Little Daniel feels blessed to pray for Education Minister

The moment was sponta-neous, and nobody, including Education Minister Fayval Williams, knew what was coming.

Daniel Carty, a seven-year-old grade two student at the Homestead Primary and Infant School in St Catherine, was asked to move the vote of thanks after Williams and other officials visited the school last Tuesday. They were offering assurance after a stone-throwing incident involving another pupil caused tension among the staff and administration. But after the vote of thanks, Daniel turned to the minister and stretched a hand towards her while holding a cordless microphone. He then said, "I want to pray for you, Minister of Education." Williams obliged by sitting down so that he could lay his hand on her head. Daniel then asked the Lord to cover her.

"Cover her under your blood, Lord. Let no evil come up against her," he repeated several times before saying "Amen", which was followed by loud cheers from students and the admiration of the officials who were amazed at Daniel's bravery. Daniel told the news team that he was moved by the spirit to pray for the minister.

"I had to pray for her because she is our minister of education and her job is hard. She has to take care of a lot of schools," he said. "I feel good after the prayer, I know God is blessing her, and I feel blessed after I finish praying for her." Daniel said he loves going to church and school and he wants to be a preaching soldier when he grows up.

Daniel, who lives with his mother, Nicola Campbell, in Homestead, said she is having a hard time because their little house has rotted plyboard and leaks when rains.

"I am really sorry for my mother. She is having it hard. I pray every day that someone will help us with a better place," he said. But despite that, Campbell said she does her best to raise Daniel.

"He will cry to go to church and I support him. Even when I don"t have it, I make sure he goes to school and church. It's hard, but I survive by the mercy of God," she said.

Principal Sophia Deer described Daniel as a good student who works hard.

"He is a blessing to us. None of us expected that he would offer to pray for the minister. He was selected to do the vote of thanks because of his bravery," Deer revealed. She said Daniel would make her day with his insistence on visiting her office every morning he attends school to say good morning and pray for her. She said he repeats the routine after school is dismissed, and even if she is in a meeting, he does everything to get her attention just to say goodbye. Deer said Daniel does the same thing for his physical education teacher.