Project prisonwork Shkbsk, Albania

As most of you know, we have been in contact with the Teen Challenge team in Albania for years. Jan has visited the country several times. We hope to go together later this year.

During his visits, Jan also came into contact with Fred Westerink who has been living and working in Albania with his wife since 2008. Fred is the director of Shkbsh Prison Fellowship Albania.

The organization has been around for 22 years and they are now active in 20 prisons and also help hundreds of children and families of prisoners. All in close cooperation with local churches. The team consists of 25 people, half of them full-time, the other half part-time.

Fred wrote to us a while ago with a request for financial support for their project 'Chaplains bringing Hope'.

The tasks of the Shkbsh chaplains are clear: Share the gospel with as many prisoners and their families as possible, and involve the local church in this forgotten and often marginalized group of people.

The prison chaplains are Albert, a chaplain with his workplace in Korca, Arber (himself a former prisoner) who is active in the prisons in Durres and Rrogozhine, and Zamira, who works in the prison hospital in Tirana among female prisoners with mental problems.

The government does not support spiritual aid in any way. Unfortunately, this is a remnant of the post-communism era, when the first democratic government decided that each religious community had to arrange for itself how and where it wanted to organize its aid programs.

In recent years it has become increasingly difficult to pay the chaplains, partly due to the devaluation of the euro against the Albanian lek.

As Traveling Light, we are involved in prison work in the Netherlands and we know how important sharing the Gospel is in the rehabilitation process of prisoners.

We would therefore like to help Prison Fellowship Albania with a nice amount so that their chaplains can continue to do the work. Would you consider sowing a financial seed?

Donations, large and small, are always welcome. You can send your gift in different ways:

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

💳 Give by card

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Project Restart Detox Clinic

From September 29th to October 3rd, Jan visited Serbia. He attended a Teen Challenge and Living Free training seminar that covered topics such as rehabilitation, relapse, and addiction.

The training was given in Novi Sad in the church of Pastor Dusan Beredji Bera who runs a men's rehab center, where Jan also received great hospitality and a bed to sleep in! He visited New Life women's rehab home and the coffee house of Restart, an organization that we have been supporting for a long time.

With a team of volunteers, founder Boris Štrbac is committed to helping people start a new life, free of addictions and other life-controlling problems.

They do this through outreach, drug prevention lessons at schools, and a mentoring program for ex-prisoners.

During the visit to the coffee house, Jan spoke with visitors and also had the opportunity to pray with people for restoration and healing and the courage to take steps toward recovery. The photo on the right shows the new expansion that Restart was able to build in 2021 thanks to a gift from Traveling Light.

There are currently plans to open a Restart Detox Clinic and support center. Boris is in contact with the city council about this, in particular about finding a suitable location.

Many addicts are hesitant to sign up for a long-term rehab program, often because they are still working and have a family and can therefore continue to function more or less. Detoxing, a discipleship program and therapy can help this group.

Most of the work Restart is doing can be carried out thanks to donations. Boris asks for prayers and funds to open a detox clinic. As Traveling Light, we would like to contribute to the lives that are about to change in Novi Sad!

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 RESTART
• 💳 Give by card

Zurich, Alpha course, TC Finland, and port evangelism

Two weeks ago we (Jan and Marja) were in Zurich for the annual meeting of Comunita Brezzano. Together with all those present, we commemorated our friend Maria Meier who passed away last February.

She has been running the Christian therapeutic community in Tuscany for almost thirty years. We have been there many times, taking different groups with us. We were invited to lead the afternoon prayer meeting in Zurich. Prayer about how to proceed... 

All in all, it was an inspiring and encouraging weekend, for everyone.

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Last week we (Krijn, Cora, Jan, and Marja) attended a business meeting of Alpha Netherlands in Driebergen. That meeting was very encouraging and inspiring as well. We are partakers in the dream of reaching 1 million people in the Netherlands with the gospel, through the Alpha course.

Anyone can become a 'dream bearer' through sponsorship, which is a great investment! Visit the Alpha website wherever you are. In the past year, we have facilitated an Alpha course in our secondhand shop twice and we want to start the 3rd one in September!

