Project updates and activity news

It's time again for an update on projects and activities. We will write a separate post about our trip to Winiarczykowka, Poland, soon.

In May, we reported on Issacar's follow-up project in Rivoli, Italy. The Christian Evangelical Community is building a multi-functional facility where weekly services, food distribution, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, and other activities will all take place.

We sent them a donation (4,000 euro) to stimulate the progress of the construction. We received some photos showing that a lot of building materials have been purchased again. The walls and roof are almost done.

Thank you very much on behalf of pastor Filippo Felice and the congregation for the encouragement. We hope to visit again later this year!

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We were also able to give a donation (1,500 euro) for the Vacation Bible School activities in our town.

In August they celebrated their 45th anniversary in a playground in Papendrecht. What a party that was. Many children (and their parents) came to see it. We enjoyed coffee and talked to a number of people from the organizing committee.

They were very happy with all the support they received from churches, organizations, businesses, and volunteers. They are now looking forward to the activities that will take place during the autumn holidays.

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On Thursday, September 7, we will partake in the 'Lukassen & Boer sponsor run' again (as we do each year) with an enthusiastic group of hikers and runners. This event will bring in cash for Traveling Light.

During the event you run a maximum of two (if you are younger than 15 years old) or a maximum of four (if you are 15 years old or older) rounds through sports park Oostpolder. |One round is about 2.5 kilometers long. You can run or walk. Each round you run is good for 2 euro.

The youth will start at 6:30 PM and the adults at 7:30 PM. Start at AV Passaat's athletics track, Andoornlaan 38. Hopefully, we'll see you there. We have entrance cards!

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Saturday September 9th, we will organize another baptism party at river the Lek. This time we have six people (including those from the Alpha course) who want to be baptized.

Yes, obeying the command to go out into the world, share the gospel AND baptize people! We all enjoy doing it.

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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

Baptisms

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

[Matthew 28:19-20]

All nations... that's quite a bit. It seems an impossible task, but if everyone does their part, it will be done 😁

We are very happy and grateful that we can obey the command of the Lord Jesus. On Saturday September 25th we baptized 6 people in the river near Langerak. It was a big celebration!

Two people who were baptized, have followed the Alpha course that we host in our coffeehouse/shop Twinkeltje. We want to start a new session soon for the autumn season, so please contact us if you are interested.

The theme of the baptism celebration was 'making choices'. We make choices every day to do or not to do things, to be for or against something, to belong or to walk away.

The people who were baptized on Saturday already made the most important decision in a human life: they decided to follow Jesus Christ and therefore not the things of this world. Their baptism was a public testimony of that choice.

As a non-profit organization, we do so much more than just fundraise for projects in more than 30 countries. We are also visible locally and active in helping people to make life-changing decisions.

Pieter Meijers filmed the baptism celebration and made a fantastic trailer!

You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U
• 💳 Give by card

Project updates all around Europe

Many of you might enjoy a vacation 🌞, maybe that is a good moment to read how your gifts are being spent. Let's make a tour of Europe.😀 We'll start right here at home...

In May we collected funds for restoration of the outreach bus that belongs to Nieuw Leven Gemeente in Alblasserdam, a church with a heart for mission and outreach.

We were able to donate 2.500 euro. They did all necessary bodywork on the bus and gave it a new paint job! Well, shining like the sun. The bus can be rented for outreach events and open air church meetings. 

At the beginning of July we wrote about port evangelist Alexander Eberson who had this idea to publish a booklet and hand it out to the sailors in the ports of  Terneuzen and Ghent, Belgium. 

We were able to send him 1.000 euro and he emailed us last week that the books came in! On behalf of Alexander and the sailors, thank you very much.

The summer camps for the Roma children and teenagers in Serbia were a success, especially after the camps were canceled last year. Many participated and they had lots of fun.

We donated 1.000 euro towards the Oaza camps which will help them to cover the costs. We saw some pretty neat video's on FB! On behalf of Miki & Suzana Kamberovic we want to thank you for your support.

