Visit to Teen Challenge Romania

Last month, we (Jan and Marja) were in Romania, attending the annual Europe Teen Challenge leadership conference, which was held in Cluj this year.

This city is located in northwestern Romania, in the Transylvanian region.

The fall conference is always a great opportunity to meet TC leaders from all over Europe, to relax, and to be inspired and encouraged. We had a fantastic time.

We stayed in a beautiful hotel, outside the city, offering extensive wellness and spa facilities. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and had many wonderful conversations in the warm pool under the stars!

Friday was filled with teaching and worship. Saturday was excursion day. We first visited the wood workshop WeBecome, founded by graduates who completed the Teen Challenge program.

They design and make furniture for restaurants and businesses, but also create beautiful, small products. Check out their website. All proceeds go towards Teen Challenge.

And on we went. We visited the plot of land recently purchased by the Teen Challenge team in Cluj. The plan is to develop a complete TC campus there: a rehab center, a bistro, a wood factory, and much more.

We prayed together about the land and building plans, declaring that many people will find freedom in Christ at this location.

The bus then took us to the current TC men's center, a beautiful house in the heart of the city. We received a warm welcome, and the men provided a fantastic hamburger lunch for all of us.

We were personally deeply encouraged by conversations with young men who were in rehab (in Bucharest) when we were there in September 2024. Many still remember how we prayed with them and spoke prophetic words over them.

It was heartwarming to see and hear that they are doing well and that they are now volunteering for Teen Challenge and remaining involved, sometimes even as staff members.

It's so wonderful to hear time and again how much the visits, which we make on behalf of Traveling Light, are appreciated. It is valuable feedback for us.

We also had the opportunity to meet with and pray for Pastor Adrian and Sidonia Tamas of the Betel Centru Evangelical Church in Cluj. It's encouraging to hear how God is working among young people in Cluj! So many are coming to faith.

Each time we are in Romania, we meet with people who remember the humanitarian aid that used to come from the Netherlands, sometimes decades ago. Many Dutch churches and organizations have been involved in the social (and spiritual) development of Romania for years, and that is now truly bearing fruit.

Donations, large or small, for all the projects we support are always welcome. You can give in various ways:

Make a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. You can also give by card or donate directly via our website!

Visit to Teen Challenge Georgia

Last month, we (Jan and Marja) spent a week at Teen Challenge in Georgia.

The last time we were there was in 2018, but luckily, we were able to meet our dear friends Kuanish and Mada Akkuzova, the directors of Teen Challenge, at conferences along the way. And of course we stayed in touch via email and WhatsApp.

The amazing team of Teen Challenge Georgia staff and volunteers runs a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men and a women's home in Tbilisi.

Kuanish and Mada also pastor a vibrant church and Sunday school in Tbilisi. They oversee street work and are actively involved in children's ministry in refugee camps.

The couple is originally from Kazakhstan. Kuanish is of Muslim descent and overcame his addictions at a Teen Challenge center there. That's how he also came to know God!

We visited the women's home and saw the beautiful kitchen, which Traveling Light helped fund. We shared God's Word during the chapel services and spoke with the teenagers (refugees from various countries) about talents and gifts.

On Sunday morning, we preached during a packed church service about the importance of making choices. The service continued outside, as 14 people were baptized!

The international (rehab) center is a four-story building that the team has worked on for years to make it suitable for multi-purpose use. It looks so beautiful. It has apartments for staff members, rooms for visitors and students, mission teams, and it houses a church, a rehab, youth events, etc.).

We had the opportunity to pray for healing and deliverance with all the students in the rehabs, to prophesy over them, and minister to their individual needs.

Fortunately, there was also time to visit our friend Reza Nadirashvili (founder of CIC Mission) at the farm in Gardabani. We have also helped him in recent years with donations and earlier with visits.

The need for Christian recovery programs is growing!

It's truly beautiful to see and hear how God is reaching the nations and peoples in this region with His love and grace, despite political unrest, wars, a continuous stream of refugees, and so much more.

It was incredibly encouraging to see how the Lord is working among addicts, the homeless, teenagers, children, refugees, and the brokenhearted... well, among everyone, really. Lives are changing here, every day!

If you would like to contribute to the work of Teen Challenge in Georgia: you can do so in different ways:

• 💛Send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention TC Georgia
• 💳 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 Georgia.

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!

Visit to Teen Challenge, Romania

We promised you a report of our trip to Bucharest, which we made at the end of September.

