No Rats for Lunch: Peter's Journey to Truth and Health

🗓️ Faith in Action – Week 1 Feature

No Rats for Lunch: Peter's Journey to Truth and Health
As told to Adventist Mission, written by Andrew McChesney

In a quiet mountain village in southern Zambia, Peter Siamikobo grew up doing something quite normal in his community — digging for rats. Roasted with maize-meal porridge, it was a local delicacy. His family also loved pork and “bubble fish,” a local favorite known for its tender, boneless meat.

But Peter’s world was about to change.

One day, he visited his brother, who worked on a farm run by American Seventh-day Adventist missionaries. He joined them for a Sabbath worship service — and the topic shocked him: clean and unclean animals in Leviticus 11.

For the first time, Peter realized the foods he loved were not aligned with the Bible.

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🙏 One Step at a Time

Soon, the missionaries began holding Sabbath meetings in Peter’s elementary school. Even though it was a 2-mile walk, he went. His parents didn’t approve. They reminded him that he had been baptized as a baby and told him to work on Saturdays instead.

Still, Peter would rush through his chores just to make it in time for the afternoon service.

Later in high school, he found Adventist friends who helped him study the Bible more deeply. Eventually, Peter gave his heart to Jesus and was baptized — this time, by immersion.

He also gave up rats, pork, and bubble fish.

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🌱 A Quiet Influence Grows

At first, his family didn’t understand. But over time, they saw Peter’s faith — not just in words, but in how he lived. They even began to support him in keeping the Sabbath.

Today, there's a thriving Adventist church in Peter's hometown. And thanks to his witness, many townspeople have stopped eating unclean food and embraced a healthier lifestyle rooted in Scripture.

Peter now serves as a church elder and the head of the social sciences department at Rusangu Secondary School, a Seventh-day Adventist high school in Zambia.

“Thank Jesus for saving me from unclean food,” Peter says, quoting 1 Corinthians 10:31:
“Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

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💭 Faith in Action – Reflection

Peter’s story is about more than diet. It’s about conviction, obedience, and a willingness to walk the hard road when truth comes into view.

• What beliefs or habits would you be willing to walk 2 miles for?

• Are there practices in your life that God may be calling you to lay aside — not because they're culturally wrong, but because they're biblically misaligned?

• How might your quiet obedience influence your family and community?

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📚 Source & Credits

This story is adapted from the Inside Story in the Seventh-day Adventist Adult Bible Study Guide. Written by Andrew McChesney for Adventist Mission.
👉 Visit adventistmission.org to read more testimonies.