Airport shuttles, visitors from Belgium, and fundraiser run

Besides financial support and spiritual encouragement,  Traveling Light also offers practical help where possible. This was the case last week during the visit of regional leaders of Global Teen Challenge in the Netherlands.

Jan and Cora left for Heerhugowaard on Sunday evening, where they stayed at the Teen Challenge Netherlands building. Along with a few other volunteers, they had signed up as drivers to welcome guests at Schiphol Airport and take them to their hotel.

The drivers then transported the guests in vans to the various meetings and visits (including the Corrie ten Boom House) that were planned. Jan did this on Monday, and Cora all four days! She was ready early Thursday morning to take guests back to Schiphol. It was an honor to be of service this way.

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Then, on Friday, we were honored with a visit from Frédéric and Natacha Hensgens from Teen Challenge Belgium. It was their first visit to Papendrecht.

On Saturday, we took them to Atelier de Schor and Twinkeltje, where they could see firsthand how volunteers are busy connecting with the neighborhood and are very creative in raising money for Teen Challenge programs throughout Europe.

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On Thursday, September 4, we will partake in the 'Lukassen & Boer sponsor run' again (as we do each year) with an enthusiastic group of hikers and runners. This event will bring in cash for Traveling Light.

During the event, you run a maximum of two (if you are younger than 15 years old) or a maximum of four (if you are 15 years old or older) rounds through sports park Oostpolder. One round is about 2.5 kilometers long. You can run or walk. Each round is good for 2 euros.

The youth will start at 6:30 PM and the adults at 7:30 PM. Start at AV Passaat's athletics track, Andoornlaan 38. Hopefully, we'll see you there. We have entrance cards!

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We are currently raising money for the Communita Brezzano project in Italy and Teen Challenge Lithuania, and in Twinkeltje, we are raising money for the Crossroads rehab center in Serbia.

Donations are always welcome. You can send a gift in different ways. Please take note:

When in Europe, you can 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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Visit to Teen Challenge Lithuania

We promised a report on our visit to Teen Challenge in Lithuania, which took place at the end of June.

As a non-profit organization, we provide not only financial support but also spiritual encouragement. We do this by visiting, leading Bible studies, listening, and praying with people. Intensive, but so important!

We (Jan and Marja) drove to Lithuania, which was a relaxing way to go. Friday morning, we were expected at the women's center in Slienava.

👉The theme we would be teaching on all weekend was "Staying free" based on Galatians 5:1.

In a morning and afternoon session, we reflected on this important topic. Jesus offers true freedom, but safeguarding that freedom is our responsibility. It's crucial to prevent relapse.

The first step towards freedom is, of course, the decision to turn your back on addiction and seek help. The next important step is inviting Jesus into your life.

Many people responded to our invitation to do so. It was overwhelming; we forgot to count, but there were a total of 12 or 13!

The next day, we were welcomed at the men's center in Pikeliai, where a tent had been set up for the meetings. We enjoyed delicious food, listened to testimonies, shared important teachings, and once again, we were able to pray with many people!

The conversations, prayers, fellowship, music, food... everything together created a wonderful atmosphere that we all found encouraging. God is at work in people's lives, everywhere!

On Sunday, we spoke at the church in Kaunas, Kauno Krikščionių Bažnyčia. A church led by Pastor Rytis Berūkštis, who has a great heart for the work of Teen Challenge!

After the service, we spoke and prayed with people for a long time, thanks to our interpreters. Afterwards, we enjoyed a delicious, traditional lunch together.

A lovely woman from the congregation hosted the book table and made sure that many took home English and Russian editions of Marja's books.

The sermon can be viewed HERE (starts around 1:13).

Fortunately, there was also time to go out with directors Edvardas and Rasa Kleinas and visit some beautiful areas in the country. We look back on several wonderful days during which we were able to inspire and build each other up.

On the way back, we also visited fellow Dutchman Willem van Dijk from Vilties Inkaras (Anchor of Hope), who has visited Twinkeltje twice for a mission night.

Running the two (full to capacity) rehab centers and a re-entry house involves significant costs. Teen Challenge's work in Lithuania relies partly on donations.

Would you also like to invest in transforming lives? Then please send a financial gift. You can do so in various ways:

• St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC LITHUANIA.
• 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 LITHUANIA

Go, and make disciples of ALL nations!

Milestone!

We often say that Traveling Light does so much more than just fundraising. And that's certainly true.

Our motto is "Let your light shine," and we do so within the church, through teaching and preaching, but certainly also outside the church, for example, at our coffeehouse/store Twinkeltje, De Schor, prisons, and rehabs.

The visits to the projects, the prayers with people, the Alpha courses we give, the help we offer... It's priceless. 👉Encouragement is our trademark!

But we've now reached a milestone that we'd like to celebrate. Our treasurer, Martin de Haas, announced that since our founding in 2011, we've been able to donate one million euros to projects in more than thirty European countries.

Isn't that fantastic? We've raised one million euros together. Your donations, the campaigns, the shops, the sales on Ebay, the sponsored events, and so on. Whether you donate €5 or €500 monthly, it matters!

Our gratitude goes out to you. Rest assured that you are part of something much greater. Thanks to your help, lives have been changed throughout Europe, forever! There is no better investment.

Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations. Baptize them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Teach them to always do what I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19).