Visit to Teen Challenge Iceland

We (Jan and Marja) went to visit and encourage Teen Challenge in Iceland from June 7-10. It was the first time they organized a conference and we were invited to speak there.

TC Iceland does not (yet) have a rehab center, but it is possible for people who struggle with addictions and want to get rid of them to follow a day program.

We were already aware of this through the meetings with Katrinn, who started the Bible studies for this group of people a few years ago. We already donated the proceeds from our shop Twinkeltje in December 2020 for the benefit of that work.

The group lessons for New Life from Teen Challenge are used in the day program. Yes, the same lessons we are currently using in our hometown Papendrecht with a group (Highly recommended for your church or home group of new believers).

Jóhann and Svava were our hosts during these days. Svava is now the director of Teen Challenge Iceland and during the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Warsaw, last May, we agreed to come and visit them.

They looked after us very well and also showed us beautiful tourist highlights. We enjoyed it, even though it was a very busy weekend.

Friday evening we went straight from the airport in Reykjavik to Vegurinn church where they can use the coffee room for studies and meetings.

The TC team regularly takes it to the streets to talk with addicts and invite them to the 'coffee house' and participate in the group lessons.

It is very encouraging to hear the testimonies of those who have accepted Jesus into their lives and the changes they have gone through. It's not just about addicts, by the way. We also heard testimonies from (young) people who came to to Jesus from New Age and Satanism. Oh, that gives so much HOPE!

👉On Saturday we spoke during a morning, afternoon and evening session about the importance of knowing and communicating with the Holy Spirit. We received many grateful responses to our simple and practical teaching.

Sunday morning we went to a church in Selfossi where Svava spoke. We were asked to invite the Holy Spirit to speak through people so that they could encourage and build each other up!

If you are ever in Iceland, there are plenty of churches you can go to!

We were extremely encouraged by the stories and people we met in this remote country where addiction is a major problem. There is a hunger for the truth, people are open to the gospel and God is working... always and everywhere!

We should remember that Jesus sends His followers to the ends of the earth with the assignment to make all nations His disciples 💓. What a blessing to be part of that.

If you also want to sow seeds in the fertile soil of the Teen Challenge work among the hopeless and desperate in Iceland...

Then send a donation in one of the following ways:

• 💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC ICELAND
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉You can also donate directly via our website!
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC ICELAND.

They are currently raising funds to purchase a van with which they can transport students to and from church services, Bible studies, and meetings.

Travel and project updates

Last week we (Jan and Marja) attended, on behalf of Europe Teen Challenge, an official event in the Kreuzkirche in Ergolding, Germany.

Our friends Dirk and Meike Hellmann received an honorary prize from the Sinn statt Sucht foundation as an appreciation for their years of work among the addicted.

For more than 28 years, they opened their hearts and home in Gutes Land, a farmhouse in the countryside of southern Germany, to men with addiction problems. The work was part of Teen Challenge Germany.

We have visited them several times over the years and always received a warm welcome. We were also given the opportunity to encourage and teach the men from the Bible.

Dirk has been battling bone cancer for a number of years now. It was therefore good to spend time together, pray with each other, and encourage them.

Gutes Land is currently no longer a rehab center, but who knows, maybe that will happen again in the future.

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In April we sent a donation to the Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Zaporozhye, Ukraine. We previously helped them with a donation for the purchase of a generator and heaters.

The staff and students had come up with the idea of ​​starting a cleaning company and using the income to open a coffee house.

With our donation, they were able to purchase various professional vacuum and pressure cleaners which they will use to clean out the stairwells of apartment complexes.

We like such practical ideas to generate income. And to rent space for a coffee house where they can reach more people is always a good idea! Moreover, working is part of the therapy. We wish them many blessings.

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Our friends from the Teen Challenge rehab centers in Berdychiv, Ukraine, are busy renovating, expanding, and refurbishing the men's and women's centers.

Partly thanks to support from Traveling Light, they were able to thoroughly renovate the kitchen in the men's home (where we have been several times). It looks beautiful and the extension creates much more space!

(In the photo at the top the old situation and below the new situation. Click on the photo to enlarge.)

The floor in the women's center has been partly replaced and cabinets were purchased and installed, much to the delight of the mothers and children who live there.

Despite the challenges, difficulties, and frustrations the war brings, the team continues to do their work. They see often that pain and loss bring people to the feet of  Jesus where there is healing and restoration.

In addition to the spiritual encouragement we provide during our visits, we can also provide financial support thanks to your help. We love combining the spiritual with the practical!

We also love to provide you with regular updates about our visits and the projects we support. This way you will stay informed.

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We are always happy with your donations to support all these wonderful projects and programs. You can send a donation in different ways:

• 💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention which project or country
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉You can also donate directly via our website!
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention which Teen Challenge center in Europe you want to support.

Project guesthouse CIC Mission, Georgia

In our previous newsblog we wrote about the work of Teen Challenge in Georgia. As most of you know, we also support the work of CIC Mission in Georgia.

Throughout the years, we have supported the work of founder Reza Nadirashvili several times with financial donations and visits (Krijn and Cora were there in the summer of 2022).

Reza has a Muslim background and is originally from Iran. He has a heart for reaching and teaching fellow countrymen and he founded a training center (Bible school and practical vocational school in one).

The accompanying farm provides employment to students and people from the village and partly provides income to run the school. The farm has expanded enormously in recent years!

Currently, funds are needed to complete a guest house where key leaders from surrounding countries can stay during their training at the Bible school.

👉We hope you understand that all information about such projects is sensitive and we cannot and should not share too much about it on social media.

But that does not change the fact that we would once again like to help Reza with a gift to complete this guesthouse so people can come and feel welcome.

You can (indirectly) help to disciple the nations by sending a gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, make sure to mention CIC MISSION.

USA supporters: CIC Mission is considered an approved 501c3 by the US government, so tax-deductible receipts can be provided.

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Thank you in advance for your generosity.