Projects of the month, pop-up café, and PIP25

The project of May in Twinkeltje and de Schor was the work of Brian Slater and Abundant Bread of Salvation in Israel. He manages a food bank, clothing distribution, and soup kitchen in Netanya, has set up a Holocaust Survivor Adoption Program, and regularly organizes outings for the elderly.

Brian was with us in the Netherlands from May 7-18. He stayed in the guest house of Krijn & Cora and spoke about his work during a mission evening in Twinkeltje. We went by bicycle to Dordrecht (with the waterbus!) and then visited Chantal in de Schor.

Brian was invited to speak in various congregations, including the Hoeksteen in Etten-Leur. What a blessing that was. Lots of conversations and prayers. The offering yielded a considerable amount!

He also visited Texel, Gorinchem, and the Kngdm conference in Almere, where he met worship leader Paul Wilbur. We concluded with a BBQ at our place (Jan and Marja) in the garden.

The proceeds from sales in Twinkeltje and de Schor, offerings, speaker fee, and specified donations came to 3,800 euros. That all goes to Abundant Bread of Salvation. Thank you very much for that. How wonderful to be able to bless Israel together!

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The project in both stores for June is the work of Teen Challenge in Slovenija. The drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men in Nova Vas is close to our hearts.

From the very beginning, we have been involved in the work that was set up by Matjaz & Magdalena Horjak. Jan visits there every year. The sales in Twinkeltje and de Schor this month are for this purpose. In the meantime, it is still possible to make a donation for the Teen Challenge Armenia project.

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This Friday evening June 6th, is shopping night again in the Schor + pop-up café. Come by between 19:00-21:00 hrs. for coffee and pastries and nice conversations, of course!

The vintage store is open every Friday from 10:00-16:00 hrs. In addition, a once-a-month shopping night. The proceeds always go to Traveling Light. And this month it is for the Slovenija project.

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On Saturday June 7th, eight churches are organizing PIP25 in Papendrecht. A Pentecost event on the market square, how great is that? There are activities for all ages, music, food trucks, and various booths.

De Schor will be there with a booth full of nice vintage items and Twinkeltje has a booth with beautiful second-hand baby and children's clothing, toys, and books. The proceeds will go to the Slovenija project.

We also have a prayer chair where you can sit if you want to be prayed for. PIP25 starts at 3:00 PM and lasts until approximately 9:00 PM. Will we see you?

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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
• 👉You can also donate directly via our website!

New kitchen for Teen Challenge home, Armenia

During the recent Europe Teen Challenge conference in Albania, we spoke extensively with Gagik and Lusine Mkrtchyan, the directors of Teen Challenge Armenia.

In the past ten years (!) they have set up various Christian rehabilitation centers. A house for men with addiction problems and a women's and children's home. They have a special place in their hearts for children; they have adopted ten war orphans while having six children of their own.

Gagik and Lusine also came up with the idea of ​​a housing complex where refugees from both Russia and Ukraine live and work together. It is still going great! We have written about their work throughout the years in our news blogs.

Teen Challenge Armenia also provides hospice support to patients who are at the end of their lives. They help orphans who lost their families in the war with food, clothing, and school supplies. And they also care for children with HIV and AIDS.

Well, we could go on and on. As Gagik himself says: "We have a unique place in the worldwide mission of the Armenian people and Armenia, which is to become an example in humanism and Christianity."

Despite their busy lives, Gagik and Lusine are also regularly on the road to raise funds for their work, which can only continue thanks to donations. Money is always needed; that much will be clear, but at the moment, the women/child home has an urgent need for a new kitchen.

As you can see in the photos (click to enlarge), that is not an unnecessary luxury. How wonderful would it be if we could bless them with a substantial donation for a beautiful kitchen? Especially in a country like Armenia, the kitchen is the central place in the house where a lot of delicious food is prepared.

If you would also like to help... You can send a donation in different ways:

💛Send your financial gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC ALBANIA.

💳 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 ARMENIA.

ETC conference and mission evening

We have just returned from Albania, where we, together with Krijn and Cora, participated in the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Durrës. You can see us in the picture with Adrian Pasterkamp, who always plays a major role in the organization of the ETC conferences.

We had wonderful meetings, and especially during the meals we were able to catch up with the leaders of the various Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and coffee houses in Armenia, Georgia, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Moldova, Ukraine, and many more countries!

