Weissensee 2026 fundraiser for Teen Challenge Falesti, Moldova

January is always an exciting month for Traveling Light, because we have our biggest fundraising event of the year.

Depending on ice conditions, marathon ice skater Krijn Donk will skate on Lake Weissensee in Austria on Friday, January 23rd, or Monday, January 26th.

Krijn has been training for months for the 200 km (!) tour, just like he does every year.

He wants to raise funds with his athletic achievement for the Teen Challenge men's rehab home in Falesti, Moldova.

He has skated for them before, but that was years ago. The Teen Challenge home in Falesti is a Christian rehabilitation center for men who struggle with addictions and other life-threatening problems.

They can live there, work with their hands, and above all, have an encounter with the living God and start a new life!

Because this type of Christian ministry depends on donations, they strive for self-sufficiency as much as possible. For example, by growing their own vegetables and raising animals.

But of course, running such a house with 10-15 men always requires funding.

Moldova struggles with large numbers of alcohol and drug addicts, and there is always a need to expand the number of beds. To this end, a second floor was added to the existing house a few years ago with the help of a team from Teen Challenge in the Czech Republic.

Krijn, Cora, Jan, and Marja visited in December 2023. Now, two years later, the new floor has unfortunately not yet been officially opened.

As you can see in the pictures, much has been completed, but electricity has not yet been connected, and sanitary facilities need to be installed. This must be done by professionals (click on the photos to enlarge).

How wonderful it would be if the funds raised by "our" plumber Krijn Donk could be used to finally bring this project to a successful conclusion.

This year, Krijn will be skating for the 14th time in favor of one of Traveling Light's projects. This skating season, he has already completed over 4,000 laps on the 400-meter ice rink in the Netherlands, and he feels fit to take on this upcoming battle with the elements.

We are confident that a substantial amount will be raised again this year through sponsorship. This amount will be fully donated to the Teen Challenge Falesti project.

We hope you are willing to sponsor Krijn with an amount per kilometer, an amount for reaching the finish, or a general donation.

If you decide to participate, please send an email specifying your donation amount to krijncora@gmail.com.

You can send your donation in different ways:

• 💛By bank transfer to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention WEISSENSEE.
• 💳 Give by card
• 💡Donate directly via our website!
• 👉When in the USA, you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention TC Moldova.

We'll leave the ice skating up to Krijn, but we need your support to make this a successful campaign for Teen Challenge Moldova.

Christmas packages 2024

Every year, Traveling Light supports a number of 'Christmas package' campaigns from various organizations. It is a blessing to be able to give to people who, for whatever reason, are not doing so well, perhaps because they are refugees, addicted, homeless, or far from home. Surely, one of these projects has your heart 💓!

Winter packages Moldova

Winter is approaching again in Moldova. The first snow has arrived and the Pilgrims and Teen Challenge team is getting ready to help people in need! Johannes writes:

"Last year we were able to distribute 450 food packages and almost 35 tons of wood and coal. By visiting the houses, we can see if there are any more needs, and in a dilapidated house in one of the villages we met Andriana, a 12-year-old girl who really needed help. She is now with us in "Pilgrim House" in Riscani and is flourishing!"

A standard aid package consists of 2-3 bags of coal or briquettes + a large food package of 12-13 kg; that is equivalent to a full month's pension. They start the practical part of the project immediately after New Year and continue until the beginning of February.

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Christmas bags for sailors in the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen

For port evangelist Alexander Eberson, the Christmas period is the best opportunity to show the seafarers in word and deed that God also cares for them. He wants to give a Christmas package to the sailors he visits.

Such a package contains a hat, a pair of socks, a patience game, a notebook with pen, a bar of chocolate, a roll of Mentos fruit, a bottle of shower gel, a homemade Christmas card and a Christmas message. A Christmas package costs approximately €7. He can only distribute packages with your help.

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Operation Christmas Joy in refugee camps

Transform Iran wants to show vulnerable children the love of Jesus this Christmas. They are doing this with Operation Christmas Joy (OCJ).

OCJ was founded in 2015 and at its core is about sharing the joy of Christmas with children living in difficult circumstances. OCJ began as a response to the needs of refugees from conflicts in the Middle East and has grown into a major operation that continues to impact children in many countries including Turkey, Armenia, Greece, and Pakistan.

Today, OCJ has grown from a single event to a series of weekly outreaches that allow the Transform Iran team to build relationships with these children, provide them with a loving community, regular educational and recreational activities that build their confidence and strengthen their understanding of who Jesus is and how to relate to Him.

Give the gift of real help this Christmas! 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, or
• 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

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.

