Homestead Acres, Esperanza

-
  

  Alright, I learned a bit more about the Beachy Mennonite congregation at Esperanza village in the western Cayo District. Most people nowadays no longer call it by its mission name, Homestead Acres, so when the spokesperson first referred to that I was perplexed. According to him, it began as a mission base established in the 1970's by white missionaries from the US. The decades rolled by and it became a permanent congregation as locals from the area were converted to the Mennonite faith; there were also some Old Order Mennonites from Pilgrimage Valley who joined the Beachy in fellowship. 
  Right next to the church is a poultry operation owned by Caribbean Chicken, a poultry packing and processing company based in Blue Creek, a modern Plautdietsch Mennonite colony in northern Belize. It used to be Kratzer's Poultry because it was started by the Kratzer brothers, members of a conservative Amish Mennonite church, but in 2003(5) it was purchased by Caribbean Chicken.
  Not that long ago, perhaps about 15 or 20 years ago, a Conservative Mennonite (somewhat different from the Beachy) mission school was started in Santa Elena, within a mile from the Beachy church. Over time it also became an established church with both locals and North Americans who migrated here. 
  I grew up in a Holdeman Mennonite church, and I still remember when in my early teen years we would go Christmas carolling to members of both Beachy and Conservative churches. We would stand and sing while the missionaries looked down from their 2 story house. Sometimes we would receive sweet treats such as cookies and cakes, other times they joined us in singing.


                                                        A. Mendoza

Popular posts from this blog

Mennonite Foods

-
Image
         The Old Colony, Kleine Gemeinde, and Old Order have a diet which mainly consists of homemade bread, cottage cheese, noodles, pork, potatoes, and stewed beans. Milk is used in many of their meals, such as casseroles and faspa foods. Some dishes from the Plautdietsch groups are:   nuddelsuppe:  noodle soup made with home-made noodles    werenaki:  (perogies see picture above ) made of pockets of flour with  glums  (cottage cheese) filling,  schmaunfat  (white gravy made of flour, milk and black pepper), and  formavorscht  (pork sausage). The perogies are then boiled and served. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try out Plautdietsch foods although I prefer the fried ones.  Cheesy or creamy casseroles: often it will contain meat and cream with potatoes or macaroni   borscht:  a vegetable soup with bits of meat sometimes added to it    Clops: patties from either ground m...
Read more

Mennonites and Music

-
   Music, the comfort of the soul, the way of sin to some, a sign of true worship to others.   Within the Mennonite family in Belize music to some degree is used or listened to, with each branch viewing it based on their understanding of the Bible.                          The Kleine Gemeinde   Used to consider any musical instrument as wrong. But after acapella recorded music was approved, it introduced a need for tape recorders, then slowly over the years other instruments were approved. Church singing is still acapella, and radio and TV are still not accepted. However, instruments such as violins (which is often played by KG youth girls) and guitars are used during youth singing, community concerts, and personal entertainment or family singing. The organ is also used sometimes in such events.       The Beachy and Conservative Mennonites     Also sing acapella style dur...
Read more

Mennonite Houses

-
Image
 Mennonites in Belize have become famous for their custom-built wooden "Mennonite houses". The two main  house builders in the country,  Plett's Home Builders and Linda Vista Lumberyard , both located in Spanish Lookout, have become reknowned for their prefabricated houses which are built in Spanish Lookout and shipped countrywide. Houses are built from lumber or colored sheet metal and prices will vary of course based on the amount of details a customer wants. A small house with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and kitchen may cost you an estimated US$12,000 to US$15,000. (Check directly with the company for up-to-date pricing and delivery fees.)    A "Mennonite house", custom built by Plett's Home Builder's; photo via Facebook   Plett's Home Builders offers both metal and wood siding with a variety of porch and window designs. Linda Vista, which is just down the road from Plett's, also offers excellent building options. Also inside Spanish Lookout i...
Read more