(AH-far) – Many Afar brides are solemn during their wedding festivities, but Malika was all smiles. Her family had allowed her to marry her chosen groom instead of an arranged suitor, and the wedding felt like a rite of passage. As a wife, society would now view her as a grown-up woman instead of a young maiden. Surely, she would finally be happy! Yet, as Malika and her sisters piled on more makeup and danced the night away, they knew that their family’s needs would be waiting for them in the morning. Concerns about money, religious obligations, health, childbearing, and security press in every month. Like most Afar women, they seek solutions to their anxieties in their relationships and Islamic rituals mixed with superstition. They don’t yet know that the answers they’re searching for are found in God’s Word. Jesus said, “Therefore do not be anxious, . . . But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:31-33 ESV). Pray for Malika and her sisters to seek God’s kingdom and find it. Ask God to provide for her and her family in a way that shows His great love for them.