We furthermore were able to donate a significant gift of 10.000 euro towards Teen Challenge in Slovenija for the upcoming renovation of the men's center in Nova Vas.

They have plans to expand their capacity to twenty beds! We will write some more about it soon, they also promised us to make a short video.

Last month we shared an update on the new Teen Challenge women's home in Berdychiv, Ukraine. We received some more pictures and an update. 

The floors and ceilings are done and it looks fantastic. They are currently waiting for funds to come in for the purchase of kitchen appliances and furniture. As soon as this is all done, the house can open its doors.

What a blessing that we have been able to participate in this project. We are currently rasising funds for the repairs of their Volkswagen engine.... 

On top of that, we have sent a gift of 3.000 euro for the annual summer camp that is organized by Teen Challenge and the Jewish Messianic congregation in Berdychiv. The camp is intended for men and women in Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs anywhere in Ukraine. 

[click on the photo's for a larger view]

We can say that this was a fruitful summer when it came to giving financial support. And we did much more... we'll keep that for another blog. You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention the specific project
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention which Teen Challenge center you want to support.

Stolpersteine placed in Dordrecht

In memory of the Breemer family

On May 5th of this year, we wrote a blog post about our intention to sponsor seven Stolpersteine ​​(stumbling stones) in Dordrecht.

Today, November 7, 2019, we gathered together in Dordrecht where the local Stolpersteine organization took care of the placing of fifteen copper memorial stones.

Traveling Light sponsored seven stones in front of the addresses Singel 116 and 160 in memory of the Breemer and Monasch families who used to live there and were killed in concentration camps Sobibor and Auschwitz.

reading of the kaddisj

Last week we were in Israel visiting a retirement home in Haifa where many Dutch Jews live who actually did survive the Second World War. The conversations with them were so special. There was still great gratitude towards the families who had offered them a hiding place.

From our speech:

Speech on behalf of Traveling Light

...We cannot understand why people were being killed for being who they were. For being Jewish. Is that a reason to drag people out of their houses, facing death?

Is a person's background, race or faith a license to hate? We do not want to remain silent about that injustice. Our drive to stand up for peace, freedom and justice stems from our belief in the most famous Jew of all time, namely Jesus from Nazareth.

For us, it is a calling to bless the Jewish people, certainly in a time of rising anti-Semitism, to pray for the peace of Jerusalem and, here in my [Marja] hometown of Dordrecht, to contribute to the message that must continue to go out to all subsequent generations: this should never happen again!

In memory of the Monasch family

Individually and as a non profit foundation, we have a 💗for peoples and nations and wherever we go we bring a message of peace and reconciliation made possible by our Jewish Lord Jesus Christ!

GIFTS (large and small) go directly to the projects and are always welcome at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U.

Project Stolpersteine Dordrecht

Entrance Auschwitz

On May 2 it was Yom Hasjoa (Holocaust Memorial Day). An international day on which the destruction of six million European Jews during the Second World War is being remembered.

May 4th is national remembrance day in The Netherlands. The message is the same all over the world: never again!

It has been four years since we wrote a message about the Stolpersteine ​​in Berlin, the bronze plates / stumbling blocks in the sidewalk bearing the names of Jewish people who lived there and died in concentration camps.

A Stolperstein

More than 70,000 stones have now been placed throughout Europe. In the Netherlands, the first 'stumbling block' was installed on November 29, 2007 in Borne.

Traveling Light wanted to sponsor 7 Stolpersteine ​​and in doing so commemorate the Holocaust victims. Due to changes in the organization, our order was delayed again and again.

We recently came into contact with the Stolpersteine ​​Dordrecht foundation and we have agreed to sponsor 7 Stolpersteine ​​in the city of Dordrecht (Marja's city of birth).

So, closer to home. The organization in Berlin also figured it was more logical to sponsor stolpersteine in our own country. Later this summer the stones will be installed in the streets of Dordrecht in memory of families who were taken and died during the Holocaust.

Names of Dutch Jewish people murdered in Auschwitz

We were in Auschwitz last year, which made a very deep impression.