In January of this year, Krijn Donk and Albert vd Graaf ice-skated 200km on the Weissensee. This sporting event raised over 8,800 euros in sponsorship money for the Teen Challenge women's home in Bucharest, Romania.

So it was the right time for us (Jan and Marja) to visit them again. At the end of September we flew to Bucharest. We stayed at the beautiful rehab center for men, where we were very well cared for and had the opportunity to spend time with the men in the program.

We had wonderful meals, slept well, and we were even able to use their passenger van to go to the women's home.

We provided Bible study during the 'chapel' time, had many conversations, and were able to pray with the students for personal needs.

We were also able to share encouragement from the Bible with the ladies and had nice conversations. We were really able to take the time for such personal minsitry. A delicious lunch was also provided.

At the back of the garden at the women's home, the completion of the classroom and studio has  progressed quite well.

It may be difficult to see in the picture, but the two containers (the classroom on the left and the studio lengthwise on the right) are connected by a roof.

There will also be a porch. In the classroom, the ladies receive their group lessons and Bible studies and in the studio, jewelry, soap and candles are made for sales in churches and at conferences (a creative source of income).

The sanitary facilities on the ground floor of the house still need to be renovated, that is definitely on their list of things to do.

But the home is completely full of women and girls who are dealing with life-threatening problems (drugs, alcohol, human trafficking, etc.) and currently they can't miss the use of a bathroom, to be honest. As soon as that work is done, we will show photos.

On Sunday we went to the church of Teen Challenge (Biserica 43) and there we were allowed to share a word, which was  a great honor. The church is full of ex-addicts and their families, which is a beautiful sight to see.

It was a very busy weekend but at the same time very encouraging to see how so many lives are being changed forever, how much love and attention staff and volunteers are giving to people who have sometimes lost all hope.

By the way, we saw that one of the passenger vans at the women's center really needs to be replaced. They often drive those things until they almost fall apart, because there is simply no money for something newer.

We would like to encourage them with a donation for another van.

If you want 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 ROMANIA women's home.

💳 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 ROMANIA WOMENS HOME.

Traveling... where to and why

A non-profit called Traveling Light is on the road, a lot 😀. In recent weeks we have been to Italy and Poland.

👉Our mission is threefold, namely to provide practical help, financial support, and spiritual encouragement to ministries in need all over Europe.

We travel (always at our own expense, of course, your donations go entirely to the intended projects) to visit and encourage people, to participate in theme conferences, and to roll up our sleeves when needed.

Last week we (Jan, Marja, Krijn and Cora) visited the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Warsaw, Poland. About 250 people from more than 30 countries were present.

Participants are all involved, in some way or another, in running a faith-based drug and alcohol rehab center, a coffee house, a shelter, or some other program that helps people to find Christ. They can be a leader, volunteer, supporter, or former student (ex-addict).

For us it is always a wonderful opportunity to meet so many people, the Traveling Light network is enormous. That is also the special thing behind all the projects we support... we know the people personally!

At some point, the participants were asked who had been blessed by the help of Traveling Light and more than half of all hands went up. Amazing, right?!

During the many trips we make, we can always provide spiritual encouragement, also at an international conference like this.

Marja was asked to open the board meeting with a devotional time on Thursday and on Saturday Jan and Marja gave a presentation in the large conference hall.

We also took a lot of time to pray with people,  think together, and brainstorm about ideas and initiatives.

The first photo is from an encouraging session with our friends Sergey and Irina Romanenko from Ukraine with translation assistance from our friend Jenja Buzinovskaya from Kazakhstan.

Of course, we were also present with our book table, special this time because a Polish translation was available of Marja's book 'Spirit of Truth.' A meeting with the translator and editor was also arranged.

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The week before the trip to Poland we were in Italy for a work week in Comunita Brezzano in Tuscany. For more than 10 years we have been there every year to chop wood for the winter.

This time we helped with cleaning out existing ditches and digging new ditches for better water drainage. The six of us stayed in Casa Shalom and the Swiss team stayed in Casa Nuova.

It was hard work, but we really enjoyed this time together as a team. It is wonderful to give others a helping hand.

After the death of our friend Maria Meier (who ran this Christian therapeutic residential community for many years), it has been quite difficult to pick up the thread again.

