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!

Milestone!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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, 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!

Press, projects, and activities

Hopefully, you all had a nice summer vacation time, wherever you went and whatever you did.

Our friends Krijn and Cora Donk have been in Kazakhstan and visited the juvenile home of Teen Challenge, the rehab centers and the church in Almaty. Of course, we will share more about that in an upcoming post.

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On Thursday, September 5th, 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 in Papendrecht. One round is about 2.5 kilometers long. You can run or walk. Each round you run 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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A comprehensive and favorable article about the missionary work of Traveling Light appeared in the VVP Magazine (the magazine of AG Churches in Belgium). It is great that we can also (hopefully) become better known in the Flemish-speaking part of Belgium in this way.

We are always grateful for opportunities to tell a little more about our work. We would also like to come to your church by invitation, to inspire you!

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We are still raising money for the prison work in Albania. If you would like to make a donation for that, you can always do so!

The project for our shops/coffee house Twinkeltje and the Schor in September is the work of our friends Sergey & Irina Romanenko from Teen Challenge. All proceeds will go towards their work. It is amazing what they and their team are doing in these difficult times among addicts and traumatized people in Berdichev, Ukraine.

Recently, many have successfully completed the rehabilitation program and that is always a reason to celebrate. More about that in one of the next blog posts.

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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!

Ice skating fundraiser brings in 8,800 euro for TC women's home Romania

A shout-out to our ice skaters! Both Albert and Krijn completed the 200 km ride on the Weissensee last week.

We can all look back with thankful hearts to their fundraiser that brought in eighty-eight hundred euros for the Teen Challenge women's rehab home 'House of Joy' in Romania.

The center offers a safe place for women who struggle with addictions, homelessness, prostitution etc. and it offers the opportunity to start a new life!

Albert van de Graaf and Krijn Donk rode the grueling tour on the Weissensee in Austria on January 26 and 30 respectively. The 200 km ice skating tour wasn't an easy task, both skaters encountered a lot of hardships during the day due to falls and deteriorating ice as a result of temperatures just above zero.

After several hours, the ice turned into a slush in which the skaters found themselves stuck. Cracks were no longer visible and that, in addition to fatigue, was the reason for the many falls. Both men really wanted to finish the tour and not disappoint their sponsors and they eventually reached the finish line in one piece!

The support for their campaign was overwhelming and the amount of 8,800 euros will entirely benefit the Teen Challenge women's center 'House of Joy' in Romania.

Funds are needed for maintenance and expansion work, such as installing outdoor lighting, creating additional parking spaces for visitors and workers, expanding sanitary facilities, and completing the classroom and studio in the backyard.

On behalf of Traveling Light, the skaters would like to thank everyone who contributed in any way to this successful fundraiser. We will keep you informed about the work on the women's house through this blog.

By the way, donations are always welcome, for we have many projects on our waiting list that need sponsoring. 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!

Weissensee fundraiser for Teen Challenge women's home, Romania

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

Albert van de Graaf (Bleskensgraaf) and Krijn Donk (Papendrecht) have signed up for speed ice skating on respectively January 30 and 26,  on the Weissensee in Austria. They are planning to go for 200 km!

The skaters want to raise money with their performance for a great project: House of Joy, the Teen Challenge rehabilitation center for women with life controlling problems, just outside Bucharest in Romania.

👉They obviously hope that you will sponsor their fundraising campaign.

House of Joy opened up in 2015 (we visited in 2017). The home can accommodate nine women and four 'interns', which are women who have completed the rehabilitation program and stay on as volunteers to help.

The women who come to Teen Challenge have often struggled with life-threatening problems, such as drug and alcohol addiction, prostitution, crime, homelessness, and physical and psychological challenges, for a long time.

In House of Joy they not only find a safe place to live, but for many, it is also the first time they are introduced to the love and grace 💗of Jesus Christ.

House of Joy continues to exist thanks to donations from loyal donors. Funds for daily operations are always needed, but several things have been on their wish list for a while.

Practical things in and around the house, that benefit living and working conditions, such as:

• the construction of two official parking spaces at the house (for the workers)
• the renewal and expansion of sanitary facilities
• installing outdoor lighting and
• finishing the rooftops of the two container units in the back yard that serve as classroom and studio, and a canopy and seating area all around.

Albert and Krijn want to raise the necessary funds to make these home improvements a reality. It is possible to sponsor them 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!

You can also send a donation directly:

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

🠈Georgiana Dragan-Moldoveanu is the director of House of Joy. Georgiana grew up in a violent environment, with an alcoholic father. Although she was an incredibly smart student, as a teenager she started to look for love and acceptance in the wrong places. At the age of 20 she started to use heroin.

