News, upcoming projects, prayer points

Tuesday January 30 is the big day ... the Traveling Light ice skating team will start the 200 km on the Weissensee! We are thankful for all the attention we receive in the local press. Marathon Magazine  reported the fundraiser of Krijn and Henk in their fall issue (click on the photo for an enlargement).

The pledges have gotten off to a good start, we are already well above 3,500 euro. Krijn and Henk will skate for Bertine House in Ukraine, a Teen Challenge rehabilitation home for mothers (with their children) who come out of prostitution and addiction. If you still want to join us, please check HERE for how to sponsor our skaters.

Furthermore, we have a project going for a new heater in a re-entry house in Poland. We expect to be able to transfer a nice amount for the purchase and installation of that new heater next week. As soon as the new stove is installed, we will also request photos.

Teen Challenge Green Pastures, Almaty

The proceeds in our 2nd hand shop Twinkeltje over the month of January will go towards the Teen Challenge rehabilitation program Green Pastures in Almaty, Kazakhstan. Green Pastures is a farm where about thirty men stay who want to get free from addiction and other life-threatening problems.

The work there is dependent on donations! General gifts coming in at Traveling Light will be added to Twinkeltje's revenue so that we can transfer a nice amount.

Time for Portugese coffee with TC Belgium

Jan is currently in Portugal for a training 'counseling' at Europe Teen Challenge. There are workers from all over Europe there. Counseling skills come in handy in all the conversations we are having when we travel!

On this weblog we kind of take you on a journey through Europe :-) Hopefully you get an idea of ​​all the beautiful work that is going on everywhere and that we wholeheartedly support. Behind the scenes, we are already busy gathering information for upcoming projects. Just a few things you might expect here soon:

• Various translations of the 'Living Free' curriculum, Macedonia
• Outreach work Brian Slater in Netanya, Israel
• Youth work The Gate in student city Wraclow, Poland
• Our financial report 2017

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

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 2018 for Bertine House, Ukraine

At the end of this month many ice skaters will travel to Austria to participate in the Weissensee ice skating races. The Traveling Light ice skating team has been in serious training for the upcoming 200 km.

Krijn Donk (Papendrecht) and Henk Swijnenburg (Bleskensgraaf) will be skating 200 km (go figure!) with a clear goal in mind; they want to raise funds for Teen Challenge Bertine House in Poltava, Ukraine.

Some of the mothers and children of Bertine Hous

Bertine House is a Christian shelter and rehabilitation home for women who want to get free from addiction, prostitution, and other life-threatening situations. Mothers with their children can live there safely while working on a hopeful future!

Bertine House, Poltava

We have written about Bertine House in the past (read here). The house in the city of Donetsk was founded by Magne & Olga Gulbrandsen.

However, the war put the women and children in danger and  in September 2014 they had to flee and move to another city. A traumatic experience for those who already came from bad situations. Fortunately, a new location was found in Poltava where the new home was established.

Safe place for mothers & children

Bertine House is completely dependent on donations for everyday activities. Consider, for example, costs for gas and electricity, food, clothing, transport and compensation for workers. The number of women and children varies. If a mother with her child(ren) is ready to move on, there will be room for new guests!

The WeissenSee event is our biggest and most exciting fundraising event of the year and we are looking forward to your participation! All proceeds will fully benefit project Bertine House.

Thank you!

You can sponsor Krijn and Henk 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
• pledge an amlount with whatever idea you have! We just LOVE to hear from you!

You can send your pledges by email to (krijncora@kpnmail.nl) or Facebook.

Of course it is possible to send a gift right now and well to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention WEISSENSEE.

We are looking forward to an exciting race with great results, for the skaters as well as for the women and children in Bertine House!