Individually and as a non profit foundation, we have a 💗for peoples and nations and wherever we go we bring a message of peace and reconciliation made possible by our Jewish Lord Jesus Christ!

Events and meetings

Enthusiastic team

We have had a number of special events and meetings in recent weeks which we would like to share with you.

On Wednesday, April 17, we participated in a local event, raising funds for non profits such as sport clubs and ngo's. For every 2,5 km you run or walk, a local business pays your organisation 1,50 euro. A great way to team up and bring in funds for our projects!

We ran no less than 62 rounds together and raised 93 euro. It was a great evening, very nice to be on the move together. Thanks everyone!

Thursday evening, April 18, we watched The Passion with a number of people in Twinkeltje, on a big screen. We all loved it! There was someone from the neighborhood who did not know the Easter story yet and was very touched ...

Seder meal in our secondhand shop / coffee house

On Friday, April 19, we celebrated the Jewish Seder meal with a group of  Traveling Light friends and volunteers.

We took turns reading the Haggadah and saying the prayers. Just like last year, Good Friday coincided with the start of Pesach and that made the evening very special.

Communion meal with our volunteers

Friday evening, April 26, we held our annual inspiration evening for our volunteers. We came together for a good meal, to catch up and encourage each other with stories and testimonies.

Doing life together, meeting as often as we can and inspiring each other ... we just love that kind of fellowship!

And yes, then came Saturday April 27 of course, the free market during King's Day. It was an happening as usual and we sold lots of secondhand stuff: 330 euro.

That amount brought the proceeds for the month of April in Twinkeltje to more than 1,100 euro! An amount that will fully benefit the work of Teen Challenge in Slovakia... we  were there in April as well, but more about that in another blog post 😁

In the meantime, gifts are pouring in for the kitchen in Berdychiv. Very nice!

👉 Your happy donations are always welcome to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.

Project dinner show Victory Outreach, Amsterdam

Diner show last year

It has been a while since we sponsored a project in the Netherlands, while there are plenty of good  and beautiful initiatives.

Recently we received an  email from Elaine Mackay from Victory Outreach in Amsterdam. We have helped her in the past with various projects and in December they are cooking up something special again.

Victory Outreach is an international church with the mission to reach out to vulnerable people in society. On Saturday December 23 Victory Outreach will organize a dinner show in cooperation with the Game of Life foundation. Their aim is to bring together broken families as well as families from lower social classes during the Christmas period. Last year it was a great success.

they expect 50 people this year

During the dinner show guests can watch a Christmas play while enjoying a fine three-course menu. During the show presents will be given away and at the end of the evening everyone will go home with an extra surprise. The organization expects about 500 guests this year ....

Elaine, on behalf of the Game of Life foundation, is looking for volunteers, donations and financial support for this big event. We at Traveling Light  always welcome initiatives that bring people together and where the love of Christ is distributed in a practical way.

Do you have a heart for Amsterdam and the people who do not know Jesus? Then send your gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention AMSTERDAM. We will make sure it gets there.

Celebrating 1 year anniversary Twinkeltje

Jan, Marja, Cora and Krijn

This month it is a year ago that Twinkeltje opened her doors in the Korenbloemstraat 20, Papendrecht. For those who don't know yet: this cozy shop with great second hand items is an initiative of Cora Donk, board member of Traveling Light.

The shop has become quite popular in Papendrecht and surrounding areas and a growing group of visitors enjoys a not-so-every-day shopping experience and a good cup of coffee every week. Twinkeltje is much more than just a store with 2nd hand stuff, it's a place where people come together, kind of a neighborhood shop / coffee house.

Every month the proceeds from the sales and workshops fully benefit a particular project supported by Traveling Light. These projects are mostly related to the care for the homeless, the poor, the addicts, the prostitutes and the hopeless. Cora says: "Isn't it great that we can help people who are in such difficult circumstances and at the same time have fun doing that together?"