The community is no longer a rehab, but more of a place where people can relax and find peace, a retreat center. Due to the good connections with Messianic congregations in Israel, the community has already been able to provide retreat time to various congregation leaders and their families.

In addition to the hard work, we enjoyed peace, beautiful scenery, good food, playing games, many conversations, and relaxing reading time. Worth repeating as far as we are concerned.

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Speaking of Israel, the project of the month in our shop/coffee house Twinkeltje and Atelier de Schor in April was the work of Brian Slater and Abundant Bread of Salvation. We were able to donate 1,800 euro! Thank you all. We were also able to transfer 4,000 euro for support of the work of Teen Challenge in Slovenija. The next project is the work of Teen Challenge in Georgia, more about that soon.

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

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

Visit to Moldova + Christmas packages 2023

At the beginning of December, we (Jan, Marja, Krijn, and Cora) visited Moldova. We were invited by Ivan Velinchuk (director TC) and Alexandr Lukiyan (Pastor church in Falesti) to the 20th anniversary of Teen Challenge.

We visited the various drug and alcohol rehabilitation centers and had every opportunity to encourage the guests in the program with something from God's Word and also to pray with them personally.

Some of them said they had read Marja's Russian books, which are on the bookshelf there!

The Traveling Light ice skating team has skated several times for the Christian rehab centers in Moldova on the Weissensee in Austria, so that made a visit extra fun...

To see with your own eyes how money has been spent and, above all, to hear how people's lives have been changed by the love and grace of Jesus Christ.

They spoiled us each morning with a delicious extensive breakfast in the church in Falesti, after which we set off.

We visited the new rehab center (under construction) in Soceteni. A beautiful 4-storey building that stands behind the old farmhouse where 8 men currently live + another 5 men in a nearby cottage. They can't wait until they can move into the big house. But there is still a lot of work to be done!

During the 20-year celebration, there was room for lots of music and singing, testimonies, and encouragement from the Bible. We were kindly invited to share the Word there.

We also visited the mission post of Johannes and Charlotte Petersen and the girls' home that they lead. They are the founders of Teen Challenge Moldova and of the churches in Falesti and Riscani.

If you would like to know which projects in Moldova we have collaborated on as Traveling Light, take a look HERE.

It was wonderful for us to be there, to be welcomed so warmly, and to be so encouraged by all the stories.

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👉We thank you very much for all the donations, support, and prayers we received over the past year. As for the Christmas packages project this year... we were able to divide 8,000 euros between the three projects. Amazing, right?!

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If you would like to make an end-of-year gift, don't hesitate! We want to help:

• TC Ukraine with the purchase of a house (5,000 euros) near the women's house in Berdychiv. They want to use it as a house for the staff (now the workers live in the rehab houses themselves which is not so convenient) and for visitors, a kind of mission house.
• TC Albania with a donation for their coffee house work in Tirana.

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

Visit to TC Winiarczykowka, Poland

Last month we visited Teen Challenge Winiarczykowka in Poland. Janusz and Bogusia Gornicki run a home for the elderly, for broken people, and for those who cannot take care of themselves. The location is a former border patrol post.

Janusz came into Teen Challenge as an addict many years ago and went through the recovery program in Lekini. We were there in July of this year! He met his wife Bogusia and together with their two sons (Simeon and Jacob) they moved south. Little Jacob was just one week (!) old when they started this adventure.

An average of about twenty men live in Winiarczykowka. Some have a history of addiction, others have psychological problems and still others are at a loss.

It is moving to see how Janusz and Bogusia extend love to people who came to them completely devastated, lost, and often lonely. That is following in Jesus' footsteps!

It was great fun to be there again. We were received enthusiastically and spent the first hours catching up on everything. Fortunately, we had excellent help from our interpreter again: Monika Skowron.

We received an extensive tour in and around the center. The vegetable garden has grown enormously in recent years. A beautiful chicken coop has been built, a goat farm, beehives, and much more. Everything was made possible thanks to donations from friends and organizations such as Traveling Light. How wonderful is that?!

Maintaining the buildings and working on the land and with the animals is therapeutic for the men and a big part of their daytime activities.

On Sunday morning there was a church service where we could share an encouraging message from God's Word. Many men were prayed for, we all had a wonderful time!

The days flew by and we really enjoyed the conversations, praying together, hiking, and eating delicious food. Our visit was very encouraging for the men, the staff, Monika, and for ourselves!

