30th Oct 2012. By Natasha Kim. CM –
Daniel Lee just turned 21 years old in October and is an inspiration to many who knew him. He grew up in Pahang and is now currently staying in Kuala Lumpur and attending services at Acts Church, Ampang. Despite being disabled, God gave him inspiration and paved his path where he was specifically chosen to become RunNats Missions Coordinator. Daniel’s story of how he became a Christian slowly came to life when his father passed away and when he moved from Mentakab to Jerantut (both in Pahang). There he experienced his first encounter at his school with mostly Chinese students attending as Daniel was invited to Church one fine day. Being somehow drawn to it he continued attending that Church for a whole year without accepting Christ. In 2007 during his school break, he helped out in Church and assisted a group of University Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) students that came in from Kuala Lumpur on a missions trip. He spent three days helping them out and as a result of that, he finally accepted Jesus Christ in his life.
When he moved to Kuala Lumpur, and finished his studies just recently in April. His eyes were set for the United Kingdom where he would receive a top up Degree in just a matter of three months. What this meant was that he was going to change his Advanced Diploma in Social Science Psychology to a Degree in that course. When he did not go through with that, many looked down on him in refusal to believe that he would want to miss out on such a great opportunity that was set forth in his path. Daniel somehow knew however, that he had to stay and the fact that he felt peace from the decision he took, he knew it was God’s peace settled upon him. At that point in time, Daniel was already helping out with RunNat as one of their ambassadors.
One day, during a speaking engagement, Daniel had a one to one with Victor Chua (Founder and Chairman of RunNat Malaysia). Victor had a conversation with Daniel and asked him about his plans since he just recently graduated and Daniel simply replied saying, “I’m looking for a job.” The Chairman also asked him about what kind of job he was searching for and with that Daniel simply replied, “God was leading me towards athletics and I intend to be involved in community works as to prepare myself for God’s ministry for me in the near future. So, the job I am looking for should be involving either one, or even better, both.” Little did he know at that time that the chairman already had thoughts to get Daniel more involved in RunNat, and what Daniel said during the conversation they had simply enforced it in his thoughts. With that, Daniel was hired! Daniel says, “This is a year full of surprises.”
As RunNats Missions Coordinator he says, “It is indeed an honor to be serving the people, churches and community through RunNat. It’s very encouraging to see so many people on fire to be an agent of change in the nation and stepping out of their comfort zones to do so. Of course, it’s not always easy especially when my job is to inspire and help people share the vision of praying and playing our roles in changing the nation, but I believe that the seeds sown into lives are never once a waste.”
Right now at this point in time, he feels that his life is full of purpose because he is learning so much about God and how He works in mysterious ways that he just never could have imagined. He says, “I never had big dreams before I knew God. Now I know that He called me to touch lives across nations.” Besides that, there are plenty of other miracles that he has experienced namely the fact that he got a new sports wheelchair last Christmas. “That was the thing that starting everything athletic that I am doing this year.” he says. He continues to say that, “There were too many occasions where I met the right people at the right time with opened doors to many of the things that God called me to do (e.g. Paralympics, speaking engagements, etc.)”
In the near future, Daniel sees big things and has big dreams for himself. He looks to become a Paralympic wheelchair racer/marathoner, representing Malaysia in the next 2016 Paralympics in Brazil. However, he is also humbled by God and knows that if it is in His will, that it will be done. If that does not happen for him however, he knows that God has called upon him to inspire. Paralympics or not he says, “I am planning to fulfill the purpose that He has given me.”
When asked about his message that he would like to send out to everyone he says, “By my limited experience in running (with a wheelchair) & in life, I’ve learned that though it is always important and good to start off well in a race, it’s not always the most important thing. In this marathon called life, we may not start off the best all the time. We may be from a broken family, a bullied childhood, you name it! I grew up being teased for my disability. The most important thing in any race however, is whether or not we FINISH STRONG! I plan to live out my life taking on each challenges step by step and finishing strong at the end of my life, knowing that Jesus Christ is and will always be the author and perfector of my faith.” These were the inspiring words of Daniel as he continues his journey to spiritual fulfillment and to please God.