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On Monday, June 13, Cora will again participate in giving Alpha in prison, this time in the Rotterdam detention center. The Alpha course will be held on Monday afternoons.

So, please note: there will be NO Tea & Talk in our shop Twinkeltje from June 13 to July 25. Instead, we are open on Wednesday afternoons from 13:30-15:30 hours. Tell your friends!

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Speaking of our shop, in May the proceeds (from Twinkeltje and Atelier de Schor) were more than 1,000 euro, which we donated towards the work of Teen Challenge in Lithuania. For June we have chosen Teen Challenge Finland as a project.

Led by Niklas and Heidi Furu (see photo), a fantastic group of volunteers are reaching out to addicts, homeless people, the poor, lonely, and displaced persons. They don't have a TC rehab, but their street outreach is fantastic. They also run a second-hand shop. Surely, they can use some encouragement.

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Finally (but certainly not unimportant): Harbor Evangelist Alexander Eberson makes an appeal:

"During my ship visits, I experience an increasing demand for both Russian and Ukrainian Bibles. In my opinion, there is no better chance at the moment than to give Bibles to these sailors who are open to the gospel. With a Bible we give the best we can to them:  'the forgiveness and comfort of the Lord Jesus!' For 1.75 Euro you can give a sailor/woman their own Bible. Will you help?"

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

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and mention name of project/country.
• 💳 Give by card

Project support PLUS

At work with the wood splitter

In one of are previous blog posts we wrote about the many projects that we have supported in recent months. But at Traveling Light we do so much more than just fundraising!

Let's go back to the end of August ... For the sixth time we went to Italy for a work week in therapeutic community Comunita Brezzano. Chopping, sawing and stacking firewood for the cold winter months. It is not only a nice job, but also very useful. The evenings were pleasant on the grape-covered terrace of Casa Shalom, where we discussed our theme for the week: 'the voice of the Shepherd'.

Morning devotion at TC Kazakhstan

In September we visited Teen Challenge in Almaty, Kazakhstan. We will tell more about that later because a number of projects, that we may be able to support, emerged from that visit.

We stayed in the juvenile home. We visited the men's rehab center where Jan shared a word for the morning devotion and after that we visited the women's home where currently 20 women and 20 children are staying. We had time to pray and prophesy over each woman that was present that afternoon. It was such a sweet atmosphere of the Father's love. On Sunday we spoke together in a church and we had some time to see the beautiful nature around Almaty.

Israel night at Twinkeltje

In September we organized another Mission night in Twinkeltje, this time with guests from the USA; Jeroen & Robin Honingh. Each year they volunteer in Israel for three months and they have lots of stories to tell. We were able to encourage each other!

The Israel evening in Twinkeltje was also a success. We had a nice display of products from Israel  and many  people came to shop and to have fellowship around the table, filled with delicious snacks.

Visit to Lisbon during the Training Week

From October 10-17, board member Cora Donk (owner and director of coffee house/secondhand shop Twinkeltje) participated in a Rehab Training at Europe Teen Challenge in Fanhoes, Portugal. During this training all the ins and outs of faith-based drugs and alcohol rehabilitation were discussed. Participants came from various European countries, so the week-long training was also a great networking opportunity for her.

And as if that is not enough 😁

• The Alpha prison courses started again in September. Cora and Krijn are involved in this.
• Saturday November 2nd, we are hosting a WORSHIP night in the basement of Atelier Café De Schor, Bosch 6 in Papendrecht. Coffee and tea are available from 19:30,  prayers will start at 20:00 hrs.

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

Project Teen Challenge Macedonia

Jonathan & Valentina (in blue)

If you have been reading our blog posts for some time, you will know that we have various contacts and support various projects in Macedonia.

Teen Challenge also has activities there. Unfortunately there is no residential rehabilitation center, but Jonathan & Valentina Vlaisavljevic help people with life-threatening problems and sometimes send them to TC centers in the surrounding countries.

Last June, Traveling Light participated for the eighth time in the Balkan conference My Brother's Keeper. The conference was held in Macedonia, and Jan had the opportunity to catch up with Jonathan.

