Meanwhile in the Czech Republic, Lebanon, and Kazakhstan + earthquake disaster relief

Of course, we are always happy when our faithful supporters and donors come up with ideas to raise funds for a special project. Alex and Arjanne Roorda recently did that.

In March, they both turned 60 and celebrated that with family and friends. In addition to presents, they also received money, and they wanted to donate that to the children's and youth work of Teen Challenge in Prague, Czech Republic. More than 800 euros in donations came in!

We rounded that up and transferred 1,000 euros. The enthusiastic team of Teen Challenge in Žižkov organizes all kinds of activities and events for children and youth aged 3-20 every day.

Most children come from family situations with all kinds of problems. At the children's and youth center, they find love, acceptance, and hope for the future. Many hear about Jesus for the first time.

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Meanwhile, in Lebanon... It is clear that the situation in the country, and certainly in and around Beirut, is extremely precarious and vulnerable. Nevertheless, Garo Margossian was able to officially open the Teen Challenge rehab center. The first students have arrived.

We hope to meet Garo next month at the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Albania, so that we can catch up.

Donations to run the center and for Garo to come to the conference are very much needed. Everything is welcome!

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It seems long ago that Krijn Donk raised almost 9,000 euros for the youth center of Teen Challenge in Kazakhstan, back in January with his ice skating fundraiser. A passenger van has now been purchased that has 11 seats! It replaces the 20-year old van that has served them all this time.

They are very happy with the new van and that thanks to your sponsorship for Krijn. It's great to be able to support the Christian program there from the Netherlands.

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And then something completely different: If you are in Europe and want to make a donation for emergency aid after the severe earthquake in Myanmar through a Christian organization, you can do so via Samaritan's Purse. We also donated through them after the earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

This organization of Franklin Graham, with a department in Germany we are in good contact with, is always one of the first at the scene of the disaster with a field hospital and God's love. In general, we 'limit' the support of Traveling Light to projects in countries within Europe. That is why we refer to the above link in this case if you want to donate. If, however, you still prefer to do it through Traveling Light, it is possible. We will, of course, pass it on to them. Please clearly state: EARTHQUAKE.

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Donations are always welcome. You can send a gift in different ways, please take note:

Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention 'general' or otherwise which country or project.

💳 Give by card

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Visit to Teen Challenge Czech Republic

Last weekend we (Jan and Marja) visited the Teen Challenge men's center in Sluknov, Czech Republic.

The center offers space for about 12-15 men who struggle with addictions. It is a beautiful old country house with lots of land around it. The house has a shared kitchen, study room, and large vegetable garden.

Friday morning and evening we had the opportunity to talk with the men in the program about Biblical principles and truths, especially when it comes to using our talent(s) for God.

There was also time and opportunity for personal conversations and prayer. And all that with the patient help of Martin, our interpreter.

Saturday we drove to the TC rehab center in Poštovice (near Prague) for the wedding of our friend Jaroslav Jasso, whom we have known for several years from visits and conferences.

He and his wife Marcelka are Teen Challenge graduates and are now working as staff members. It was great to see them like this, at the beginning of a new phase in their lives. God is good!

You may wonder if it makes sense to put time, effort, and money towards the rehabilitation and discipleship of addicts, criminals, the homeless, and people with all kinds of problems. Our answer is YES.

God changes people's lives, every day! There is always hope, even if a situation seems hopeless. And it is our desire to see more and more people change by the grace of God and become useful participants in society.

As Traveling Light, we want to encourage, inspire, bring hope, and offer simple Bible teaching that they can use in everyday life!

If you have a heart for offering a new beginning to men and women who thought there was no hope for them, then...

💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC CZECH.

💳 Give by card

👉Or donate directly via our website!

Travel updates and lots of thanksgiving

In June and July, we were not only able to send in donations to various projects, but we also traveled quite a lot.

Visiting, showing your face, listening, praying with people, speaking words of encouragement and prophecy, teaching... you name it. It's all part of the traveling work we do on behalf of our non-profit Traveling Light (hence the name!).

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At the beginning of June, we were guests at the 25th anniversary of the Teen Challenge men's center in Sluknov, Czech Republic. Very nice to be there and even nicer that we were approached by several men from the program about the Bible study sessions we gave there in January. One man came running to tell us that his shattered wrist (which he had been unable to use for years) had been healed after we prayed for it. Praise the Lord!

