Gideon New Testament and a tract.  There were a lot of smiles and some tears too.  One family from India made a generous donation of 5,000 baht to our church. 

Following the caroling Faa asked me to go with her to the Mai Khao school where her husband is the director, and play the part of Santa Claus gving gifts of candy to the children there.  I also gave out another 60 New Testaments.  A Santa Claus costume is very hot to wear in Thailand.  They had me harvest a bit of rice in the field with a local famer and then Faa and I visited and prayed for many of her elderly family members who live in that village.

Christmas Day

Each person in our church has been prayingor ten or more people, (firends or family) for their salvation in prepartion for the International Commission team coming in March.  I decided to have our "service of ten" where we invited those ten people to attend church one day and allow us to pray for them, on Christmas Day.  Two on my list of ten came, and one broght a friend.  Cindy prepared a nice collection of Christmas songs in Thai, we had an English speaking couple visiit, gave presents to everyone and had lot of great food and fellowship.  On Wednesday in preparatioin for Christmas at church I spoke on Isaiah chapter 9.

The Tsunami Memorial

  I look forward each year to preaching the Gospel at the memorial.  This year I shared the Christmas story with the crowd of about 60, telling them that hope we can have in dealing with tragedy and loss in events such as the tsunami seven years ago, is found in Christmas through Jesus Christ.  I shared a similar message on the radio and at church, Luke chapter 2.  I was also interviewed there by a German TV station, a Russian TV station and the Phuket Gazette newspaper and the service was aired on local Thai TV. here are some photos of the “Wall of Remembrance” prior to the start.

A visiting pastor from Pakistan

Pastor Imtiaz Robert and I have been corresponding by email for several years.  He visited Thailand last year, but was unable to connect with us here.  This time, the Lord provided for him to visit here after going to Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Malaysia.  He arrived on Friday night and left Sunday evening.  Nice to fellowship with him and have him share his testimony on the radio and at church.  He has an interstting storty to tell of answered prayer.  He and his wife run an orpanage in Lahore, Pakistan with a Bible school. 

Other news

We flew to Kuala Lumpur Malaysia for an every-90-days visa run and had a day off enjoying the Bird Park there.  

We attended the Tourist Police Volunteer Christmas party at the Royal Phawadee Village Resort, and had a very nice evening.   I am continuing to volunteer two afternoons a week with Tourist Police volunteers at the airport.

New Years night we attended the new Siam Niramit dinner theater.  A very spectular show similar to the Phuket Fantasea.  Tickets were very inexpensive for the opening for those with a local driver's license.

We are in Joshua on Wednesday nights, and now in John on Sunday mornings.  On the radio we are in Acts for God's Word for Today and easy English stories from the Bangkok Post for Learning English Together.   Bible study notes and PowerPoints can be viewed and downloaded from www.wdbydana.com/sermon.html 

I am behind on weed cutting and hoping for a team to come help.  I was able to do quite a bit of mowing of several of the huge fields and the walking park in preparation for New Years eve celebrations and another celebration tonight near the Health Center, where villagers will exchange gifts and sing karaoke.

To follow my Twitter news page see the Dana Bratton Daily and if you missing our pictures please see Cindy's Facebook photo album..  

 Praise and Prayer Requests

Pray for me and my two translators Ohn and Sana, and for those who hear as I  preach and teach at church and on the radio.

Please continue to pray for Bibles to supply other Se-Ed bookstores in Thailand and that they will be receptive to the distribution.

Pray for Cindy as she teaches in the two schools in Thai Muang, Phang Nga and for the Kid's Club at the Thanon school Saturday afternoons.  Praise the Lord, the English reading ability is improving substantially with a number of her students. Also pray for her as she leads worship Wednesday and Sunday and prepares meals.

Please continue to pray for healing for Taa Thon long term member of our church - age 90 homebound for now.  He seemed slightly improved at my last home visit.

Pray for more Global Media Outreach online missionaries for Thailand, speakers of both English and Thai, see www.missionaryfromhome.com  Also pray for the 22 members of my Global Media community I oversee that God will use them mightily in their follow up counseling. 

Pray for those God is preparing to come help us in March with International Commission and pray for our son Nathan and his family (Denise, Colin, and Kadence)  who are coming to visit us the end of February.

Thanks for your partnership with us, we greatly appreciate your support through prayer and financial giving.  God bless you,   Dana and Cindy Bratton

Donation checks for our missionary support should be made payable to U Turn for Christ   Mailing address:  20170 Patterson Ave, Perris CA 92570   Reference “Support for Dana & Cindy Bratton” in the memo  

 U Turn is a ministry of Calvary Chapel Phone: (951)943-7097 or donate through   PayPal

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