Hi, this is Joni Eareckson Tada with a story about one hopping cute kid!
And I'm not kidding. We met 10-year-old Daniel on a Wheels for the World trip to Ghana West Africa. He was born with one strong good leg and one short, bent leg—apparently, a disability he had inherited from his mother. Daniel could not walk, but this kid was not about to let his disability deter him one bit, especially knowing that most disabled kids were not allowed entrance into school. So you know what Daniel did to “hide” as it were his disability? He hopped. Daniel has been hopping to school for 6 years. In fact, when he hopped into the wheelchair distribution, he came up to our physical therapist straight as an arrow from the door, she said later on. She even remarked how his balance was so amazing, like he’d been doing this for years (and I guess he had).
But our physical therapist could tell that Daniel was exhausted—he even looked older than a 10-year-old would. Hopping all his life, well … it had taken an emotional toll, not to mention a physical one, as she examined his spine. When Daniel explained that the road on the way to school was rough and uneven, she was amazed he hadn’t fallen and hurt himself! But Daniel shook his head no. He did everything he could to ensure he got to school every day – after all, he absolutely loved math and wanted very much to be a doctor.
So our Wheels for the World physical therapist and the seating specialist put their heads together. They decided they would fit Daniel with a sturdy, little, all-terrain wheelchair plus also give him a solid, adjustable walker, something that would be perfect for his height. When they showed Daniel the wheelchair and walker, his eyes just lit up. They could tell he already had a plan. “I will use the wheelchair to get to school,” he said, like he had a great idea he was sharing with friends, “and once I get there, I will use the walker in my classroom.”
Well, our Wheels team members stepped back: they were so touched by this boy’s enthusiasm. And knowing Daniel for that little bit of time, they had every confidence that here was a kid—a smart and serious kid—who would make it work. And he had to make it work, because the physical therapist told him that if he continued hopping everywhere, something far more dangerous and painful would happen to his back. By the way, when the local pastor who was working with us learned that Daniel did not have a father, he explained how there was a heavenly Father who would never leave him. That pastor shared how God the Father sent His Son Jesus to rescue Daniel from sin and sadness. Once Daniel learned that Jesus would never leave him, that he would always be his guide, he got so excited. He prayed and opened his heart to the Savior, and that day this 10-year-old left, not hopping, but wheeling himself proudly out the door with his neighbor carrying the walker.
I share Daniel’s story with you, because I want you to know that your prayers are having this kind of impact. In fact, just today our Wheels for the World team returned home from delivering wheelchairs and Bibles in Uganda. And this week, we will be leaving for Romania. Everywhere we go, we meet kids with disabilities like Daniel, so thank you for remembering them in your prayers. Oh, and if you want to see a really great photo of this awesome little kid, you just have to visit my radio page today at joniandfriends.org. Daniel is quite the inspiring kid!
© Joni and Friends
Used by permission of Joni and Friends
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