May-June '23: Another Year in Limerick
17/09/23
***Please accept my apologies for being late with this email update. Those who receive hard copies got it on time. These emails are sent automatically when I post them to our website. Because our website programme is on my desktop computer, and it stopped working in July, I was unable to get this email out in a timely manner. Sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.***
The world and many of the events that have transpired since 2020 are mind-boggling in many ways. As the world changes, we can see the Lord’s return more evident in every passing day. As these things transpire, we are not to be fearful, but steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58). As we strive to do this, we pray that each Christian who reads this letter is doing the same as well, and always remember that your labour in the Lord is never in vain. May this letter be an encouragement.
May – Spring came in quickly, and things were as busy as ever.
My grandmother, unfortunately, passed away in late winter, but because the ground is frozen in Maine, she could not be buried until spring. They set the funeral and burial date for Saturday, May 20, so I headed back with Kendrick, our youngest. We got to see family I had not seen since before I was saved. It was an opportunity to give out my business-card tracts and to talk to people about the Gospel. We also got to visit a new church in Westbrook, Maine. It was close to my relatives, and I discovered that the pastor had been a missionary in Mongolia. We had a great time of fellowship and were encouraged by the work in the centre of an area where I spent much of my childhood.
I also got to preach in my home church in Manchester, New Hampshire, where it was a great encouragement to see the lady who led me to Christ still serving the Lord and to find out that she got to win a Gospel-hardened coworker to Christ during the COVID scare. A week before leaving for the USA, we also had our church’s 8-year anniversary; we celebrated with a delicious barbecue, a cake, and balloons and had a wonderful time of fellowship.
June – We started this month with a piano recital for Keenan and Kendrick. They have been taking lessons through FaceTime with the daughter of another missionary family who is serving in a town called Mullingar. The boys have really been learning by leaps and bounds and are jumping on to the piano as often as they can. It has been really encouraging, especially since we have not had a piano player in years past, and our current one, Frank, will be returning to Brazil in July. Then we had Kelly’s birthday. That day was busy, as I had a beekeeper meeting in the late morning and baptism pictures to take for the Day family; then we took Kelly to a plant nursery and out to dinner for her birthday in the evening. Near the end of the month, the Day family returned to the USA for a couple months, and Victory Youth Camp began
on the last week. At the camp, I had an opportunity to preach, lead devotions, etc. I am so thankful for Pastor Ledbetter and the efforts he has put into this amazing annual camp. As we all get older, I wonder who will take over in planning and running the youth and men’s camps. At the Youth Camp, there were two children who trusted the Lord and many assurances of salvation, and we heard many amazing testimonies during the week. Our children had a great time, and we got to bring Lana with us as well. Please pray that there will be a lasting impact on the young people who attended the camp.
Soul Winning – We continued to go door to door, getting the Gospel out into the community, and we were able to get out almost 2,000 tracts. One of the highlights of the year for many churches, and one of our best evangelistic efforts, has always been when we hold a Holiday Bible Club. Since COVID and moving into the countryside, we have not been able to do this. I am considering the option of renting a community centre for
a week in the city and trying to have one in that sort of location. Please pray that we would have wisdom with regards to this.
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
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails and letters and for your faithful prayers and support. You can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
The world and many of the events that have transpired since 2020 are mind-boggling in many ways. As the world changes, we can see the Lord’s return more evident in every passing day. As these things transpire, we are not to be fearful, but steadfast and unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58). As we strive to do this, we pray that each Christian who reads this letter is doing the same as well, and always remember that your labour in the Lord is never in vain. May this letter be an encouragement.
May – Spring came in quickly, and things were as busy as ever.
June – We started this month with a piano recital for Keenan and Kendrick. They have been taking lessons through FaceTime with the daughter of another missionary family who is serving in a town called Mullingar. The boys have really been learning by leaps and bounds and are jumping on to the piano as often as they can. It has been really encouraging, especially since we have not had a piano player in years past, and our current one, Frank, will be returning to Brazil in July. Then we had Kelly’s birthday. That day was busy, as I had a beekeeper meeting in the late morning and baptism pictures to take for the Day family; then we took Kelly to a plant nursery and out to dinner for her birthday in the evening. Near the end of the month, the Day family returned to the USA for a couple months, and Victory Youth Camp began
on the last week. At the camp, I had an opportunity to preach, lead devotions, etc. I am so thankful for Pastor Ledbetter and the efforts he has put into this amazing annual camp. As we all get older, I wonder who will take over in planning and running the youth and men’s camps. At the Youth Camp, there were two children who trusted the Lord and many assurances of salvation, and we heard many amazing testimonies during the week. Our children had a great time, and we got to bring Lana with us as well. Please pray that there will be a lasting impact on the young people who attended the camp.