The conference consists of preaching, worship, project updates, and prayers. And of course there is plenty of opportunity to talk with each other and catch up in a relaxed way. The location on the coast and the beautiful hotel were ideal for this.

The theme of the conference was 'Generations' and Marja was also invited to speak on Saturday morning. This practical and inspiring message can be viewed/listened to on YouTube via this link.

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In the coming days, we will have a visit from our friend Brian Slater from Israel. We have been writing about his work with 'Abundant Bread of Salvation' since 2011. He runs a food bank, clothing distribution, and soup kitchen in Netanya, has set up a Holocaust Survivor Adoption Program, and regularly organizes outings for the elderly.

This Friday we will organize a Mission Evening in Twinkeltje (Korenbloemstraat 20 in Papendrecht) where Brian will talk about his work. Walk-in with coffee and tea from 19:30 and start at 20:00. Admission is free, we will hold a collection for Brian. Feel free to bring someone!

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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
• 👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Activities and travels

A few weeks ago we announced the visit of members of the city council (Christian political party) to our store/coffeehouse On Saturday March 29th, we had a pleasant meeting in Twinkeltje.

We were able to share a lot about the ins and outs of running the coffeehouse, impact in the area and the town, activities, collaboration with other organisations, and the proceeds for projects throughout Europe.

We are very grateful for the sincere interest they showed in our work in Papendrecht and beyond. If you like it, you can watch the video that the SGP has posted on their channel HERE (Use the settings button to generate subtitles in your language).

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This Saturday is Kingsday in the Netherlands. We will be present again with a booth at the flea market in Papendrecht. That is always a very pleasant event, and not only for Papendrecht residents. Visitors from all over the area come to the flea market!

We will provide coffee, so come by and let's have a nice chat. The proceeds from the sales will go to Teen Challenge Lebanon.

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Next week we (Jan, Marja, Krijn, Cora) will attend the annual Europe Teen Challenge conference, which will be held in Albania this year. We always look forward to meeting everyone again and catching up.

We have been able to support so many Teen Challenge programs with a visits or donations this past year, so we are curious about the stories and progress in the various rehab centers and coffee houses.

When we return, Brian Slater from Abundant Bread of Salvation in Israel will visit us. More about that later.

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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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Meanwhile in the Czech Republic, Lebanon, and Kazakhstan + earthquake disaster relief

Of course, we are always happy when our faithful supporters and donors come up with ideas to raise funds for a special project. Alex and Arjanne Roorda recently did that.

In March, they both turned 60 and celebrated that with family and friends. In addition to presents, they also received money, and they wanted to donate that to the children's and youth work of Teen Challenge in Prague, Czech Republic. More than 800 euros in donations came in!

We rounded that up and transferred 1,000 euros. The enthusiastic team of Teen Challenge in Žižkov organizes all kinds of activities and events for children and youth aged 3-20 every day.

Most children come from family situations with all kinds of problems. At the children's and youth center, they find love, acceptance, and hope for the future. Many hear about Jesus for the first time.

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Meanwhile, in Lebanon... It is clear that the situation in the country, and certainly in and around Beirut, is extremely precarious and vulnerable. Nevertheless, Garo Margossian was able to officially open the Teen Challenge rehab center. The first students have arrived.

We hope to meet Garo next month at the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Albania, so that we can catch up.

Donations to run the center and for Garo to come to the conference are very much needed. Everything is welcome!

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It seems long ago that Krijn Donk raised almost 9,000 euros for the youth center of Teen Challenge in Kazakhstan, back in January with his ice skating fundraiser. A passenger van has now been purchased that has 11 seats! It replaces the 20-year old van that has served them all this time.

They are very happy with the new van and that thanks to your sponsorship for Krijn. It's great to be able to support the Christian program there from the Netherlands.

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And then something completely different: If you are in Europe and want to make a donation for emergency aid after the severe earthquake in Myanmar through a Christian organization, you can do so via Samaritan's Purse. We also donated through them after the earthquake in Turkey in 2023.

This organization of Franklin Graham, with a department in Germany we are in good contact with, is always one of the first at the scene of the disaster with a field hospital and God's love. In general, we 'limit' the support of Traveling Light to projects in countries within Europe. That is why we refer to the above link in this case if you want to donate. If, however, you still prefer to do it through Traveling Light, it is possible. We will, of course, pass it on to them. Please clearly state: EARTHQUAKE.

