Thanks for taking the time to read this amazing letter. God is so much better to us than anything we could ever possibly deserve, and we are so thankful and excited to get to serve Him here in Ireland. We are so grateful that we have dual citizenship, and He has provided us with a home that has a building we can use for church meetings. The most amazing thing about our home is that from 2012 – 2015, I used to go to a spot and pray. As I prayed, I would look at the same mountain we live on and asked the Lord to give us a home on it. I knew it would never happen and never be possible, but I also knew we serve a God of impossibilities. Today we are living in an impossible answered prayer. We also made a list of what we wanted in a house, and it met every expectation and much more. Despite the lockdowns, I fully believe the Lord has us here in the right place at the right time, and He has really been blessing us. Today, missionaries may not be able to come to Ireland, but retirees from the U.S. can very easily move here and help a missionary if the Lord calls them. Having a Silas in a church would be a great help to any ministry here. Someone might want to pray about that.
March
With the Level 5 lockdowns, not much happened this month. We continued having services and broadcasting them live online. One of our church people came on their own a couple times, but most people avoided church altogether. One of our families has really been struggling, trying to sell fast food from their high-class restaurant. They have barely been making ends meet. We promised our 17-year-old a bicycle for his birthday in January and were finally able to make good on our promise. We looked online, ordered a mountain bike, and collected it a couple of weeks later. He was so excited. The best part is that we live on a mountain with a large park and several mountain biking trails. This was the year anniversary of the two-week lockdowns, but it was also the anniversary of when the contractor cleaned out our church, including the carpeting. I want to thank every church for giving toward that need as the Lord led, even recently. I never asked for money, but many recognised a need and sought to fill it. This selfless giving has been a great testimony to our people of having a giving spirit and filling needs across the globe. Thanks to all of you faithful, mature Christians for encouraging the babes in Christ.
April
The Sunday after Easter, the Irish government extended the legal driving perimeter from 5km to being allowed to drive within one’s county. Therefore, several of our church people decided to come to church for the first time since January. This was a great blessing, but the next week, the government made a new law that fined churchgoers US$185 (€150) or up to six months in jail. The next week, no one came to church. There is a definite spiritual battle happening in the world today. Our oldest boy nudged me to get a mountain bike as well, so by the end of the month, I caved in and got one so we could go on the nearby trails together. Victor has been talking to me about starting the discipleship again, so If things open up completely in May, I hope to get that started again.
Soul Winning
I have found many unsaved people are like scared sheep. They know something is wrong in the world, and they are looking for answers. Near the end of the month, I met a lad named Edmond on social media who was one of these people looking for answers. I got to talking with him, and he wanted me to send him a Bible. I sent him the Bible, along with a Bible study and several Gospel tracts. I discovered he is from a town nearby. He asked me online if the sacraments were changed, and I told him that they were and that the Bible teaches the way to Heaven is only through Jesus. Then I quoted John 14:6. Please pray that Edmond gets saved. He is open and well on his way. We continue to get out The Light of the World DVDs by Chick Publications. We have not really had any responses, but we are continuing to put them out in the area. Please pray that the Lord will use them to help people understand biblical salvation.
Please pray for these needs:
1. Co-laborers in Limerick
2. Protection over the ministry
3. Kelly’s health
Last, I thank everyone who sent cards and emails and for your faithful prayers and support. May the Lord bless all of you for your sacrifices to hold the ropes.
In the campaign for Irish souls,
Keith Hamilton
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- Our oldest son shows off his new mountain bike.
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- Fishing with church people