Soul Winning – We continued to go door to door, getting the Gospel out into the community, and we were able to get out almost 2,000 tracts. One of the highlights of the year for many churches, and one of our best evangelistic efforts, has always been when we hold a Holiday Bible Club. Since COVID and moving into the countryside, we have not been able to do this. I am considering the option of renting a community centre for
a week in the city and trying to have one in that sort of location. Please pray that we would have wisdom with regards to this.
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
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails and letters and for your faithful prayers and support. You can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
March-April '23: Old and New Visitors
01/05/23
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 the 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. Also, you can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
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:
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 the Limerick with 20 Bibles and signs, found a corner where there was an ice cream truck and where many people would
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. Also, you can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls in Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
January-February '23: Church Repairs and Spiritual Upgrades
21/03/23
Thanks for taking the time to read this letter about what the Lord has been doing and what has happened during the last two months of 2023. I hope and pray that it will be an encouragement and blessing to you.
January – The smiles on their faces as they were handed their baptism certificates lit up the church and encouraged the congregation. It was a delightful way of ringing in the New Year. We had just had a lovely dinner and baptism on Christmas Day, but this was the icing on the cake. Lance, Lynn, and Lana were so excited to receive their certificates and be voted into the church. They continue in their discipleship courses faithfully on Sundays and are really growing in the Lord, and they are excited and willing to serve in the church.
The Day family began having midweek Bible studies, so they have been coming to our Wednesday study, and then on Thursday, Kelly has been trying to go to theirs. Keith II and I are not able to attend on Thursday at the moment because Keith started a ten-week German Longsword fighting class. When it is over, we will go to be an encouragement to them by filling some seats. We were also able to use money that the Lord provided through churches at Christmas to hire the Ukrainian man to come again and finish working on the church floors. He has been such a blessing because it is so difficult to find a tradesman in Ireland—and he cleans up after himself! It is common here for the tradesman just to leave a big mess behind for you to clean up. Even at the fast food restaurants, people leave their trash on the table. We already have the sanctuary floor finished, but there was still much work to be done in the back, as well as on an outside building where the roof was falling apart. This outside building is where the church bathroom, garden shed, and boiler are all located. Kelly also began getting treatment for the health problems that she has been facing since 2020. We are thankful to say that from the first visit, she has experienced a dramatic change. After much prayer, it seems that the Lord led us in the right direction. We celebrated Keith’s 19th birthday and had loads of pizza.
February – February was uneventful early on, aside from the regular schedule of events, with church services, Saturday soul winning, shopping, sword-fighting class, four hours a week of exercise training for the kids with one of our members from Brazil, weekly shopping, Kelly’s doctor appointments, cleaning the church, etc. Now that we have been able to get the floor fixed, I have been going forward with upgrading and fixing things all over the church building and preparing for a push to get visitors to come to the property. We were able to upgrade our audio equipment in the church, so we would have better sound on our streaming services. I researched what we needed and got to have a go at setting it up and getting it to work with our computer. Lance told Keith II that the quality now sounds top-notch and professional on the video stream. The Ukrainian man was able to come again at the end of the month to
finish the soffit on the outside of the church building, along with several other projects. After five months, Keith II finally received notification from Immigration that his citizenship application was received. This was a blessing and not-so-great as well. First, it means that when his registration date comes in April, they should allow him to stay until he receives a reply. That is a blessing. The not-so-good part is that it may take up to 19-plus months to receive a response as to whether or not he is approved to be a citizen. All in all, we praise the Lord for the opportunity. There were also several things that we were lacking in his application, but please pray that they overlook this and that the Lord opens this door and opportunity for him. I also had a birthday in February, turning 45, and we had loads of pizza again. Our sending church sent a heap-load of birthday cards in the post, and it was a great blessing.
