Activities and updates

The month is flying by; time for a few updates!

This coming Monday, we hope to be present with a booth at the King's Day flea market in Papendrecht again. It is always a really fun event, and not just for Papendrecht residents, mind you. Visitors from the entire surrounding area come to the flea market!

We will be providing coffee and tea again, so come and join us. The proceeds from the sales go to humanitarian aid in Beirut, Lebanon.

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Next week, we (Jan, Marja, Krijn, Cora) are going to the annual Europe Teen Challenge conference, which is being held in Albania again, like last year. We always look forward to meeting everyone again and catching up. We are curious to hear the stories of hope and progress in the various rehab centers and coffee houses.

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The proceeds from Twinkeltje and De Schor for April will go to Brian Slater's work with Abundant Bread of Salvation in Israel. We will let you know the total amount later. Of course, we will add specified donations to this total as well.

The project in both shops for the month of May is the work of Jordan & Vesna Stoilovi at The Bridge coffee house in Tetovo, Macedonia.

The community center is a beautiful meeting place where people come together for coffee, Bible study, Alpha, church services, etc. Meaningful conversations take place between people with different backgrounds and cultures.

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We have updated the Traveling Light website again, now including an 'Academy' tab. We have been teaching and preaching in the Netherlands as well as in Europe, for years, but never mentioned it on our website. In recent weeks, we have shared lessons from God's Word in various churches and group settings.

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We are thankful for your donations. Make them payable to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. You can also give by card or donate directly via our website! When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention Traveling Light or which Teen Challenge center you want to support.

Requests for help from Lithuania, Lebanon, and Serbia

The proceeds from our stores, Twinkeltje and de Schor, in February amounted to €2,000, which went to Bertine House, the rehab home for women and their children in Poltava, Ukraine.

The new project for March is "Alabaster Jar" in Germany. On Wednesday, March 11th, Sandor Hofäcker will be at our mission evening in Twinkeltje to talk more about this outreach among prostitutes in Berlin. We look forward to seeing you at that special evening!

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And now, a quick note about three different requests for help that reached us in recent days. First: an appeal from Willem Jan van Dijk of the aid organization Vilties Inkaras in Lithuania for help to a family who is currently homeless because their house burned down. This is a Roma family with eight children.

The plan is to build a new house. In the meantime, Willem Jan hopes to arrange a 20ft container, which will provide a temporary roof over their heads. Next week, he will be in the Netherlands to collect items (clothing, household goods, blankets, etc.). We would like to help him with a donation.

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Secondly, we received a call for financial support from our friend and director of Teen Challenge in Lebanon, Garo Margossian. As a result of the war Israel and the USA are fighting to destroy the Islamic regime and associated terrorist organizations (including Hezbollah), many residents of southern Lebanon and Beirut have been displaced.

In addition to spiritual support (prayers), humanitarian aid is much needed: clothing, food, blankets, water, medicine, etc. Garo can provide assistance through his organization, NFD. We would like to help him with a donation.

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And thirdly: Boris Štrbac, founder of Restart  in Serbia, asked us to help with a financial donation towards the purchase of a new (used) professional coffee machine for the coffeehouse in Novi Sad. The old machine is really in need of replacement.

At the coffeehouse, people struggling with addiction can get information and discuss support options. Over the years, Boris referred many people to various Christian rehab centers in the Balkans. A visit to the coffeehouse is often the first step in seeking help towards a changed life! We would also like to help him with a donation.

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We are happy with your donations. Make them payable to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. You can also give by card or donate directly via our website! You can indicate the specific country you'd like to support. We will distribute unspecified donations among these three projects.

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!

Project updates, news, and travels

A quick update on projects, travels, and news.

We were able to send a donation to Teen Challenge in Lebanon. Due to the ongoing war with Hezbollah, many people in South Lebanon, as well as in Northern Israel, have been driven from their homes.

Garo Margossian offers humanitarian aid (food, water, medicine, etc.) where possible. He has already received the funds, for which we are grateful.

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We will be in Albania in the coming days for the Europe Teen Challenge (ETC) leadership conference in which directors from most European countries participate.

Every year it offers a great opportunity to meet each other, catch up, and receive updates about the projects we have sponsored.

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Our dear friends Alex & Janet, who met in our coffeehouse Twinkeltje and got married recently, love flea markets. They regularly have a booth or participate in car boot sales with all kinds of nice stuff.

The proceeds will go to the projects of Traveling Light. We are very thankful for their help of course!

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Atelier de Schor will be holding shopping nights on November 22 and 29th. The store is full of Christmas decorations, so cozy. There will also be a pop-up café for coffee, chocolate and tea during those evenings.

