Project Tamimi family, Israel

Beautiful day in Jerusalem

In the picture on the left you see Naem and Faten Tamimi. We came in contact with them through a dear sister in a church in Germany. She has helped ans supported them for years and she asked if we were willing to visit this family and encourage them. So, here we are, enjoying a beautiful day at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

Naem was born in a Palestinian Muslim family in Jerusalem and Faten in an Arab Christian family in Bethlehem. Their different back grounds could not keep them from falling in love, and against all odds they decided to marry. Over the years they were blessed with five healthy children. A romantic story, right? But there is more...

Naem and Faten did not do much with the faith of their parents, but several years ago they both came to a living faith in Jesus Christ. We do not want to go into details on this blog, but their decision lead to problems in their families and neighborhood.

After an accident Naem lost his job and at the moment he works only a few days per week, doing jobs here and there. That is not enough to provide for his family. He would like to make extra hours (and income) as a cab driver. He has all the necessary paper work to do this, all he need is a good reliable second hand car. He is looking out for an affordable car (for example a 7-seater Skoda) that can serve as a family car as well. 

The family wants (and needs) to move to another neighborhood in Jerusalem in the near future, but they do not have the money at the moment. We would love to help them. Why? Because we believe that we should help each other as believers. In the Middle East political and religious relationships are very complicated. But really, we would like to keep it simple :) It is the faith in Jesus Christ that binds people together and that brings peace, whether you have a Jewish, Arab, Palestinian or Gentile background! We need each other now more then ever.

We would be really grateful if you decided to stand with us and help this family. You can send your gifts to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, make sure to mention Project Tamimi.

Thanks from Teen Challenge Serbia

Men's home in Novi Sad, January 2014

As a result of your generous and quick response we were able to donate 3,000 euro towards the work of Teen Challenge in Serbia.

Last month we announced Winter project Raskrsce Teen Challenge, Serbia. We wanted to encourage them at the beginning of 2014 with a gift to cover the day-to-day expenses of the men's and women's home in Novi Sad. 

class room in men's home

In the picture on the right you will see the group of men that is currently in the alcohol- and drugs rehab program. The other picture is one of the class room where groups and Bible studies are given. On behalf of the men and women in Teen Challenge we want to thank you all for your gracious gifts towards their recovery.

In the women's home they are also working on a new series of awesome bracelets. It is always good to do creative work and, besides that, the selling of this jewelry will bring in some funds as well.

Creating beautiful bracelets in the women's home

Greetings from Serbia!

• If you still want to give a donation for our current project Bibles for sailors, please do so quick! You can send your gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U We still need a few hundred euro's.
• Soon to come: more pictures and news about women's home in Berdichev, Ukraine
• For the following two projects we will take you to Israel...

Men's group stepping up for Teen Challenge Czech

Men's monastery retreat

A few weeks ago we received an email from a men's group in Dordrecht. They wanted to take up an offering for Traveling Light during their annual retreat weekend. They were looking for a practical project.

In that same week we received an email from Teen Challenge Czech Republic, asking us whether we could help with financing a generator, batteries and heater for their mobile coffee bus. Could there be a better and more suitable project for a men's group, or what?

The mobile contact center

Last year we helped Teen Challenge Czech with the purchase of a bus, a mobile contact center, for street outreach purposes. It is being used to reach the homeless, addicted and prostitutes of Brno and Prague.

The outreach team of Teen Challenge takes the mobile contact center into the streets several times a week. They park at designated places and hand out soup and coffee, trying to establish contact with the hope- and helpless. 

Reaching the hopeless where they are

Winters are cold in Czech, so they have to run the engine for hours at the time to keep the heater going. That is not a good situation, so they want to purchase a generator, some extra batteries, maybe a heater and anything else needed to stay in operation.

During the weekend retreat (in an old monastery) the men collected the awesome amount of 2520 euro for this project!

Fantastic, we are so thankful for their generosity. What a great thing to do. On behalf of Teen Challenge Czech we want to say thank you for your gifts. The money has been transferred and as soon as we have some pictures of the new generator in operation, we will post it on this blog or on our Traveling Light Facebook page.

Thank you men!

We truly hope this story will be an inspiration for other groups/churches/organisations.

