Growing up in a small village, my life could be pretty predictable.  From dawn to dusk, my family would tend the sheep and grow crops in our village. When I turned school-age, I would go to school. After school and after homework, I would be expected to help as well. I’m learning that there is comfort in routine and familiarity, but there is also a desire to break out of the mundane.  But, is that possible for me?

After I graduated high school, college was not an option for me. The testing was tough, and my scores did not allow me to be admitted to a college. Options dwindled at that point for what I will do for the rest of my life. Options would be to get married, work in a shop in our village, or travel to a larger city to find work. Which one would be the option for me?

One day, a friend, messaged me that another friend would be opening a restaurant in a larger city of our province.  We traveled together to go to the interview to be a waitress. The restaurant was new and sat on the grounds of a small mosque in the city. The pay would be fair, and an apartment rented for me and the other waitresses to live in together. This seemed nice, and such a good opportunity for work. I accepted the job and began working immediately. I was excited about the opportunity for a good job in a big city, but I knew that it meant that I would be away from my family. Mostly, I thought that it would be good to make money so I could take some back to my family in the village.

Now, every day is pretty predictable. We arrive at the restaurant at 10am and work until 11pm. One day a month is allowed off for rest. I have made new friends at the restaurant, and I am really thankful for the good work environment. We have become like family. Not everyone who works in a restaurant has a good situation. Sometimes the manager is overbearing, and the pay is not good. I am thankful mine is different. We work together to keep the restaurant clean and get ready for the day’s service of food. And, at the end of the long day, we walk across the street to finish the day in our small apartment. Daily, we serve regulars who come in for lunch and dinner meals. We also host weddings, family celebrations, and memorials in our restaurant. Each day is busy from morning until night. I’ve come to understand that there is comfort in routine and familiarity, but there is also a desire to break out of the mundane.

How to pray for restaurant workers:

• Pray for waiters and waitresses in restaurants to have opportunities to hear the gospel.
• Pray for believers to be bold witnesses in word and deed as they are eating in restaurants.
• Pray for villagers coming to the bigger cities to seek work that they will have opportunities to meet believers and hear the Gospel.

The picture is not of the storyteller in order to protect the identities of those who have shared their stories and lives with us over the years.