In December, in addition to the (normal) Fridays, they will also be open on Saturdays. So much nice (Christmas) stuff, you don't want to miss that. And of course the proceeds will also go to Traveling Light.

Come and enjoy shopping that supports the projects of Traveling Light in this way.

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Two weeks ago we (Marja and Jan) were in Solingen, Germany for a meeting with team members of the 'Alabaster Jar' project from Berlin.

A project under the flag of Samaritan's Purse that offers help to girls and women caught in prostitution. More about that soon!

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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!

Project and travel updates

September went by so quickly, have you experienced that as well? So, let's take time for some updates.

The September proceeds in our secondhand shops Twinkeltje and De Schor, together with several specified donations, were almost 2,000 euros.

We will double that amount and transfer a love gift of 4,000 euros to benefit the work of Teen Challenge in the rehab houses in Berdichev, Ukraine. A huge thanks to everyone who made this possible.

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In August we donated 3,000 euros to Teen Challenge in Iceland for their outreach and coffee house work among addicts and homeless people. They had been saving up for a long time for a 7-seater car with which they could pick up these people to take them to church and Group Studies, among other things.

And yes, we received a message that a car could be purchased thanks in part to this gift! Very nice.

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Last week we (Jan and Marja) visited Teen Challenge in Bucharest, Romania. A report about that visit with some more photos will follow soon. It was very encouraging, both for them and for us!

We stayed in the rehab center for men and also visited the women's house and the church.

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The project for October in Twinkeltje and the Schor is the work of Teen Challenge in Lebanon. Due to the ongoing war with Hezbollah, many people in South Lebanon, as in Northern Israel, have been driven from their homes. Garo Margossian of Teen Challenge offers humanitarian aid (food, water, medicine, etc.) where possible.

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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 or general.

💳 Give by card

👉You can also donate directly via our website!

Follow-up project Teen Challenge Lebanon

Garo Margossian has been involved in drug and alcohol addiction prevention and education for many years. He is the founder of the organization No For Drugs (NFD), a non profit dedicated to bringing attention to the drug problem in Lebanon.

NFD is affiliated with Teen Challenge and we have known Garo for years from the Teen Challenge conferences. Awareness campaigns are being organized, prisons are visited and legal assistance is provided. Together with his wife Gabriela and daughter Adelina Grace, they live in Beirut.

Garo has a vision for a men's and women's center where people with addiction problems can stay for a longer period of time. The construction of the men's center is complete. Yes!

At the moment, staff training is in process and hopefully, the center can be opened soon.

A generator system has now been installed and the house is fully equipped, even with a small clinic for medical treatments and detox.

Garo hopes to start the construction of the women's center when funds come in. The artist's impression shows how it should all turn out in the end. There is still a lot of work to be done and we are grateful that Garo has been able to hold on to his dream over the years.

We are grateful for people who will not let themselves be stopped, who have a heart for their country, and who are committed to carrying out the work that God has prepared. We, therefore, want to encourage him again with a gift so that he can order building materials again.

If you want to help, sow a seed into the work of Teen Challenge in Lebanon. You can give in several ways. Please direct your gift at:

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

Check out the video below to get an idea of what it all looks like. We pray that many in Lebanon will find their way to Jesus and true freedom!

Project fruit trees Teen Challenge Lebanon

We are supporters of the construction of a faith based drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Lebanon.

About two years ago, our friend Garo Margossian began the construction of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Beirut. Garo is the founder of the nonprofit organization No For Drugs (NFD), an organization dedicated to promoting drug prevention. They offer awareness campaigns, prison ministry, and legal aid.

NFD is part of Global Teen Challenge and we have known Garo for years from the Teen Challenge conferences in Europe.

The construction of the center is taking place in phases. Every time funds are available, the work continues.  The roof is on the building now, all windows and doors have been placed.

The center is expected to open this year!

Garo is good at thinking ahead 😀 He is currently raising funds to plant fruit trees around the house, preferably as soon as possible, so that when the house is occupied, harvesting can be done within a short time. 

Of course, in addition to purchasing young trees, an irrigation system is also needed. We believe with him that this is a nice investment that will pay for itself in years to come.

The plan, according to the project application, is to use part of the proceeds from the fruit sale to help the poor. With his team, Garo has been supporting 200 families since the country has been in a serious economic and financial crisis.

If you want to help, please choose one of the following ways:

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

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.

2nd Phase project rehab center, Lebanon

We do not physically travel to other countries yet, but we are in contact with dozens of people within our network through social media, newsletters and email. This is also the case with Garo Margossian in Lebanon.

