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!

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!

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!

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 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!

Project updates and activities

Kind regards from our Teen Challenge friends in Berdychiv, Ukraine.

On November 3rd, we wrote a message about the daily happenings in the various rehab centers there (you can read that message HERE).

We were able to send them a nice gift of 5,000 euros that will be used, among other things, for repairs and maintenance of the houses. Something that had been planned for some time, was repairs and renovation of the boiler room.

Thanks to your generous donations, they have been able to purchase materials and work can resume (always a useful part of the rehabilitation process, by the way).

Just before the end of the year, we were able to transfer another gift of 5,000 euros (THANK YOU!!!). This time for the purchase of a house that will serve as a home for staff, visitors, and volunteers. More news about that soon!

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Also warm greetings from Moldova. Our friends from Pilgrims and Teen Challenge organized their winter aid campaign for the 19th time.

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

The men set off again with the Steyer truck to distribute the packages. Thanks to your donations, we were able to bless them with a gift of 3,000 euros for this project. Thank you.

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We also received a newsletter and photos from Port Evangelist Alexander Eberson. We were also able to transfer a nice gift of 2,000 euros to his organization Living Water.

Especially during December, he visited many sailors on seafaring vessels in the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen... the men are often away from home for a long time. He handed out Christmas packages, was allowed to pray with crew members, read the Bible, and had many conversations.

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On Wednesday, January 24th, we will organize another mission evening in Twinkeltje. We are looking forward to have a visitor from Lithuania... a Dutchman, that will be. Willem Vandijk will tell his story of how he ended up from Holland in Ireland and later on in Lithuania, where he founded the Vilties Inkaras (Anchor of Hope) non-profit foundation.

It promises to be an inspiring evening. We look forward to your arrival. Entry from 7:30 PM. WELCOME!

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Project coffeehouse work Teen Challenge Albania is still a current project for fundraising and of course the Weissensee fundraiser for the women's house in Romania is up and running. So, you see, plenty to do and give away 😁.

PS: Click on the photos if you want to see larger ones!

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 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!

Fundraising efforts, Alpha, and prayer meetings

On Thursday, September 8, we will again run the Lukassen & Boer Verenigingsrun with an enthusiastic group of walkers and runners in order to bring in funds for Traveling Light.

During the event, you will 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 the Oostpolder sports park. A round is about 2.5 kilometers long. You can run or walk. Each round yields 2 euro.

Youth starts at 6:30 PM and adults at 7:30 PM. Start at the athletics track of AV Passaat, Andoornlaan 38. Hopefully, we'll see you there.

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On Monday September 12 we will start the Alpha course again, for the third time. Do you want to know more about the Christian faith? Then sign up via janandmarja@gmail.com.

The course will take place on Monday evening in Twinkeltje (Korenbloemstraat 20) and always starts at 6:00 PM with a scrumptious meal.

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👉 Please note: For the coming season we have moved our prayer meetings in Twinkeltje from Friday evening to Sunday evening. Which means:

1st Sunday evening of the month: Regional prayer Alblasserwaard

2nd Sunday evening of the month: Re-Store (healing room)

3rd Sunday evening of the month: Praise evening De Hoop Dordrecht

4th Sunday Night of the Month: Prayer for the Nations

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Henk Swijnenburg's bicycle campaign in August raised almost 1200 euro in sponsorship gifts for Bertine House in Poltova, Ukraine. Bertine House is part of the Teen Challenge family and offers a safe place to mothers (and their children) who want to kick their addiction habits and start a new life.

Traveling Light will double that amount, so we can transfer 2400 euro to Bertine House. Fantastic, thank you all for your donations!

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During their vacation, Krijn and Cora Donk visited the work of Embrace in Hungary, Teen Challenge Armenia, and Teen Challenge Georgia. More pictures of it coming soon!

The proceeds from Twinkeltje and De Schor in September will go to the Embrace!

Donations are always welcome, you can do so in different ways, please take note:

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention which Teen Challenge center your gift is for.

Zurich, Alpha course, TC Finland, and port evangelism

Two weeks ago we (Jan and Marja) were in Zurich for the annual meeting of Comunita Brezzano. Together with all those present, we commemorated our friend Maria Meier who passed away last February.

She has been running the Christian therapeutic community in Tuscany for almost thirty years. We have been there many times, taking different groups with us. We were invited to lead the afternoon prayer meeting in Zurich. Prayer about how to proceed... 

All in all, it was an inspiring and encouraging weekend, for everyone.

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Last week we (Krijn, Cora, Jan, and Marja) attended a business meeting of Alpha Netherlands in Driebergen. That meeting was very encouraging and inspiring as well. We are partakers in the dream of reaching 1 million people in the Netherlands with the gospel, through the Alpha course.

Anyone can become a 'dream bearer' through sponsorship, which is a great investment! Visit the Alpha website wherever you are. In the past year, we have facilitated an Alpha course in our secondhand shop twice and we want to start the 3rd one in September!

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On Monday, June 13, Cora will again participate in giving Alpha in prison, this time in the Rotterdam detention center. The Alpha course will be held on Monday afternoons.

