Update on Slovenia project

Last Monday we announced our new project: Teen Challenge Izhod, Slovenia. We will be raising 3,000 dollars (or approx. 2,250 euro's)  for the men's center in Nova Vas. They will need this for heating fuel and the purchase of a chain saw (600 euro's).

The gifts thermometer rose this week from zero to 1,300 euro's, which is awesome! We transferred the money for the chain saw, so they can get to work, chopping trees,  before winter comes. Thanks everyone, for helping others, your gifts are greatly appreciated.

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

[2 Corinthians 9:7]

Project Teen Challenge Izhod, Slovenia

MS 280-L

You may wonder... what in the world is a chain saw doing on this weblog?

Well, you may remember our friends Matjaz & Magdalena Horjak in Slovenia. We have written about their work among the drugs addicts in Slovenia on this weblog and we have visited them on several occasions. After years of preparation and waiting they opened the Dennis Griffith House in Nova Vas, Slovenia, a rental home where men who sincerely want to break their destructive habits can come and enter a year long program, as offered worldwide through Teen Challenge. There are currently three men in the program and Matjaz has been blessed with full time staff member Dejan & Renata Berginc!

The Horjak family

Recently we asked them if they could give us a list of current needs. As many other Teen Challenge programs they largely depend on donations as well as on any income they can make through operating small businesses. In Slovenia the men have a moving company and quite regularly they are asked to remove trees from people's property. In order to do this they have an immediate need for a good chain saw. Matjaz emailed me the page from a tools catalogue to show us the one they want to buy. They will need 3,000 dollars for the coming winter, which is about 2250 euros. Part is for heating fuel and about 600 euro's is for the chain saw.

This is a project Traveling Light would like to take on. Why? Because lives are being changed here, forever! Because we just love small projects like this where people are really working hard to make a difference in this world!

Who wants to join us in raising the needed funds?

For those in the USA, you can donate HERE, make sure to select TC Slovenia at step 2!

1500 euro for women's home Arad, Israel

Hooray! We're happy again here at Traveling Light. We're happy because we can bring you good news. The 1,500 euro's for Ark in the Negev, a women's home in Arad, Israel, came in.

A heartfelt thanks for everyone who donated for this cause. How awesome that we can support and help Polly Sigulim this way, from Holland. The home was officially opened September 20th and the money we are going to send will be used for the purchase of sturdy deck furniture and much needed repairs of the patio cover.

Polly had the dream to open a home for abused women in Israel for years and now her dream has come true. Within a few weeks we are hoping to visit the new home. We will then post a report and some photo's on this weblog!

In days to come Jacob will take root, Israel will bud and blossom and fill all the world with fruit!

Isaiah 27:6

Weekend Conference Ludwigslust, Germany

Fels in der Brandung

We just came back from a great weekend in Ludwigslust, Germany. Pastor Gerhard from Fels in der Brandung, a small and active evangelical church in the North Eastern corner of Germany, had invited us to come and speak at his church. We gladly accepted his invitation to come and encourage the believers in Ludwigslust and surrounding areas. The last few times we visited were as much a blessing for us as for them! So, we packed the camper and headed east.

Family of God

We picked as theme for this conference: Building Better Relationships. We spoke on the importance and relevance of a relationship with Jesus, who came to communicate grace and truth, with the Holy Spirit who communicates power and with the Father who communicates love. Except for these spiritual relationships, we also spoke about natural relationships, as in husband and wife. Saturday afternoon we watched the movie Fireproof, a very powerful movie when it comes to the marriage relationship. It was subtitled in German, so most people were able to understand what it was all about.

Relaxing and fun afternoon stroll

We were super blessed with a sunny and warm autumn weekend. We took time for a long walk through the castle gardens, an absolute beautiful place to visit! It gave us time to enjoy the outdoors, to stretch our legs and to talk with many people who attended the conference. Pastor Gerhard has a way of inviting people from all over the place, and this time we were blessed to have among us a group of men from Afghanistan and Iran, currently seeking asylum in Germany. They attended the whole conference and heard the message of grace, love and salvation. What an honor to have them in our midst!

New friends from Afghanistan

We were also very happy to have spiritual and practical support from our home town, Papendrecht. Matthijs Goedegebuure came with us and took care of all the praise and worship sessions. Wow, can he sing or what? His songs brought many people to tears, especially when he dug up some old favorites like The old rugged cross and Don Franciso's  He's alive. Piet & Anneke Stehouwer came as well, their presence is always the icing on the cake as their love and kindness is evident in everything they do.

Powerful praise & worship

Sunday afternoon we headed to the Evangelisch Freikirchliche Gmeinde in Putlitz, a small baptist church about an hour away. Jan had the honor to speak there as well. After the service we were invited for a traditional kaffee & kuche fest! Wow, what a hospitality, what a kindness and love and what a great delight for our taste buds :)

We can look back at a great weekend, many people were touched by the love of our heavenly Father. The international fellowship was awesome and the kindness and love with which we were received and welcomed was again outstanding. All the ladies that took care of the food are such a blessing, they made us feel right at home. Special thanks are in place for our translators, we just LOVE working with Julie, Christoph and Thomas! 