Are you looking for a project to sponsor... a practical, small-scale project maybe? Don't hesitate to contact us, we will do our best to match your offer with a current need.

Photo's women's home Berdychiv, Ukraine

The three Sergey's in front of the new home

As promised some news and pictures regarding our Project Women's Home Berdychiv, Ukraine. It is absolutely wonderful to see how the money Traveling Light donated this last December, is being used and put into practice.

In the photo on the left you can see the three Sergey's involved :) And well (from left to right) pastor Sergey Romanenko of the Jewish Messianic congregation in Berdychiv, Sergey Glushko (director of Teen Challenge Ukraine) and Sergey (director of the rehab homes in Berdychiv).

The first inhabitants of the home

It has been pastor Sergey's dream for quite some time to open a rehabilitation home for women and their children. Saturday December 14th, 2013 was the big day.

Pastor Sergey Romanenko and his team celebrated the tenth anniversary of the rehab program they started from within the congregation. They have been able to help many people to start a new life and they currently operate three men's homes and a re-entry home.

New sinks and plumbing

And now finally, as a result of your donations, also a women's home. A home where mothers, who want to end their addiction, can live with their children. We hope and pray this house will be the first of many women's/children's homes.

We are happy to announce that knowledgeable staff is in place and that several women and children are already living in the house. In the picture above you can see two of the women with their children. We are so thankful that they have been offered a safe place to live and recover.

Sabbath celebration

Christian rehabilitation means so much more than taking people off of drugs and alcohol. It means that they will also encounter the love and grace of Jesus Christ. That they come to know Him for who He is: the Son of God, who came to the earth to set people free from sin, darkness and death.

The ex-addicts learn more about the Judeo-Christian faith. In the picture you can see a Sabbath meeting at pastor Sergey's congregation.

On behalf of pastor Sergey and the women in the new home, we want to thank you all very much for your gifts that enabled them to purchase this house.

new windows installed

It is definitely a confirmation and encouragement for them, and us, to experience how we can make such projects happen in a relatively short time when we unite in generosity! We hope to visit the home later this year.

Project Bibles for sailors

Do you remember our special December project? We wrote about Guus and Annemiek Peters who, for many years, have been visiting sailors in the ports of Antwerp, Gent and Terneuzen, giving Bible studies and talking with the men about Jesus. We were able to sponsor 60 Christmas goodie bags.

At the beginning of January we picked up volunteer Jim Hayes and we drove to Terneuzen to visit the Peters family. It turned out to be a wonderful and inspiring visit. This couple has some stories to tell. But more than words, they know how to put things into practice, and that is what we love of course! Please, read the following snippet of their latest news letter:

“In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, Lord, make me dwell in safety." (Psalm 4:8)

The year of 2013 was a year of leukemia and six chemo treatments for me. But the good thing is that, apart from some weight loss and tiredness in the evenings, I had no problems at all. I have not felt sick once. The Bible verse above has given me such encouragement. I have felt completely safe in God's hands. Annemiek and me feel so thankful and we acknowledge that this is pure grace, grace, and grace alone. I even visited 92 more ships than in 2012!

In total I have visited 843 ships. 53 of these ships had a crew from a Muslim nation, mainly men from countries as Turkey, Pakistan and Bangladesh... Furthermore I was able to give away 407 Bibles and 202 New Testaments to the sailors. Also 501 Jesus DVD's, 69 DVD's about the life of the apostle Paul, 140 God of Wonders DVD’s, 58 More than Dreams DVD’s, 87 worship CD’s, 131 books, many correspondence courses and thousands of flyers...

Well, do we need to say more? It is clear that no one can stop Guus! At the beginning of 2014 he needs to re-stock on Bibles and other materials. He needs at least 400 Bibles (in various languages) and the cost for that alone is about 800 euro. We would love to help him again. If you have a heart for evangelism as well, please join us and make your gift payable to:

St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht

IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275

BIC: RABONL2U.

Make sure to mention BIBLES SAILORS

Marathon skating for rehab home Ukraine

Krijn up front, snow storm at the Weissensee

What a great and challenging event it was! We are so proud of Krijn Donk and Henk Swijnenburg, who both skated 200 km on the Weissensee in Austria to raise funds for Christian Rehab home Istochnick in Ukraine.

