Ten-year-old Emmanuel lives in Malawi. He started attending Sunday school when he was just a little boy. One of the reasons he loves church is because of the Bible there. He’s never had one at home.

While at church, Emmanuel looked at the Bible. As his small hands flipped through the pages, he wondered about all the stories inside. He wanted to know what God was trying to tell him. But there were too many words — he couldn’t make sense of them all.

But one day, Emmanuel’s Sunday school had something special for the students. It was a Children’s Bible! Emmanuel was overjoyed. This Bible was different than the others. It drew him in immediately. “The stories are simple. I can understand them. I read the whole Bible!” he exclaims.

Now, Emmanuel is learning from God’s message of love. The words he once didn’t understand have come alive for him. “It has helped me to know how to pray,” Emmanuel shares.

Little Emmanuel is already sharing his knowledge of God’s Word with other Sunday school students. “I am able to help my fellow students — even when the teacher is not there.”

Many churches in Malawi aren’t equipped with resources to help children like Emmanuel engage with God’s Word. It makes it difficult for teachers to share the teachings of Jesus in a way that children can relate to. But with the gifts of American Bible Society’s financial partners, more children like Emmanuel are able to encounter their heavenly Father at an early age. They are learning to pray. And they are celebrating Jesus’s love with their friends.