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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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Activities and speaking engagements

As most of you probably know by now,  Traveling Light is not just active throughout Europe but also on many fronts in the Netherlands. This is all possible thanks to the voluntary efforts of lovely people!

For example: Krijn and Cora are responsible for the coffee house work in Twinkeltje and the prison ministry, Chantal provides enormous support in fundraising in her vintage shop de Schor, and Jan and Marja encourage through preaching and teaching and maintain international contacts. This is what is on the calendar for the coming weeks:

FRIDAY March 28

Jan will speak at a campfire evening of the Dutch Reformed Church in Klundert. This event is for men only! Walk-in from 20:15 and starts at 20:30. Location: Loods bij Maarten v.d. Werken (entrance via Hilsepoort 7-9). Admission is free.

SATURDAY March 29

Members of the city council Papendrecht will visit Twinkeltje. They would like to talk with us about the impact of the coffee house/second-hand shop on the residents of Papendrecht and the surrounding area.

MONDAY March 31

Bible study evening in de Schor. It has been a year now, that we have been meeting weekly for the 'Group studies for New Life' as provided by Teen Challenge.

FRIDAY April 4

Shopping evening and cozy pop-up café in de Schor. You are most welcome between 19:00 - 21:00 for  coffee, cake, and conversation. The proceeds will go to Traveling Light, as always.

SATURDAY April 5

Marja will speak, and also present the Portuguese edition of her book 'Grace of Giving', in Comunidade Crista em Amsterdam, a Brazilian church.

SUNDAY April 6

Jan will speak in the Free Evangelical Church De Ark in Gorinchem. Service starts at 10:00 AM.

WEDNESDAY April 9

Mission evening Lithuania in Twinkeltje with guest Willem van Dijk. He will talk about his work among the poor and addicted in Lithuania. It promises to be an inspiring evening again! Door is open at 19:30. The Presentation starts at 20:00.

In May, Brian Slater from Abundant Bread of Salvation in Israel will visit. We will also organize a mission evening in which he will talk about his work. The final dates will follow.

In the meantime, we are still fundraising for the work of Teen Challenge in Belgium and Iceland.

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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Project news and prayer points north-western Europe

Last week we shared news about projects in several countries in south-eastern Europe. Now, let's take a look at some projects and prayer points in north-western Europe.

Teen Challenge Netherlands in Heerhugowaard will start a discipleship school later this year. Last month they hosted an open house for anyone interested. Do you know young people who would like to invest a year of their lives in discipleship training? More information can be found HERE.

Earlier this month they hosted a training for Teen Challenge workers from rehab centers throughout Europe. There was a good turnout. The TC building in Heerhugowaard is a beautiful accommodation for a training center and ministry institute.

Last week the freezer broke down. Quite inconvenient when you have a house full of guests. Director Stephan Barendse immediately called out for help and pledges started coming in. Traveling Light will also contribute towards the purchase of a new energy-efficient freezer.

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Last Friday we visited Frédéric & Natacha Hensgens, the directors of Teen Challenge in Belgium. In early February they lost their son Nicolas to suicide. An unimaginable tragedy for them, their daughter Mahora, and further family and friends.

At their center 'Maison Betser' they currently care for a number of people who are in the process of reintegrating into society, a kind of re-entry program. Prayers for comfort and support are much needed.

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Last summer we visited Teen Challenge Iceland. They are active in coffee house work and street evangelism. They have the desire to start a Christian drug and alcohol rehab center in due time. For now, they are looking to open a thrift store, which will offer work opportunities and generate some income.

Let's face it, funds are always needed to pay for rent  (coffee house, day program, etc.), to purchase materials (coffee, tea, study materials, etc.), and to pay for other expenses. Please pray that their efforts to reach people with addictions will be effective and bring forth fruit.

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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Project updates south-eastern Europe

As Traveling Light, we support initiatives (which we generally refer to as 'projects') throughout Europe.

These projects often involve helping addicts as well as homeless and other displaced people. But certainly also the command that Jesus gave to all of us: 'Go out and make disciples of all nations.' Evangelism, outreach, coffeehouse work, church planting, Bible education... we encourage and support it all.

