Spiritual Battles, Victories, and Christmas Blessings
“So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) I am thankful that God blesses His Word. Although we may not see immediate results, the more it is spread, it does not return empty. As the months moved closer toward Christmas, beginning at the end of November, we had special Christmas messages and invited people to join us to hear the Christmas story from the Bible. During these cold, dark winter months, we were able to get out 2,000 Christmas fliers, and 2,000 Gospel tracts, “What If Jesus Was Never Born,” to homes in the area. We saw 5 visitors come to our Sunday night meeting. During this time Kelly also put together a Christmas puppet show that the children did the Sunday night before Christmas. The kids were so proud of themselves. Kelly did such a good job with the stage that we had people wandering in from the hotel hallway to see what was happening.
These months began with mixed blessings and heartache. At the beginning of November, Kelly got to attend an annual ladies’ meeting, but a few hours after I dropped her off, I received a phone call that her grandfather had died. When she got home from the meeting, I prayed and examined our finances to see if it would be possible to send her home. It cost far too much; the airline bereavement rate would have cost $2,800. I put out a prayer request, did a little more airline research, and finally found a flight for $1,200. I also had a few people offer to help, which covered the cost of the ticket. I quickly bought the ticket, and Kelly had six hours before her flight left. Being an only grandchild, she was able to go and be a blessing to her grandmother and see her mom for the first time in four years. Thank the Lord for answered prayer.
The beginning of December brought the loss of one of my faithful men, Martin. He was laid off from his job in Limerick and needed to move back to Cork, an hour and half away. He will now go back to Bible Baptist Church. He was a great help and soul-winning partner. Also, just before Christmas, Raymond and Elizabeth had a brand-new baby boy. They are so thrilled.
I have great plans for 2014 in trying to reach people. I am also in the process of writing and designing a Bible Facts tract and a newsletter, and in the summer I am doing a special series on Bible Christianity called “Exploring Christianity.” The most pressing issue is getting our next-year passport stamp. By the time you get this letter, we will either be allowed to remain in the country or heading home. If we are able to stay, it will make us eligible for dual citizenship. Dual citizenship will give us the ability to stay in the country and move freely in the European Union.
Please pray for these needs:
1. Our support level remains at 88%; please pray it might increase.
2. Immigration approval and citizenship in February
3. Furlough plane tickets
4. We need a van to transport people.
Also, I want to thank all of the individuals and churches who faithfully pray for us, those who faithfully support us, and those who were able to send Christmas gifts and help with extra needs.
Battling for Irish souls,
Keith W. Hamilton
