As I sit to write this letter, it is mid-July. Like the drastic change from winter to summer, the two months before July involved some significant weather changes, long-lasting cultural changes, and the Lord working in our midst.
May
We started on the first Sunday with our Anniversary meeting. We have been in the city centre for three years; 2015 was the year that God began to move in our ministry and bring people into the church. We are so thankful for all He has done, the people He has brought through and heard the Gospel, and the lives that have been changed for the Lord. At our Anniversary meeting, I questioned the timing, since it was a long holiday weekend and the city was having a marathon with all the streets blocked. Still, the Lord proved greater. Despite all these hindrances, we had 6 first-time visitors come to the meeting, and we were able to get hundreds of Gospel tracts out into the community. One of our ladies got a retail job and was initially working on Sundays and Wednesdays, but she has managed to get her schedule adjusted, allowing her to attend services.
The day before the Anniversary meeting, we entered our children into a marathon called the Limerick Run for Fun. They had a brilliant time. At the end of the month, Ireland had a culture-changing vote, as they amended their constitution, which protected the lives of the unborn. The country voted to legalise abortion. It was a somber day in the country and has caused many Catholics to question their faith, since the Vatican was silent concerning the vote. The change has presented an excellent opportunity for some of our people to give the Gospel and talk to these distraught people.
June
The most significant meeting this month was our annual Father’s Day meeting, and this year we had a barbecue. Everyone had a great time, and our friend Richard ended up showing up. He had not been around for a couple of months and was just as resistant to the Gospel as ever; please continue to pray for him. We were able to get out hundreds of invitations and Gospel tracts. June was an average month, but we did see one visitor.
This became a particularly hot month, with record temperatures reaching 93ºF and no rain at all. Kelly’s birthday was on the 5th, and we took her out to lunch and on a garden-store shopping spree. She had a great day. There was also a zoo trip in Dublin that several missionaries made it out to, with over 30 people who went.
Soul Winning
On a particular Saturday, we met a sweet-spirited older lady. She agreed to take the Religion Survey. I went through all the Ten Commandments, and when I asked if she had broken any of them, she said, “No, I have kept every one.” I was shocked and asked, “Are you sure you have not broken any of them—at any time in your life?” She said, “No, I have kept all of them my whole life.” Finally, I said, “So you never disobeyed your parents as a child or told a lie to get out of trouble?” She confidently said, “No, I always obeyed my parents.” I couldn’t get anywhere with her, and suddenly the verse went through my head: “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” (Luke 5:32) We left her with a tract and moved on. The next couple we talked to were out painting a fence. The husband said the same thing; he had kept every commandment. As his wife gave him a slight glare, she said, “I have broken them.” Thankfully, because of the wife’s honesty, the door opened to present the Gospel to both of them. We ended up at a halfway house for addicts, and a man met us at the door and took the survey. In the midst of the conversation, we found out he knew Missionary Shawn Bowman, which made him even more open to listening. We were able to present the Gospel very clearly to him. Bro. Bowman told me later that this man has been difficult to talk to, so it seems the survey was able to break down a barrier. Please pray that the Gospel seed will take root in these people
Please pray for these needs:
1. Bible Camp and Teen Rally
2. Co-laborers in Limerick
3. Protection over the ministry
Last, I would like to thank all of you for your continued prayers, unwavering support, and all the churches and individuals who sent cards and gifts for Kelly’s birthday.
In the campaign for Irish souls,
Keith Hamilton