Who would not want to name their son “Daniel”? After all, one of the greatest characters in all of Biblical history was the prophet Daniel who sought to warn his people of impending doom and to rescue them from harm. Every Bible student has marveled at the story of Daniel in the den of lions and the way God loved and rescued him from harm.
Our story is about a little boy who carries the same name. At birth he was not expected to live. He was 2 1/2 months premature, and he developed hydrocephalus and cerebral palsy, yet those who predicted his death were also premature and did not realize his determination to live.
Today, Daniel Shipley is a smiling 11 year old who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee. He moves determinedly through life with the aid of two shiny, metal canes and a wheelchair. In an early letter to The Malawi Project, he asked about sending raisins for the children of Malawi. Others had said the famine in Malawi was so widespread that his aid would do little to help. In spite of this discouragement this 4′ 8″ 75 lb. blue-eyed boy begged his parents to let him use his allowance to buy raisins.
Daniel has many physical therapy and occupational sessions, numerous doctor appointments and has had two surgeries for his cerebral palsy. The most recent involved breaking both legs and rotating them 50 degrees so they would point straight. He receives his allowance when he is able to reach his walking goals in therapy sessions without falling. It was this allowance he wanted to give to Malawi. His parents took him to the grocery, and Daniel purchased the raisins. They were sent to Indianapolis and carried in the luggage of members of the Malawi Project during a recent trip to Africa.
The pictures below show Daniel purchasing the raisins. They were distributed to the children, as well as being used by several churches to cook and prepare the “fruit of the vine” for communion. Daniel’s gift reached literally thousands of people.
Malawi preachers heard the story of Daniel’s sacrifice and started telling the story of the American boy who loves them, all over the central region of country.
His name is Daniel. A fitting name for a boy who has challenged “the lions” of a disabling set of circumstances and is coming out a victor.