Thursday, December 28, 2017

Project news

Just before the end of the year, we would like to share several project updates with you. In recent weeks, donations have come in from here and there and everywhere, it seems. THANK YOU!

Let's take you on a quick tour of Europe  :)

We have been able to donate 2,000 euro to project Teen Challenge women's home in Romania. The proceeds in our 2nd hand shop Twinkeltje over November, combined with your donations added up nicely. We know for sure that this gift will be used for a good cause.

Safe place for girls
We can also donate 2,000 euro to project Pilgrim House in Moldova. The proceeds of Twinkeltje over December combined with your donations... again! Pilgrim House is the shelter for young girls who were trapped in human trafficking and/or other horrible conditions.

We do not have to emphasize what a blessing that amount will be for the work there!

And then project youth coffee house in Ukraine, some 1,000 euro came in already! Natalya will surely be happy to hear about your generosity. As far as we are concerned ... investing in youth work throughout Europe is a huge encouragement for the young people, the teachers and ourselves, of course!

Natalya (right) at the summer camp 
What a nice ending of a great year. Without your help, it would not have been possible. We really hope that you will continue to follow us in 2018 through this blog.

The Weissensee event 2018 is also coming up! More about that soon. What we can tell you now is that the Traveling Light ice skating team will skate the 200 km for ..... tatarata: project Bertine House in Poltava, Ukraine.

Donations are ALWAYS welcome at bank account St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht, IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275, BIC: RABONL2U. 

We are looking forward to a new year full of great projects

Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Project youth coffeehouse, Ukraine

Natalya Havrilyuk
Donations for the women's house in Romania and the girls' house in Moldova are pouring in, thank you. Always nice to get positive response to our blog posts :)

A project we also want to encourage by sponsoring, is the youth coffeehouse in Raygorodok, Ukraine.

Natalya Havrilyuk (наталия гаврилюк) is no stranger to Traveling Light. She is involved in the work of Teen Challenge, namely in the women's home in Berdychiv and we have seen her at work during the summer camp last July, where she was in charge of the children's work.

Natalya has had the idea to start a coffeehouse for young people for a while. Usually, the idea of ​​a Teen Challenge coffee house is to reach homeless people, addicts and unbelievers with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Great turn-out
But why wait until people are deeply in trouble? Prevention work is certainly important as well... reaching children and teenagers before they get in trouble.

And so she started youth work in her village Raygorodok. Through her work with Teen Challenge she has good contacts with the parents of the children, with the schools and the municipal administration. They are all happy with her initiative which brings in many children and teenagers.

And thus, funds are needed to rent the space, to share food and drinks, to buy craft supplies and reading materials etc. etc. And ... as you can see in the picture, it would be nice if there was a heater  in the room!

The nice thing about this kind of project is that we know Natalya personally and for years we have cherished good contacts with Sergey & Ira Romanenko who oversee the work of Teen Challenge around Berdychiv. We can assure you that the money will be spent well!

Gifts for the youth coffeehouse in Raygorodok, Ukraine are most welcome to IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 and BIC: RABONL2U St. Traveling Light in Papendrecht. Make sure to mention YOUTH UKRAINE.

THANK YOU!

PS: In the picture on the left you see Natalya during the Hanukkah celebration that was recently organized for everyone from the men's and women's rehab centers and was held in the new addition of the men's home, also sponsored by Traveling Light. Cool!

More pictures to follow ...

Tuesday, December 12, 2017

Project Pilgrim House, Moldova

Safe place to grow up...
The year is coming to an end and December is always a month in which we have various projects highlighted. The proceeds of our 2nd hand shop Twinkeltje this month will go towards the girls home in Moldova.

If you have it on your heart to add to that by giving a donation, please, feel free! We'll tell you a bit more about it ....

Charlotte & Johannes
In October 2015, Pilgrim House, as the girls' house is officially called, was opened. The name is derived from Pilgrim International, a non-profit organization founded by Johannes & Charlotte Petersen. They have been living and working as missionaries in Moldova for more than twenty years and they are originally from Denmark.

They have hope for the poorest country in Europe and, besides providing humanitarian aid (food packages and care for the poorest), they provide shelter for young women and girls who have been endangered by human trafficking.

Pilgrim House
They furthermore have planted churches, established children's clubs, a youth coffee house and a Teen Challenge rehabilitation center.

Our Weissensee 2015 event brought in a nice amount for Pilgrim House in Riscani. It is great to see and hear that girls and young women can live there in safety. Some were left at the side of the road by their parents (who are often addicted to alcohol) and others were victims of trafficking, rape or kidnapping. Charlotte writes:

HOME sweet home
'Our aim is always to reach out to the whole family and we have seen several mums come through our rehabilitation program. Some of our young girls have gone back home and are now reunited with their parents.'

For their work, Johannes and Charlotte are dependent on donations and we would like to encourage them to never give up!  Sometimes they may feel like their work is just a drop in the ocean... but what they do for the least, they do for God.

Girl's birthday party at Pilgrim House
Every life counts and Traveling Light loves to help those who make God's love visible and tangible... in this case in Moldova. Year-end gifts are most welcome at St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U. make sure to mention MOLDOVA.

At the end of this month we will add the proceeds from Twinkeltje to donations that have come in for this purpose. We expect to transfer a good amount to them; a blessing to start a new year!

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Project Teen Challenge women's home, Romania

Recent graduation at the women's home
The month of November brought in  more than 900 euro in our second-hand shop Twinkeltje. Thank you for your visits and purchases! That amount will go to the Teen Challenge women's rehab home, House of Joy, in Romania.

Click on the pictures for an enlargement!

Last September we visited the facility. The ladies had just moved from a temporary location to this beautiful house, assisted by the men of the rehab center in Grădiştea, about twenty minutes away. Women who are bound by prostitution, homelessness, drug and alcohol addiction or emotional and psychological problems are welcome here.

House of Joy
The Teen Challenge program uses a plan in which the ladies go through five phases on their way to recovery. An authentic belief in God and a life based on Biblical truths and principles are essential for success.

For many years now, we have been involved in the work of Teen Challenge worldwide and it is still awesome to see how broken and hopeless lives are being completely restored through the power of God's love. Often we see that not only the student involved recovers, but also whole families are changing for the better.

This is clearly visible in the church that Teen Challenge has planted in Bucharest, Biserica 43. Not only the students who are in the program are attending, but also their families, friends and acquaintances. Such is the impact of a changed life on other people.

House of Joy is operated by graduates of the program. They know the ins and outs and can relate to the problems the ladies are going through. The house depends on gifts and donations. There are plans for next year to build a greenhouse and studio in the backyard where the ladies can work therapeutically.

Traveling Light wants to raise the amount of Twinkeltje to at least 2,000 euro. A nice blessing for the program at the end of the year.

The garage has been transformed in a chapel/class room
If you want to help, make a donation to St. Traveling Light, Papendrecht IBAN: NL91RABO0118582275 BIC: RABONL2U and make sure to mention: TC Romania, womens home.

When in the USA you can make your tax-deductible gift payable to EEO Inc. Make sure to mention: TC Romania, women's home.


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Thank you for your generosity!