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When we returned home, Jan got on his motorbike and drove to Teen Challenge Slovenija. The next day they went from there with 2 vans and 12 men from the rehab program to the 'My Brother's Keeper' conference in Montenegro.

Hundreds of men from all the Balkan countries gathered there. Those of you who have ever joined Jan for such a conference know that these are very blessed gatherings with lots of prayer, music, liberation, and healing. This time again dozens of men gave their lives to Jesus. Also a number of men from the TC program in Slovenija. Praise the Lord!

After the conference, Jan stayed an extra day in the TC center in Slovenija to teach the Bible a, pray with the men, and speak into their lives. This picture (click on it to enlarge) says more than a thousand words, right?! 💓

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On the way back home, Jan visited Dirk & Meike Hellmann, they have been directors of the Teen Challenge rehab center Gutes Land in Germany for many years. We have visited them regularly over the years.

Dirk has been struggling with cancer for a long time, he also had a bone marrow transplant and was not doing well. Jan was able to encourage them both, prayed with Dirk, and even went swimming with him (which he really wanted). He visibly improved. Praise the Lord!

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At the beginning of July, we were among the guests of honor at the celebration of 35 years of Teen Challenge in Poland. What a party it was! The celebration took place on the grounds of the men's rehab center in Lekinia, which we have visited several times in the past. There were many visitors, including officials from the city and many former students.

TC Poland has several rehab houses for men and women, a network of 50(!) coffee houses, church plants, and much more. On behalf of Traveling Light we accepted a beautiful glass plaque as an appreciation for the many years of help and support.

Again, it was so encouraging that people came to us who recognized us from previous visits, who remembered what we taught about years ago, or who just wanted to tell us that prayers had been answered. Here too, a lot of gratitude for the work of Traveling Light. Praise the Lord!

On Sunday, 14 men and women were baptized in a nearby lake. What testimonials we have heard!

Only God can restore broken lives, reunite families, save marriages, heal disease, and break addictions.

Among the international guests in Poland were also Stephan & Marianne Barendse from Teen Challenge Netherlands. Good to spend some time together again.

Actually, we visited them in Heerhugowaard at the beginning of June. TC Netherlands is once again going through a difficult time. The Cyan thrift store has closed (they had to leave due to zoning plans in the municipality) and the care department of Life House has also closed (because that was largely paid for by the proceeds of the store).

Prayer is needed on how to proceed.

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Meanwhile, our dear friends, volunteers, and loyal donors Piet & Anneke Stehouwer were vacationing in Croatia and they decided to visit the new Teen Challenge coffee house in Solin, for which we recently collected funds (read here).

They had a blessed meeting with TC director Ico Matulic and the man who runs the coffee house. These kinds of visits and meetings are so important and valuable, believe it or not.

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Both the financial support and the personal visits are the heart of our work. None of this would be possible without your help.

Your donations are always welcome. You can send a gift in different ways, please take note:

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention 'general' or otherwise which country or project.
• 💳 Give by card

Project and activity news

King's Day in The Netherlands, a festive day! We stood at the free market with 2nd hand stuff and talked with a lot of people, drank coffee, and even prayed with some. Despite the festivities, many people walk around with pain and sadness.

The beautiful spring weather was a bonus. The day brought in 450 euro for the monthly project: the men's rehab center of Teen Challenge Czech Republic in Sluknov. We were eventually able to transfer the nice amount of 4,000 euro for this purpose.

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Last Friday we organized another Israel evening in Twinkeltje, which also attracted a lot of interest. Always good to talk about that special country and its inhabitants.

We showed beautiful pictures on the big screen, had many conversations, and enjoyed tasty snacks. Israel products consultant Liesbeth Kortleve, who herself just came back from Israel, had many products on display for sale! By buying products, we support the country.

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Later this week we (Krijn, Cora, Jan and Marja) will attend the annual Europe Teen Challenge conference, which will be held in Rimini, Italy. (PS: of course, we travel at our own expense, your donations always go toward the projects).

We will be there with a large book table and hope for many good conversations and a strengthening of existing contacts. Carter Conlon of Time Square Church is the keynote speaker at the conference, so we expect to come back edified and encouraged as well!

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In the meantime, the monthly project for May in Twinkeltje and the Schor is Teen Challenge Winiarczykowka in Poland, they take care of displaced elderly people. This coming Saturday our shop is closed, but next week you are welcome again! Of course, you can always transfer a donation! 😉

Your donations are always welcome. You can send a gift in different ways, please take note:

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention 'general' or otherwise which country or project.
• 💳 Give by card

Project Teen Challenge men's rehab Sluknov, Czech Republic

It's been a while, but at the beginning of January, we (Jan and Marja) visited the Teen Challenge men's center in Sluknov, Czech Republic.

