Visit to Moldova + Christmas packages 2023

At the beginning of December, we (Jan, Marja, Krijn, and Cora) visited Moldova. We were invited by Ivan Velinchuk (director TC) and Alexandr Lukiyan (Pastor church in Falesti) to the 20th anniversary of Teen Challenge.

We visited the various drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and had every opportunity to encourage the guests in the program with something from God's Word and also to pray with them personally.

Some of them said they had read Marja's Russian books, which are on the bookshelf there!

The Traveling Light ice skating team has skated several times for the Christian rehab centers in Moldova on the Weissensee in Austria, so that made a visit extra fun...

To see with your own eyes how money has been spent and, above all, to hear how people's lives have been changed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

They spoiled us each morning with a delicious extensive breakfast in the church in Falesti, after which we set off.

We visited the new rehab center (under construction) in Soceteni. A beautiful 4-storey building that stands behind the old farmhouse where 8 men currently live + another 5 men in a nearby cottage. They can't wait until they can move into the big house. But there is still a lot of work to be done!

During the 20-year celebration, there was room for lots of music and singing, testimonies, and encouragement from the Bible. We were kindly invited to share the Word there.

We also visited the mission post of Johannes and Charlotte Petersen and the girls' home that they lead. They are the founders of Teen Challenge Moldova and of the churches in Falesti and Riscani.

If you would like to know which projects in Moldova we have collaborated on as Traveling Light, take a look HERE.

It was wonderful for us to be there, to be welcomed so warmly, and to be so encouraged by all the stories.

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👉We thank you very much for all the donations, support, and prayers we received over the past year. As for the Christmas packages project this year... we were able to divide 8,000 euros between the three projects. Amazing, right?!

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If you would like to make an end-of-year gift, don't hesitate! We want to help:

• TC Ukraine with the purchase of a house (5,000 euros) near the women's house in Berdychiv. They want to use it as a house for the staff (now the workers live in the rehab houses themselves which is not so convenient) and for visitors, a kind of mission house.
• TC Albania with a donation for their coffee house work in Tirana.

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 'general' or otherwise which country or project.
• 💳 Give by card

Travel report Lithuania

"It's for a good cause," people often say, especially in December. But what is that good cause? As far as we at Traveling Light are concerned, it is clear: we invest in human lives!

👉Thanks to your support, we can support Christian organizations and initiatives in more than thirty countries in Europe that provide help to people in need. These could be addicts, homeless people, the poor, displaced, widows, and orphans. The support we offer consists of financial help but also of encouragement on a relational and spiritual level through visiting.

For example, we (Jan and Marja) were in Lithuania last October. We were invited to speak at the annual Teen Challenge conference in Kaunas. Prior to the conference, we visited the women's and men's rehabilitation centers. We also visited there in 2018 and 2019. It's nice to see what has changed in the meantime.

The second floor of the women's center is now completely finished from the inside. What beautiful spaces they have become: bedrooms, sitting room, sanitary facilities, and a beautiful classroom!

There was time to share God's Word and to personally pray with all the women currently going through the rehab program. These are always very special moments and it is an enormous encouragement for the women that 'foreigners' come along to share a word of knowledge, wisdom, or prophecy with them. The tears flowed frequently.

The Friday before the Teen Challenge conference was a special day for the staff and volunteers. We stayed in a farmhouse in the woods and had plenty of time for conversations, prayer, music and singing, and sharing meals together. We had the opportunity to share an encouraging word and personally pray with many for healing, recovery, strength, and vision.

On Saturday we spoke at the Teen Challenge conference in Kaunas. Several former addicts shared their testimonies. 😁Ah, that's why we do what we do: to see lives cahnged for eternity!

On Sunday we spoke in the church in Kaunas, Kauno Krikščionių Bažnyčia. A church led by pastor Rytis Berūkštis with a big heart for the work of Teen Challenge! After the service, we talked and prayed with people for hours, thanks to our interpreters.

Every donation that goes to Traveling Light, whether it is 5 or 500 euros, benefits the projects we support. We call them 'projects' for convenience's sake, but ultimately it is about people stepping out of darkness into the light.

Edvardas and Rasa Kleinas are the directors of Teen Challenge Lithuania. Edvardas knows what it is like to be addicted and in prison. He also found his true freedom in Jesus Christ and has been committed for years to helping others find that path, that truth.

💓Jesus gave the command to disciple all nations and in this way, we all help. So do not see your gift as money that you 'give away' but as seed that you sow in God's Kingdom. The changed lives are the result!

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 'general' or otherwise which country or project.
• 💳 Give by card

THANK YOU!

Christmas packages 2023

Each year, Traveling Light supports a number of Christmas packages projects from various organizations. It is a blessing to be able to give to people who are less fortunate for whatever reason, perhaps because they are refugees, addicted, homeless, or far away from home. Surely, one of these projects thas your your heart 💓 

Winter packages Moldova

Our friends from Pilgrims and Teen Challenge are organizing their winter campaign for the 19th time. Last year they delivered 40 tons of coal and more than 400 food parcels to the poor and the widows.