From being an incredible student with a career ahead, she ended up sleeping on the streets, stealing, begging, and even selling her body for money. In 2009, she ended up in detox, completely hopeless, to the point of having her leg amputated due to heroin injections. That was the moment she cried out to God for help. 

After she regained her life and went through a rehab program, God planted in her heart a strong desire to help other women going through the pain of addiction, trauma, and abuse. In 2014, she was blessed to marry the love of her life, Mihai, a former rocker who had an interest in satanism.

WE BELIEVE AND INVEST IN CHANGED LIVES! WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US.

Travels and fun sponsoring activities

In October we (Jan and Marja) visited Comunita Brezzano in Tuscany, Italy.

Until the beginning of last year, the Christian therapeutic community was run by our friend Maria Meier. After her sudden death in February 2022, we had not been there anymore.

The board of her (Swiss) foundation invited us to spend a few days with them in Casa Shalom, the beautiful house where we stayed for years with groups during the woodcutting work weeks.

It was nice to be there again. We listened a lot, talked, prayed, sang, and brainstormed about how to go on with the Comunita. Casa Shalom remains available as a home for prayer groups, retreats and theme meetings.

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From Tuscany we drove to Lithuania, where we were invited to attend and speak at the annual Teen Challenge conference.

Of course we visited the men's and women's rehab center and also spoke in the church in Kaunas on Sunday. We will share a more detailed report soon.

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This weekend we are back in Italy to participate in the annual Europe Teen Challenge Fall conference. Always a great opportunity for us to meet leaders of the various rehabilitation centers and programs from all over Europe.

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We furthermore like to highlight two fun sponsoring events close to home! On Friday, November 17, our friend Margot will once again organize a bingo evening for the benefit of Traveling Light. You can win nice Oriflame prizes, Marja will be there with a book table and Cora with nice things from Twinkeltje. Register via Margot, Cora or Marja.

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On Tuesday, November 21, our friend Chantal will organize a workshop crocheting Christmas ornaments in Atelier de Schor for the benefit of Traveling Light. Cost: 15 euros. Entry from 7:30 PM.

We just love these events that raise money for all the wonderful projects we support.

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 updates and activity news

It's time again for an update on projects and activities. We will write a separate post about our trip to Winiarczykowka, Poland, soon.

In May, we reported on Issacar's follow-up project in Rivoli, Italy. The Christian Evangelical Community is building a multi-functional facility where weekly services, food distribution, soup kitchen, homeless shelter, and other activities will all take place.

We sent them a donation (4,000 euro) to stimulate the progress of the construction. We received some photos showing that a lot of building materials have been purchased again. The walls and roof are almost done.

Thank you very much on behalf of pastor Filippo Felice and the congregation for the encouragement. We hope to visit again later this year!

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We were also able to give a donation (1,500 euro) for the Vacation Bible School activities in our town.

In August they celebrated their 45th anniversary in a playground in Papendrecht. What a party that was. Many children (and their parents) came to see it. We enjoyed coffee and talked to a number of people from the organizing committee.

They were very happy with all the support they received from churches, organizations, businesses, and volunteers. They are now looking forward to the activities that will take place during the autumn holidays.

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On Thursday, September 7, 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 you run is good for 2 euro.

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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Saturday September 9th, we will organize another baptism party at river the Lek. This time we have six people (including those from the Alpha course) who want to be baptized.

Yes, obeying the command to go out into the world, share the gospel AND baptize people! We all enjoy doing it.

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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

Weissensee 2023 fundraiser for Teen Challenge Armenia

Three years ago, our ice skating team raised a nice amount at the Weissensee in Austria for the new men's rehab center at Teen Challenge in Armenia.

Later this month, Krijn Donk (Papendrecht) and Henk Vlot (Oud-Alblas) are going to put on their ice skates again 💪in order to raise funds for the further completion of this rehabilitation center. The center offers a home to men who want to turn their backs on their addictions and other life-controlling problems while getting a chance to build a new life with God's help.

👉 Of course,  the ice skaters are hoping that you want to sponsor their athletic efforts again!

Last summer, Krijn and Cora Donk visited the center in Yerevan, Armenia. A special journey in itself, because they drove there in their own car! On the way, they climbed Mount Ararat.

Once in Yerevan, they saw with their own eyes how practical and spiritual help is being offered to men, in seemingly hopeless situations. Great to see how previous donations were spent to make the house habitable.

However, the house still needs to be completely finished, it could use a good kitchen, etc. That's often how it goes... the centers are already fully occupied while there is still a lot of work to be done.

To this end, Krijn and Henk want to raise the necessary funds. They will be ice skating long distances on January 31. Krijn will go for 200 km, Henk probably for 100 km.

