Project Mercy Center, Athens

It has been quite a few years since we supported the work of Elias and Efi Armenis in Greece with a donation.

They are the founders of Passage to Life in Athens, a christian organization dedicated to helping the poor, the homeless, and addicted and sharing the hope that only Jesus can give.

Their Mercy Center is open on various days of the week. In the building they serve hot meals, distribute clothing, offer Bible studies, counseling, advice, and prayers.

During the summer their team did street evangelism in various places, meetings were organized and food packages distributed.

Due to all the restrictions, they decided to move the meetings and activities to the roof of the building. A great solution, as long as it was summer of course 😁

Now that winter is approaching, they are looking for a strong and durable tent construction so that the meetings on the roof can continue.

As in many countries, it is not possible at the moment to organize indoor meetings with a group of people ... so they have taken everything outside.

Elias is currently raising funds to purchase a large tent so that the work can continue throughout the winter. The needs are growing in the streets of Athens. We are grateful for people like Elias and Efi and their team who continue to reach as many people as possible despite difficult circumstances,

If you have a heart for Greece (maybe you have been there on vacation) then you can support the street work in Athens by making a donation to NL91RABO0118582275  BIC: RABONL2U Traveling Light, Papendrecht, The Netherlands. make sure to mention ATHENS.

Christmas gifts for sailors

Christmas is still more than a month away, but preparations are already in full swing here and there to put together Christmas packages. This is so for companies, organizations, families, and seafarer's evangelist Alexander Eberson.

This year he plans to hand out a large number of Christmas packages again to the sailors in the ports of Terneuzen and Ghent. He writes in his newsletter:

The month of December is a very suitable time for me as a port evangelist to tell something about the birth of our Savior through the Christmas packages. This year I want to put together 300 Christmas packages for the sailors.

In the picture you can see what's in a package this year: a pair of socks, a shampoo, a notebook with a pen, a roll of mentos, a chocolate bar, a game, and a scarf. There is also a tract and a Christmas card in each package. Will you help again?

Of course, we will help. It is such a heartwarming idea to surprise the crew of ships from all over the world with a gift this Christmas! They are often far from home for an extended time and just letting them know that people are thinking about them, is great.

👉The price of each Christmas package is 6 euro. You can transfer that amount or a multiple thereof to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention SAILORS CHRISTMAS.

We hope for your quick response because we would prefer to make a donation to Alexander at the beginning of December so that he can go shopping.

Making others happy, will make you happy too! We look forward to your donations, thank you in advance.

Greetings from Mission Return in Belarus

Earlier this year, we were able to donate a wonderful gift of 5,000 euro to Mission Return (Teen Challenge) in Belarus to support one of the twelve (!) drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers, the one in the Lyahovichi district.

There are 10 men in the center, some of whom are disabled. There are only a few small churches in the area that support them financially. So they made a plan to turn the center into a functioning dairy farm.

The money we sent was intended for the purchase of dairy cows, the renovation of an existing cowshed, and the purchase of a small milking machine, dairy refrigerator, and a machine for producing milk products. 👉 A few weeks ago we received photos and a report.

It is so nice to read how our donations were welcomed. They purchased three dairy cows. In the meantime, a calf has been born and two more calves are on the way! Yes, once there is a small beginning...

All the necessary machinery and a small generator have been acquired and at the moment they produce 800 liters of milk every month. A little less than half of that is being used to make sour cream and cottage cheese, which they sell to generate some income.

The other half is for personal use, of course. Just think about how much they will need to feed between 10 and 15 men every day.

It is great to read how the center is moving towards partial self-sufficiency. Taking care of the cows and making and selling the products are also part of the daily chores.

On behalf of director Michael Balakirev and the men in the program, thank you very much for this gift! It was an enormous help for them and they regard it as a blessing that funds have been collected for them in the Netherlands.

Please, pray for Belarus. For stability, peace, tranquility, and freedom to continue to do this Christian work.

By the way, another project in Belarus will be up on this blog soon. 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.

Project insulation girl's home and church, Moldova

It has been two years already since we visited Johannes and Charlotte Petersen in Moldova.

They are the founders of Pilgrims International and have lived in Moldova for almost 25 years. Unfortunately, there has been no opportunity to visit them this year 😭

In addition to churches and rehab centers, Johannes and Charlotte also founded a girls' home, a safe place for girls who were in life-threatening situations (such as human trafficking).

In the past, we have been able to give financial gifts for the construction of the girl's home 'Pilgrim House'.

That work has now been expanded and since last year there is also a Pilgrim House 2. An apartment with room for more girls, situated in the same building where the church is located. When we were there, everything was still under construction.

Funds are currently being collected to insulate that building. Last winter (the first winter for the girls in Pilgrim House 2) there were problems with moisture and mold. External insulation with 100 mm fireproof polystyrene is the solution in this case., which will also help to keep the utility bill low.

At the same time, the facade will be reconstructed so that the church entrance can be moved to the front of the building (which is a bit friendlier of course). This will also be the entrance to the children's and youth clubs, a coffee house, and spaces where more activities can take place.

Work has already begun at the rear of the building. The work is being carried out by local contractors and hopefully this job will also provide a great opportunity to introduce them to the good news!

If you would like to help with a donation for this project, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. make sure to mention MOLDOVA.