Christmas packages 2023

Each year, Traveling Light supports a number of Christmas packages projects from various organizations. It is a blessing to be able to give to people who are less fortunate for whatever reason, perhaps because they are refugees, addicted, homeless, or far away from home. Surely, one of these projects thas your your heart 💓 

Winter packages Moldova

Our friends from Pilgrims and Teen Challenge are organizing their winter campaign for the 19th time. Last year they delivered 40 tons of coal and more than 400 food parcels to the poor and the widows.

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

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

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Christmas bags for sailors

The Christmas period is the opportunity for port evangelist Alexander Eberson to show seafarers in word and deed that God loves them too. He wants to give a Christmas package to the sailors he visits.

Each Christmas package contains a hat, a pair of socks, a game, a notebook with pen, a bar of chocolate, a roll of mentos fruit, a bottle of shower gel, a homemade Christmas card, and a Christmas message.

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Operation Christmas Joy

Transform Iran (formerly 222 Ministries) also wants to show the love of Jesus to vulnerable children this Christmas. They do this with Operation Christmas Joy (OCJ). The parents of these vulnerable children are poor or persecuted for their faith and/or had to flee their country.

The children receive a Christmas package containing warm clothes or shoes, school supplies and toys. The children are also invited to a Christmas party where they can play with others, enjoy Christmas music and show off their presents. Perhaps they are hearing the Christmas story from the Bible for the first time.

In 2022, Operation Christmas Joy brought gifts to 987 children from 3 countries. Today, the children of Christian-Iranian refugees in Turkey are having a harder time than ever. Even at school, they experience persecution and they do not know where they will live tomorrow. The children of Armenian refugees (as a result of the attacks on Artsakh) also need help. OCJ wants to give a Christmas gift to these Armenian children as well.

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 

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!

Project heating TC rehab center in Zaporozhye, Ukraine

Zaporozhye is located in the southeast of Ukraine and there is a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center (and church) called  'Hope of Generation'.

This Teen Challenge center is home to both women and men who have sought help for their addiction problems.

As a result of the war, refugees from the region now also live in the house, including a number of children. There are currently ten students in the program, but they can accommodate a total of fifty people.

That's quite a lot, especially when you consider that they often have to spend time together in the basement. The fact that the work continues is a miracle in itself!

Tatiana Kochieva (Tanya) is in charge of the daily operations at the center. She herself spent sixteen(!) years in prisons as a result of her criminal history. But God radically changed her life and now she helps others, how beautiful is that?

With winter approaching and frequent power outages, there is an urgent need for a generator, fuel, and some heaters.

We are in contact with Sergey Glushko regarding this project and we have promised to do our best to raise a nice amount for the center in Zaporozhye.

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

The sooner we can transfer a gift, the better!

In the Netherlands we may grumble about the high energy prices (and there is certainly something to be said for that), but frequently being without electricity or gas is even crazier!

Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Ice skating for TC women's home, Ukraine

A month ago we wrote about the fact that there would be no Weissensee fundraiser this year, but that we had already selected a great project: the purchase of a house in Berdychiv, Ukraine where women can live with their children. Women who come out of a life of addiction, prostitution, and sometimes homelessness.

We did not expect a big freeze in our own country, but it happened! And so Krijn Donk decided to go ice skating for 200 km (!) and well on the Rotte Lakes. Krijn said afterwards:

"It was not easy. I experienced a lot of hardship because of the wind and because I have not been able to skate much on outdoor ice this year. But, we had good quality ice and wonderful and beautiful scenery. Very Dutch."

Together with two ice skater friends, he rode the 200 km in a good time of 8 hours 48 minutes.

Many donations had already come in for the women's home in recent weeks, but last Saturday's skating campaign brought in even more. 👉 We have already received around 5,500 euro, which is great of course.

In the meantime, we have donated our pledge of 7,000 euro to Teen Challenge Ukraine. Last week we received a message that Global TC also pledged an amount for this project.

So, there is not only money to buy the house, but also to renovate and furnish it! You see, God always ensures that needs are met in a special way.

Thank you all!

All donations, large and small, for all our projects are always welcome and can be directed at St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, stating the country or project you want to support.

Project new women's home Teen Challenge, Ukraine

Each year in January we announce our Weissensee fundraiser project. The 200 km ice skating event is always our biggest, most fun, and most-watched fundraising event of the year. Our ice skating team has been in full training for months! 💪

This year, however, all ice skating activities on the Weissensee in Austria have been canceled. Pretty sad, but it is what it is.

We had already selected a great project, namely the purchase of a house in Berdychiv, Ukraine where women can live with their children. Women who come out of a life of addiction, prostitution, and sometimes homelessness.

