Sunday, October 18, 2020

Investing in human lives

This year we obviously travel less than in previous years, so we are more dependent on maintaining contacts via email and social media. We recently received photos and a long letter from our friends in Belarus.

We have supported the work of Mission Return several times over the past few years. One of their projects was the completion of the second floor of the women's shelter 'Overnight home'. Director Sergey Tsupa writes in his letter to Traveling Light:

"We sincerely thank you and all who financially participated in the major overhaul and improvement of the second floor. Due to your support, we were able to restore the walls, floors, windows, to buy bathroom accessories, and to install doors.

Previously, we only had one room for women who suffered from domestic violence. During the past four years, we were able to help 24 women and 22 children. Now that the second floor is finished, we have 5 rooms, so we can accept more women with children who suffer from hardships – people from vulnerable groups.

The new rooms are separated from the homeless shelter we operate in the same building, which satisfies a claim of the authorities concerning sanitary regulations and hygienic safety.

So, now we have already accepted 48 women. Some from prison, some without a home, some without documents, and some without a job, but all willing to change their lives. With God’s help, they were able to come back to full life, to find a job, to restore relations with their relatives, and even to start a family.

Tatiana (see picture) married Alexandr (who was in one of our rehabs). She is now a member of our local church, has found work and accommodation, and she got her child back.

Natalia is now also married. She completed the rehabilitation program, was set free by God's power and grace and is now affiliated with the church in the Svetlogorsk region. The women often take up volunteer work in the 'Overnight home' and /or the church. 

The women in our center have the possibility to hear the Word of God, to come to the Lord with repentance, to accept His love, to believe in His forgiveness, to turn their backs to sin, and to live the holy life. They do not only get spiritual help but also food, night lodging, clothes, and other things.

Our goal is to promote the restoration of the whole personality - to become mentally healthy, emotionally balanced, socially adapted, spiritually alive, and to become a part of a local church, society, and a family."

What an encouraging message from Belarus! Too important not to share. Your donations are not just money you give away. No, they are investments in human lives. How awesome is that!

GIFTS (large and small) for all our projects are always welcome and can be directed at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U.

👉Please pray for Belarus and the work of Mission return.