The men had prepared a huge BBQ in honor of our visit. They couldn't wait to light the fire on Saturday 😁. We enjoyed their good care and felt truly appreciated.

This is exactly the kind of 'small-scale' (we think it is huge!) work with great social, emotional, and spiritual impact that Traveling Light is happy to support.

It is direct and loving assistance to hopeless, helpless, and lonely people. 👉We have great admiration for this program.

This beautiful work is largely made possible by donations. We have been supporting them regularly (also through the monthly projects in Twinkeltje) since 2014.

This kind of support goes way beyond just sending a one-time donation for a good cause. Friendships develop and we try to maintain those friendships as best as possible by keeping in regular contact and visiting them if possible.

We want to make them happy again with a donation for their daily needs, will you help us?

You can give in several ways. Please direct your gift to:

• St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, and don't forget to mention: TC POLAND WINIARCZYKOWKA
• 💳 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 POLAND WINIARCZYKOWKA.

PS: Click on the photos to enlarge!

Europe Teen Challenge conference Prague

From May 5-8th, we (Krijn, Cora, Jan, Marja) attended the Europe Teen Challenge conference in Prague. The last international conference was in May 2019, so you can imagine the joy to see everyone again.

Staff, students, and volunteers from the Teen Challenge programs from almost all European countries attended! We estimate there were about 250 people.

We set up a large book table and had the opportunity to talk to many friends, to pray together, and encourage one another.

Of course, we received updates on the various ongoing projects and many group pictures were taken 😁 It was really fantastic for Krijn to meet the people behind the projects he did his ice skating fundraisers for.

We also spoke with various people about current needs and projects. So you will see messages about that in the coming months.

We also gave a presentation about running our secondhand shop / coffee house as a community center. We received a lot of positive reactions to our TC Talk.

We really want to let you know that everyone is extremely grateful for the regular help they receive to keep their rehab centers for people with life-threatening problems running. In all of this, Jesus Christ is the answer!

It was also great for us to get so many enthusiastic responses and to see so much gratitude.

We are currently raising money for the men's center in Berdichev, Ukraine. The project of the month in Twinkeltje and de Schor is the men's home in Lithuania. The next project is a new men's home in Moldova.

All donations, large and small, are welcome. If you would like to make a donation, you can do so in different ways:

• 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 you want to support.

Project news

It's time for some project updates, so you can see how your gifts are being spent. Let's take a tour of Europe 😀

In April we wrote about Teen Challenge Albania and the expansion of the men's house with a number of beds and the purchase of solar panels for hot water.

The solar panels have been purchased and placed on the roof. A big job where all that manpower came in handy!

On behalf of Orges Hysenaj and the men in the program, thank you for your donations and support.

Also in April, we wrote about the expansion of Restart's coffee house in Serbia.

They have started with the renovation project: tearing down the current wall and building a new wall. They will furthermore purchase two windows and a door, and finish walls and floors.

The last phase will be painting and buying furniture! On behalf of Boris Štrbac and his team, thank you very much for your donations!

It is wonderful to see how materials are being purchased locally and how hard the teams work. Really great!

Somehow you received a message from last August about Teen Challenge Austria in your mailbox. As a result thereof we received donations for their street outreach. Beautiful! Mirko Mitrovic writes:

"We are really amazed at what God has been doing in the past months, despite the ongoing lockdown in Austria. Since we had to stop our coffee house project due to government restrictions, we started focusing on our street outreaches"

Every week the team visits the drug hotspots in Vienna and distributes coffee to the people. They get to share their testimonies, pray for the people and build relationships with them and encourage them to believe for miracles in their lives and take steps towards freedom.

"Before Christmas and Easter, we did special outreaches, where we each distributed 200 packages to drug addicts. The packages included some sweets, hats/gloves for Christmas and socks for Easter, coffee, info material about Reset (TC Austria), and two testimonies of how God has set me and another team member free from addiction."

It turns out people are really grateful and open for prayer and allow God to touch their hearts. On behalf of Mirko Mitrovic, thank you very much for your donations!

And then there's the project CIC Mission community center in Georgia. There is also a lot of hard work going on there. Last week we received some photos that clearly show how construction work is progressing.

Last month we were able to send them a gift for the construction of a community center next to the existing Bible school. This should be a space that can be used as a coffee house, children's area, and business center.

On behalf of Reza Nadirashvili, thank you for your donations!

GIFTS (large and small) are always welcome and can be directed at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U.

💳 You can also Give by card

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