Directors Sergey and Irina Romanenko are no strangers to us. Over the years we have supported them with donations for various projects in and around the existing Teen Challenge men's and women's rehab centers in the same region.

We have also visited several times. It is fantastic to see how people literally experience the love of Jesus and are being encouraged, equipped, and helped on their way to startting a new life

The house they currently want to buy has two floors, a garden, and several rooms. Obviously, it needs a lot of renovation, but that will be next 😀

The landlord is asking about 7,000 euro for this house. Traveling Light would like to help Teen Challenge Ukraine to take this step. Will you help too?

Please, send your gift as soon as possible to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275, BIC: RABONL2U stating: WOMEN'S HOME.

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

It would be a wonderful and encouraging start of the new year if Teen Challenge could purchase this house. Since it is winter there, the sooner the better!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!

Project heater Hostel Białogardzie, Poland

Teen Challenge re-entry Hostel Białogardzie

Our Weissensee fundraiser 2018 for Bertine House in Ukraine is in full swing. Donations and pledges are coming in on a daily basis. Meanwhile, we continue with our 'regular' projects, because requests for help are  always coming in :)

We received a message from Jan & Malgorzata Kwitatkowscy from Poland. They have been involved in the work of Teen Challenge among drug and alcohol addicts and homeless people in Poland for decades. They run Hostel Białogardzie in Bialogard, in the north-western corner of Poland.

The hostel is a re-entry facility. People who have completed the program in a Teen Challenge rehabilitation center can go to the hostel for the final learning phase. They will be prepared for return to society. There are currently 15 guests at the hostel!

Oops, beyond repair

Malgorzata writes: "In all these years we have seen and experienced many miracles, especially healing and deliverance. We have struggled with many difficulties as well, but God has always guided us!"

Currently, their biggest problem is the old heater that is beyond repair. 'We are sitting in the cold now,' says Malgorzata, 'we are not able to buy a new heater but we always believe God wants a good life for us. '

Of course we would like everyone to be warm and cosy, so we have promised to help them with a donation.

According to the specialists two heaters have to be installed: a small one (1,500 euro) for hot water supply and a large one (5,000 euro) for heating the entire house in winter. Both can burn on wood and pellets.

Well, it is easy to understand that this will be a huge expense, especially since the program partly relies on donations. We hope you join us in investing in this. The (future) guests in the hostel will be able to enjoy a warm and safe house for years to come.

Gifts, large and small, are welcome at to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention HEATERS POLAND.

Weissensee 2017 for Teen Challenge Georgia

Whether there will be any ice skating in the Netherlands this winter, we don't know. But what we do know is that thousands of brave Dutch skaters will travel to Austria for the 29th Weissensee event.

Our very own Traveling Light ice skating team is planning (after months of intensive training) to participate again this year.

Krijn Donk & Henk Swijnenburg

Krijn Donk (Papendrecht) and Henk Swijnenburg (Bleskensgraaf) are aiming to finish the 200 km ice skating race, which will be held high in the Austrian mountains. And who knows ... maybe personal records will be broken.

But more importantly, they want to raise funds for the new Teen Challenge women's home in Batumi, Georgia which is currently being constructed. The house will be a shelter and rehabilitation center for women who are victims of human trafficking and/or are struggling with addictions.

At least 4,000 euro is needed to buy and install all windows and doors in the building! A few few months ago we were there for a visit, and we were so impressed with the work already done.

Women's home under construction

The new women's home is an idea and initiative of Doug & Anna Boyle who have been serving as missionaries in Kazakhstan and Georgia for years. Most of the construction work is being done by staff and students of the Teen Challenge men's rehabilitation center in the capital Tbilisi.

You can sponsor the skaters as as a team or individually as follows:

• pledge a certain amount for finishing the race
• pledge a certain amount per kilometer accomplished
• pledge a certain amount no matter what the result will be
• pledge a certain amount for breaking personal records
• with whatever idea you have! We just LOVE to hear from you!

Kuanysh & Madina Akkuzov

Of course all proceeds will go to this project in Georgia. You can send your pledges by email to (krijncora@kpnmail.nl) or Facebook. 

We are in good contact with Kuanysh & Madina Akkuzov, the directors of Teen Challenge Georgia. They keep us informed about developments and needs. For the work among the drugs and alcohol addicted, the homeless and the prostitutes they depend on donations.

It would be awesome if the women's home could be opened as soon as possible, because the need is enormous. Will you help to make God's love visible to these women?

You can also donate right now by sending your gift to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention WEISSENSEE.

Click HERE for Weissensee actions in previous years.