During the previous year Twinkeltje was able to contribute an average of thousand euro each month (!) to various projects all across Europe and the Mediterranean. That is a wonderful result and a reason to celebrate our first anniversary with a Taste of Europe. In September every Saturday we will highlight another country, so come on in and taste food as well as atmosphere between 12:00 and 17:00 hrs.

We will finish the month on Saturday September 30th with a special Israel night and you are all very welcome to join us. There will be plenty of products from Israel, so come shopping! We will also make sure there will be tasty snacks, drinks, Arabic coffee, music and a slide show.

This night will be a nice opportunity to catch up, meet people and shop, all in one!

So mark your calendar!

We have just returned from a very productive (and warm) work week in Tuscany, more about that (and pictures of course) soon on this blog. For our current project Teen Challenge Armenia more than 2,000 euro has come in already, so that's going well. Thank you for all the gifts.

Gifts for this project are very welcome at IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention ARMENIA.

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

Winter Fair for a good cause

Coziest store in town

This past September we opened up Twinkeltje (Dutch for 'shop'), a unique store in Papendrecht where we sell nice 2nd hand stuff. Board member Cora Donk is the owner of the place.

Together with a group of faithful volunteers she has very creatively decorated Twinkeltje. It is cozy, hip and happening! Everyone is welcome, not just to shop, but also for a cup of coffee and something sweet from the oven.

Every Saturday afternoon during the month of December we are holding a warm and welcoming winter fair. The store is beautifully decorated, there are lots of Christmas goodies for sale.

You can come in for soup, cookies, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Or maybe you want to play a game, read a book, do some coloring or simply have fellowship with others. Everything is possible!

Especially in this dark winter month, people need comfort and warmth. The beauty is that we also can share the warmth with people who need it even more. 

You are welcome

Every month a specific project of Traveling Light will be highlighted. The total sales proceeds during December will be for the girl's shelter in Moldova.

We invite you to come and look around and shop for a good cause!

KORENBLOEMSTRAAT 20 PAPENDRECHT

See you soon!

Grand Opening 't Winkeltje

Great meeting place & shop in one

Last April our friends and board members Krijn & Cora Donk purchased a nice real estate property (corner store + 2 garage boxes) in our town Papendrecht. Krijn will use the garage boxes for his business and Cora had the idea to open a shop with 2nd hand stuff for the benefit of Traveling Light projects. A great idea of course!

't Winkeltje (Dutch for 'the shop') already serves as a wonderful place for our prayer meetings and also as the departure point for cycling lessons given to migrant women. Of course we will organize much more in the coming months to bring neighborhood residents, volunteers and supporters of Traveling Light together.

Grand Opening Saturday, September 3, 2016

Saturday, September 3rd we will finally (after much construction and interior work) open the doors of 't Winkeltje for the public. We will celebrate open house from 12:00 to 17:00 hours. Come on over and see for yourself how beautiful everything has become. We'll be serving coffee, tea and cake of course!

Lots of beautiful stuff

We are planning to open 't Winkeltje on Saturday afternoons, for starters. But we expect to be able to add a weekday or two to it. Keep an eye on this blog for more news. We already have a busy Facebook page. The awesome thing is that all proceeds from sales will fully benefit our projects!

Shopping - fun - community - charity ...

it all comes together in 't Winkeltje ... We hope to see you there!

Korenbloemstraat 20 - PAPENDRECHT

Project children's work materials

We are currently raising funds for a new Frysian cow for the Teen Challenge rehabiliatation center in Moldova. 

But that is of course not the only thing going on; the summer vacation is actually pretty busy at Traveling Light :) We are receiving many new project requests, we are traveling and we also make plans for the coming months.

From July 28 - August 2nd, 2015 222 Ministries and Pearl of Persia will be hosting a conference again for Iranian people in Holland. From time to time they come together to catch up, to network and to encourage one another. Through these conferences 222 Ministries is able to strengthen and equip the Iranian believers in this difficult time.

They make use of volunteers, also for the children's program that will be held during this week. Some of the sweet ladies were also the initiators behind Operation Love Splash.