Update Womens Home Arad, Israel

Arad, Israel

Today we received an email from Polly Sigulim in Israel that we would like to (partially) share with you all.

Dear Friends, Shalom from ARAD! 

We are thrilled to finally be able to announce to those who have stood with us in Prayer and encouragement that the ''ARK IN THE NEGEV'' is actually OPEN! We are ready to receive our first 'trainees' ! The 'ARK IN THE NEGEV' is a home style, live-in center for Israeli women who are in need of spiritual guidance, disciplining and practical vocational training. This Is a life changing, 'learning program' based on the WHOLE Bible and it's principles. We are happy to invite ALL who wish to join us in blessing this Home, to a 'Dedication to the Lord' evening. We will have an Open House, with a Pot Blessing Dinner and we invite all who come to bring either food or drink. Please join us in celebrating the birth of this new program and adventure that the Lord has put together. For those who wish to bring a 'house warming gift' an indoor house plant would add much and be wonderful for that final 'perfect touch'.

Yes! Things are moving and slowly taking shape. We pray and hope to be able to present Polly and her staff with a gift as well. The gifts thermometer is steadily rising, we have received 1.000 euro's already, so we need 500 more in order to reach the desired goal. The best thing is that within a few more weeks we will be able to see the house for ourselves when we visit Israel.

PS: Please, click on the link below for an interesting article and film about Polly's work in Israel.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/insideisrael/2011/March/Ultra-Orthodox-Demonstrate-against-Israeli-Believers/

Ark in the Negev project

Well, today we transferred the 3.000 euro's for the soup kitchen in Netanya, Israel. With that done, the project didn't come to an end, it's just getting started. We will continue to follow Brian Slater's efforts, who manages the soup kitchens in  Israel. He is ALWAYS in dire need for volunteers, so if you're thinking about visiting Israel, make sure to sign up for a couple of days or weeks of volunteer work. You can email us about details.

The next project we would like to sponsor is also in Israel. May we introduce to you Polly Sigulim. Jan met Polly in 2009 during a seminar in Israel and later that year we both met her during Spiritual Emphasize in Riverside CA, an annual event organized by Teen Challenge Southern California. She then stayed with us in Ventura for a week or so and during that time she shared her dream with us: the opening of a home for battered and abused women in Israel. A safe place for women from all backgrounds (Jewish, Arab, Bedouin, Russian etc.) where they can experience the love of Yeshua (Jesus).

Polly grew up in the USA but has lived in Israel for more than 20 years. She became a widow at a young age and was left with the care for her three small children. She also took in many foster children. Now that her children are adults she really wants to give meaning to her life by helping others in need. We believe in Polly's dream and are happy that now we are able to help her 'officially'. A few weeks ago she e-mailed us that she finally was able to rent a house that would serve as a womens' home. Yes, we are so happy and excited that Polly's plans are beginning to take shape. We asked her for immediate needs and she told us she is getting a lot of help from all over, even from the 700club, which is awesome. However, they still need money to fix the roof of the porch and to purchase patio furniture, so they can have a livingroom outside. Arad is in the Negev desert, so it's always warm. They will need 1,500 euro's for this.

We think that is just the right amount for Traveling Light. We will start fundraising this week for this small scale project that will have a huge impact on the lives of women, mothers, & children in the land of Israel. We are hoping to visit the new home next month.

Money for soup kitchen Netanya comes in!

Hooray, we are celebrating again here at Traveling Light (something we just love to do). Thanks to our faithful partners we were able to raise 3.000 euro's for the new soup kitchen in Netanya, Israel. Yes!

We wrote a beautiful check which we will symbolically present to Brian Slater when we visit him in Israel next month. The money will be transferred through internet banking, so Brian can use it as soon as possible for the new soup kitchen. Again, we were delightfully surprised at the gifts that came in like a life giving stream from all over the place. We even received a gift from the prayergroup at Church of the Living Christ in Ojai, CA. Thank you ladies, we love you and God loves the cheerful giver :)

We hope you all enjoy reading about the projects we want to sponsor. It is almost like we are zooming in at a tiny speck on this globe where people are working hard to make this world a better place. We just LOVE to send them support and encouragement from Holland. Next week we will introduce you to Polly Sigulim, the lady behind the Ark of the Negev project, a house for battered women in Arad, Israel.

As for now we like to wish everyone a great weekend and leave you with a blessing from the Book of Proverbs (11:25):

A generous man will prosper, he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

5-year old girl starts fundraising

We just want to share with you how the 5-year old daughter of a friend helped us to raise money for the soup kitchen in Netanya, Israel.

