Earnest work from a Joyful Heart

I've been working in a little restaurant in Ecuador, baking cakes for a year now. Almost exactly a year ago, the manager came out onto the street to speak to me. He said "you make cakes right? Would you like to make them for me?".  He had seen Instagram photos of dishes and things I had made. At this time I was still broke and homeless and needed a job. I had been in this situation for over half a year. I had left America because I wanted to change my life and find myself. I knew that I wasn't living for God and wanted to change the way I approached everything. How I worked, what I gave my energy to, how I lived, where my heart was.



During my first year in Ecuador everything shook me to the core and demanded I draw closer to God. The old was falling away to make way for the new. This cake encounter was an answer to prayer. My heart wanted to build a family, I wanted to be a stable woman, strong for God and strong for the people I love. I knew I needed to have foundations - a prioritized relationship with God with Him on my heart throne, stable home, stable job, community of believers in Christ. And it was my second year here in Ecuador that God answered these prayers. Accepting this job was a yes to God and how He wants to answer my prayers. I'm so thankful for how the Lord has changed my life and still is! I have been so thankful for this job baking cakes. Everyday that I go to work, before I begin, I pray "Lord, bless this day. May I work with earnest hands and a diligent heart. May I bring glory to you through the work I do here. May the creativity and tastiness point to you Lord. May the restaurant be blessed, may the community be blessed and those who eat of it be blessed'.

 I had wanted to write and no longer work with food at the time this job was offered but I knew that this was the Lords will and that it was a blessing to me. From this job came other work making wedding and birthday cakes. I even created my own business Kimberly's Cakes with menus and special order options. This even took me into hosting private multi-course gourmet dinner parties and private chef work! It has been such a wonderful learning experience to start a business! Now I'm learning things and doing things I had never done before. I'm building skills I can apply to any job and take with me anywhere I go. Instead of only working for others I'm learning how to create a business and run it too.




Sometimes we start with little things like cakes and somehow God uses it to take us to bigger things that we hadn't imagined. I encourage you to let God direct you. share your passions with Him and He will surely use your gifts to prosper you and bless you. We all want to work doing what we like and what feels purposeful. Trust in God to provide this work. Trust His timing. And trust all the steps and things that come first to take you there. I encourage you all to work with earnest hands and a diligent heart and surely the Lord will bless you. With Love and Cake, Kimberly💗.

 For who has despised the day of small things?

 But the LORD rejoices to see the work begin.

Zechariah 4:10