Update women's home Teen Challenge Berdychiv, Ukraine

Earlier this year our alternative ice skating campaign brought in 7,000 euro and those funds have been used for the purchase of a house in Ukraine where women can live with their children. Women who come out of a life of addiction, prostitution, and sometimes homelessness.

In March we announced that the house had been purchased! It is now almost time for the house to be put into use. Here is a quick update.

The first thing they did was to move the kitchen from the hallway to a separate room. And of course, this kind of renovation work brought other things to light that needed fixing. 

Although the house was in living condition, many things were in need of repairs in order to have comfortable conditions for women with children.

They landscaped the garden and put part of the fence up. They also connected the sewage system from the kitchen to the street. The house has now all new electrical wiring, plumbing in the new kitchen, and a heating system in the dining room.

They already purchased a refrigerator, washing machine, bunk beds, new pillows, mattresses, and two sofas. So, it is beginning to look like home! Work still needs to be done in order to build a playground for the children and to make a garden house for summer studies, communication, and holding services.

A classroom has yet to be set up on the second floor and a few doors still need to be bought and installed. 👉 Anyway, the plan is to open the house at the end of August!

Sergey Romanenko emailed us last week that the engine went out in the Volkswagen van that is used for the various Teen Challenge rehabilitation homes. This causes quite a problem in transportation.

Perhaps we can help them with that as well. The engine can be replaced, approximately 2,000 euro is needed to replace it.

All donations, large and small are welcome and can be directed at:

• St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and don't forget to mention: VAN BERDYCHIV.
• 💳 Give by card
• 👉When in the USA you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC UKRAINE BERDYCHIV

Project summer camps Serbia

Summer and vacation, the two belong together... for most people at least.

However, not all children will actually have somewhere to go, which is why summer camps are being organized in many countries.

Miki & Suzana Kamberovic provide summer camps in Serbia. It's been a few years since we wrote about them (and supported a project). We always receive their newsletters and follow them on Facebook.

Miki and Suzana live with their children in the Roma Center OAZA in Jagodina. They run a Roma church, a kindergarten, and a children's club and they share the good news with these kids. They have hope for the future of this young generation.

Unfortunately, the summer camps were canceled last year. But this year they had a green light. Miki and Suzana organize summer camps for children aged 7-10, and 11-15 years and also a youth camp for those aged 16 and up.

👉The theme for the children's camps is Spiritual Growth (read your Bible, pray every day!). Great to teach children at a young age that they can grow in their faith and that God loves them and has a plan for their lives, despite existing prejudices (about the Roma culture).

The first camp started this week. The children are overjoyed that something is being organized for them.

If you want to help cover the costs for these camps, please send a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention: SERBIA OAZA.

You can also 💳 Give by card

THANK YOU!

Project renovation Teen Challenge center, Slovenija

It's been a while since we visited the Teen Challenge drugs and alcohol rehabilitation center in Slovenija.

So, it is about time for an update of the work over there.

Teen Challenge is no longer a tenant of the building, they were able to purchase the property! 🏡This is great of course, but it also means that they are now fully responsible for maintenance and renovation work on the buildings.

Plans are ready for a thorough renovation of the old country house. These plans include an expansion of the sleeping/living capacity.

👉On average there are about 8-12 men in the program, but after renovation there will be room for 20(!) men.

More beds, more students, this also means an expansion of sanitary facilities and kitchen facilities. The drawings and plans have been submitted to the municipality and everyone is waiting for the necessary permits.

An exciting period, for sure. We wholeheartedly support the work of Teen Challenge in Slovenija and we would like to help them with a donation for the upcoming renovation. Will you join us?

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

The proceeds from Twinkeltje and De Schor over July/August are also intended for this project.

Please, watch this documentary about this Teen Challenge center if you want to get an idea about the impact of such a rehabilitation program, it has English subtitles.

Project seafarer's soul care book

As most of you know by now, seaport evangelist Alexander Eberson visits the sailors on the ships in the ports of Ghent and Terneuzen.

He listens to them, talks, prays together, and distributes Bibles, Christian booklets, flyers, DVDs, and other materials when requested.

He recently wrote a book especially for the sailors, to support their life of faith. It is not always easy to be away from home for a long time, not to attend church services, and sometimes to be on board with a very small group of believers.

Alexander initially wants to have five hundred copies of the book printed to distribute to the sailors who are interested.

We think it's a great project and we want to help him pay (part of) the costs for publishing and printing.

A book costs about 3.50 euro, so if you want to make it possible for Alexander to give away as many copies as possible, transfer that amount or a multiple thereof to: St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention SAILORS.

💳 You can also Give by card

Thank you in advance for your help. Alexander will be very happy with it. He reaches a group of people with the gospel that most of us do not easily come into contact with (because you have to have a permit  as a seafarer's chaplain to board the ships).

Visit to Teen Challenge Belgium

In September it will be two years since Teen Challenge Belgium was able to buy a beautiful building in Charleroi. Frédéric and Natacha Hensgens opened Betser House, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center for men with life-controlling problems.

A few weeks ago we visited them again, after a long time. Of course, it was great to see and encourage each other, we had a lot to talk about, pray about, and think about!

Unfortunately, the coffee house had to close during the past year due to government regulations.

Fortunately, outreach among the homeless and addicted always continues. There are teams of volunteers doing street work in Charleroi and Namur, talking to the homeless and addicted.

Their secondhand store, aptly called Graine de Moutarde, provides some income for the running of the program. Of course, we went to see it! A very nice shop in a good location.