About two years ago, he began the construction of a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center in Beirut. Garo is the founder of the nonprofit organization No For Drugs (NFD), an organization dedicated to promoting drug prevention. They offer awareness campaigns, prison ministry and legal aid.

NFD is part of Global Teen Challenge and we have known Garo for years from the Teen Challenge conferences in Europe, we regularly attend.

The construction of the center is taking place in phases. Every time funds are available, the work continues. The exterior is now covered with stucco, work is being done on a terrace and inside they are working on floors, walls and sanitary areas.

It is good to see that this huge project continues and that Garo remains in good spirits and believes that his long-cherished desire to open a faith-based residential center for drugs and alcohol rehabilitation will become a reality.

We know every country has its own struggles with addiction issues and we also know that a program like Teen Challenge can have a big impact on people's lives and society. We would like to be part of the blessing this work brings to Lebanon.

Gabriela, Adelina Grace and Garo

Traveling Light wants to contribute once again to the construction of this center in Lebanon. How wonderful it is to invest in human lives in the Middle East from wherever you live. Let's encourage one another without ceasing!

If you want to help, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: Lebanon.

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

Project updates & agenda

Construction of the NFD rehab center in Lebanon

It is about time we post some updates about several projects we have supported. We regularly receive quite a few messages and photo's that we would like to share with you all.

Back in August 2018 we introduced Garo & Gabriela Margossian from Lebanon to you. Garo is the founder of NFD foundation, an organization dedicated to drug prevention and helping addicts to overcome their addictions. Read our full article about Garo's project here.

The Margossian family

The construction of the rehabilitation center is progressing steadily. Garo explained that they are working in stages ... every time funds comes in, they can continue to build 👍 Much is still needed to finish this project.

By the way: in September Garo and Gabriela became the proud parents of Adelina Grace. She is a true answer to prayer.

In April of 2018 we presented project church kitchen in Navazi, Georgia. It took some time before the money arrived at the right place, but at the end of the summer pastor Temuri Muzashvili was able to start the construction. The communal kitchen will be added to the church.

Construction of church kitchen in Georgia

Construction is progressing steadily. During the winter months most of the work is at a standstill. However, we regularly receive photos and messages from Temuri. Always nice to see how the building is being constructed. In the photo, the dark red roof is the new extension.

Last year January we also donated the proceeds of our secondhand store to the work of Teen Challenge in Kazakhstan.

For some years they had a desire to convert an existing barn at the men's rehab center into a automotive paint booth for spraying cars and car parts. Well, the booth is in full use!

Paint booth at TC center Kazakhstan

They purchased the materials, sheathed and insulated the walls and ceiling, conducted the light, filled the floor with a special solution and installed heating. The room was remodeled and today it is working successfully. Men who have completed the program can find a job here. Fantastic!

Agenda:

Saturday, April 6: Mission evening Georgia with guests Kuanysh & Madina Akkuzov

Wednesday, April 17: Sponsor walk for Traveling Light

Saturday, April 27: King's day free market

Donations:
Donations are always welcome. You can send your gift to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275. BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.

Project rehab center Lebanon

Garo & Gabriela Margossian

Our network continues to grow, as is shown by the projects we recently supported in Lithuania and Latvija. Particularly during the Europe Teen Challenge conferences we meet all kinds of people who feel called to share the love of God with the addicted, homeless and poor.

One such person is Garo Margossian from Lebanon, we have been in contact with him for a number of years.

Garo is the founder of  No For Drugs, a non-profit organization in Beirut that aims to bring awareness to the drug problem. They participate in awareness campaigns and programs, visit prisons and provide legal assistance.

For years, Garo had this dream to build a rehabilitation center in Lebanon. Preparations for this started as early as 2013. A piece of land outside the city was made available and drawings were made.

Artist impression by Maya Bechara & Majed Abou Fadel

Last year the construction of the center started. It is quite a big project as you can see in the pictures. A lot of work needs to be done before this wonderful facility will be put into use.

NFD is affiliated with Global Teen Challenge. A good move, because there is a lot to learn from each other. The drug scene is growing enormously in Lebanon, especially among young people (some users are only 11 years old!) Prevention work is therefore an important part of NFD's work.

Traveling Light encourages and supports such new initiatives on a regular basis. We would therefore like to make a contribution to the construction of this center in Lebanon and we will definitely visit Garo at some point in the near future!

Construction of the new rehab center

NFD depends on donations and Garo has assured us that even the smallest gift is a blessing and a gentle push to continue. Every time money comes in, construction can continue. How wonderful is it to invest in human lives in the Middle East?!

If you want to help, please send your gift to St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and do not forget to mention: NFD.

Below you can view a short video about the construction work of the center.