The center offers space to about 12-15 men who are struggling with addictions. It is a beautiful old country house on a large property. The house has a community kitchen, study room, staff housing, and a vegetable garden.

For the expansion (dormitories, toilets, showers, etc.), the rear part of the house had to be renovated. Traveling Light helped with an amount for this in the summer of 2021.

👉 This time we were able to see the result of that renovation with our own eyes. It all turned out very beautiful! How cool to see how well the donations have been spent.

During our visit, we extensively discussed the theme of  'New Beginnings' with the men during a number of Bible study sessions and of course there was also time and opportunity for personal prayer. And all this with the patient help of an interpreter.

We also explored the area and spent time with Petr & Mira Kral (the directors of TC Czech Republic) whom we know personally from the many conferences we attended in recent years.

We also took a look at the old factory hall (purchased a few years ago) that is increasingly taking shape as a multifunctional center.

A large wood workshop has now been set up and a space has been determined for a coffee house. The remodeling of the factory provides employment for the men in the rehab program.

Oh yes, we also went to see the renovation of a shop in the village where a coffee house is going to be established, geared towards the youth in town.

Such great initiatives. The idea behind a Teen Challenge rehabilitation center goes much further than just getting men off of their addiction.

Vision for the future and for the surrounding communities are also being developed. We love that.

If you have a heart for offering new beginnings to men who thought there was no hope for them  and if you want to invest in their lives, please direct your gift at:

• St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and don't forget to mention: TC CZECH SLUKNOV
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA it is also possible to make a tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC CZECH SLUKNOV

Visit to Teen Challenge Sluknov, Czech Republic + project

Last month Jan got on his motorbike and visited the Teen Challenge men's center in Sluknov, Czech Republic.

We had promised so many times that we would come and visit, but somehow it never happened.

Last summer we supported another Teen Challenge Czech Republic project in Poštovice, another location near Prague.

We were supposed to go there in September of 2020. Unfortunately, that visit was canceled and postponed to some other time.

For now, Sluknov it was. The center offers a residential program for about 12-15 men who are struggling with addictions. It is a beautiful old country house on a large property.

Petr & Mira Kral are the directors of the center and we know them personally from the many conferences we have attended over the years.

The center has a communal kitchen and classroom area. Vegetables are grown all around the house and there is also a workshop.

Teen Challenge recently purchased an old factory near the center which will also be used as a workshop for creative projects.

Wow, what a fantastic building and what an opportunity to dream about a coffee house, a shop, studios, prayer room, etc. etc. We got really excited about that.

There is certainly no lack of vision! In a time of 'limitations' it is good that God's people see possibilities.

As in various other Teen Challenge centers in Europe (Albania, Slovenia, Ukraine, etc.), there is also a need to expand the number of beds here as more and more people are looking for God and for a solution to their problems and hopelessness.

For the expansion (dormitories, toilets, showers, etc.), part of the house has to be renovated. quite the job :) Since the program is largely dependent on donations, all help is very welcome!

If you want to invest in people's lives, please direct your gift at:

• St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and don't forget to mention: TC CZECH SLUKNOV
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA it is also possible to make a tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC CZECH SLUKNOV

Thank you!

Project Nes Farm Teen Challenge, Czech Republic

It has been quite a few years since we supported a project of Teen Challenge Czech Republic. Some of you may remember the coffee bus for outreach purposes among the homeless and addicted.

It has also been a few years since we visited the center, but fortunately, we can keep in touch via emails and social media.

The faith based center for drug and alcohol rehabilitation in Poštovice currently houses 15 men and 4 women. Two of the women will soon get their children back into care and they will have them in the program. That is very nice!

The men's rehabilitation home is just outside the city of Prague in a beautiful 12th century, former monastery. One of the buildings on the premises has been converted into a women's home.

Teen Challenge recently started the project 'Nes Farm'. In one of the big barns on the premises, they started a product line, processing crops, fruit, and veggies  from their own land. On their FB page you can see photos of the various natural products.

Water and sewerage has been brought to the barn (a big job), and the roof needs to be renovated. The students do the work on and around the land and all kinds of Nes Farm products are now being added. In this way the residents learn new skils and eventually income will be provided to run the center.