We would love to help them with the purchase of materials, such as the book Children can you hear me? which will be given to all kids and workers. We need about 400 euro (asap) to cover the cost. Who wants to help?

Please, send your donation  to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention 222 Children's work.

Project dental work Theo

HOORAY! The 5,000 euro needed for project women's home Berdichev, Ukraine came in. Fantastisc, this happened really fast. Thank you very much for all your support. We will have pictures soon! We have a wide variety of projects lined up, so let's move on...

If you have been a reader of this weblog for some time, you may have noticed that every now and then we have projects to help individual people on their road to recovery. Especially when their past has been a mess. We have helped formerly addicted people to pay for dental help and study expenses. Why do we do that as a non-profit? Because Jesus has an eye for the individual. He used to pick people from a crowd (no matter what their background was) and showed His love and grace to them.

We will stay in the Netherlands this time. We would like for you all to meet Theo. Please read below how a visit to a Christmas Eve service changed his life!

Theo grew up in a broken home and as a result of all the trouble became very violent at a young age. He was taken away from his home and placed under government care. During this time he was abused and raped and when he finally turned 18, he was looking forward to starting his own life. He was looking for happiness. When his girlfriend died in a motorcycle crash his life went down hill. As he says: "I did everything God didn't want me to do."

He got into a new relationship and married. When their daughter was born, he began to believe in happiness again. But his violent past got a hold of him and after a while he ended up in prison. His marriage fell apart and he lost contact with his daughter. When she turned 18 she contacted him again, a small light in the darkness of his life. But there was just too much pain and reproach and their relationship did not work out. Theo decided that happiness was not meant for him.

During this time he got invited to a Christmas Eve church service in The Hoeksteen Church in Etten-Leur. Theo had visited the night mass in his town, but had never been in an evangelical church. After that night he decided to visit The Hoeksteen more regularly. For the first time in his life he experienced peace (which is much more valuable than happiness). He has been coming to our church for quite some time now and slowly he is letting God heal his inner wounds.

One day we asked him whether we could help him to heal his outer 'wounds'. Theo's teeth (or, what was left of it) were a mess. God looks at the heart, but human beings will mostly look at the outside when meeting for the first time... So it was decided that Theo would go to our sister-in-law, who is a wonderful and highly experienced dentist. She has done a great job giving him advice and soon he will be able to smile again :) Traveling Light is honored to pay that part of the bill not covered by his insurance. We will need about 600 euro.

To us, this is practical Christianity: helping someone to get back on their feet and live a dignified life.

All gifts, large or small, are welcome on Rabo bank nr.

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

Project tractor lawn mower Spetse Hoeve, Netherlands

Isn't it a beauty?

A little while back we received a request from the Teen Challenge men's home The Spetse Hoeve in Veelerveen, here in The Netherlands. They asked whether we could help them to find a good tractor lawn mower. They have a lot of grass around the men's rehabilitation home which they've been mowing by hand. It's time for a professional upgrade.

We asked one of our neighbors if he was willing to sell his Husqvarna tractor mower, which he hardly ever used. The new price was around 3,500 euro, but he agreed to sell it for 1,000 euro to help Teen Challenge. Wow. Great deal!

Two volunteers from the Spetse Hoeve came to pick it up and they're using it every day around the men's center. So, it's up to us to raise the 1,000 euro needed to pay for this machine. The men at the Spetse Hoeve are very happy with their new machine... so, we're happy too:)

Do you have a heart for technical projects? You can send your gift to:

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275 St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

THANK YOU.

HOORAY, 2,500 euro for project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia!

The Teen Challenge men are working hard

HOORAY! As the result of a quick and effective Facebook post we received the last gifts for follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia. In just a few weeks the wonderful amount of 2,500 euro (3,300 dollars) came in for this project. Thank you all who gave towards this, your enthusiasm and generosity is appreciated very much.

