Like A Knife to the Heart

So the church youth group leaves tonight for a week-long mission trip to Belize. As part of their experience there, our young people will stay a night with a local village family. It is recommended that the youth bring with them a small gift for that family.

Yesterday a parent called to ask if a swiss army-type knife would be an appropriate gift. I told her that it didn't strike me as inappropriate, but that two of the adult leaders had been to Belize before and would be better able to speak to it. "If you don't hear from me," I told the conscientious parent, "assume it's okay."

So I promptly emailed our two adult leaders with Belizian experience with the query, and here, in full, is the response of one of them:

KNIFE
A knife as a gift from a lover means that the love will soon end.
A knife placed under the bed during childbirth will ease the pain of labor.
If a friend gives you a knife, you should give him a coin, or your friendship will soon be broken.
It will cause a quarrel if knives are crossed at the table.
It is bad luck to close a pocket knife unless you were the one who opened it.
Knife falls, gentleman calls;
Fork falls, lady calls;
Spoon falls, baby calls.

Talk about your cross-cultural mission theology!

I don't think I'll be sharing this with that parent.