I’ve been spending more time in my Bible in the mornings, and I’ve found myself starting each day with a quiet sense that God has something in store. Not because I’m trying to force anything to happen. If anything, I’m trying to do the opposite. Just to be faithful, stay close to Him, and see what He does with the day.

Yesterday, my last errand was to print some documents. When I walked into the photocopy shop, I noticed the owner was around the corner praying on his prayer mat. He obviously wasn’t going to stop praying to print my documents, so I decided to wander around and come back later.

I ended up at a tiny charcoal barbecue meatball restaurant I’d visited once before with my family. The owner recognized me immediately. I ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, a meatball sandwich, and asked for it to go. I figured I’d eat it somewhere outside while I waited.

But he insisted I sit down.

There were only three small tables in the entire restaurant, each seating four people. One had just opened up, so I sat down by myself.

A few minutes later, three men came in. They were family. One lived nearby, while his uncle and cousin had come to the city from their hometown. They had come to this restaurant specifically because they knew how good it was. They stood beside my table and asked the owner if there was anywhere they could sit.

There wasn’t.

So, I moved my bag off the empty chair and said, “You can sit with me. Come on, let’s eat together.” They looked surprised that I spoke their language, but they gladly joined me. Somehow, within a few minutes, the four of us were sitting around this tiny table chatting like we’d known each other longer than five minutes.

We talked about our respective countries, what school was like for me, and eventually the uncle asked me what my religion was.

“I’m a Christian,” I said.

The cousin didn’t even know what that meant. My new friend explained it to him, and I added a little more.