The food packages meet a huge need, each package contains about 12 to 13 kilos of food!

We have been sponsoring this campaign for many years and we will certainly do it again. If you want to stay warm this winter, give warmth to someone else! Give... and it will be given to you 😁

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Christmas bags for sailors

The Christmas period is the opportunity for port evangelist Alexander Eberson to show seafarers in word and deed that God loves them too. He wants to give a Christmas package to the sailors he visits.

Each Christmas package contains a hat, a pair of socks, a game, a notebook with pen, a bar of chocolate, a roll of mentos fruit, a bottle of shower gel, a homemade Christmas card, and a Christmas message.

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Operation Christmas Joy

Transform Iran (formerly 222 Ministries) also wants to show the love of Jesus to vulnerable children this Christmas. They do this with Operation Christmas Joy (OCJ). The parents of these vulnerable children are poor or persecuted for their faith and/or had to flee their country.

The children receive a Christmas package containing warm clothes or shoes, school supplies and toys. The children are also invited to a Christmas party where they can play with others, enjoy Christmas music and show off their presents. Perhaps they are hearing the Christmas story from the Bible for the first time.

In 2022, Operation Christmas Joy brought gifts to 987 children from 3 countries. Today, the children of Christian-Iranian refugees in Turkey are having a harder time than ever. Even at school, they experience persecution and they do not know where they will live tomorrow. The children of Armenian refugees (as a result of the attacks on Artsakh) also need help. OCJ wants to give a Christmas gift to these Armenian children as well.

If you like to sponsor a Christmas package, you can

• send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, or 
• 💳 Give by card 

Project Teen Challenge juvenile home, Kazakhstan

As most of you know, we choose a different project every month for which we keep the proceeds of our coffeehouse / 2ndhand stores.

In November this is the Teen Challenge juvenile home in Kazakhstan.

Maxim and Evgenia Buzinovskiyi run this family home and they are no strangers to us. We have visited them twice, even though that was some years ago.

Maxim and Evgenia (Jenja) care for children who, for whatever reason, cannot live at home. They also have three children of their own.

We have raised funds before to help them renovate the study and dining area in the house. The walls have been painted, electricity replaced, moldy walls repaired and new tables purchased, etc.

This winter they would like to renovate the common space where the boys spend their free time. Floor insulation would not be an unnecessary luxury there, new windows are also needed and some furniture. We would like to help them with that and hopefully, you want to help too!

Come visit us in the Schor (open on Fridays and also on Saturdays in December) and/or in Twinkeltje (on Saturday and/or Monday afternoons). With your purchases, you support this project. We have a lot of nice Christmas stuff and, as always, the coffee is ready.

Specified donations for the boys' home of TC Kazakhstan are of course also 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 TC KAZAKHSTAN
• 💳 Give by card

👉PS: More information about our annual sponsoring of Christmas packages will follow next week!

Travels and fun sponsoring activities

In October we (Jan and Marja) visited Comunita Brezzano in Tuscany, Italy.

Until the beginning of last year, the Christian therapeutic community was run by our friend Maria Meier. After her sudden death in February 2022, we had not been there anymore.

The board of her (Swiss) foundation invited us to spend a few days with them in Casa Shalom, the beautiful house where we stayed for years with groups during the woodcutting work weeks.

It was nice to be there again. We listened a lot, talked, prayed, sang, and brainstormed about how to go on with the Comunita. Casa Shalom remains available as a home for prayer groups, retreats and theme meetings.

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From Tuscany we drove to Lithuania, where we were invited to attend and speak at the annual Teen Challenge conference.

Of course we visited the men's and women's rehab center and also spoke in the church in Kaunas on Sunday. We will share a more detailed report soon.

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This weekend we are back in Italy to participate in the annual Europe Teen Challenge Fall conference. Always a great opportunity for us to meet leaders of the various rehabilitation centers and programs from all over Europe.

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We furthermore like to highlight two fun sponsoring events close to home! On Friday, November 17, our friend Margot will once again organize a bingo evening for the benefit of Traveling Light. You can win nice Oriflame prizes, Marja will be there with a book table and Cora with nice things from Twinkeltje. Register via Margot, Cora or Marja.

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On Tuesday, November 21, our friend Chantal will organize a workshop crocheting Christmas ornaments in Atelier de Schor for the benefit of Traveling Light. Cost: 15 euros. Entry from 7:30 PM.

We just love these events that raise money for all the wonderful projects we support.

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 'general' or otherwise which country or project.
• 💳 Give by card

Project Teen Challenge men's center Berdychiv, Ukraine

Halfway 2022, we posted project maintenance Teen Challenge men's home Berdychiv  on this blog. It is the Christian drug and alcohol rehab center that our dear friend Sergey Romanenko runs in Ukraine. We visited the center on several occasions.