It is really great how they work together as a community on all these products. Remember, that they are all people with a sad story on how they took a detour in life with costly consequences. But...  the sunny side is, they have also taken the opportunity to have a new beginning in life.

Jirka and Gabriela Zavadzka are the directors there. They did not have a recent photo, so here's one from a few years back 😀 We always like to introduce the people behind the projects. We have met them at conferences and other meetings.

Any help is very welcome at the moment: a visit, prayers, finances, etc. We hope to visit them later this summer. In any case, we can make them happy now with a gift to continue their beautiful, hopeful work.

You can send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: TC Czech.

👉When in the USA you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC Czech.

Phase 2 project Teen Challenge men's home, Moldova

Team work in Moldova, last June

Back in June we wrote about the construction work in Moldova. Our annual Weissensee fundraiser, which always takes place in January, brought in a nice amount for the expansion of the Teen Challenge rehabilitation home in Falesti. The house offers a residential program for men who struggle with life controlling problems.

A team of men from the Teen Challenge program in Czech Republic traveled to Moldova to help with the construction work, they did an awesome job.

An entire floor was built on the existing house. As with many construction projects which are paid for by donations, the job is divided into different phases. Phase 2 is about ready to begin.

During phase 1 of the construction project

On October 1st a team from Czech Republic will travel to Moldova again to help with the insulation of the roof, the finishing of three rooms and a classroom and the installation of all electricity.

The plan is to install the plumbing and heating in a third phase. All depending on the gifts that come in for this construction project.

Plans for phase 2

We have promised to raise funds for phase 2 and come up with at least portion of the required amount. It would be nice if we could send them 3,000 euro so that the work can commence on October 1st, as planned.

If you want to help (again), you can send your precious gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention: TC MOLDOVA.

Men's group stepping up for Teen Challenge Czech

Men's monastery retreat

A few weeks ago we received an email from a men's group in Dordrecht. They wanted to take up an offering for Traveling Light during their annual retreat weekend. They were looking for a practical project.

In that same week we received an email from Teen Challenge Czech Republic, asking us whether we could help with financing a generator, batteries and heater for their mobile coffee bus. Could there be a better and more suitable project for a men's group, or what?

The mobile contact center

Last year we helped Teen Challenge Czech with the purchase of a bus, a mobile contact center, for street outreach purposes. It is being used to reach the homeless, addicted and prostitutes of Brno and Prague.

The outreach team of Teen Challenge takes the mobile contact center into the streets several times a week. They park at designated places and hand out soup and coffee, trying to establish contact with the hope- and helpless. 

Reaching the hopeless where they are

Winters are cold in Czech, so they have to run the engine for hours at the time to keep the heater going. That is not a good situation, so they want to purchase a generator, some extra batteries, maybe a heater and anything else needed to stay in operation.

During the weekend retreat (in an old monastery) the men collected the awesome amount of 2520 euro for this project!

Fantastic, we are so thankful for their generosity. What a great thing to do. On behalf of Teen Challenge Czech we want to say thank you for your gifts. The money has been transferred and as soon as we have some pictures of the new generator in operation, we will post it on this blog or on our Traveling Light Facebook page.

Thank you men!

We truly hope this story will be an inspiration for other groups/churches/organisations.

Are you looking for a project to sponsor... a practical, small-scale project maybe? Don't hesitate to contact us, we will do our best to match your offer with a current need.

For God so loved...

Sharing the good news with  the poor and helpless

For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son... An offer beyond our understanding, especially because we (now that it is our turn) don't always love the people in the world. Often we speak (or think) words of judgement and critique: it's their own fault, wrong choices, bunch of criminals etc. etc. But God... how does He look at people?

Mobile contact center Teen Challenge Czech

It is not always easy to look at people through the eyes of God, and yet... this is what we need and want to learn. That is why at Traveling Light we support the work among the last, least and lost in society: the addicts, the alcoholics, the homeless and prostitutes. Humans beings like this man you see on the picture above, which was taken in Czech Republic.

Do you remember we helped Teen Challenge Czech Republic to purchase a coffee bus? Last week we received a news letter from our friends in Czech Republic with some photo's. The coffee bus (now called: the mobile contact center) regularly visits (once a week) the second largest city in Czech, Brno and newly, also Teplice, known for it's red-light district.

