Trading Gold for Glory
Robert Hamilton's Journey from $50M Empire to Slums of Bangladesh
Robert Hamilton
Former Tech CEO, Current Missionary to Bangladesh
"I thought I was rich. Then I met people who had nothing but were truly wealthy."
By 35, I'd built what everyone calls success. Started a tech company at 22, went public at 28, was featured on Forbes "30 Under 30." I had everything money could buy.
My Empire at Its Peak (2018):
"I was the poster child for the American Dream. Self-made millionaire, technology innovator, philanthropist. But success is a terrible master. The more I achieved, the more I needed to achieve. I was addicted to the rush of the next deal, the next zero in my bank account."
Building the Golden Castle
Started Hamilton Tech in my garage. $50K investment from credit cards. "I'll change the world."
Company profitable. Hired 50 employees. Bought first luxury car. Thought I'd arrived.
Company went public. Net worth: $50M overnight. Featured in tech magazines. Living the dream.
Everything I wanted, nothing I needed. Successful but empty. Rich but poor.
The Golden Prison
"I had 7 houses but no home. 50 employees but no real friends. Millions in assets but bankruptcy of soul. Every goal achieved created two new ones. The treadmill never stopped."
Two failed marriages—women loved my wallet, not me. Children who called nannies "Mom" and saw me weekends. Board meetings more familiar than bedtime stories.
"Success magazine called me 'Entrepreneur of the Year.' That night, I stood on my mansion balcony, contemplating jumping. All that wealth, and I was spiritually bankrupt. The king of the castle was dying inside his kingdom."
The Divine Interruption
May 15, 2019. Flying to another acquisition in my private jet. Turbulence hit. Severe turbulence. Plane shaking, passengers screaming, me calculating net worth instead of preparing to meet God.
We landed safely. But I couldn't shake one question: "If I'd died, would anyone have really missed ME, or just my money?"
My assistant gave me a book for the next flight—"Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger." I read it to pass time. By page 50, I was uncomfortable. By page 200, I was convicted.
The book mentioned a missionary in Bangladesh—Dr. Sarah Kim, serving the poorest of the poor. On impulse, I donated $100K to her clinic. She emailed back with photos of children saved by my donation. Their smiles did something my yachts never could—they filled my soul.
Her next email: "Want to visit? See where your money goes?" My accountant said it was a tax write-off. My heart said it was a divine appointment.
"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"
- Mark 8:36 (KJV)
This verse followed me to Bangladesh. And it changed everything.
December 2019: Landed in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The poverty was overwhelming. But the joy was unexplainable. Children with nothing shared everything. Families in one-room shacks radiating contentment I'd never known.
"Dr. Kim introduced me to Rahman, a rickshaw driver. He lived with 8 family members in a 10x10 space. No running water, no electricity. But when his daughter sang hymns, his face lit up like I'd never seen. He was rich in what money can't buy."
That night, lying on a cot in the clinic guest room, I couldn't sleep. Not because of the discomfort—because of the comparison. Rahman with nothing was wealthier than Robert with everything.
The Prayer That Changed Everything
3 AM, kneeling beside that cot: "God, I've been chasing fool's gold. These people have found real treasure. I surrender. Take my wealth, my plans, my life. Show me what it means to be truly rich."
Dawn broke with unusual clarity. I wasn't meant to visit Bangladesh. I was meant to stay.
The Great Liquidation
Phase 1: The Company
Sold Hamilton Tech to my partners. Used proceeds to fund education initiatives in Southeast Asia.
Phase 2: The Properties
Every house, every toy sold. Established "Hamilton Hope Fund" with $20M endowment for missions.
Phase 3: The Lifestyle
From Malibu mansion to mission compound. From boardroom to mud huts. From serving self to serving others.
Life in the Slums - 5 Years Later
California CEO
- 7 bedrooms, lived alone
- $500 dinners at empty tables
- Personal trainer, still unhealthy
- Millions in bank, spiritual poverty
- Success magazines, inner failure
Bangladesh Missionary
- 1 room, never alone
- Rice and dal with 50 friends
- Manual labor, never felt better
- $500/month, spiritually rich
- Anonymous service, public joy
The Ripple Effect - 5 Years
What I Traded vs. What I Gained
Today, I live on $500/month. Sleep on a thin mattress. Eat simple food. Share a bathroom with 6 other missionaries. By American standards, I'm impoverished.
"But I've never been richer. Rich in purpose. Rich in relationships. Rich in joy. Rich in the knowledge that my life matters for eternity. I wake up excited about God's work, not stock prices."
Rahman, the rickshaw driver, has become my closest friend. He teaches me contentment. His children call me Uncle Robert. His wife brings me soup when I'm sick. This is wealth money can't buy.
"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven..."
- Matthew 6:19-20 (KJV)
A Prayer for the Prosperous
"Father, bless those reading this who have been blessed materially. Help them see their wealth as stewardship, not ownership. Open their eyes to needs around them. Soften their hearts to Your kingdom priorities. Give them courage to hold loosely to temporary treasures and tightly to eternal ones. Whether You're calling them to sell everything or use everything for Your glory—help them surrender. In Jesus' name, Amen."
Last week, a child I helped educate graduated medical school—the first doctor in his family's history. Yesterday, a woman I helped start a business fed 50 families. Tonight, Rahman's grandson—healthy because of our clinic—hugged me goodnight.
These moments are worth more than my entire fortune ever was. I may have lost my empire, but I found my purpose. I may have given up my wealth, but I gained true riches.
The Forbes list no longer includes my name. But heaven's list does. And that's the only wealth that matters when this life ends.
What is God asking you to surrender today? Your wealth, your comfort, your plans? Trust Him. He's not taking something from you—He's giving you everything.