Report Teen Challenge summer camp Ukraine

Our great minisry team

Last week we (Jan and Marja) participated in the annual summer camp in Ukraine organized by Teen Challenge and the Jewish Messianic community in Berdychiv.

We had a great time with about 230 men and women from various drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers. Talking, singing, dancing, praying, exercising, eating together ... you name it.

Our heartfelt thanks goes out to our interpreters Darina, Julia, Olga, Sara, Victoria and Zhenya. We could not have done anything without them.

Jan gives a workshop

The camp was held for the 11th time this year, just outside the village of Raygorodok, about 20 minutes drive from Berdychiv. The camp is being organized for people who are currently in Christian drug and alcohol rehabs or have gone through a program or still need to go.

Traveling Light has been sponsoring the camp since 2012. This year, again, we did receive many donations from you for this purpose. Know that you have invested in human lives. THANK YOU!

Bible in hand :)

The theme for this week came from Psalm 118: 17, "I will live and not die!" A beautiful theme, especially if you've been on the verge of death, literally and/or spiritually. We taught several Bible studies based on this theme.

It is such a privilege to teach at the camp, the students are hungry and curious about God's word, they take notes, ask questions, share their stories and actively participate in all assignments!

New life!

In the afternoons and evenings everyone had the opportunity to come to us for counseling. We have had very special sessions in which many received God's love, mercy, forgiveness and healing. We are so grateful for the Holy Spirit, who is the REAL counselor.

It is also an enormous encouragement for us to see how God keeps changing people's lives! The stories are sometimes too bizarre for words. Twenty years of heavy addiction, homelessness, long prison sentences, no hope of recovery ... and then there is God 💙

Some people we remember from last year

We have celebrated throughout the week that there is NEW LIFE in Jesus Christ.

We were able to encourage and inspire so many people, it was wonderful to be given this opportunity. At the end of the week no one wanted to go home.

Oh yeah, we started every morning (before breakfast) with music and dance :) If you watch the video below, try to imagine in which situation these people were a year ago ... Many of them would no longer be alive, were it not that someone told them about Teen Challenge.

That is reason enough to continue the sponsoring of this kind of work.

Gifts are ALWAYS welcome to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.