Imla Coll beamed with pride as he held a New Testament and a graduation certificate.
“I learned God created the light, Jesus died for our sins and He was part of the plan of God,” said the seven-year-old resident of Dakar, the capital city of the west African nation of Senegal.
Imla was part of a group of 30 children participating in a special graduation ceremony for The Greatest Journey. Whenever possible, this 12-week voluntary, follow-up discipleship program is offered to children who have received gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.
Thanks to shoeboxes packed by Canadians like you, God is using The Greatest Journey to make a difference in this impoverished, Muslim nation. Last year alone, almost 3,000 students registered for the program and 1,200 graduated.
Since The Greatest Journey was implemented in 2010, more than 19,000 teachers have been trained in countries where Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts are distributed. Over 200,000 students have graduated, and more than 123,000 of those students have publicly proclaimed their faith in Jesus Christ.
“Jesus is the Son of God and I follow Him to have eternal life,” said Imla, who likes playing soccer and riding his bicycle.”
The special Dakar ceremony involving Imla, which took place at the largest evangelical church in Dakar, was held so visiting Canadians could see the impact of The Greatest Journey, and learn how it’s a key part of Operation Christmas Child.
Students sang and performed Christian dance routines before receiving their New Testaments and certificates.
“Jesus is the Son of God and I follow Him to have eternal life,” said Imla, who likes playing soccer and riding his bicycle.
Another graduate, 11-year-old Ngozie Blessings, noted, “there was a lot to study in The Greatest Journey, but it was not hard.”
Ngozie committed her life to Christ after she started reading the Bible and watched how God improved her study habits.
“Following the Lord has changed how I live,” she said. “Now I can preach about Jesus while I play with my friends.”
The Greatest Journey is an exciting evangelism and discipleship program designed to teach children how to become faithful followers of Christ and to share their faith with others. We offer the program to children who have received Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Boys and girls who complete The Greatest Journey course receive graduation certificates and New Testaments in their own language. We’re able to provide all the study materials, a graduation certificate and New Testament for only $6 per child.