Recently, I was back in the USA and told my home church that my wife and I take separate vacations. I was kidding, but this summer/fall, we both made separate trips to the USA to help our parents. Kelly, as an only child, needed to help her mom, and my parents needed help preparing to move from New Hampshire to Florida. The Apostle Paul said in I Timothy 5:8, “But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.” Our trips were a little over a month apart, so we had a few weeks together, and then I left on October 21, crossing paths in the middle. The Lord continued to bless the church in Limerick.
September
This month began with me alone with two young boys, but they were a delight to have. During this time, I was able to paint the walls of our house and also do some major repairs to my computer system. When Kelly got back after visiting my parents, she told me it would be good if I could go back and help my parents. My pastor in New Hampshire also called me and told me I should return for two to three weeks and that the church would be willing to pay for the flight. I don’t have anyone to fill in for me, so I contacted many pastors and was able to confirm three who could fill in during a three-week departure. So, I booked the plane tickets for the end of October/beginning of November. This month, our youngest son had his 8th birthday, and we had a small family celebration. While Kelly was gone, I preached on the importance of baptism, and two men, Victor and Rick, asked me to baptize them. We use an inflatable hot tub, so it takes one or two days to prepare. I also needed to talk to them about baptism and joining the church. Victor was ready after our conversation. Rick, however, had some other doctrinal issues with the church; so I, unfortunately, couldn’t baptize him. Thankfully, he has continued to come and will hopefully be baptized in the future. I have a few other people who need to be baptized, but they are hesitant for different reasons. During the month, we had 11 visitors.
October
We had an exciting baptism celebration on the first Sunday of October. Victor was baptized, and we had a brilliant lunch afterward. The next week, I gave him his baptism certificate, and he officially joined as a member of the church. During the month, I was also trying to prepare the church and the guest pastors for my departure. I flew to the USA on Monday, October 21, and it was a delight to see my parents. Before our short furlough, I had not been back for nine years, and it has been two years since our furlough. During my time there in October, I was able to post their sellable furniture and tools on Craigslist and begin clearing out their basement. I also got to give several updates to Gospel Baptist Church in Manchester, New Hampshire, who also bought me two needed suits and shoes. They were a great blessing to me. We had 6 visitors this month.
Soul Winning
Victor had made a public profession when an evangelist preached for us years ago. I had not seen him since—about three years; then he suddenly showed up last year. He jumped in with both feet and immersed himself in all the services. I met with him about baptism; I was assuming he was saved, but when I asked him about his salvation, he told me he had never formally asked the Lord to save him. I took 40 minutes and went through the plan of salvation with him. When I finished, he wanted to ask the Lord to save him, so he prayed and received God’s gift of eternal life. He was then baptized two weeks later.
Please pray for these needs:
1. The church to grow together
2. New building
3. Co-laborers in Limerick
4. Protection over the ministry
Last, I want to give my sincere thanks to those who pray for our us, send birthday cards, emails, and messages online and for those who support us financially. May the Lord bless you. Nollaig Shona (“Happy Christmas”) and Happy New Year!
In the campaign for Irish souls,
Keith Hamilton