It is possible to sponsor Krijn and Henk as a team or individually:

• with an amount per kilometer,
• with an amount for reaching the finish or
• with a general amount

If you decide to participate, you can send an email stating the amount you want to give to krijncora@gmail.com.

Or you can send a donation directly:

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

We eagerly await your response!

Gagik and Lusine Mkrtchyan are the directors of Teen Challenge in Armenia. They run rehabilitation centers where men with addiction problems can start a new life. They also have taken in orphans in their own home.

We (Jan and Marja) met with them again recently at the Teen Challenge conference in Italy, this past November.

Christmas packages 2022

Every year, Traveling Light supports a number of Christmas package projects from various organizations. It is a blessing to be able to give to people who are less fortunate because they are refugees, addicted, homeless or just far away from home. Surely, one of these projects has your heart!

Christmas bags for sailors

For port evangelist Alexander Eberson, the Christmas season is the opportunity to show seafarers in word and deed that God loves them as well. He wants to give a Christmas goodie bag to the sailors he visits in the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen. Each bag contains: a hat, a pair of socks, a game, a notebook with a pen, a roll of Mentos fruit, a bar of chocolate, a bottle of shower gel, a homemade Christmas card, and a Christmas devotional. A bag costs approx. € 6.00.

Operation Christmas Joy 

Operation Christmas Joy brings the joy of the birth of Jesus to children in need, many in refugee camps. Last year, more than 1500 children in seven countries, including Iran, Turkey, Armenia, and Pakistan, received a nice package! A package includes clothing, shoes and educational supplies, but also toys and sweets to give them that little bit extra. Whenever possible, the children are gathered for celebrations, this is also an opportunity for their families to hear the gospel firsthand. A Christmas package costs approx. € 75.

Winter packages Moldova

For the 18th time, our friends from Pilgrims and Teen Challenge are organizing their winter aid campaign. Last year they delivered 35 tons of coal and more than 400 food packages to the poor and widows. The food packages do meet an enormous need, each package contains about 12 to 13 kilos of food!

We have been sponsoring this project for many years and we will certainly do it again in 2022. If you want to stay warm this winter, give warmth to someone else! Give... and it will be given to you 😁

Bags of Love Athens

We don't always realize it, but in Athens many people live on the streets, including many refugees. The Passage to Live team takes care of them throughout the year with the distribution of food, but the 'Bags of love' project has been set up specifically for this winter.

They want to provide 1,000 people with a package containing a blanket, a woolen hat, socks, croissants and the gospel, all within the coming months. A package costs approx. €20.

Generator and heaters rehab Berdichev

And finally, and this is not a Christmas package but an emergency call, a request from our friends at Teen Challenge in Berdichev, Ukraine. The drug and alcohol rehab center is full, everything is running at full speed. As a result of the war however, they are often without electricity (and gas).

Just like the center in Zaporozhye (of which photos will be posted soon!) they would also like to purchase a good generator, fuel and a number of separate heaters to get through the winter. Shall we surprise them with a nice gift for that?

If you like to sponsor a Christmas package, you can

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

Don't forget to mention for which project!

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.

165 km cycling for Bertine House, Ukraine

We are very happy and grateful for all the loyal supporters of Traveling Light. Without donors, volunteers, prayers, and financial contributions it is impossible to support so many projects in more than thirty (!) European countries.

It is of course a great joy for us when people come up with fundraising efforts... whether that is baking cake, ice skating, running or cycling! It is always exciting when someone wants to perform in exchange for support... for an excellent cause.

Henk Swijnenburg from Bleskensgraaf is well known from the Weissensee ice skating campaigns. To stay fit during the summer, Henk goes cycling, as many people in Holland do.

This weekend he wants to cycle a 165 km trip with a group of friends to raise money for Bertine House in Poltova, Ukraine. A project that we have been supporting for years.

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.

Henk has also ice-skated for this project in the past, but it seemed good to him to set up a summer campaign for the mothers and children because they could definitely use some encouragement.

Bertne House was first located in Donetsk, but in 2014 they had to leave everything behind because of the war. In this blog post you can read more about the fundraising efforts we did then.

They were able, partly through an American donor, to buy a house in Poltava. In recent years, dozens of mothers and children received a new life by getting to know Jesus Christ.

Despite the fact that there is now another war, life in Bertine House continues 'as usual', children are born and marriages are planned. Hope is alive, certainly under these circumstances.

Henk is planning to cycle 165 km on Sunday 21 August, from Bleskensgraaf, via Dordrecht to Rockanje and back. A beautiful route!

Surely, we would welcome your support. Any amount is welcome, large or small. The full 100% will go to Bertine House in Ukraine, with whom we have direct contact.

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 BERTINE
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA, make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC UKRAINE-BERTINE