So, please note: there will be NO Tea & Talk in our shop Twinkeltje from June 13 to July 25. Instead, we are open on Wednesday afternoons from 13:30-15:30 hours. Tell your friends!

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Speaking of our shop, in May the proceeds (from Twinkeltje and Atelier de Schor) were more than 1,000 euro, which we donated towards the work of Teen Challenge in Lithuania. For June we have chosen Teen Challenge Finland as a project.

Led by Niklas and Heidi Furu (see photo), a fantastic group of volunteers are reaching out to addicts, homeless people, the poor, lonely, and displaced persons. They don't have a TC rehab, but their street outreach is fantastic. They also run a second-hand shop. Surely, they can use some encouragement.

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Finally (but certainly not unimportant): Harbor Evangelist Alexander Eberson makes an appeal:

"During my ship visits, I experience an increasing demand for both Russian and Ukrainian Bibles. In my opinion, there is no better chance at the moment than to give Bibles to these sailors who are open to the gospel. With a Bible we give the best we can to them:  'the forgiveness and comfort of the Lord Jesus!' For 1.75 Euro you can give a sailor/woman their own Bible. Will you help?"

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

• Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and mention name of project/country.
• 💳 Give by card

Projects of the month in our stores

As most of you know, in addition to the projects we announce on this blog, we have a specific project each month that we support with the proceeds from our 2ndhand shop Twinkeltje and vintage store De Schor.

In October it was Bertine House in Poltava, Ukraine. Thanks to you, we were able to transfer a wonderful gift of 2,100 euro to them.

Bertine House operates under the Teen Challenge flag and offers a safe place to mothers (and their children) who want to kick destructive habits and start a new life.

On behalf of all of them, many thanks for your contributions, in whatever form!

As a project for the month of November, we have chosen the Teen Challenge juvenile home in Kazakhstan.

Maxim and Evgenia Buzinovskiyi are no strangers to us. They take care of children who, for whatever reason, cannot live at home.

They are currently raising money to renovate the common room. It has to be painted, electricity replaced, moldy walls repaired, new tables purchased (the children have been homeschooled for a year and a half) etc. etc.

By the way, congratulations are in place, because recently Maxim and Evgenia were delighted with the birth of a daughter: Victoria.

So come and visit us in De Schor (on Friday) and/or Twinkeltje (on Saturday afternoon). We have a lot of nice Christmas stuff and, as always, the coffee is ready.

Donations are always welcome. You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

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

PS: next week you can read more about the annual Christmas packages on this blog!

Project updates en lots of creativity

It's time to share some news about the use of your donations! Always nice of course 😁 First of all, we'll go to Belgium.

Last summer we sent a donation to the Teen Challenge rehab center in Charlerois, Maison Betser.

They used the money, among other things, to place a roof on the side of the center where all kinds of tools, firewood, and building materials can be stored. In the photo, you can see the first setup.

The proceeds from Twinkeltje and Atelier De Schor from September went to Teen Challenge Winiarczykowka in Poland. They used the gift to purchase beehives and a honey centrifuge/extractor.

The beehives will be decorated in collaboration with school children, a nice way to interact with the local community, and also a piece of education about the importance of balance in nature.

The project is called "Life Challenge" and our logo can also be found on the posters distributed locally to draw attention to this bee project.

The project for the month of October in Twinkeltje en de Schor is Bertine House in Poltava, Ukraine. A Teen Challenge shelter and rehab home for mothers and children.

Earlier this month one of our donors gave a workshop at her home where a group of ladies made beautiful autumn wreaths. The proceeds were for this project! And this week we organized a macramé workshop in Twinkeltje, the proceeds also benefit this project.

These creative meetings are not just a nice way to get together for a great evening and fellowship, but they also bring fun back in fundraising.

Donations for all our beautiful projects are always welcome. You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

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

Baptisms

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.

[Matthew 28:19-20]

All nations... that's quite a bit. It seems an impossible task, but if everyone does their part, it will be done 😁

We are very happy and grateful that we can obey the command of the Lord Jesus. On Saturday September 25th we baptized 6 people in the river near Langerak. It was a big celebration!

Two people who were baptized, have followed the Alpha course that we host in our coffeehouse/shop Twinkeltje. We want to start a new session soon for the autumn season, so please contact us if you are interested.

The theme of the baptism celebration was 'making choices'. We make choices every day to do or not to do things, to be for or against something, to belong or to walk away.

The people who were baptized on Saturday already made the most important decision in a human life: they decided to follow Jesus Christ and therefore not the things of this world. Their baptism was a public testimony of that choice.

As a non-profit organization, we do so much more than just fundraise for projects in more than 30 countries. We are also visible locally and active in helping people to make life-changing decisions.

Pieter Meijers filmed the baptism celebration and made a fantastic trailer!

You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

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

Twinkeltje: 5 years in the neighborhood!

On September 3rd it will be five years ago since 🥳 Twinkeltje opened the doors in Papendrecht, in the Flower neighborhood as it is commonly called. A lot has happened in those five years.