Business is up and the store certainly has a social function in the neighborhood as well. They are already looking for a bigger location :)

We had brought several packages with vegetable seeds, which we always get donated and hand out to the various rehab centers. One of the men started working on the garden the next day! Great 😁 Betser House is getting a very nice vegetable garden this year.

We watched a church service online on Sunday morning and then had a special worship time together in which God was really present and also spoke through us.

If you want to give a gift for the work of Teen Challenge in Belgium, you can always do that. There are ideas to build a kind of workshop where the men can work on their technical skills. There is plenty of room behind the house for expansion.

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

💳 You can also Give by card

👉Don't forget to re-subscribe to this blog. The current service that ensures that this message arrives in your mailbox will stop on 1 July.

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

👉Don't forget to re-subscribe to this blog. The current service that ensures that this message arrives in your mailbox will stop on 1 July.

Sponsoring Teen Challenge summercamp, Ukraine

In Ukraine, the annual summer camp will again be organized, and well from June 28 to July 2, by Teen Challenge and the Jewish Messianic congregation in Berdychiv.

The camp is intended for men and women in Teen Challenge drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs anywhere in Ukraine. Volunteers, workers, children, and family members are also very welcome.

The theme for this year's camp is 'renewed strength' (Isaiah 40:28-31). A very timely theme that will certainly be worked out spiritually and practically during this week.

Last year the camp had to be canceled, but this year everyone is thrilled to go to the camp! No need to explain any further that everyone is looking forward to getting together in the open air, dancing, singing, exercising, eating, talking, praying, and being spiritually built up through the workshops and teachings that will be presented. Usually, there are around 150-200 participants!

Unfortunately, we have to skip this year due to all the travel restrictions that apply 😨

What we can do, is support them financially. 👉It costs about 35 euro/40 dollar per person to participate in the camp. Many will have to travel far to get there. If you would like to sponsor someone in Ukraine so that he/she can participate in the camp, you can:

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

Project expansion overnight Home, Belarus

We have donated several times to the work of Mission Return (Teen Challenge) in Belarus. Read our posts about that HERE.

Director Sergey Tsupa of 'Overnight Home' in Baranovichi recently sent an email with the application for a new project.

In addition to the crisis shelter for women, there is also a section on the other side of the building where homeless people can go for food and a bed. When someone seeks shelter, a medical check is always carried out in the clinic, as is protocol.

However, if no one is present at the clinic late at night or on weekends to do such a check, the homeless person is officially not allowed to stay. That of course causes distressing situations.

The team would therefore like to set up a separate room where new guests can stay until they can be officially admitted. A kind of isolated room. Fortunately, there are still unused spaces in the mission building (a former school).

Some work will need to be done in order to make the living spaces presentable. in particular, heating must be installed in that particular room and several connected rooms and the corridor. In short, another renovation is just around the corner :)

According to the estimates, a total of 2,700 euro is needed to initiate all this. We want to help them, especially because we have seen with our own eyes what a great job is being done in Belarus among addicts and homeless people.

If you want to support this beautiful work, then send your gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. Make sure to mention: BELARUS.

💳It is now possible to give by card as well!

Project community center, Georgia

We wrote several times on our blog about the work of CIC Mission in Georgia.

The training center (a Bible school and practical vocational school in one) is full of (new) believers from (mainly) Iran and Azerbaijan.

Their farm provides employment for students and people from the village and provides partial income to run the school. The farm has expanded enormously in recent years!

Founders and initiators Reza and Tamarika Nadirashvili are always full of enthusiasm and new ideas to reach the locals with the good news that God loves them. We met them years ago during a visit to Gardabani, Georgia.

Funds are currently being collected for the construction of a community center next to the existing training center. This will become a space that can be used as a coffee house, children's area, and business center. There is a great need, in particular, for a children's area.

Construction has now started. The community center will be located along the main road, so a beautiful location. Funds are needed, in particular for building materials, finishing, and furnishing.

You can help the team to reach the peoples in and around Gardabani (12 km. from the border of Azerbaijan) by supporting the work of CIC Mission.

You can (indirectly) help to disciple the nations by sending a gift to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U, make sure to mention CIC MISSION.

USA supporters: CIC Mission is considered an approved 501c3 by the US government, so tax-deductible receipts can be provided.

Thank you in advance for your generosity.

10 Years of Traveling Light!

Hooray! This month Traveling Light celebrates 10 years!

To be honest, back in April 2011 we had no idea where the establishment of our non-profit organisation would lead us all to.

It was a small beginning of a great commission: "Go into the world and make disciples of all nations."

And we have been able to do incredible things in the past years; far away and close to home! We cannot thank you enough for your help and support! Just to give a brief summary:

• Contacts in more than thirty countries in Europe.
• Received more than half a million euro in donations and that amount has been used almost entirely (only bank charges are deducted) to support hundreds of projects.
• Encouragement visits to many countries, cities, churches, organizations, and rehab centers.
• Twinkeltje Papendrecht, coffee house where God's love is tangible.
• Hundreds of prayer meetings and gatherings.
• Hundreds of speaking engagements, seminars, lectures, workshops etc. throughout Europe.
• Prison work
• Alpha course

Unfortunately, prison work has been paused for a year, as has international travels. But that is at the same time the reason why we have been able to do more close to home. We hope and trust you know that your gifts and prayers have a tremendous impact - on individuals, on families, on towns, cities, and countries.

We believe in changed lives. We all have been changed through a personal experience with the grace and love of the Lord Jesus Christ. We want to pass it on, and that does not stop at the border of our country.

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." [Matthew 5:16]

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