Mennonites in Belize

 Early this morning BBN reported a Mennonite plane crash landing north of Belmopan, close to More Tomorrow village. The pilot exited the plane moments before it unexpectedly exploded in flames. It was an old single engine biplane used for crop spraying. The pilot was unhurt but the plane was destroyed.

  I write this as a personal opinion only and in no way does this link the Mennonites to Hitler's evil rule or Marxist revolutionaries.   Anyways, among German-speaking "Russian" Mennonites, like the KG and Old Colonists, there seems to be a certain trend, thought or mutual understanding that, as Germans with white skin and fair hair, they are somehow superior to other cultures and races. This actually goes much farther back in time than just here in Belize.   For those of you who enjoy reading historical fiction, you could check out some children's storybooks written by Mennonites such as Henry's Red Sea, The Earth is Round, and  Pig Boy. These books do not discriminate against anyone, they simply yet vividly describe life among the Mennonites in Russia and the characters' words and actions reveal their superiority complex to the Russian locals around them.   One thing is true, during WW2, Russian soldiers had very low morale in their ranks and looted and ...

  It's a fact. As time moves on, so do beliefs and systems and traditions.   Funerals in the German-speaking Mennonite division are calm, quiet affairs compared to the chanting, wailing, and fainting spells typical of other cultures in Belize. Some people consider them rather stoic.   In the KG, Old Order and Old Colony groups, they have their own graveyards within their colonies. Bodies are deposited into the ground and the grave marked with a simple marker. A church service is held before the burial. After the burying is over and guests and visitors have retired, the direct family and other close relatives stay together for a meal. Usually the evening before the funeral a viewing time is given to the public, an hour or 2. Rarely do they offer food or drinks to visitors. The KG and Old Order do some singing.   In the Holdeman and Beachy churches, the North Americans who are temporarily and permanently living here generally just go along with whatever practice the...