As you can see in this picture the construction of the David Wilkerson Memorial Chapel at the grounds of the men's rehabilitation home, continues. How awesome that these men can work on a physical house, while the Lord is working on their inner souls. He forgives their iniquities, softens their hearts and heals their wounds from the past. This house of prayer will be a living monument of God's unending love for people in need. He is able to restore and renew broken lives, no matter how deep they have ended up in the gutters of addiction and shame. It is such an honor to be part of this through our finances, through personal contacts and visits (we've been there twice already). As soon as we have new pictures we will share them on this weblog!

For all of us it is true: Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain [Psalm 127:1]

May we remind you of Project Code Red in Amsterdam, we want to sponsor this outreach event in the red light district with a gift of 500 euro. Elaine MacKay mailed us, on behalf of Victory Home, this week with the following: "I really see the faithfulness and favor of God in this. We continue to pray for financial breakthrough in sponsoring... In the meantime we are almost daily on the streets, reaching out to the women. We do see an enormous open-heartedness, many women (prostitutes) give their lives [to God] when we tell them the Good News. We can see the hopelessness and emptiness in their faces...

I want to thank you for your willingness to participate in our efforts, we appreciate this very much!"

Your gifts (large or small) for this practical and loving outreach event in the red light district in Amsterdam are welcome. Within Europe make gifts payable to:

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

We want to use this time to announce some of our upcoming projects. We have many plans for the next couple of months. We hope you will join us in our efforts to make this an exciting, challenging and encouraging time!

• Sponsoring of the annual Teen Challenge conference in Kiev, Ukraine. 30 euro's will help someone (from Ukraine, Belarus, Kazachstan or Georgia) to attend this powerful and uplifting conference.
• The purchase of a tractor lawn mower for the Teen Challenge men's home de Spetse Hoeve in Groningen, The Netherlands. Costs: 1,000 euro.
• A very practical project at Teen Challenge Poland.

News items & prayer

At the women's home, sharing love

Well, it may be vacation time here and there, but Traveling Light has plenty of new stuff going on! We just returned from a short trip to Poland. We were invited to join the celebration of 25 years Teen Challenge in that country. We visited two locations: the rehab men's center in Lekini and the women's home in Broczynie. Wonderful to see what a great work is happening there. We will write more about it soon, because we have a good and practical project coming up there. Please pray for an increase in supporters, so we will be able to accept more small scale projects all over Europe.

Casa Shalom

We received a long thank you letter from Maria Meier in Italy on behalf of Comunita Brezzano, as a response to our gift of 5,000 euro. She writes: 'We want to thank you from all our heart for your generosity and love to us - even if we did not know each other personally. But Marja and Jan described our community and social work in Tuscany marvelous to you, we must add no more... We want to say that your offers are a great help for us to finish and bring two projects forward. Both projects have to do with our production and with self-financing our work: the marmalade kitchen and Casa Shalom....' In the first week of September we are planning to go to Italy with a group of five young volunteers to help Maria with work on the land and around the community. We will stay in Casa Shalom and make many pictures of course. Please pray for that this trip will be fruitful.

Artist impression of interior prayer chapel

The construction of the prayer chapel in Sered, Slovakia keeps going, as do the gifts that come in towards this project. We still need 500 euro's to reach our goal of 2,500 euro. it is very encouraging to see how you are all responding to this. Thank you so much. Here is an artists impression of the roof construction on the inside of the chapel. It is so great to realize that we can be part of this house of prayer, all work is being done by the students who are in the Teen Challenge program. Please pray that the men who come to faith here will let their light shine in all corners of their country!

And then there is project Code Red in Amsterdam. We would love to support this event organized by Victory Home and Victory Outreach to reach abused, mistreated, homeless and addicted women with the love of Christ, with a gift of 500 euro. Your gifts are certainly appreciated and welcome.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these. [Mark 12:30-31]

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275 St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

Project Code Red, Amsterdam

Besides our follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge, Slovakia (for which we already have received more than 1,000 euro over the past few days!) we would like to ask your attention for project Code Red, Amsterdam.

