When a student of The Greatest Journey in Panama fell ill, his teacher brought the discipleship lessons to him in the hospital. Today, he teaches others the same Bible course.
Laying in a hospital bed in Panama City, Panama, Maykel only had a few days to live—or so the doctors told his parents when they informed them he had Stage 3 leukemia.
Their precious son, only 11 years old, had recently heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ when he received a gift-filled Operation Christmas Child shoebox back home in the west-central province of Veraguas. When Maykel got his shoebox gift brimming with toys and other fun items, he also opened his heart to the eternal gift of salvation. As the first in his family to follow Christ, Maykel’s strong faith influenced his mother who observed, “He is not afraid of dying and believes that God will heal him.”
As a result of hearing the Gospel when he got his shoebox gift, Maykel was the first in his whole family to believe in the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Continuing to Grow in God’s Word
Maykel fell ill soon after starting The Greatest Journey follow-up discipleship course in Veraguas—the only jurisdiction in Panama that touches both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was taken to a local health facility where they discovered he had extremely low hemoglobin. Unable to handle the severity of this blood situation locally, medical personnel rushed Maykel to a specialized facility four hours away in the capital.
Maykel courageously battled advanced leukemia and was not afraid of dying because he knew he had eternal life in Jesus Christ.
Nevertheless, his instructor, Bolivar Santos, didn’t let Maykel miss even one of the 12 Bible lessons in the course. Connecting by video call or by personal visit to the hospital, the trained volunteer teacher of The Greatest Journey continued to help Maykel learn about, grow in, and share his faith in Jesus—even amid chemotherapy.
Battling for Life
Against all odds, Maykel left the hospital just 15 days after being admitted. His health improved, only to have a relapse four days later which sent him back to inpatient care.
Santos continued to teach Maykel The Greatest Journey lessons even while he underwent chemotherapy.
With renewed passion, Maykel’s parents, his pastor, and his teacher joined together in prayer for his health.
After another 22 days of long and painful treatments, Maykel was released from the hospital again, but with the grim diagnosis that his illness would eventually claim his life.
Multiplying Believers
Maykel, though weak, returned home to Veraguas trusting God for a miracle. His friends, family, and church continued to join him in prayer for his healing and little by little Maykel started improving!
God answered by restoring Maykel’s body so much that he was able to participate in his graduation ceremony from The Greatest Journey. Together with his classmates, he stood and told his friends and family how the Lord, most importantly, had given him eternal life—and his parents also each chose to accept Christ as their personal Savior!
Maykel soon went through training so he could teach The Greatest Journey alongside Santos and help disciple other boys and girls to follow Jesus Christ.
Maykel teaches classes of The Greatest Journey on his own now to other boys and girls who have received a shoebox gift.
Throughout high school, Maykel continued to grow, healthy and strong, maintaining a 4.8 academic average—almost a perfect score.
Now 27, Maykel leads his own classes of The Greatest Journey program. Together with his family and local Operation Christmas Child leadership, he walks many hours through nearby communities, sharing the love of Jesus, distributing shoebox gifts, and inviting children to follow-up discipleship. He also continues to serve his local church by participating in the worship band.
Bolivar Santos (right) and Maykel (center) celebrate God’s faithfulness in their journey together with Ivan Solorzano, Operation Christmas Child’s regional manager for Latin America North.
Praise God for faithful teachers of The Greatest Journey like Santos, and that sickness did not steal Maykel’s influence in God’s Kingdom. Please pray that the discipleship classes these men lead would continue to bear much fruit.
