We are so thankful for the busyness of work that the Lord has placed into our hands. Even with some of Kelly’s health limitations, she has improved over the years and has learned how to deal with them. It has been such a blessing to also be able to be a part of and an encouragement to the new works on the west of Ireland in Ennis and Galway. I am not sure how long we will be able to do so, but while we can, I want to be an encouragement. This is something similar to what Baptist churches did in the Southern U.S. and why they spread so broadly.

March

This month is when we have Mother’s Day in Ireland. For Mother’s Day again this year, we offered free family portraits for each of the mothers who attended. We advertised on Facebook and got a few who showed interest and were able to get the church name out across the web. We also had a lovely lunch with different quiches and desserts and gave each of the moms who attended a potted flower. At the end of the month was our Easter celebration, where we gave everyone a nice piece of chocolate and I preached on the importance of the resurrection of Christ. There is a missionary family nearby, the Days, who discovered that their mom had cancer, and they went back to the States at the end of the month for her operation. Since they left, I have been filling in for Bro. Andrew Day in their Thursday night Bible studies. I have been teaching on the topic of “How to Study the Bible,” as well as continuing to lend a hand and be part of the services in Galway on Sundays as well.

April

This month began with the annual Irish Men’s Camp, and because I needed to be in our Bible Study on Wednesday and Pastor Day’s on Thursday, I wasn’t able to arrive until Friday, but Kelly drove Keith II over on the Wednesday it started. The preaching I got to hear on Friday was phenomenal and very helpful. I have found that even one sermon is a blessing, help, and challenge; and I am very thankful for Pastor Ledbetter holding them each year. Near the end of the month, there was a Ladies’ Meeting, and Kelly was able to go with Lynn and Lana. They really had a great, encouraging day. The speaker happened to be the daughter of one of the directors of the boarding school she went to as a teenager. This was a Roloff-type ministry. Although Kelly made a profession as a child, this was where she first remembers seeing her sinful condition and trusted the Lord as her Saviour. This pastor’s wife, Rachel Smith, was in the school at the same time, and it was an encouragement for both of them to see one another. Since October 2018, Keith has been waiting to receive notification whether he is approved or denied for citizenship. It has been a long, arduous wait for him, and he has had to put his life completely on hold because he could not leave the country while he waited. Finally, at the end of April, Keith received a confirmation letter that he was approved for dual citizenship. They gave him 10 days to come up with €950, fill out a form, and submit a passport picture. The Lord provided the money for Keith, and he will soon have the ability to come to Ireland without limitations or issues. His ceremony date is set for June 10, so now he can move on in his life. Please pray for the Lord’s guidance. We also got our first dishwasher installed in our kitchen. We purchased it in January and finally got it installed in April—it is a long story.

Soul Winning

One Saturday while we were getting the Gospel out in a neighbourhood, a woman came out of her home and called me over, asking what we were handing out. I walked across the street, and I was confronted by a 55-year-old Irish woman covered in tattoos and earrings. After telling her that I was a Baptist pastor and that we had a weekly Bible study and services, she began telling me how she was fed up with the Catholic church and its abuses and that she had several Muslim friends she drank with. She said they were not practicing and would hide the alcohol from their mother when she came over. I could see that she had been influenced by them when she referred to Jesus Christ as a prophet. Finally, I was able to steer the conversation and began telling her about how we are sinners and cannot live up to the level of God’s holiness, which is required to go to Heaven. Suddenly, she stopped the conversation and said she had to leave. I think the truth was that she was convicted, but the door was left open. She said she would read the Gospel tracts I left with her, and I plan to head back in the future.

Please pray for these needs:

1. Co-laborers in Limerick
2. Protection over the ministry
3. More visitors on the countryside
4. Guidance and wisdom as we move forward
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, letters, birthday cards and gifts and offerings, and for your faithful prayers and support.

For the souls in Ireland,

Keith Hamilton