Are You Investing in Your Financial Success?

Nayomie Mendoza has a great family history of trusting God. Her father, Marcos, immigrated to California from Mexico with big dreams of opening a restaurant. 

Nayomie said: “I learned that he did everything through faith. And I have seen that man pray endlessly and the doors open.” 
There was something else the restaurant owner of two locations and his wife were doing – giving.

“Sometimes we didn't have enough to pay the rent, but he'd rather tithe before paying the rent,” said Nayomie. “And then you just would miraculously see a busy day that covers the rent and extra. I learned how to calculate, and I was like, wait, so he doesn't have rent, but okay, so we made this much. Now he does, and he has extra. And I know he gave the Lord his 10%.

Nayomie’s dad stepped away from the restaurant to devote more time in ministry serving as a pastor.  20-year-old Nayomie, a graduate in marketing from Biola University, was confident her new skills would grow the family business. However, shortly after Nayomie became the new owner in 2019, Covid shutdowns began. 

She said, “10,000, 20,000, $30,000 in debt. And I was just like, how are we going to get through this? I was feeling like a failure. I'm going to lose the family business.” 

Nayomie’s father stepped in and encouraged her to trust God.

Nayomie said, “I was ready to give up and he was just saying, no, you have to pray, that the Lord multiplies. It might seem like the world is in scarcity right now, but we have a provider.”

After the restaurant re-opened, Nayomie had little money for supplies. Still, she continued to tithe.

“I was praying to God, God, I'm so backtracked in rent and bills, and I don't know what to do anymore. Like, I’m trusting your promise and I’m tithing even if I’m at the negatives, but I need to operate somehow,” said Nayomie.

She was disappointed that she didn’t qualify for federal aid. So, she filled out an application for a grant that was a long shot.

Nayomie said, “And I’m sure they got like thousands of applications. I got that email and they're like, hey, you have been approved for the $10,000. You don't have to pay it back. Yeah, I was so relieved. I thought, hey, I could breathe a little bit, I could occupy this mental space on my creativity and that's when I just started to pivot and I started asking God, what's next?”

Naomie started posting on social media, namely the families well known chili rellenos. 
The next day she woke up to over 10 million views. 

“One moment we're like closing down. The next moment we're going viral, and we have a line that is out the door, and it curls through the block and our revenue went up by 80%,” said Nayomie. 

Today, Cuernavaca’s Grill continues to thrive in the competitive Los Angeles culinary scene. At such a young age people often marvel at Nayomie’s success – she quickly points to who is responsible.

“The key to my success is definitely our faith in God and our obedience to tithing,” said Nayomie. “I don't think anything would be possible if we weren't tithers and givers. My mom would always say, what you plant with tears of pain, you'll reap with tears of joy. And I think we're finally at that season.”

Psalm 41:1 says, “Blessed is he who considers the poor; the LORD will deliver Him in time of trouble.” When you partner with CBN, you do more than just give to the poor. You provide hope and the love of Christ through life-giving surgeries, food and clothing programs, humanitarian aid, and so much more! Become a CBN partner, and help transform lives in the name of Jesus Christ! Join us now!