Project international rehab center Tbilisi, Georgia

During the last Europe Teen Challenge conference in Warsaw, we were also able to catch up with our dear friends Kuanish and Mada Akkuzova, the directors of Teen Challenge in Georgia.

Over the years, we have supported their work in various ways, with donations, with visits (Krijn and Cora were there in the summer of 2022), and with online encouragement.

Teen Challenge Georgia staff and volunteers run a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men and one for women in Tbilisi. Kuanish & Mada are also pastors of an active and vibrant church and Sunday school in Tbilisi.

They also do street work and are actively involved in children's work in refugee camps.

The two are originally from Kazakhstan. Kuanish has a Muslim background and overcame his addictions in a Teen Challenge center there. This is how he also came to know the Lord!

For the last two and half years they have been busy completing and setting up a large International rehab center for Muslims with addictions, from surrounding countries. We have seen the very beginning of that center. A lot has already happened.

The facility is a 4-story building. The 4th floor is renovated and furnished. This floor is occupied by the men's rehab for Georgians. The 2nd floor, where guest rooms are located, is currently being used as a mission school for Chinese believers, who will be sent out to Muslim countries in the Middle East.

The first floor has been completed for 80% and will be used for the church auditorium. This coming Sunday will be the first service. The current auditorium has become too small. 

The renovation on the 3rd floor is finished. This floor can accommodate about twenty people and it is there, that they want to offer help to men from Iran and Azerbaijan, among others.

Current need: furnishing of the 3rd floor which includes a studio for workers, four dormitory rooms for rehab students, and a classroom. 

The demand for Christian help is great! It is so beautiful that God wants to reach all nations and all peoples with His love and grace. And yes, sometimes this is done through rehab centers 😁

If you would like to make a donation, you can do so in different ways:

• 💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC Georgia
• 💳 Give by card
• 💡You can also donate directly via our website!
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC Georgia.

Follow-up project Teen Challenge Lebanon

Garo Margossian has been involved in drug and alcohol addiction prevention and education for many years. He is the founder of the organization No For Drugs (NFD), a non profit dedicated to bringing attention to the drug problem in Lebanon.

NFD is affiliated with Teen Challenge and we have known Garo for years from the Teen Challenge conferences. Awareness campaigns are being organized, prisons are visited and legal assistance is provided. Together with his wife Gabriela and daughter Adelina Grace, they live in Beirut.

Garo has a vision for a men's and women's center where people with addiction problems can stay for a longer period of time. The construction of the men's center is complete. Yes!

At the moment, staff training is in process and hopefully, the center can be opened soon.

A generator system has now been installed and the house is fully equipped, even with a small clinic for medical treatments and detox.

Garo hopes to start the construction of the women's center when funds come in. The artist's impression shows how it should all turn out in the end. There is still a lot of work to be done and we are grateful that Garo has been able to hold on to his dream over the years.

We are grateful for people who will not let themselves be stopped, who have a heart for their country, and who are committed to carrying out the work that God has prepared. We, therefore, want to encourage him again with a gift so that he can order building materials again.

If you want to help, sow a seed into the work of Teen Challenge in Lebanon. You can give in several ways. Please direct your gift at:

• St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, and don't forget to mention: TC LEBANON
• 💳 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 LEBANON.

Check out the video below to get an idea of what it all looks like. We pray that many in Lebanon will find their way to Jesus and true freedom!

Project expansion Restart coffeehouse, Serbia

Last month we received an email from Udruženje Restart in Serbia. A Christian organization that works among homeless people and (former) addicts and supports them in their return to society.

With a team of volunteers initiator Boris Štrbac is committed to helping people on their way to start a new life. They do this through outreach, drugs prevention lessons at schools and prison work.

During the European Teen Challenge conference in Zeewolde (2019) we were finally able to catch up with Boris in person and following that meeting Traveling Light helped him with a donation for the opening of the coffee house in a new location in Novi Sad.

In the meantime, the coffee house is in full use, with weekly meetings that are well attended, as you can see in the photos. It's time for expansion :)

The back part of the building is currently not being used. They now have a plan to make the back of the building suitable for office space and rooms for individual counseling.

It will be quite a job, but they have a permit to start. They need funds for the following: knocking down the current wall, the building of a new wall, the purchase of windows and a door, wall and floor work, furniture, airco, and electrical work.

The main work will be done by a professional worker who is willing to do it as a donation, all other works will be done by members of Restart and the Church.  