Little blond Mara decided that a cupcake sale would definitely bring in some money for this new project that we decided to sponsor. And who would disagree with that? So she headed to the kitchen and, with a little help of her parents of course, started to make some cup cakes. She used colorful decorations to make 'm even look more yummy. Mara then walked the streets in her neighbourhood and sold her homemade cup cakes. Her action brought in 20 euro's, which is an awesome amount for a little girl like that, especially when you're saving up money for a Nintendo.

And you know what we did with the bag of coins she handed us? We prayed over it as Jesus prayed over the loaves of bread and the fish that later fed more than 5.000 people. Anything we put in God's hands will be blessed and multiplied. We pray that many people will receive food and clothing through Mara's act of giving. We are so honored to have supporters like her!

Birth announcement and Israel update

Last week we received news from Dejan & Renata Berginc (Slovenia) that they are the proud parents now of a brand new, healthy and pretty baby girl: Bianca. Dejan is a staff member with Teen Challenge Slovenia. Together with Matjaz Horjak he runs the new men's home in Nova Vas. Dejan used to be a drugs addict himself, he went through the program in Czech Republic, because at that time there was no facility in Slovenia. After finishing the program he had the growing desire to help others as he had been helped. He works in the men's home now and is happily married to Renata. If you want to surprise them by sending them a card or present, please e-mail us for their address at janandmarja@gmail.com 

As far as the Onyfrievka project is concerned; we are just waiting for all paperwork to be filed. As soon as we receive green light form the Ukraine, we will transfer the money. Please pray that all paperwork will be filed properly and in short time!

Last week we announced the new project we would like to sponsor in Netanya, Israel: equipment for the new to open soup kitchen where Brian Slater will feed the hungry, poor and lonely people of Israel. The first need for this set up is about 3,000 euro's. We are so happy to see that the gifts thermometer here in Holland is rising steadily. As of today we have already received more than 2,200 euro's and we are well on our way to present Brian with this love gift!

"In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive'."

[Book of Acts 20:35]

Project Netanya, Israel

Now that we have raised the 10,000 euro's (!) for Ukraine we will be introducing our next project. This doesn't mean the Onyfrievka project is a closed chapter, by no means! They are working out the official details and everything that comes with buying a house in Ukraine, so we will wait for the signal to transfer the money. Then, the real work can begin: renovation of the house. We'll keep you updated.

The next two projects we would like to support are a soup kitchen in Netanya and a home for abused women in Arad, both in Israel. We believe it is important for all Christians, as well as for Christian churches and organisations, to support Israel. God told Abraham (one of the patriarchs of Israel) that He would bless those who would bless Israel. Well, we all want to be blessed, right?! So, two projects in Israel it will be. Let's start by introducing the man behind the soup kitchen in Netanya: Brian Slater.

We met Brian a few years ago at a mission night in Jubilee Church in Camarillo, California. He presented a slide show and told the audience about his work in Israel. We felt an immediate connection with him and his work and we have been in contact ever since. Brian was born and raised in a Jewish family in Southern California and later moved to Israel where he met his wife Racheli. They have three children and Brian works through Chosen People Ministries (an American organisation). He manages soup kitchens and clothes distribution centers in Tel Aviv and Netanya, where he feeds hundreds of homeless, poor and lonely people (including Holocaust survivors) every week. He works with a team of volunteers who faithfully help him. We have been supporting him, not just financially, but also practically by translating his newsletters into the Dutch language and distributing them among his support group in Holland. We have visited him in 2008 and a year later, in 2009, Jan went to volunteer in his soup kitchen for a few days.

It is not allowed in Israel to evangelize in public, but behind the doors of the soup kitchen people can be prayed for or take books, bibles or flyers home. They also play worship music and show movies during the meals. In Israel it is as hard for Arabs as for Jewish people to live out their faith in the Messiah. They often experience persecution, criticism and sometimes exclusion from their families. Yet, the number of people confessing their faith in the Messiah (Jesus) is growing every day. Jan witnessed the reconciliation between Arab and Jew in person when he visited Netanya. Jesus is the only one who can bring real peace in people's hearts!

Brian just signed the papers for the rental of a store front building in the center of Netanya where they will open up a soup kitchen. we have asked him for a list of immediate necessities so we can purposefully start fundraising for this project. They are in need of tables, chairs, benches, curtains, coffee makers, banners and a wheel barrow as well as many other things. The most needed items can be purchased for about 3,000 euro's. So we will start all over again and try to come up with the needed funds as soon as possible. That way we will be able to bless the people in Israel and who knows we will be able to do much more in the near future. YES!

We are planning to visit Israel in October and we will certainly go and see Brian and hand him a helping hand in the new soup kitchen. You can click on the following link to see a slide show of the happenings in the soup kitchen in tel Aviv: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp0Ta4ljAIU


For those in the USA who would like to give, please click on the below secure link to give a TAX DEDUCTIBLE gift and don't forget to designate your gift in the special designation box to: The Slater Family in Israel.
https://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php?option=com_dtdonate&task=authorizenetonce
OR
By Pay Pal
https://www.chosenpeople.com/main/index.php/donate/index.php?option=com_dtdonate&task=pre_paypal&Itemid=261