The project of the month in our secondhand shops / coffee houses over February, was the work of Radko & Nevin Kratsov in Bulgaria. In collaboration with Youth with a Mission (YWAM Sliven), they are active on many fronts within the Roma community, which extends throughout south-eastern Europe. Radko teaches and provides leadership training in Bulgaria and surrounding countries and helps Roma people develop a Biblical vision in every area of ​​life: relationships, work, health, finances, etc.

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The project for the month of March is the work of Teen Challenge in Croatia. All sales proceeds in our shops Twinkeltje and de Schor will go towards this project. So come and visit us! Even if you don't buy anything, you can always give a specified donation.

Ico & Jagoda Matulic lead an evangelical church, several house groups, and two coffee houses. They are also involved in the work of Living Free in Croatia and surrounding countries and in evangelism activities on islands off the coast.

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Now that we are talking about Living Free... Jonatan & Valentina Vlaisavljevic are the overseers of the Living Free network in Europe. They live in Macedonia.

'Living Free' is in fact the non-residential aspect of Teen Challenge. You can follow the program through a church or other group without admission to a clinic or rehab center. After all, it is only a small part of the people who struggle with addictions and other life-threatening problems that register with a rehab center.

Fortunately, there are other possibilities to help people on their way to true freedom. For example, the Living Free trainings, counseling and coaching sessions, and various support groups. It is discipleship that contributes to a healthy spiritual climate in churches and communities. We want to support this work in 2025 with a donation for materials and travel costs.

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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Ice skating fundraiser brings in 9,000 euro for juvenile home Teen Challenge Kazakhstan

It has been a week since Krijn Donk crossed the finish line on the Weissensee in Austria after skating 200 km! He did this as a fundraiser for the juvenile home of Teen Challenge in Kazakhstan.

Looking back on the long tour, Krijn says: "It is always a tough day when you skate such a distance. After having had quite a few tumbles on the ice, I am grateful to God that I came out of the battle unscratched despite muscle pain in my back and legs."

Crossing the finish line unharmed and in one piece is indeed something to be thankful for. Many followed his efforts via webcam and live tracking and cheered him on after every completed lap of 12.5 km.

"The first 100 km went great, I did it in 3.41 hours. Onwards to the 150 km marker was really tough and the last 50 km were pure suffering. The ice was very good at the beginning of the day but with higher temperatures in the afternoon, it became more and more difficult to get through the ice. I felt pain in my whole body.

I am therefore very happy with the results: a total skating time of 8.04 hours, 26th of all riders finished, and €9,000 in sponsorship funds!"

What a great result indeed. Many thanks to all sponsors, also on behalf of the Teen Challenge team in Kazakhstan. The money will be used to purchase a new passenger van. As soon as we have photos, we will let you know.

Did you know that 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

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Project updates

We love to share several news snippets with you, to keep you updated.

Krijn Donk was supposed to skate the 200 km tour on the Weissensee in Austria on Tuesday 28 January, for the benefit of the Teen Challenge juvenile home in Kazakhstan.

The organization moved the event to Monday 27, due to temperatures above freezing (which is not good for the ice!). Krijn started this morning at 07:00, but it soon became clear that the conditions were far from ideal. To save energy, he stopped after just over 2 laps.

He expects to try again on Friday 31 January. So we hope and pray that the frost will set in again. We can already share that a good amount of funds have come in (almost 6,000 euros) for which we are very grateful. But Krijn wouldn't be Krijn if there wasn't an actual challenge to participate in. So keep an eye on Friday. You can follow him via this link! ✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

The 2024 annual report, including the financial report of our treasurer Martin de Haas, is now on our website. If you want to know how much has come in and gone out in donations, how many countries we have visited, and how many projects we have supported, take a quick look here.

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Looking back on the Christmas package campaigns, we are very, very grateful for the enormous amount of donations that came in for this. We were able to donate a total of 9,000 euros to the four different projects!

2,500 euros for Operation Christmas Joy of  Transform Iran. 2,500 euros for the winter campaign in Moldova. 2,000 euros for the sailors and 2,000 euros for the prostitutes in Berlin who received nice gifts and prayers!

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Last week we (Jan and Marja) had a surprise visit. Gesi & Blerina Hysenaj, the directors of Teen Challenge in Albania, came by for coffee. They were in the Netherlands for a short meeting with another non-profit organization.