Outreach in six major cities

Project Code Red is a two-day outreach event organized by Victory Outreach. They specifically want to reach women (homeless, addicts, prostitutes, abused) in six big cities: Tijuana, Chicago, Oakland, Capetown, Van-couver and Amsterdam. In the Netherlands this event  is being organized by Victory Outreach Amsterdam and Victory Home, a christian rehabilitation home for men and women in Amsterdam.

During this event volunteer women from all over Europe will come to Amsterdam to reach out to homeless, addicted and abused women. Through this outreach, Victory Home wants to show them that someone cares and is concerned about their living situation and future.

On August 5th and 6th mobile beauty parlors and hair salons will be set up on different locations in Amsterdam where women are welcome for a beauty treatment. In the afternoon they can enjoy a catered lunch as well as a wonderful dinner in the evening. During the dinner there will be a theater play. All women will receive a goody bag at the end of the day. If or when a woman decides she wants to change her life, Victory Home can offer them professional help and a place to stay where they will be assisted in making a new beginning.

We think this is a great and loving initiative and we would like to sponsor this event with a gift of 500 euro. Will you help us? This event is being organized by volunteers and will only take place if enough donations come in. The money is needed for food, drinks, location rent, goody bags, make-up etc. etc. If you have a heart for abused and mistreated women please send your gift to

St. Traveling Light

Rabo bank nr. 1185 82 275

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U

Make sure to mention CODE RED

Maybe you can share this blog post with your church/group/family or business partner and see if you can sponsor them as well.

If you need more information for the event in Amsterdam, please call or email  Elaine Mackay of Victory Home, email: e.mackay@voamsterdam.net

News items & prayer

Cora Donk

A non-profit organisation can only operate with the help of supporters and volunteers. Every now and then we put one of our volunteers in the spotlight on this blog. This time it is Cora Donk (who is also one of our board members). Cora is quite handy with garden tools and painting brush and she often helps family, friends and neighbors with their chores. She doesn't do this to make money, but to collect money for Traveling Light. Recently she surprised us with a generous gift from which she wanted 2,500 euro  to donate to the Teen Challenge women's home Ark in the Negev, in Israel. Wow, we are so grateful, what a generous gift and what a blessing for the work in Israel. We have sponsored the Ark in the Negev several times over the past few years and we are planning to visit them again this fall. Thank you Cora for your hard work and generosity. Let's pray the money will be used where needed most.

Visiting Joran Stoilov in Tetovo

Jan and volunteer Krijn Donk are currently traveling in Macedonia. The idea to travel to Macedonia together came after Krijn's ice skating fundraiser that resulted in a gift of 1,450 euro for the Saraj church in Skopje. It is a blessing to give, but that is not the end of a project, it is the start. Visiting the people behind the projects is part of our vision too. Such visits, we call them encouragement trips, strengthen relationships and are very inspiring (for all parties involved). Of course such visits will often result in new project ideas. Jan will speak in several evangelical churches over the weekend as well. Please pray for good travels and for the effective spreading of the gospel in this country.

Creative workshops at ZIP 2012

The 500 euro for project sponsoring ZIP festival in the Netherlands came in. To our great surprise we even received a gift from a couple in California. These dear people have Dutch forefathers and gladly wanted to invest in the spreading of the gospel in the Netherlands. They were happy to hear that such events are being organised in our small country. We hope that our sponsoring project will inspire others to do so as well: non profits, churches, businesses, families. If ten give 500 euro it will make 5,000 euro. If twenty give 500 euro it will make 10,000 euro. If we put our hands together we can do so much more! Will you pray for the organisation of this festival and of course for nice weather and many people with hungry hearts for God's love?

The 5,000 euro for project Casa Shalom in Italy is almost there (still 150 euro short). Who helps us out?

This means we have room to announce the next two projects: 1) project study grant Teen Challenge Slovenia and 2) follow-up project chapel Teen Challenge Slovakia.

Thank you very much for all your help, donations, support, kind words and emails. Together, we can do so much more to change Europe and the Middle east for God's glory!