Photo by Jordan Smith
My husband and I own guest houses and needed a place where our guests could get a good meal. Our town really didn’t have a healthy lunch option. We considered starting our own restaurant but we resisted knowing that it can be very challenging and many restaurants don’t make it. When our son started a business with a few other fellows to process locally raised, grass fed meat, we had a great source of quality protein for a restaurant. We decided to move forward with opening a restaurant. We created an ad for a chef. From the beginning, we bathed this in prayer, asking that God would bring the right person.
We knew what we were looking for was pretty specific and that it could be challenging to find someone with all of the qualities and skills we desired. We wanted to attract someone with business sense, as well as someone who felt the same way we did about the importance of healthy cooking and natural foods. We wanted someone who would fit in well with our culture—small rural town, closed on Sunday, family oriented, and a slower pace of life. We also felt strongly that the person should be a chef. We created our ad and posted it on the Monster.com classified ads. At this time, all we had was a building on the corner with a dirt floor.
Two weeks later we had a response from someone. He was a chef and was interested in healthy foods. He was married with three children and was looking for a family-oriented place to live. He wanted to get involved in the community. We invited he and his wife to dinner at our home. I could tell that he “got” it about healthy foods. We showed him our building with the dirt floor. He and my husband shook hands on the deal and he and his family moved to our town. Two months before we opened, I sat up in bed and said to my husband, “We have never had his food!” We had prayed for God to send the right person and were listening to the Spirit. We felt God had brought this man to us and that he was the right one, so we never even thought about tasting his food! The first time I tasted his food was on opening day and it was delicious. The restaurant is now starting to become profitable.
Many good things have come from God bringing us together. Not only have we been blessed by him, but I believe he would say that his faith has been encouraged by being here. God hears and answers prayers. He brings people together and works things for good.
A Million God Stories is a Christ-centered ministry which offers a platform for Christians from all streams of Christian faith to give praise for how God has worked in their lives. Christ heals in infinitely creative ways and we acknowledge that His way of helping may differ from person to person.
