Our hosts Gerald and Triffny 

Cindy and I so enjoyed our two week stay in the home of Gerald and Triffny.  They have a nice condo in the Yishun district, up on the ninth floor.  Gerald is a youth pastor at Chapel of the Holy Spirit, an Anglican church, in St. Andrews Village, where there also three schools, two other churches and the office of the Anglican Diocese.  He also leads the daily school chapels in the middle school.  We attended church with them on our first Sunday there.  Evangelist Ross Tooley was the speaker.  He was the one who was our trainer in YWAM Perth for a week on evangelism.   On the last Sunday there, in the evening we attended there again with a special presentation by Island Breeze, a team of YWAM Pacific Islanders. 

Triffny works for the IRS as an auditor. We became really good friends, they had many questions to ask us old folks - we talked about Christian ministry, doctrine, preaching, American culture, Singaporean culture, family, and more.  They were so gracious and hospitable.   They picked us up by taxi at the airport.  We enjoyed many meals together.  Once we prepared burritos for them.  We also went to the night safari together.  They helped know how to catch the train or bus to get wherever we needed to go that day and would often have supper waiting for us when we returned.  We also had wireless internet.

GoFest Asia

  More than 300 people from 25 countries came for evangelism training with YWAM Singapore in an event called GoFest Asia.  Cindy and I served as facilitators in the children's track called Hope for Kids based on Evangelism Explosion, training children to share the gospel for four days.  Then there was outreach in teams for

• 17 schools
• 7 hospitals
• 16 Family Service Centers
• A red light district
• A Thai construction site
• 18 Olympic venues

Our Team

During the outreach segment we were teamed with YWAM Surigao from the Philippines. Annabelle, who has been with YWAM for many years, was the team leader, Nicole, a young Singaporean, was the team facilitator, helping us to get where we need to be.  The O' Connors - Jason, Cristal, Derek, Nathan, and Jacob, an outstanding family from Oregon, who have served in the Philippines for two years.  Jason has served as a Calvary Chapel pastor and pioneered a school of biblical studies.  They just recently moved from a small island to team up with YWAM.  Crystal has home schooled the three boys ages 10, 8, and 5. We got to know the boys during the first four days.  Derek several times shared his testimony of being badly injured in a BMX bicycle accident, breaking his front teeth, his nose and a fractured spine.  He was transferred to another hospital, while Crystal prayed and sang "He is Mighty to Save" then the doctor at the second hospital reported there was no fractured spine. 

In our outreach we spent one afternoon in a hospital visiting children and presenting a program in one of the children's wards.  We also did the same with a YWAM team from Cambodia in a Community Center that provides after school activities for children.  In both cases we were told to be careful not to speak about God or Jesus or to pray.  At first, I thought what should we do then?  I remembered watching the opening ceremony where a boxer took on a monster  that the commentator called David and Goliath.   So we made Olympic coloring sheets, Olympic clay rings, lace paper balls, and did a drama of the David and Goliath story.  Jason played the part of the giant and young Jacob the part of David.  I asked, "David, where does your power come from to fight this giant?"  He answered,  "From God"  How do we get that power?  "By believing and by praying."   "Can these children have that power when they feel weak and small like you?"  "Yes"  We also sang the ARISE song we had learned during the first four days.

Youth Olympics  

Our team went to pray on a Monday outside of Bishan Sports Complex where many of the Olympic events were held.  Then Tuesday we went to see the preliminary athletic track and field events.  Just before we were seated we met a young lady from the US who later won her heat and we sat behind a family from Australia whose son was competing.  

Click here for a slide show of this event

Family Games

ARISE(a Singaporean children's ministry) partnered with  the Singapore Sports Coalition, Focus on the Family, and Scripture Union under the Youth More than Gold (YMTG) umbrella, to unite the Christian body and be a blessing to the community. Family or teams of six played a variety of games in the mud, watched stage performances by YWAM teams, there was fun competition and prizes, on a Saturday morning.  I was adopted into the O' Connor family.                                 