Living Free training

He still gives Living Free training in the various Balkan countries. The group training and discipleship courses are faith based and aim to help people prevent and/or overcome challenging issues.

The goal is to equip participants so that they can give the training themselves in their church or organization. Traveling Light has previously helped with funds for translating Living Free material for Croatia and Albania.

We sincerely hope that TC rehab centers will be opened in Macedonia as well as in Albania and other Balkan countries in the near future. There is a huge need and your prayers will be appreciated.

Training in session

Jonathan also said that there is a possibility to do prison work in Serbia. Think about it, 'Living Free' is quite a special topic when you are in jail, literally. But it will certainly prepare people for a healthy return into society and that is what "rehabilitation" actually means.

In October Europe Teen Challenge will be organizing a 'rehabilitation training' in Portugal. Topics such as core values in a rehab setting, borderlines between care, counselling and authoritarian control, medical issues in rehab, principles of rehab and discipleship will be discussed.

Various people from the Balkans will participate in this training. Cora will attend on behalf of Traveling Light. It is an investment for the future.

TC Macedonia asks for financial support for 1) further translation of Living Free training material, 2) for travel costs to the training in Portugal and 3) for renovation costs for their office (due to water damage after a flood).

When in Europe, donations are welcome to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention: MACEDONIA.

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

New season prison ministry

Krijn & Cora in front of the prison

Earlier this year we wrote about the prison ministry of Traveling Light. Board member Cora Donk, who also runs the secondhand shop, is involved in this ministry in the penitentiary prison in Dordrecht.

She serves as a volunteer in the interdenominational team that organizes the church services and she is also involved in giving the Alpha course.

With the new winter season ahead, we are thankful to announce that her husband Krijn Donk (who oversees our sports team) has signed up for prison ministry as well.

Together they will be involved in the church services in the prison in Dordrecht. In addition, they will also give the Alpha course in the penitentiary prison in Rotterdam, location Hoogvliet (formerly City Prison Rotterdam).

For the Alpha course that is coming up, we have bought a large stack of books. While going through these books, the men and women in prison will learn that there is a Heavenly Father who loves them and has a much better plan with their lives.

It is great that in addition to all the countries we visit and the dozens of projects we support, we can also be a blessing in our own country in different ways.

Changed lives. It keeps us going, because we believe it is always possible!

If you want to support this work, please do so. You can make your gifts payable to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.

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This Friday night there will be Re-Store again (healing room). The door of our shop will be open to those who need a touch of God's love. There are people present to pray with you for healing, recovery and deliverance. Door open between 7:30 and 9:30 pm.

Tonight (Wednesday, September 12) the Discipleship course will start again in our shop. We will dive into the Bible to see what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ in the world today. We meet every other week on Wednesday. Door opens at 7:30 pm.

Prison ministry

Cora Donk

Traveling Light visits and supports (small scale) projects throughout Europe. We are also very active in our home town, particularly since the opening of our secondhand shop Twinkeltje in September 2016.

Twinkeltje is so much more than a coffee house, we use the facility to organize workshops, prayer evenings, mission events, bicycle lessons for new immigrants and discipleship trainings.

👉 But did you know that we are involved in prison ministry as well?

Board member Cora Donk is the owner of Twinkeltje and takes care of daily business there, but she is also involved in prison ministry in the penitentiary prison in Dordrecht. She serves as a volunteer in the interdenominational team that organizes the church services and since last year she is involved in giving the Alpha course.

Alpha is a series of sessions exploring the Christian faith. Each talk looks at a different question around faith and is designed to create conversation. Alpha is run all around the globe, and everyone's welcome. It runs in cafés, churches, universities, homes and prisons. More than 24 million people worldwide have done Alpha. In the Netherlands there were more than 265,000.

The current course is coming to an end and Cora has bought a nice present for all participants. The prisoners may choose an inspiring book, such as 'The Cross and the switchblade', 'Run baby run' and 'Knock-out'. All of them stories from people who have personally experienced that God can and wants to give everyone a new beginning!

Changed lives! It keeps us going because we believe it is always possible.

Gifts (large & small) for the various projects are always welcome! Make your gifts payable to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.