Soul Winning – Our German church member Caleb continues to comb the area, giving out thousands and thousands of Gospel tracts, and he started going into the city of Limerick. He has a great burden to be a street preacher, and perhaps I can go out with him in the summer. In the meantime, my family and I have continued to go out faithfully on Saturday afternoons, getting the Gospel out to hundreds a month, as well as looking for opportunities to talk to people during the week. I was astonished recently when I realised that, after two years of being locked down from COVID, our boys have grown, and the neighbourhoods that took me two hours to finish in the past, now only take 20 minutes with their help. We are able to get so much more covered in so little time. Please pray as we get the Gospel out; pray that we have a great response.
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
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, gifts, special offerings, and cards for my birthday and Keith II’s and for your faithful prayers and support. Also, you can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls of Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
January – The smiles on their faces as they were handed their baptism certificates lit up the church and encouraged the congregation. It was a delightful way of ringing in the New Year. We had just had a lovely dinner and baptism on Christmas Day, but this was the icing on the cake. Lance, Lynn, and Lana were so excited to receive their certificates and be voted into the church. They continue in their discipleship courses faithfully on Sundays and are really growing in the Lord, and they are excited and willing to serve in the church.
February – February was uneventful early on, aside from the regular schedule of events, with church services, Saturday soul winning, shopping, sword-fighting class, four hours a week of exercise training for the kids with one of our members from Brazil, weekly shopping, Kelly’s doctor appointments, cleaning the church, etc. Now that we have been able to get the floor fixed, I have been going forward with upgrading and fixing things all over the church building and preparing for a push to get visitors to come to the property. We were able to upgrade our audio equipment in the church, so we would have better sound on our streaming services. I researched what we needed and got to have a go at setting it up and getting it to work with our computer. Lance told Keith II that the quality now sounds top-notch and professional on the video stream. The Ukrainian man was able to come again at the end of the month to
Soul Winning – Our German church member Caleb continues to comb the area, giving out thousands and thousands of Gospel tracts, and he started going into the city of Limerick. He has a great burden to be a street preacher, and perhaps I can go out with him in the summer. In the meantime, my family and I have continued to go out faithfully on Saturday afternoons, getting the Gospel out to hundreds a month, as well as looking for opportunities to talk to people during the week. I was astonished recently when I realised that, after two years of being locked down from COVID, our boys have grown, and the neighbourhoods that took me two hours to finish in the past, now only take 20 minutes with their help. We are able to get so much more covered in so little time. Please pray as we get the Gospel out; pray that we have a great response.
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
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, gifts, special offerings, and cards for my birthday and Keith II’s and for your faithful prayers and support. Also, you can see links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
For the souls of Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
November-December '22: New Paint, New Floors, and New Members
18/02/23
(Hard copies of this letter should have already been mailed.)
I apologise for being a couple of weeks late getting this letter out, but I was finally able to sit down and just get it written. The following is much of what happened during the last two months of 2022.
November – Keith II finally got his citizenship documents sorted, so since they were not able to go in August, he and Kelly made their own trip to the U.S. After Kelly attended a Ladies’ Meeting, they left for Arizona. The last time Kelly returned from the USA, she developed a neurological condition called MdDS, which severely affected her balance. It finally subsided after a year and a half, but upon her arrival in Arizona on this trip, the condition returned due to the flights. She visited her parents in Arizona, my parents in Florida, helped her mom move things across the USA, helped her mom in Virginia, and then returned home after Thanksgiving. While she was gone, Caleb happened to be between jobs and came to the house to help paint the church building.
December – Kelly and Keith arrived back on December 2, and the next week, Caleb came again to paint some more. This time, Keith II helped, and we were able to completely finish the painting of the walls and shelves by the third week of December. We experienced several deaths. First was the passing of Dr. Robert Zemeski, who had faithfully served the Lord here since the 1970s and was the first independent Baptist missionary to come. He and Kathi were a picture of faithfulness and dedication through many trials and hardships, but they stayed. I am thankful for his example and friendship over the years. Another family we know from Cork lost their newborn daughter the morning of Bro. Zemeski’s funeral. It was a sad week; but, thankfully, we have the hope of Heaven and know that the moment they passed, they saw the Lord Jesus Christ. The Day family began having services in Ennis, and they needed a new piano and a new printer as well.