They were able to raise more than 2,000 euro. This money will be used for the new Teen Challenge rehabilitation home Istochnick in the south of the Ukraine. This new home will be able to house about 22 men who are ready to quit their addiction and start a new life.

New rehab home Istochnick

At the moment they need quite a sum of money to continue with the last stage of the construction project. Mainly for plumbing, heating, electrical installations, etc. etc. You can see the new home in the picture. Most of the work is being done by the men in the program. Yes, it's more than Bible study, group therapy and counseling, they do awesome work with their bare hands!

Krijn Donk finished the 200 km in 8:09 hrs and Henk Swijnenburg in 9:30 hrs. Both of them beat their results from last year! We are very thankful for all the people who helped to make this event successful. We received many heart warming notes and donations. Needless to day that Andre Solovyev, the director of the men's home, is also very thankful for your help.

Praying for their food, the men at the old rehab home

PS and more news:

• Krijn Donk had a bad fall on the ice at km 175. He ended up with a shoulder injury. Please pray with us that he will recover soon. 
• Winterproject RaskrsceTeen Challenge Serbia is going very well. We have already received 2,400 euro in donations.
• MIB (Men on the Move) in Dordrecht decided to take up an offering for Teen Challenge Czech Republic. More about that in a next post.
• Harbor evangelist Guus Peters needs  to order new Bibles and we want to help him with the funds. More about that in a next post.

Winter project Raskrsce Teen Challenge, Serbia

Men's home Novi Sad

Do you remember we presented project Raskrsce Teen Challenge, Serbia, back in 2012? We visited both the men's and women's home in Novi Sad and we were able to donate 4,500 euro for the work among the addicts, homeless and prostitutes in Serbia. This was made possible because of your quick responses to our plea for help.

Besides that, we were able to help them with a monthly gift  throughout 2012. We have stayed in contact with Sasa and Svetlana Ivanovic, the founders and directors. We met again at a European conference, of course we receive their news letters and we have been e-mailing back and forth.

Lovely dinner with Sasa and Svetlana

Recently we received a New Year's mail. Both centers are full, which is good news. Normally they have about 28 men and women, currently that number is up to 37! We have reasons to be thankful...

These are men and women that have decided to seriously seek help to end their addictions. In the Teen Challenge centers they will encounter the love of Christ and (often for the first time) learn about Biblical principles and truths.

Living room in the women's home

The word about the Christian rehabilitation program in residential centers gets out through Teen Challenge street outreach and prevention work at schools.

It is still difficult to find sufficient finances for the day-to-day operation of both centers. That is why we want to support the work again, in 2014. This time with a gift of 3,000 euro. We know for sure that will be a great encouragement to the staff, students and volunteers at the beginning of a new year.

If you have a heart for this work, please do not hesitate to send us your donation!

Europe supporters, you can send your gifts to Rabo bank nr. NL91RABO0118582275 t.n.v. Traveling Light. BIC: RABONL2U

USA supporters, you can send your tax-deductible gift to Eastern Europe Outreach, make sure to mention SERBIA

• The 2,000 euro for project outreach Athens, Greece, came in. Thank you so much!
• The 200 km ice skating fundraiser is in full swing. So far, we have received 1,000 euro in pledges for the new Teen Challenge rehab home Istochnick in Ukraine.

Photo's new heater Teen Challenge Poland

The new wood heater

We at Traveling Light purposely choose to sponsor small scale, local projects. What are the advantages of working like that?

Well, the amount of money we collect for such projects is managable. The money will go directly to the projects and the money will be used for the projects as soon as possible. This gives clarity to the recipients as well as to the givers.

This past November we raised 7,000 euro for the purchase and installation of a new wood heater at the men's rehabilitation home of Teen Challenge in Lekini, Poland.

The men's home is located in a former military base and offers room to about fifty men who are willing to get rid of their addictions and start a new life. Their rehab is based on the love and grace of Jesus Christ and on biblical principles.

On their way to recovery

Together we made it possible for the men in Lekini to stay warm this winter and during many more winters to come; it can get really cold in Poland. The huge wood heater is connected to an extensive system of pipes through which warm water is being transported to the various buildings. Think of it as a form of city-heating.

Chopping wood and keeping the heater burning are some of the daily chores the men will be assigned to, as soon as they enter the program.

