Sunday, May 25, 2014

Sponsoring summer camp Berdichev, Ukraine

Celebrating together as one!
As in previous years, next month Teen Challenge Ukraine and the Jewish Messianic congregation of pastor Sergey Romanenko are organizing a summer camp again. They are expecting about two hundred participants in Berdychiv.

The camp will be organized for men and women who are in drugs- and alcohol rehabilitation centers all over Ukraine. But also volunteers, workers, leaders, pastors, church members, children and family members are very much welcome. A joyful happening... despite the trouble currently going on in Ukraine.

Bible study
A mid week camping out, playing games, laughing, Bible study, music, food and just plain fun... too much to mention. Most of these people have never been on vacation (which can be hard to imagine if you're from a different country) and never played any games as children. Some of them have been homeless on the streets ever since they were little.

The camp will be held from June 23-27 and participation costs 16 euro (about $ 25) per person. This is a great opportunity if you want to make someone in Ukraine very happy... Financial difficulties will stop people from signing up, but for 16 euro you will make it possible for one person to go to this summer camp in Berdichev. That's awesome, isn't it? So, if you have it on your heart to help, please send 16 euro (or a multiplication) to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U

Time for groups study
Traveling Light has good contacts with the organizers of this camp in Ukraine and we would love to help them to shine their light  in difficult situations. 

Sponsoring the summer camp is a very direct and practical way to support believers in the Ukraine from where you are!

Photo's: Victoria Moore

Tuesday, May 20, 2014

Support is so much more than giving a donation

Children of Saraj church in Skopje
Traveling Light supports mostly small scale projects that have been set up by local people. This also means we will always do our best to build personal relationships with the people requesting our help.

Offering help doesn't stop with a financial gift, this is actually where the projects starts.

If you have been reading this weblog for a while, you must have noticed that we try to stay in contact with the people behind the projects and that sometimes we are able to do follow-up projects; which is a great way to build long-term relationships. It also happens that we receive specified gifts from supporters who have a certain project or country on their hearts.

Making gifts for mothers day
We recently received a gift for the work of Sokrat & Lena Apostolovski among the Roma children in Skopje, Macedonia. We visited them again this past February. We love to see how they encourage the children to use their creative talents! Doing arts & crafts together may be normal for most of us and our children, but this is certainly not the case everywhere.

We also received a gift for the work in the rehabilitation home of Teen Challenge in Slovenia. We were there last month for a visit. In the picture you see us with Marjan, do you remember Marjan? He is doing well, he has a job, an apartment and he volunteers at the Dennis Griffith House in Nova Vas.

Posing for the weblog :)
We regularly receive photo's, cards, news letters, thank you notes and emails from all corners of Europe... but also requests for help. We currently have 10 projects on a waiting list! We can only promise them help if you decide to support and continue to support us.

If you still want to give a donation for project sewage treatment plant Teen Challenge in Poland, please send your donation as soon as possible to:

When in EUROPE: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275, BIC: RABONL2U
When in USA: Eastern Europe Outreach, make sure to mention: TC Poland Winiarczykowka

Saturday, May 10, 2014

Amazing grace, unending love

Men @ work in Teen Challenge Slovenia
When we talk with supporters and people interested in becoming sponsors of Traveling Light, we have noticed that it is not always clear to them what the work with addicts and homeless people really is all about.

Many of the projects we sponsor are part of the ministry of Teen Challenge and have to do with small scale rehabilitation homes for people with life controlling problems.

Last month we visited the men's home of Teen Challenge in Slovenia, and they gave this presentation. Turn up the volume and have a look for yourself!


Later this month we will be going to Teen Challenge Winiarczykowka in Poland for a few days visit!

Monday, May 5, 2014

Great kick-off project sewage treatment plant, Poland

Yes, this is what really makes us happy here at Traveling Light: within a week almost 2,500 euro came in for project sewage treatment plant, Poland.

What a great and quick response to our appeal for help. The proceeds of the Rabobank Clubkasrun and the free market at Kingsday are included in this.

In the picture on the left you can see the men at the Teen Challenge rehabilitation & crisis center in Winiarczykowka working to improve the property around the house. We sincerely hope to be able to visit Poland later this year; we're looking into possibilities to go with one or two of our volunteers.

We mentioned it on our Facebook page last week (By the way: you can access our FB page even if you do not have an account): to love the unloved, that is giving heed to the call of Jesus.

Showing love to the downcast, poor, addicted and lonely people of this world. And more than love: HOPE.

Because of your faithful (and sometimes surprising) support we are able to say YES to these wonderful projects... and to be honest, we have a waiting list right now. So, if you have a heart for this work in Poland, please send us your donation asap:

When in EUROPE: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275, BIC: RABONL2U
When in USA: Eastern Europe Outreach, make sure to mention: TC Poland Winiarczykowka