ARISE  Celebration Concert

 ARISE held two large children's worship celebrations, with several thousand in attendance on Sunday.  Cindy and I were ushers at the afternoon program at the Expo convention center. 

On Sunday morning we attended church with Tan and Lina.  Lina was one of the ladies leading the children's training.  They invited us to lunch at a very nice Mexican restaurant.

Other scenes in Singapore

Singapore has 58 estates or communities, each with a number of high rise condos surrounding schools, churches and temples with a nearby shopping mall all conveniently connected by light rail train.  We had opportunity to share the gospel with a man from Malaysia who happened to be getting off at the same train stop at Yishun near where we lived.  We also shared one evening after dinner in the North Pointe shopping mall with a devout Jew from Israel.  Pray for these two men that the gospel seed will grow and Gerald might have opportunity to follow up with them.

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Our team went to prayer walk at Marina Bay where the opening and closing ceremonies were conducted. 

Cindy and I went with Gerald and Triffny to China Town, we did some clothes and gift shopping and had a nice meal.

Monday before we returned to Thailand we went to the Singapore Zoo

God's Word for Today Calvary Chapel at the Bridge

Now I am teaching through Exodus  in the three weekly radio programs. . Last Sunday was special, Sana was gone and Tum translated again and said she would share the good news with her friends!  We are almost finished with Galatians and will start Ephesians next week.  

Wednesday nights we are studying through Numbers,  for more on this and other messages see www.wdbydana.com/sermon.html

Riding Mower Project

Magnolia Avenue Baptist church in Riverside had their VBS about six  few weeks ago.  The kids were challenged to give their pennies for missions.  $1,200 came in which will go toward the mower project.  A blood drive at the church raised another $1,000, plus other donations of $600 brings the total so far to $2,800, only $1,600 more to go! 

 Donations for the mower project can be made to YWAM Montana designate Thachatchai Community Center Project number 3601, mail to YWAM Montana 501 Blacktail Road Lakeside, Montana 59922 U.S.A  or non tax deductible donations can be sent by check c/o Nathan Bratton 15351 Brandon Lane Fontana, CA 92337 

Tourist Police Volunteers from our village took on two recent projects.  One was placing crabs and shell fish in the sea amongst the mangrove trees near us.  The other was a team of about ten with a tractor from the local government and three other weed cutters besides mine to clear a large field between the walking park and the sea. 

 Praise and Prayer Requests

Pray the Lord of the Harvest to call, equip, and send laborers into this difficult but ready for-harvest field.  Pray for a "Timothy" a young Thai man In can train to eventually take my place.

Pray for the three weekly radio broadcasts of God's Word for Today on Happy Radio 105.25 FM.  Also our Learning English broadcast on Wednesday morning.  Pray for Ohn as she translates my teaching Wednesday, the radio programs and teaches Kid's Club on Saturdays with Cindy. 

Pray for the Calvary Chapel missions conference in Hong Kong September 12 -16.  Pray for good weather as I take Cindy to Disneyland for her birthday on the 16th.

Pray for Cindy teaching English in two schools.  Pray for opportunities for evangelism, cooperation with the Thai teachers, and safety in traveling to and from.  Pray for the school field trip to Bangkok and Ayutthaya September 22 - 23. 

Pray for me as I preach and teach in our village of Thachatchai,  that many more people will come to faith in Christ.  A new bridge is being built here to connect the island to the the mainland.  The bridge the old north bound bridge is now closed making it more difficult to come and go from our village and from side to side.  How people here need to know of the Bridge between God and man, the Lord Jesus.  Pray for Sana as she translates my Sunday messages.

Praise the Lord for Vaughan, Kate, and Philip who kept the ministry going here while we were in Singapore

Praise the Lord for a good Southern YWAM leadership meeting August 29, with plans now for monthly gatherings.  

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

YWAM Thailand missionary. Regular support may be sent to YWAM Montana 501 Blacktail Road Lakeside, Montana 59922 U.S.A. Project number 3454. or through   PayPal

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