So, Restart needs about 2,500 euro for materials, furniture, flooring etc. We hope you want to help with a donation, so they can begin this work soon!

GIFTS (large and small) are awelcome and can be directed at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention RESTART.

Project Teen Challenge Austria

It is always a special moment when we can announce a project in a 'new' country. Up until now, we have not supported a project in Austria, although we have been in contact with Mirko and Maria Mitrovic for years. They are the directors of Teen Challenge (Reset) in Austria.

Mirko is originally from Serbia, where he went through the Teen Challenge program to deal with his addictions. A program where he also first experienced the love and grace of God.

He now lives with Maria and their two children in Vienna. Teen Challenge does not have a residential rehab center in Austria, so Mirko sends addicts and/or homeless people who agree to get help, to programs in neighboring countries.

They do have a weekly coffee house breakfast meeting in Vienna where people can come for fellowship and wholesome talk and where they sometimes hear words from the Bible for the very first time in their lives.

In addition to the meetings in the coffee house, they have street outreach. There are more people with life controlling issues in Vienna than we can imagine. Mirko brings hope by sharing his own testimony.

Furthermore, drug and alcohol prevention classes are given in schools and by invitation, they present the work of Teen Challenge in various churches. There are also 'Reset' outreach teams in the cities of Amstetten and Graz.

Mirko is currently looking for a facility for Teen Challenge, where a coffee house can be opened, counseling sessions can be given and other meetings will be organized.

We wholeheartedly support the work of the 'Reset' team and would also like to do our bit to bring HOPE to the homeless and addicts in Austria.

Jesus said: Go into the world and make disciples of all nations. This can be done by reaching people, one by one, with a message of hope, forgiveness, and life!

If you have a heart for this work, you can send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: TC AUSTRIA

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

2nd Phase project rehab center, Lebanon

We do not physically travel to other countries yet, but we are in contact with dozens of people within our network through social media, newsletters and email. This is also the case with Garo Margossian in Lebanon.

About two years ago, he began the construction of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Beirut. Garo is the founder of the nonprofit organization No For Drugs (NFD), an organization dedicated to promoting drug prevention. They offer awareness campaigns, prison ministry and legal aid.

NFD is part of Global Teen Challenge and we have known Garo for years from the Teen Challenge conferences in Europe, we regularly attend.

The construction of the center is taking place in phases. Every time funds are available, the work continues. The exterior is now covered with stucco, work is being done on a terrace and inside they are working on floors, walls and sanitary areas.

It is good to see that this huge project continues and that Garo remains in good spirits and believes that his long-cherished desire to open a faith-based residential center for drugs and alcohol rehabilitation will become a reality.

We know every country has its own struggles with addiction issues and we also know that a program like Teen Challenge can have a big impact on people's lives and society. We would like to be part of the blessing this work brings to Lebanon.

Gabriela, Adelina Grace and Garo

Traveling Light wants to contribute once again to the construction of this center in Lebanon. How wonderful it is to invest in human lives in the Middle East from wherever you live. Let's encourage one another without ceasing!

If you want to help, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: Lebanon.

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

Citroën C5 for Restart, Serbia

Happy and thankful faces at team Restart

Recently we were able to donate 3,500 euro to Restart in Serbia. Restart is a non-profit organization with the mission to raise awareness about the dangers of addiction and to help addicts and former addicts and their families. 

Boris & Jelena Strbac are the founders of Restart (click here for more information on this project). They had a need for a van/car for their work. They give drugs prevention lessons at schools and do street work among the homeless and addicted. As a result of your generous donations they were able to purchase a Citroën C5! Boris writes:

Making good use of the car

"We are sending you a picture of part of our team in front of our office and we are sending you the picture of a young guy who was taken to rehabilitation center in Slovenia with our new car. The car is really good, and we are very happy with it. We have covered all the expenses, registration and insurance etc. Our God is amazing! God bless you and thank you for your giving hearts..."

Boris wants the Restart logo on the doors of the car as well! We are very happy for Boris, Jelena and their team. After several (technical) emails about cars and prizes and choosing the right one... it is good to see this result.

Traveling Light supports small scale projects, initiated by local people. We have direct contacts and our gifts are being used for the projects mentioned.

A HEARTFELT THANKS to all who donated, also on behalf of the Restart team.

We hope to visit the Restart team and the Holy Trinity Church in Novi Sad the next time we are in Serbia, so we can further build on our friendship.