MANNAWEENTA

The History of Manaweenta

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The Dream of No Vision.
During rough times, when a lot was going on in the life of Haregu Bahtu, she had a dream. In this dream, she saw two unfamiliar creatures afar and it stirred up fear. Within her dream, she asked the priest for prayer. As the priest prayed, another man came down some stairs, unto a balcony and called to her; “Haregu, Haregu, Haregu! What is your vision?”

She turned to the man and asked, “Me?”

“Yes”, he nods his head then asked, “What would you like to have? What would you like to know?”

Mrs. Haregu responded, “I have no dream. I have no vision, I live life one day at a time.  Today, I live for today. Tomorrow, I will live for that day.”

He asked again, “What is your vision?”

She said, “I no longer have one. I once did, but I buried it.”

The man responded, “even if buried you have a vision, tell me your vision.”

Haregu shared how she once dreamed of being a wife to a doctor and going to school to be a nurse. “But now I am old. My husband is no doctor and I am no nurse. I have no dream.”, she told the man.  The man turned around and started to return to his place. As he left, Haregu thought about restaurants. She tried to wave the man down and yelled, “I remember, I remember, I dreamt for a restaurant.” As she goes to tell him, she awoken. She became restless, as she began to understand that she now had a vision. And this vision is from God.

 

Great Vision, Bad Timing.
Haregu kept thinking about the restaurant and wanted to make it happen.  However, it was bad timing. She had no money. She could see no way. That didn’t keep her from talking about it. “I’m going to have a restaurant”, she would tell her friends.  Some of her friends were concerned about how she would pay her mortgage, let alone get a restaurant. Though others didn’t know how it would happen either, Haregu believed, that if God put it in her heart; he will provide it.

One day a friend approached Mrs. Haregu and asked her, “What would you like to do?”

“Why you ask me that”, Mrs. Haregu asked her friend.

“I just want to know.” the friend responded. So Mrs. Haregu told her of the dream of a restaurant. The friend told Haregu, what a wonderful idea it was. “Do you know how to cook?”, the friend asked. “Yes”, Haregu responded, “but I have no money”. The friend recommended that Haregu think about it a little more and take some business classes offered by the Goodwill Business Center. Haregu thought, "Even if I took the classes, I have no money", but she went anyway.

Time To Think.
While Haregu took her business class, she further developed the details of her restaurant and had to think of a name. “Give me time. I don’t want to rush. It will come to me.", she said in the beginning. However, she did have an idea for the logo. “My logo will be a krichat.” A krichat is a basket that Ethiopians and others eat around as a family.

At the end of her classes, Haregu completed a presentation. At her presentation, friends, members of the community and members of the local university were present.  People affirmed, “Haregu, this is good.” The professionals of the class was supportive.  The university was supportive, and her friends were supportive. Though people said it was good, Haregu thought to her self, “now what do I do?”
 

One Step Forward.
One of the ladies present suggested the West Broad Farmer’s Market, an extension of the Athens Land Trust organization. The lady extended an invitation for Haregu to sell food at the Farmers Market. Haregu accepted it.  People at the farmers market were surprise and loved her food.

Many people asked,“When will you open your restaurant?” Encouraged, Haregu began to search for a location.

Another Step Closer, But Not Quite There.
Though she knew she had little money, Haregu started her search for her restaurant. She came across a space on Gaines School Rd and knew it was the place for her. She called the owner humbled, hoping to not disrespect him with the little she could pay. The owner of the building was understanding and connected her with management. Management was not as friendly. Soon, Haregu became discouraged.

“I don’t have money and these people aren’t helpful.”, she told her daughter one day.  “Maybe I have to find another spot.”

Her daughter Weenta told her to pray on it. "This is yours. Pray about it and you will get it.”

The inspiration from her daughter played into the name of the restaurant. Her daughter’s name, Weenta, means desire. Manna, the name of Haregu's sister, means food. Mannaweenta means "Food You Desire".

Haregu did as her daughter suggested and prayed. During this time, Haregu was struggling to receive her retirement compensation from a company she was working for because she was young. After prayer, the company merged with another and she was presented the opportunity to receive the retirement compensation she earned. She now had more money to put towards her restaurant, but it wasn’t enough.
 

God Said It, I Believed It, And That Settled It.
Haregu continued to pray. One day, a friend visited Haregu and gave her a large sum of money to help with the restaurant. Surprised and grateful, Haregu had enough to get started. On August 6, 2015, on God’s Day, Haregu opened her restaurant. Haregu believe since God started, "I will open it on his day to show gratitude." From that day, Haregu knew, “When God opens it, no one can shut it.”
 

And It Was So.
Mannaweenta started with a dream.

Mrs. Haregu was reminded of her vision and the power of visualization. She had faith and took advantage of the opportunities and worked hard to make her dreams come true.

She faced many obstacles and had many moments of uncertainty. Plenty of people did not trust that she could do it. But she understood that God will show you things that others do not understand.

With the support of her friends and love ones she was able to make what seemed impossible possible. And from the beginning to the end of her restaurant, she holds on to the fact that God will guide you.