The nice thing about this project was that our supporter Meindert van der Wal put his own fundraiser idea into action. We received many individual gifts through his church Jong & Vrij in Hellevoetsluis. Thank you all so much for helping us out with this project.

The guys at work

It is fantastic to see and experience how much we can do if we put our hands together. We have really encouraged the men at Teen Challenge, Lekini. They are sending their warm greetings. Our positive response to their need means a lot to them, their families and friends.

We hope you will help us again in 2014 to support more of these small scale, practical projects. Together we can shine our light in all corners of Europe!

200 km ice skating for Traveling Light

At the end of this month the 26th annual Marathon Ice Skating event at the WeissenSee will be organized. That means skating 200 km on natural ice in the cold Austrian winter weather.

Last year our friend and volunteer Krijn Donk finished this extreme ice skating event in good time, about 8 hrs. and 45 minutes. He did it as a fundraiser for Traveling Light and was able to collect almost 1,500 euro's. We donated the amount to the work of Sokrat & Lena Apostolovski among the Roma children in Skopje, Macedonia.

Krijn Donk, last year at Weissensee

This year Krijn wants to do it again for a good cause. Another friend, Henk Swijnenburg from Bleskensgraaf, wants to join him in this effort. We are very happy with this super team! The two men want to bring in funds for the new rehab home Istochnick in Ukraine.

New rehab home Istochnick, Ukraine

The construction of this new rehab home is almost finished. The house will offer room for about twenty men who are willing to quit their addiction. The program is part of Teen Challenge Ukraine. This means the men will not only get help to end their addiction, but that they will encounter the love and grace of Jesus Christ as well. THIS will be the foundation of their new life. And you know what is the best thing? The changed lives of these men have great, positive impact on their families, it is like a dominoes effect.

At the moment they need quite a sum of money to continue with the last stage of the construction project. Mainly for plumbing, heating, electrical installations, etc. etc. The men are doing the work themselves. It would be fantastic if we could raise money through this ice skating event to help them.

The men at work

You can sponsor Krijn and/or Henk as follows:

• with an amount per kilometer
• with an amount for finishing the race
• with a general amount,
• with any amount for beating last year's time, or
• with whatever idea you can come up with

If you want to sponsor them, please send an email with the amount you want to donate to krijncora@gmail.com or send your gift directly to NL91RABO0118582275 Traveling Light. Make sure to designate it: WEISSENSEE.

We will keep you updated on this weblog and our Facebook page. This is going to be so exciting! Who wants to join us in the fun?

Project Outreach Athens

Praying with guys from the street

We wish you all a happy and healthy New Year! We are excited to start off 2014 with a project in a country where we haven't planted the Traveling Light flag yet: Greece.

The last few years nothing but negative news about Greece has been spewed by the media. But that is a one-sided view. Of course positive and inspiring things are happening in Greece and Traveling Light wants to shine light on the good news. Two years ago we met Elias Armenis at a Teen Challenge conference. He is the founder of Passage to Life, a interdenominational ministry in Athens that seeks to help the poor, homeless and addicted and share with them the love, grace and hope that only Jesus can give.

Mercy Center

They have a shelter, the Mercy Center, where they receive the poor and addicted people. They offer warm meals and give out clothes, also to the many refugees from Afghanistan and surrounding countries. We might not realize this, but Greece also struggles with a big amount of refugees and illegals flocking the country.

Besides Bible studies, they offer counseling, advice and prayer. This past summer Passage to Life celebrated 30 years of ministry. 30 years in which they have reached out to many addicted and hopeless people who are today truly free, having their own families, living a drug free life, and serving others.

30-year celebration

In June they organized a huge rally that ended with an evangelistic gathering in the center of Athens, many people came to this event. Jesus said two thousand years ago:  Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. And this is what is happening in Greece!

The beautiful thing about the work of Passage to Life is that it is often done by former addicts who volunteer now to help and reach out to others. Yes, also in Greece light is shining in dark places. We would love to support the good work they are doing with a gift of 2,000 euro. At the beginning of yet another new year we want to encourage them to keep up the good work. The darker it gets in the world, the brighter our light will shine!

You can encourage the street outreach in Athens by sending your gift to

NL91RABO0118582275  BIC: RABONL2U Traveling Light, Papendrecht, The Netherlands