We welcomed many, many visitors, we listened and talked, played games, had meals together, shared happy and sad times, received goods and sold most of it, offered bicycle lessons, prayed with people, started an Alpha course, and so on and so on.

These wonderful community times enabled us to donate more than 👉67.000 euro (!) towards projects all over Europe. Projects that mostly deal with helping the addicted, homeless, poor, refugees, and prostitutes with their children. And as of last year,  Atelier Café de Schor helps us as well by donating part of their proceeds towards Traveling Light!

We truly believe each town or city should have a 'Twinkeltje' 😀 where God's love is tangible and everyone feels welcome.

Pieter Meijers made a great video last week, just for you... so, wherever you are in the world, it doesn't matter... you can have a look inside and experience the atmosphere!

You can make us happy with your prayers and a financial gift anytime!

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

Laptops for Teen Challenge Ukraine

As you probably know by now, each month the proceeds from our coffeehouse/shop Twinkeltje and the retro/vintage shop in Atelier-Café De Schor are going towards a Traveling Light project.

The proceeds from July went to the work of Teen Challenge among drug addicts and homeless people in Ukraine to buy 2 laptops for the Simcha women's home in Berdichev and one for the Freedom rehabilitation home in Kovel.

The laptops have now been purchased and put into use. The men and women in the program can now take online classes, church services, and Bible studies, when travel is not available.

For many of them, it is the first time they are coming in contact with the gospel, often after years of addiction. In addition to daily Bible studies, counseling, and group lessons are part of the program.

Thanks to you it is possible for them to stay connected online with others, especially with the coming winter just around the corner. The pictures show how happy they are with the laptops.

This month, the proceeds of our stores will go to the work of Radko Kratsov among the Roma community in Bulgaria. We always have a practical and manageable goal for our donations ... and personal contacts of course.

Come and visit us on Friday in De Schor or on Saturday afternoon in Twinkeltje. Twinkeltje's door is currently open for prayer every evening from 7:00 PM to 8:00 PM. We participate in the 10 days of prayer and fasting as part of The Return (to God).

Donations are always welcome at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Our next project is Teen Challenge Albania.

Project Teen Challenge Georgia

We are currently raising money for the expansion of the CIC Mission Training Center in Georgia.

The proceeds from our shop Twinkeltje over the month of June were also for a project in Georgia, namely the work of Teen Challenge among the homeless and addicted. The total was 1,400 euro (yeah!).

Of course, that amount will go entirely to the intended goal, but we would like to double it (at least). Teen Challenge in Tbilisi has a number of projects that we could help with.

For example finances for the further construction of the international training center, the conversion of a van into a coffee bus, and the start-up of a production line for making plastic and aluminum windows and doors.

Yes yes, they are always full of good ideas. Physical work is also a daytime activity for the men in the program, while street work is the way to get in touch with other needy people, and setting up businesses helps to generate income so that a higher degree of self-sufficiency can be achieved.

We have visited Teen Challenge in Georgia a number of times and have seen for ourselves the impact of the program, the Bible studies, the activities, and the fellowship among the men. They know they are loved and forgiven!

Livan (see photo), for example, got a new life and a shirt from Traveling Light 😁

If you want to participate in doubling the 1,400 euro from Twinkeltje, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: TC Georgia.

👉When in the USA you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC Georgia.

Growing in times of crisis

In a time when people often think in terms of limitations and impossibilities (this cannot be done, that is not allowed etc.) we can see that God draws His own plan and pours out His blessings without restriction. That makes us very happy!

The proceeds of our shop Twinkeltje over the month of May were a surprise, partly as a result of the help of volunteer Chantal de Jong who has been selling nice vintage and retro stuff for the benefit of Traveling Light in her Atelier Café De Schor in Papendrecht. A total of 1,600 euro was raised for the work Sokrat & Lena Apostolovski are doing among the Roma children in Macedonia.

So many nice items kept coming in that Chantal and Cora designated part of 'De Schor' as a vintage shop. The store is open every Friday from 10:00 to 17:00 hours. The proceeds will always go towards Traveling Light. How great is that! We are expanding in a time of crisis 😁

So, go visit Chantal on Fridays! On Saturdays our own Twinkeltje is open from 12:00 to 17:00 hours, as usual. Every month we choose a different project as beneficiary of the proceeds (from both shops now). For June, that will be the work of Teen Challenge among the homeless and addicted in Georgia.

We have also been able to donate 3,500 euro towards Embrace, the work of Michael and Janet van Boxtel among the poor and addicted in Hungary. As you can see in the picture, Michael makes music and sings undisturbed, during the distribution of food parcels.

As of June 1st, we have started our prayer meetings again:

• 1st Friday afternoon of the month: we facilitate Lunch Prayer Papendrecht
• 1st Friday evening of the month: Regional prayer Alblasserwaard
• 2nd Friday evening of the month: Re-Store (healing room)
• 3rd Friday evening of the month: Prayer for the Nations

Gifts for our current project, the construction of a Christian drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Lebanon, are coming in daily. Thank you very much for that, keep 'm coming. We would like to sow a donation of 4,000 euro!

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.