Winter Fair for a good cause

Coziest store in town

This past September we opened up Twinkeltje (Dutch for 'shop'), a unique store in Papendrecht where we sell nice 2nd hand stuff. Board member Cora Donk is the owner of the place.

Together with a group of faithful volunteers she has very creatively decorated Twinkeltje. It is cozy, hip and happening! Everyone is welcome, not just to shop, but also for a cup of coffee and something sweet from the oven.

Every Saturday afternoon during the month of December we are holding a warm and welcoming winter fair. The store is beautifully decorated, there are lots of Christmas goodies for sale.

You can come in for soup, cookies, coffee, tea and hot chocolate. Or maybe you want to play a game, read a book, do some coloring or simply have fellowship with others. Everything is possible!

Especially in this dark winter month, people need comfort and warmth. The beauty is that we also can share the warmth with people who need it even more. 

You are welcome

Every month a specific project of Traveling Light will be highlighted. The total sales proceeds during December will be for the girl's shelter in Moldova.

We invite you to come and look around and shop for a good cause!

KORENBLOEMSTRAAT 20 PAPENDRECHT

See you soon!

Project news and thanksgiving

Traveling Light ice skating team

Tuesday, January 26, 2016 will be the big day, ice skating team Traveling Light will start in the early morning for the 200 km long race on the Weissensee in Austria.

Donations are pouring in, more than 3,500 euro has been pledged if the men finish the trip! That amount will be much higher if personal records are broken. So it will be a very exciting day!

The entire proceeds of this action will benefit the construction and installation of a kitchen in the boys home of Teen Challenge juvenile program in Kazakhstan.

Finally, it's there....

There is a webcam and on www.weissensee.nl you can follow the skaters. Their registration numbers are as follows: 5005 Henk Swijnenburg Henk, 5369 Henk Vlot and 5393 Krijn Donk.

Last week Sasa Ivanovic, the director of the Teen Challenge rehabilitation centers in Serbia, sent us pictures of the new tractor lawnmower that they were able to buy, thanks to your donations.

Thank you all on behalf of TC Serbia

Sasa writes: "It's finally here!!! We are so exited and happy, as you can see on the pictures, it looks really amazing! Real, good stuff. I want to thank you and Jan, Traveling Light, as well as all people who supported this project, on behalf of our students, staff and our personal name!"

In December's seafarer's evangelist Guus Peters visited the ports of Gent, Antwerp and Terneuzen. He gave away 188 Christmas goody bags. We were able to sponsor sixty (!) bags thanks to your donations.

Guus with the sailors

Guus writes: "I visited a ship with Filipino, some Romanian and Ukrainian sailors and  the captain called the whole crew together so that I could explain the Gospel. I then handed out the Christmas gifts and the men were so happy.

The sweaters are really a hit and of course the woolen hats are also very much appreciated. Thank you very much for your great contribution."

Isn't it great to make so many people happy? Currently we also raise funds for the rehabilitation program of Teen Challenge in Sered, Slovakia. They want to employ their current teacher also in 2016. They will need about 2,400 euro for this.

GIFTS are always welcome at IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht.

Thank you very much for your comments, emails, pledges, donations and prayers!

Greetings from Kazakhstan

Teen Challenge juvenile program Kazakhstan

The Weissensee sponsoring event for the benefit of the Teen Challenge juvenile home in Kazakhstan is in full swing, and how!

We have already received so many pledges and heartwarming comments, it's kind of overwhelming. More than 2700 euro has been pledged if our team finishes the grueling 200 km ice skating race on the Weissensee, next week (January 26th).

Cooking corner in need of shelves and storage space

Much more has been promised if they brake personal records :) (We will keep this amount a secret until the big day). There were a few nice articles about the Traveling Light ice skating team in our local news papers.

Current cooking space

The entire proceeds of this sponsoring event will go to the Teen Challenge juvenile home in Almate and it will be used to build and install a kitchen. The cooking now happens in a space with barely any facilities.  The roof leaks, there is no refrigerator or storage space and the windows and doors close badly. There really is a big need for a serious renovation.

The staff and the guys at the home are very happy with the attention they are getting. They still can not believe that there are people in the Netherlands who will do their very best to help them.

You have a little less than a week left to sponsor the skaters as a team or individually, and well as follows:

• pledge a certain amount for finishing the race
• pledge a certain amount per kilometer accomplished
•  pledge a certain amount no matter what the result will be
•  pledge a certain amount for breaking personal records
• with whatever idea you have! We just LOVE to hear from you!

Traveling Light ice skating team

You can send your pledges by email to (krijncora@kpnmail.nl) or Facebook. You can also donate right now by sending your gift to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention WEISSENSEE.

Below a short video about the boys' home (it's in low resolution, hopefully it is okay to watch).