By: Obed Pineda
“Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you.” (Luke 10:8)
Montezuma II was emperor of the mighty Aztec empire in sixteenth century Mexico. It was during his reign that the Spanish conquistadores (“conquerors”) successfully overthrew the Aztec empire and colonized the country. Legend states that due to the stain that this embarrassing defeat made on his legacy, the defunct emperor found it fitting to enact his “revenge” by cursing the waters of Mexico and making them impure. With this petty “curse,” Montezuma would return the favor to all foreigners who drank the impotable water by making them sick with a disease that would make a stain on them (or rather their clothes if they were not quick enough), as a reminder of what they had done to his legacy. The disease? Traveler’s diarrhea (TD). Funny thing is that this was the same bane uttered by Gandhi (“Gandhi’s revenge”), Pharaoh (“Pharaoh’s revenge”), the Egyptian mummies (“Mummy’s revenge”), the Israelis (“Tehran tummy”), and the Indonesians (“Bali belly”) according to their “folklore.” The truth is that there are no such fables in the annals of any of the aforementioned examples, but instead are different variants of the same comical euphemism that sheds light on the amusement of a country’s local who may take pleasure in the messy condition the visiting foreigner is confronted with from drinking the water or eating the food. Truth be told, this euphemistic whimsy simply alludes to the alleged antagonistic spirit of those countries conquered by a stronger one who relish in the pettiness of celebrating a small (yet effective) form of revenge. Experts have confirmed that TD is in fact a product of untreated surface water or the failure of proper hygiene practices. Although the residents of developing third world countries have developed an immunity to the exposure of the pathogenic organisms that causes TD, visiting tourists are not. For this reason, it is very risky for a foreigner to drink the local water and eat foods washed with it. Therefore, when Valentina had insisted we join them for hot chocolate, this hazard was what was on his mind when he was a little hesitant to agree. We had been instructed to avoid drinking tap water or eating foods containing vegetables (namely lettuce) because of the poor water treatment plants that operated in Peru. Doing so could increase our chances of becoming sick with TD, which would then sideline us for however long we were ill. David’s concern echoed Paul’s when he expressed, “woe is me if I do not preach the Gospel” (1st Corinthians 9:16b)! Of course he did not want to get sick at all from TD, but it was more about not losing out on the amazing opportunity to spread the good news of salvation to the Arequipeña community so early into the campaign. After hearing about his apprehension, I assured the brother that because we were being invited to drink hot chocolate, the threat of E. coli disappeared since the beverage would be boiled in its preparation. Additionally, it was very likely that what our guests would use to make the hot beverage was milk, and not so much tap water, since that was usually the customary way of making hot chocolate in Latin American cultures. Yet, it was the final bit of information that increased David’s resolve and courage to accept the young Valentina’s invitation. Turning down their gracious offer of hot chocolate could potentially offend them, thus shutting the door to a probable Bible study. Jesus promulgated, “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me…whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward” (Matthew 10:40, 42). Although it was not a requirement to drink the beverage that was being offered, especially if it had the potential of causing harm to our body, considering the preventative process that aided in eliminating this threat and (more importantly) that it could lead to a fruitful Bible study with the members of that household, it became clear to all four of us that the risk was worth the reward. The choice before us rang the loving and gentle invitation of the Master saying, “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the Gospel’s will save it” (Mark 8:34-35). It is very likely that there are some reading this humble treatise now who believe that taking this risk was a little extreme, or perhaps even fanatical. When this choice was set before us, I could think about nothing else than the trials of faith the Christians encountered during the first century, that very much outweighed the peril of becoming ill with TD. Paul’s love for Christ and saving souls illumined in my thoughts as I was reminded of his response to the warning he had been given by the Holy Spirit concerning his journey to Jerusalem, boldly proclaiming to the Ephesian eldership, “none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the Gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:22-24, cf. 21:9b-14). David, Ava, Bethany, and I had been granted a magnificent blessing from heaven to bring salvation to that home, through the power of a simple cup of hot chocolate that was being offered. Looking back, Valentina’s hospitable suggestion mirrored Lydia’s humble bid to Paul and his companions after she and her household obeyed the Gospel, “If you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come to my house and stay” (Acts 16:15). It is true that in the moment they had yet to accept Christ through baptism, but nonetheless they were still serving servants of the mighty God and for this reason He provided them with an opportunity of salvation from a spiritual famine (cf. 1st Kings 17:8-16). We learned that a simple gesture as kindly accepting a cup of hot chocolate would blossom into a marvelous friendship created by the daily study of God’s Word together. By the grace of God, none of us succumbed to Montezuma’s revenge, but even better, we secured our first Bible study of the mission trip. This achieved goal would set the tone for the rest of our mission trip. To be continued…