Soul Winning – While out soul winning while Kelly was away, the boys and I met an Iranian refugee who was outside watching his daughter. He asked me what I was handing out, and when I told him they were papers about Jesus’ birth and how it had changed the world, he told me he didn’t want one. He then proceeded to tell me that he hated religion, how it was religion that had ruined his country, and that women were beaten in his country because of religion. I tried to explain to him that I hated religion as well, that Baptists are different from religious organisations, and that we are against state-run religions; but he could not understand what I said to him.
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
Last, I thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, gifts, special offerings, and cards for Christmas; thank you also for your faithful prayers and support. To see more pictures, visit links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics for more pictures.
In the battle for the souls of Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
September-October '22: Citizenship, Discipleship, and Hate Speech
29/10/22
(Hard Copies of this Letter will be Mailed Soon)
When the year began, after two years of lockdowns and a new location in the country, I was unsure as to what this year would entail, but it has been as busy as ever.
September – I had just returned from my short journey to the USA and was welcomed by an office full of stacks of papers I had been searching through for our older son’s immigration paperwork. In the end, we were finally able to wrap up the application on September 30. Now, we have to wait for possibly two years before we receive a reply. Where it used to be only six months, they are now backed up because of all of the COVID lockdowns. The citizenship would allow Keith II to move between countries freely. One family that has been between churches for the last year finally made the decision to stop attending the church near their home and begin travelling 45 minutes to attend our church exclusively. Many of our people travel a distance to come to our church. One lad spends two hours on the bus each way, another family travels 45 minutes, and a single man travels 45 minutes just driving across the city. As they say, “A church that’s alive is worth the drive.” I am so thankful for their sacrifices to be faithful to the services, despite the gas prices here, which were already two times that of the U.S. but have more than doubled in the past six months. Keith II also continued to help with the what the Day family’s Bible services has been doing for some Ukrainian families in a town called Lisdoonvarna, Co. Clare.
On the first weekend of September, my family and I got to attend a counselling conference with Dr. Terry Coomer, and he was a great help in teaching us how to walk with God. It went right along with what I was preaching at the time, so I took a few weeks to teach our people what he taught in his books on walking in the Spirit. He really lays out some simple but effective principles for asking God questions to keep engaged in Bible study and prayer, not just going through the motions. I was also able to purchase loads of his books for the church bookstore.
Thankfully, I did not postpone going to the USA in August, because just a month after returning, Hurricane Ian directly hit my family in the Fort Myers, Florida, area. We are thankful the Lord protected them; they were all safe and made it through without injury or much damage to their homes.
October – I noticed several of our people who were travelling by bus needed to wait an hour or so after the service to catch their return bus, so back in July, we began having sandwiches after the services. Then in October, we began a discipleship class on Sunday afternoons, and the people are delighted to be grounded in the Word of God.
I discovered that there is Hate Speech legislation that the Irish government will push through by the end of the year. It would criminalise even being in possession of materials that they would deem “hate speech,” which would include anything against transgender. This will be the final nail in the coffin and will make Ireland a totalitarian society by eliminating any descending thought. Violation of the Hate Speech laws could mean five years in prison. By the time I write my next letter, this legislation will have gone through or not. If they do not get it through directly, they will then try to do it piece by piece. Please pray for the Irish people to awaken and turn to Jesus Christ for salvation.
Soul Winning – We are continuing to get the Gospel out to the Limerick community and go out every Saturday door to door. My wife had the opportunity to speak with an agnostic American lady who was open to talking to her and hear about the Gospel. We were able to get out hundreds of tracts and talk to many people. Please pray for the Lord to work in hearts.
Please pray for these needs:
1. Co-laborers in Limerick
2. Protection over the ministry
3. More visitors in the countryside 4. Hate Speech laws not to pass
Last, I want to thank everyone who sent encouraging emails, birthday gifts, and cards for Kendrick and for your faithful prayers and support. Also, to see more pictures, visit links.hamiltonsinireland.com/pics.
In the battle for the souls of Ireland,
Keith Hamilton