God knows him by name

The outreach team of Teen Challenge Czech is determined to find the least, the lost and the broken... they do find them in the strangest places. Like Petr, they found him during their street outreach in the underground channels of Brno. They would never have thought that in a distant corner there lies a man, who is ready to die in hopelessness. Through the Holy Spirit, they were able to find Petr and share the good news about Jesus with him. The following week he visited the mobile contact center and decided to come to the rehab program that night.

Sharing soup and the good news in the bus

Through this coffee bus ministry a number of people have already decided to enter the Teen Challenge program. So, you see that the gifts we donate reach people beyond our imagination. Every person that comes to the mobile contact center and receives soup, coffee, attention and love, is a person that God knows by name. A person He loves with a desperate and passionate love. Who knows, they are the future preachers, pastors, business men and artists of their nation! When they make the choice to go into one of the rehab centers, we celebrate! Petr has made that choice. That is the fruit of your generosity and prayers. 

And so we move on with our small scale, local projects. Jesus once said: I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent... We rejoice with heaven, because it is clear that every human life counts!

PS: the teller for the heater in the rehabilitation center at Teen Challenge Poland stands at 5,100 5,400 euro. We still need 1,600 euro.

Photo's Coffee bus Teen Challenge Czech

TC Director Petr Ministr and Jan: very happy with the bus

Well, here it is.... the mobile coffee bus of Teen Challenge Czech Republic. Your gifts made it possible to purchase and upgrade this camper. The outreach team of Teen Challenge Czech will go into the streets of Prague to connect and share the good news with the homeless, the addicts and the prostitutes.

Last week we visited the Teen Challenge center in Czech Republic. The men's rehabilitation home is just outside the city of Prague in a beautiful 12th century, former monastery. One of the buildings on the premises has recently been converted into a women's home. About eight women live there now in safety. Thank God! We were also pleasantly surprised to finally see the new coffee bus. Wow, what an eye catcher. This will certainly attract the attention of many people.

praying for the outreach work

Inside the coffee bus are two seating areas, a kitchen and bathroom and outside, under the awning, two tables and chairs will be placed as well. Enough room to invite people for coffee, a copy of the book The Cross and the Switchblade and counseling. By the way, we were visiting Prague to attend the annual Europe Teen Challenge Conference. Staff members, volunteers, students and graduates from more than thirty countries came together to connect and to be encouraged.

Curious crowd around the coffee bus

With a big, international group we walked around the coffee bus and prayed: that many people will be reached with the good news that a new life is possible in Jesus Christ. Such powerful and effective prayers. We were also happy to see our donations so effectively put to work. If you're ever in Prague, look for this bus!

The coffee bus project is a good example of a practical, small scale project that will have great impact. Who knows how many people in need will be reached this way. It is our desire to continue to sponsor these kind of projects and in this way to shine our light in dark corners all over Europe. More supporters means: more projects, more countries, more people.... Not necessarily bigger projects, but certainly more projects.

We were able to donate 6.500 euro towards this project

Thank you very much for your support. Please, tell your family, friends and co-workers about the work of Traveling Light. Show them our website or Facebook page. We would love to welcome new sponsors and good ideas. 

Within Europe make gifts payable to:
Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275
IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275
BIC: RABONL2U

Follow-up Project Coffeebus Teen Challenge Czech

coffee bus for TC Czech

Well, this will be the coffee bus for Teen Challenge Czech Republic. A beauty, isn't it?

At the end of last year we donated 5,000 euro towards the purchase of a second hand city bus. It tuned out buying and importing a second hand city bus was more complicated than we first expected. So, we all started looking for a minivan or motor home. In the meantime Teen Challenge received some more gifts towards this project and a few weeks back they were able to purchase a motor home which will be used as a mobile coffeehouse for outreach purposes. Hooray!

A camper will be much easier to drive around and to park. No special drivers license is needed and of course a camper will be much cheaper in gas, insurance and taxes. So, all in all, this is good option. They will still need an additional 1,500 euro for winter tires, logo's and adjustments to the interior. Surely we want to help them with that.

coffee bus TC London

Some other Teen Challenge programs in Europe have similar coffee buses, It is a great practical way to reach the homeless, addicted and prostitutes where they are: in the streets. 

coffee bus TC Ireland

This is a great follow-up project for Traveling Light. We have plans to visit Teen Challenge Czech Republic in April, so we will be able to see the bus with our own eyes :) We already received more than 1,000 euro in donations, so we're getting close to our goal! If you think this is a good project, please make a donation and help Teen Challenge in Czech Republic to reach more needy people with the love of Jesus Christ!