One of the students who completed the rehab program was also with them, his name is Joy. Via this link you can watch a video in which Joy tells what it's like at Teen Challenge and how his life has changed.

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Donations, large and small, are always welcome. You can send your gift in different ways:

💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention country/project/general.

💳 Give by card

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Weissensee fundraiser for Teen Challenge juvenile home, Kazakhstan

It's January again, the month of our biggest fundraising campaign of the year.

Krijn Donk has signed up for speed ice skating on the Weissensee in Austria on January 28, a 200 km tour! Like every year, he wants to raise money for a nice project. This time it will be: the juvenile home of Teen Challenge in Kazakhstan.

Krijn has been training relentlessly for the 200 km. Last summer he suffered from a heart rhythm disorder and then he had a cardioversion, twice. He is now fit again, for which he is very grateful to the Lord!

👉 Of course we hope that you will sponsor his fundraising campaign.

As for the project... Last summer Krijn and Cora visited Maxim and Evgenia (Jenja) Buzinovskiyi in Almaty. The couple cares for teenagers who, for whatever reason, cannot live at home or do not have a home. They also have three children of their own.

The teenagers learn what it is like to live together as a family. They get to know God and the Bible and are given important lessons for their later lives.

In 2016, the proceeds from the Weissensee campaign also went to the juvenile home in Kazakhstan. Click here to read that message. Back then, the Traveling Light ice skating team raised money for a kitchen which is still being used gratefully!

Last summer, they had technical problems with their 20-year-old passenger van and they have been living without the van for two months now. Quite a difficult situation, we are sure you understand. They have been saving for a new van for a while, but they aren't there yet. We also made a donation towards that fund in October.

The men from the nearby Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation center have removed the engine from the van, they hope to be able to get it working again, but so far without good results... It is really time for a new(er) van!

Krijn would like to raise funds for this. It is possible to sponsor him individually with an amount per kilometer, with an amount for reaching the finish, or with a general amount

👉If you decide to participate, send an email stating the amount you want to give to krijncora@gmail.com. We then keep track of the pledges, which is always exciting!

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention TC KAZAKHSTAN YOUTH
• Give by card
• Give directly through our website
• When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC KAZAKHSTAN YOUTH

Visit to Teen Challenge, Albania

First of all, we would like to wish you all a blessed 2025!

An update on the Christmas package campaigns will be coming up, but first this...

At the end of November, we (Jan and Marja) were in Albania, where we participated in the Europe Teen Challenge leadership conference in Dürres.

Several people from Global Teen Challenge were present as were directors of Teen Challenge rehab programs and centers from more than twenty European countries. Orges & Blerina Hysenaj, the directors of TC Albania, provided a great welcome and a blessed stay.

During such a conference, updates are given about the various rehabilitation centers. There is room to pray with and for each other, to meet each other, and several seminars were given about the challenges of this time and age. [Click on the photos to enlarge]

Think of other/new types of addictions such as vaping and gaming, additional problems such as self-mutilation (cutting) and trafficking, and the fact that the age at which addiction occurs is getting younger.

We have talked with everyone as much as possible 😀 and we also visited the Christian rehab center STREHA near Tirana with the entire group. A fairly small farmhouse where 14(!) men are currently staying, don't ask us how.

It is great to hear and see how lives are completely changed and how the parents and family members are also affected by this. They often have a Muslim background and now see with their own eyes that Jesus is truly the Healer and Savior!

Every month Gesi & Blerina organize a meeting with the parents and families. They share the Gospel, pray and worship together. They cry together, lift each other up, and remind each other that Jesus is alive and able to change the lives of their sons, husbands, and brothers – and their own lives too because they need Jesus as well.

Because the house is now far too small to accommodate everyone who comes for help, a piece of land was purchased last year where a new rehab center will be built in the near future! But that will take some time (and quite some funds). We will keep you informed.

Among the men currently staying in Streha, there is a lot of creative talent. They paint pieces of wood and put scriptures on them. We all received such a work of art.

We want to continue to support the work of Teen Challenge Albania in order to change the city and its surroundings, 'one person at a time' so to speak. Will you help?

You can send a donation in different ways:

💛Send your financial gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC ALBANIA.

💳 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 ALBANIA