Spring is coming. Our days are getting longer, and there are so many people. We hope and pray you are encouraged by what the Lord is doing here in Ireland.
March
Being out on the countryside has the benefits of serenity and peacefulness, but it also presents challenges, like getting visitors to attend services. So, it is delightful when we do have new visitors. A man from Chile contacted me on Telegram in February about his son being in Limerick for language school and needing a church to go to. Most people flock to the Baptist Union church in the city, so I was not sure if the text was real. As we texted back and forth, I discovered that his son Michael was wanting to visit, so I gave him our location and bus-route information. Then I received another contact on Telegram from a man named Saul about coming. On Sunday when I drove to the bus stop to collect Frank and Tim from Brazil, they had three more people with them: Michael, Saul, and Natalie (Michael’s cousins visiting from Spain). They loved the service, and Michael has been attending faithfully ever since. In Ireland, we have Mother’s Day in March, so this year, we gave all the ladies flowers and took family portraits with all the mums. We also had a man from New York visit with Caleb on Mother’s Day, and we will call him Mr. T. I was told by Caleb that he was an evangelist. He came to the service the next week and got into an argument with Frank about the universal church. He seems to have a root of bitterness that defiles others and has not been a help as a good testimony for the Lord. Unfortunately, we have not seen Caleb since the week after Mother’s Day. Caleb has been faithful attending the Day family’s services in Ennis, thankfully, but he is now convinced that he is in the universal church and will roam around doing what he feels God wants him to do. Please pray for this drifting soul. On a good note, a single Irish man named Daniel has begun attending again after being away for almost five years. We had a split when I offended a man because of my stand on the King James Bible. I knew it would happen; but I prayed about it, and the Lord gave me wisdom. I was able to minimise the split; but, unfortunately, this lad was a casualty. Since I built a good reputation with him, he was willing to come back, and after meeting him for coffee, he has been faithfully attending the services. Keith II also finished his 10 weeks of German Longsword classes; they had a final sparring competition and were awarded certificates of completion.
April
The Ukrainian man has been doing a lot of work for us in restoring our property and buildings. We are so blessed to have such a reliable and affordable Christian worker at our home. The thought occurred to me that perhaps the reason we were not able to find a worker for so long is because the Lord was saving the work for him. It has really been a help to him and his family. One of our church families from Romania was able to purchase a house in April. This is becoming more and more difficult for the average person, so they are thankful for the opportunity. In mid-March, we attended the annual three-day Men’s Camp and were excited to have Michael with us. We have not seen Victor in almost a year now, but one of our members was able to bring him to the Friday Men’s Camp services. Both Michael and Victor had a great time at the camp. On Sunday, the 25th, we had a low attendance, so we brought Michael and Keith II over to Bunratty Castle to roam around for a couple of hours. Bunratty Castle is a village and castle that represent old Ireland with people dressed in garments from long ago. Michael was so excited to get to learn a bit about Irish history and culture. It is so different from Chilean culture. Then on the last Sunday of the month, we were blessed to have a member of a supporting church in Pennsylvania join us as she was touring Ireland. It was such a blessing to get to see her again, since we were at their church in 2017.
Soul Winning
Aside from our weekly evangelism efforts, on St. Patrick’s Day, we made a special attempt to take advantage of the crowds of people who would flood into the city for the parade. So, we went into Limerick with 20 Bibles and signs, found a corner where there was an ice cream truck and where many people would be heading, and set ourselves up. We went in with 20 Bibles, and within 2 hours, we were able to give away 21, as well as invitations and tract bookmarks. My wife also got to pray with some ladies who approached her, and since we ran out of Bibles, a lady from Chile gave us her contact information. Kelly met the lady to give her a nicer Bible and to get to witness to her and tell her the Gospel. We had a great day glorifying the Lord and plan to do it again soon.
Please pray for these needs:
1. Co-laborers in Limerick
2. Protection over the ministry
3. More visitors in the countryside
4. Guidance and wisdom as we move forward
5. Direction for Caleb
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails and letters and for your faithful prayers and support. You can also view more pictures here.
For the souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
[/fusion_text][/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]