Sergey is a man of faith and such a great example to many. He never gives up, he keeps the faith, and he runs the race. But that doesn't mean it is easy 💗

He always has plans for expansion while at the same time, the men's and women's centers are in constant need of regular repairs and maintenance, which is understandable when you live with so many people in one house.

They have finally finished the repairs on the outside of the men's center, a great job as you can see in the pictures. At the moment they are working on the interior of the men’s and women’s centers.

They also started building an extra room on the side of the house where the men can put their shoes and jackets, kind of a front porch. Again, it will certainly add to the value of the house.

The past one and a half years haven't been easy for anyone in Ukraine (or Russia for that matter). Sergey wrote:

"People from our rehab teams went to live abroad for the time of war and we also sent many sisters with kids abroad for the same reason. Now God is growing a new team and we didn’t close our centers, even more, we opened one more women’s rehab!

We had people who were in combat and they started using drugs, we are helping them. To our deepest sorrow, we understand that there will be many people coming back from this war with damaged lives and mental health, and also with addictions.

But God is saving people in these horrible times, He is the living God!"

They have many people to take care of, many children, and so things get broken and worn out fast, walls need to be repainted, some furniture replaced, and bathrooms redone, etc. 

We would love to encourage Sergey and his current team and send them a generous donation for all the work that needs to be done to keep these houses up and running.

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

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and don't forget to mention TC Ukraine Berdychiv
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC Ukraine - Berdychiv

Thank you, on behalf of Sergey, for your generosity!

Shalom Maria and Ian! Greetings to you on the soon-coming Jewish Biblical Feasts! We miss our fellowship with you! So I decided to write a few words about our life here. Everything’s going well in our family, the kids keep growing, our eldest, Bella, just started her second year at the university, training to be an English teacher, Alice started her first year in college, to be a kindergarten teacher and Sonia is in year 9 at school. Ira is working, she has 2 years left before retirement. I went through and I am still going through some difficult times in life and ministry. People from the rehab teams went to live abroad for the time of war, and I also sent many sisters with kids abroad for the same reason. Now God is growing a new team and we didn’t close our centers, even more, we opened one more women’s rehab! There are many people at all centers. We had people who were in combat and started using drugs, and we are helping them. To our deepest sorrow we understand that there will be many people coming back from this war with damaged lives, mental health and with addictions. But God is saving people in these horrible times for Ukraine, He is living God! We have finally finished the house repairing the men’s rehab house! Now we need to work on the interior of men’s and women’s centers. We have many people there, many children, so things get broken and worn out fast, walls need to be repainted, etc. We are also building the front porch for them. We kindly ask you for help if it is possible, with the funds for all those repairs, kitchen furniture, bathroom facilities replacement, buying some new wardrobes for clothes. All of that is estimated at around 5000€. Could you please post about it in your blog? Tell us how are you doing? How are you feeling? Are you working on your new book? Sending great blessings and our love to you!

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Sergey

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Sergey

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Sergey

We are building a veranda to the house so that we can put shoes and hang clothes.

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Sep 8, 2023, 8:32 PM

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dear friends, thank you so much for your message and pictures. I will write back later this weekend, becasue we are out of the house most of tomorrow, we have a baptism in the river and service.

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Sergey

We also have our two daughters make a covenant with God!

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Sergey

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Sep 10, 2023, 5:10 PM

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Sep 13, 2023, 3:42 PM

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Dear Sergey and friends, thank you for the pictures, wow, such nice work. We are so proud of you! Everyone can say he has faith, but show us one who really has. You are such a man! God is happy, we are happy. Despite difficulties, despite trouble, never stop, keep going. This is the key! Of course, we can put this on our blog and raise some funds for your work, please give us some time, because we have several projects waiting. We surely miss the fellowship we always had in Ukraine. We travel to several countries (Poland, Czech, Germany, Slovenija, Italy, Moldova) and we love the fellowship. It must be difficult for you to stay where you are with so many people leaving. But we believe your endurance and faithfulness will be rewarded. And your joy cannot and should not be stolen. Look at your daughters!!! Hallelujah!

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Sep 13, 2023, 9:22 PM

Sergey

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Sep 14, 2023, 7:30 PM

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Dear friends, we watched the video message together and I read your message to Jan. We hear you, and we understand that it would be good to meet and ecnourage one another. We will pray about it and see how or what we can arrange to meet you!

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Sep 15, 2023, 5:50 PM

Sergey

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Sep 15, 2023, 7:33 PM

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Shana tova!!!

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Sep 15, 2023, 9:44 PM

Sergey

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Sep 17, 2023, 3:15 PM

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Sep 17, 2023, 6:38 PM

Sergey

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Sep 17, 2023, 8:50 PM

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Hallelujha!

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Oct 9, 2023, 9:36 PM

Sergey

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Sergey

Молитва за Израиль

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Oct 10, 2023, 7:31 PM

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Hallelujah, crying out for victory for Israel! Praying that God will move His mighty arm!!

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Sergey

Amen !

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