Tragedy and Triumph
First, I want to apologize for this late letter. I try to write our prayer letters bi-monthly, but for different reasons, I was not able to do so. Therefore, I am writing a letter for three months; sorry for the inconvenience. The last few months, we have seen the Lord’s hand in our work, as well as tragedies, and I am excited to tell you all about it.
May
This month we had 3 visitors. I had been working on a new Bible-study invitation and finally had it printed, and we began distributing them. Unfortunately, we lost one of our faithful members who moved away, but we continue to knock on doors and invite people to church. At the end of the month, I had a visit from an old Bible-college friend, Jamie. He was on a holiday in Ireland, and we got to take him to King Johns Castle and buy him fish and chips.
June
We used this month to lay the groundwork for our Holiday Bible Club in July. I received 5,000 fliers in prepara-tion, and my boys and I worked hard to deliver 3,000 of them to homes in Limerick. We also bought a newspaper advert, as well as advertising on Facebook. At the beginning of the month, the Lord provided the money, and Kelly got to fly back to the U.S. to see her grandmother for the last time. Kelly is grateful for the opportunity she had to share the Gospel with her during this special time. While they were away, Bible Baptist Church in Ballincollig had a picnic on the beach, and I went down with one of our young men and had a great time. Everyone was cooking out, and near the end, one of the men preached on serving God. When Kelly got back, we took a trip to the U.S. Embassy in Dublin and got to visit several friends during the short time we were there.
July
If you can picture the video image of a launching space shuttle, it is the best description that comes to mind when I think of June and July. Getting out the fliers in June was like the thrusters on a rocket ship, and the Holiday Bible Club at the beginning of July was the final liftoff from the launch pad. I was very pleased with our Holiday Bible Club went. In February I was offered the opportunity to have two preacher boys come to our church and do a Holiday Bible Club for us. It was a step of faith, because currently our kids are the only children attending. We got out the last 2,000 of our fliers. Expecting only our 4 kids, we ended up having 22 children and teens during the week. We had 3 professions of faith and are thrilled with how the week went. We even managed to fit in a trip to the most beautiful natural attraction in Ireland, the Cliffs of Moher. Then the Sunday afterward, we had Evangelist Bob Jones preach for us. A man named Vincent walked up after the morning preaching and said he had trusted the Lord as Saviour during the invitation. His salvation was the culmination of the testimonies of several born again Christians he has known throughout his life and the preaching that God used to draw him. Vincent received Christ as Saviour that morning. “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” (I Corinthians 3:6) During the month we had 15 visitors; 9 on Sunday mornings and 6 in our Wednesday Bible study. At the end of the month, Kelly’s grandmother passed away, and the Lord once again provided the money for her and our oldest boy to travel back for 3½ weeks. She is going back to help her mom and to speak at her grandmother’s memorial service. At this point, I have been alone with our two youngest boys. Please pray for Kelly, and pray that all goes well in Ireland while she’s away.
Soul Winning
On the Saturday Evangelist Bob Jones came to be with us, we went out soul winning together. There were many people who were not home, but there was one particular Irishman in his 30s who spoke to us. I went through my religion questionnaire and asked him if I could show him what the Bible says about Heaven. When I finished, he made the comment, “So you’re telling me I don’t have to get baptized, go to communion, or pray the rosary to get to Heaven?” I said, “Yes.” He would not trust the Lord at that time, but God gave him a clear understanding. Please pray for this young man.
Please continue praying for these needs:
1. Our support level is at 95%; please pray it might increase.
2. Co-laborers
3. Someone to fill in during furlough
4. Protection over the ministry
Last, I would like to thank all of you for your faithful prayers and financial support. May the Lord bless and bring fruit to your accounts.
In the campaign for Irish souls,
Keith Hamilton