Mennonites in Belize

  Those of you who have a different interpretation of the words jewelry, makeup, etc., below are some Mennonite churches you might consider joining. Now these churches are what I would categorize as liberal or "freedom" Mennonites. Read on.     EMMC (Evangelical Mennonite Mission Church) is the biggest non-conservative church within the Mennonite culture in Belize. Almost anything goes. Hip-hop music, funky hairstyles, very casual clothing, (some young girls have worn very little at the beaches), beer and wine, rednecks. Punks and rednecks were more common at one time in Spanish Lookout until the community leaders became aware of the drug dealings and other questionable things going on at night on the community roads. Many of them left for Canada. A few have returned to settle down.    Besides the EMMC, there are some more of these liberal churches scattered around. Some are halfway between liberal and conservative, others lean toward a liberal lifestyle while sticking to t

  Jewelry, tattoos, hairstyle, clothing fads, etc. How do Mennonites fit into that? Except for liberal Mennonites, they don't. Below is a brief review of their stand in the fashion world.               Old Colony Mennonites   They condemn any and all sorts of fashion, deeming it as Satanic and harshly dealing with those who would be caught with it. They have no Scriptural basis except that God wants them to stick to their tradition of living and dressing plain and simple.                 Old Order Mennonites     They are more spiritual in their view of fashion. Once again I will mention that within this group there exists a subdivision, with the more liberal ones being more focused on Biblical practices and the stricter conservative group holding on to their traditions like the Old Colonists. Anyways, in their viewpoint of fashion, jewelry, and clothing styles, they take the New Testament verses lierally such as the verses in Peter. They believe the Bible's requirement to a

  A few political figures were present, here and there some curious non-Mennonites wandered around, but for the most part it was the Mennonites of Spanish Lookout as well as from Blue Creek who made up the crowd. Mixed among them were other types of Mennonites from around the country as well as Mennonite visitors from US, Canada, Mexico, Paraguay and even Bolivia I think, people who had either been born here or had close families living here. There was plenty of food and drinks, a museum of sorts, and drapes had been hung on parts of the park building.

          A stretch of road near the Spanish Lookout airport (Cayo Dist.)   In an earlier article I mentioned how the flat, smooth limestone roads of some Mennonite communities have been the site of burned up drug planes. There has been an increasing amount of nightime illegal plane landings all over the country of Belize, more so during the last year and 2018 seems to be setting a record for these mysterious drug planes. At least the record on the few  discovered planes. The story is the same on all of them, the plane lands in the early hours of the morning, the passengers and cargo (drugs) vanish into thin air and the plane is discovered later partly burnt. But the reason I'm mentioning it in this blog is due to the fact that some of these airplanes land close to or within colonies of Plautdietsch Mennonites. For example, in the western region of Belize, in the Spanish Lookout area, there are many who can testify to hearing planes flying very low around midnight or between

  Like I mentioned in an earlier post, the second major event happening in Spanish Lookout is the colony's 60th anniversary. While it is open for visitors, it seems they are not advertising it as a major tourist attraction or entertainment festival for the country but perhaps I am wrong. It is mainly for those who are or used to be members of the community but any visitor is welcome. Consequently during the last few days there have been Mennonites from Mexico, Bolivia, USA, Canada and Paraguay arriving, people that were born in Spanish Lookout or have relatives here or in some way or another are tied to this community. The Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. Dean Barrow, is expected to attend the ceremony.   Every 10 years a celebration is held, however for the 50th year, in 2008, a massive festival was held and countrywide visitors attended.   This Friday March 16 the celebration begins and lasts until March 18.

  The following article is the straightforward personal opinion of one individual only and should be understood as such. It does not seek to belittle, mock or ridicule any of these churches.                           Amazing Grace    This is one church where personal and physical comfort seem to be a top priority, I believe of all the Mennonite groups in Belize, this is the most modern as far as interior furnishings are concerned. It used to not be like that, since it began in a small wooden building however the new church is the one seen in the picture. To a North American or European visitor there's nothing new or different, but to an average person accustomed to hard benches of typical churches, this is luxury. My body simply loves those soft, comfortable seats. The whole church service seems to run on some sort of mechanical schedule. Pastor has his sermons lined up for each Sunday, all in order. At exactly this time, the worship leader begins. After a certain amount of set t

                    We were invited to a wedding in a church in Spanish Lookout. This is a conservative church that has left the Kleine Gemeinde religion and traditions, yet still resemble the KG in some ways. Married women wear a small headcovering but unmarried girls don't; singing is still acapella with a violin or organ as low background music. Their services are conducted in Plautdietsch. A Mestizo lady and her daughter who had been invited looked lost. They don't hate outsiders or push them away if they attend, they warmly welcome you but as of right now it is mainly a Plautdietsch church, which is becoming popular with those who have left the Old Colony and Old Order and are looking for a church which is halfway between liberal and traditional.   The wedding was beautiful, (and the bride was even more beautiful) as all weddings are. Notice the bridesmaids's dresses and the bride herself. Such things are not allowed in the KG church, nor do they have bridesmaid

     This article was updated on March 25, 2019   La Ruta Maya (the Maya route) is an annual canoe race that begins around the 9th of March, a Belizean holiday. It starts in San Ignacio and ends a few days later in Belize City at the mouth of the Belize River. Some of the Mennonites from Spanish Lookout are involved in it by having their own team of paddlers who represent their respective businesess, such as Westrac, Koop Sheet Metal and others. Other Mennonites show up just to watch. The following pictures were taken at Iguana Creek bridge, after the canoes had been into the race about 3 hours.

  Commercial and Industrial Business Expo. The line of vehicles heading to the Expo reminded of a movie called The Walking Dead. People waiting, hungry, tired and impatient.