A New Home and New Visitors
First, I want to begin this letter with my sincere apologies for taking too long to write. It suddenly came to my attention a couple weeks ago. Prayer letters have always been a priority to me, but these past few months, it somehow completely slipped my mind. One of the main reasons for my negligence is because in addition to weekly ministry obligations, we have been working on purchasing a new home. In December we were able to place a bid on a new home, and the whole situation has included many ups and downs, but the Lord’s hand has been involved from the very beginning. I cannot get into all the details and miracles that have been involved, but we were able to purchase the house for $20,000 below the asking price, it is only 15 minutes from the city centre, and it sits on 13 acres of property. It was built in the 1970s and needs some work; but it is livable, and we were able to move in straightaway. We are so thankful for this tremendous door the Lord has opened for us. We received the keys on July 5. The address is Woodcock Lodge, Woodcock Hill, Ballyvoughallan, Meelick Co. Clare V94 PKH4 Ireland.
March
This is the month of the Irish Mother’s Day. We had a special Mother’s Day meeting, where I preached a Mother’s Day message. We honored all the mothers who came with a Mother’s Day card and a certificate to get tea at a local shop. That day we had 1 new visitor and 7 for the entire month.
April
In April we were excited to have 9 first-time visitors. Kelly got to attend a Mother-Daughter Banquet at Bible Baptist Church in Cork. We had a special Easter service, where we advertised and gave away the book Paid in Full by Bro. Paul Chappell as a gift to all who came. We had one visitor that Sunday. After Easter came the annual Men’s Camp in Co. Waterford, where I had the privilege of preaching to 60+ men from all over the country. I also got to bring a young lad named Chris with me. He missed last year but had a great time this year and got to see a friend whom he knew as a former Pentecostal who encouraged him to find an independent Baptist church.
May
The first Sunday of May was our anniversary for being in the building two years. Unfortunately, we did not have any visitors in May, but many of the regulars continued to be faithful to our meetings.
June
This was a very busy month, with my sending pastor and his wife visiting us. They got to come to a couple services and see the new property the Lord has given us. They also got to experience the culture, see much of the country, meet some of our friends, and see some of the churches we served in when we first came to Ireland. After they flew back to the USA, we had a Father’s Day meeting, where I preached a special Father’s Day message and honoured the dads who came with a card and a gift to a coffee shop. Then Andrew and Jennifer Day came to visit our services. They are missionaries who are working at Bible Baptist Church in Cork and plan to start a church in Ennis. They will be filling in and taking our positions at the church from September to January. Please pray that the Lord will help and enable them. We had one first-time visitor in June.
Soul Winning
These months, we have continued to knock on doors and give out tracts. One Saturday I was knocking on doors with our eldest son. First we met the adopted sister of Graham, the man I disciple on Thursdays, and I was able to tell her the Gospel. Then a couple doors later, I met a man in his late thirties who was originally from Waterford. He was very open. I was able to tell him the Gospel, but he had a lot of problems with the Bible concerning homosexuality. I tried to explain to him that the Bible speaks out against all sin. We are all sinners, and no one will get to Heaven without trusting Christ alone. Please pray he will respond well on a follow-up visit and be saved.
Please continue praying for these needs:
1. Our support level is at 95%; please pray it might increase.
2. Co-laborers in Limerick
3. Protection over the ministry
4. That we will have what we need for furlough (video, display, etc.)
Last, I would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers, support, and patience concerning our prayer letters.
In the campaign for Irish souls,
Keith Hamilton
