Mennonites in Belize

    Beat: My Journey Through Abuse and the Holdeman Mennonites   While this book is not historically related to the Mennonites in Belize, phsychologically it is something that other Mennonites, no matter which branch, can relate to but due to religious and cultural beliefs prefer to keep silent. The author shares her experience of physical and sexual abuse that were directed at her while a young girl in the Holdeman (Church of God in Christ) Mennonite church in the US. It is not the first time the Holdeman Mennonite church has been in the spotlight regarding sexual abuse; some years ago there were one or two scandals concerning this very issue. Yet there are more victims out there who refuse to speak out of fear of church shunning or worse yet, out of fear of being singled out for harsh criticism and lose support from family and friends.   Regarding the Holdeman church: the doctrine of the "one true church" playing a key role in their system, it happens that certain ...

      Fountain of Life is a charismatic church in Spanish Lookout which was formed about two decades ago and was originally held in a building on the same yard as Plett's Home Builder. A new much bigger church building was constructed a few years ago on Route 35 West, very close to EMMC. Due to the size of the building and the parking lot, it is occasionally rented out for large events such as weddings or other performances. The grounds also have several other buildings where other ministries hold encounters, summer Bible schools, etc.   As mentioned above, they hold to charisma, e.g. speaking in tongues, gifts of healing and prophesying, dancing as part of worship. Having left the conservative and traditional Mennonite beliefs, this congregation is very open and receptive of other ethnicities. In fact there are Mestizo ("spanish") individuals who have left their home churches and joined this one. Services are in English but translation is available   We used to...

      See above a short video documentary about the history and products of Plett's Home Builder's, a popular house-building company in Spanish Lookout. In addition to pre-fabricated houses they also have an electronics department which is known country wide for its affordable mobile devices. You can contact them directly  here . Or via phone at 501-823-0398. Note: This blog and its author are not associated in any way with the above company; however, housing is a subject that many of my readers are keenly interested in.                                                               A. Mendoza

      A group of Kleine Gemeinde young singles and couples completed a  singing tour by singing in the evening at  UCM , a Conservative Mennonite church in Santa Elena. (when I use the word  Conservative with a capital C, I am referring to a branch of the Mennonite faith). Songs were in English and Plautdietsch. However, the choir itself was bigger than the number of people who attended. Later I learned that some other members of the congregation did not attend due to the early curfew and concern that such a large group in a small building might draw unnecessary attention from police. Whatever the case, the singing was beautiful and afterwards refreshments were served.                                                        A. Mendoza

      A video documentary posted by Channel 5 in 2019 has placed Spanish Lookout in the spotlight once again... this time on a very positive note. Read the story  here .                                           A. Mendoza                                 

      I grew up a Kleine Gemeinde Mennonite in Spanish Lookout, although my parents grew up Old Colony from Shipyard. As time went by our family left the rigid Kleine Gemeinde and began attending charismatic services in different areas around Spanish Lookout. These churches welcomed anyone from any color or culture to join them. From wearing plain modest dresses with my long hair in braids to tiny shorts and  spaghetti tops  with my hair cut off like Dora the explorer. It was a major transformation and yet our family found something that we never could find in the Kleine Gemeinde church: freedom. Since we were not allowed to attend the KG school anymore, we switched over to a private but very modern Mennonite school. I had Spanish and Creole fellow students and became more used to interacting with people of different backgrounds. I began to wonder what it would be like to leave my family and join a completely foreign culture.   Suddenly, one of my parents p...

 Above is a  video  that was posted on Channel 5; a young Mennonite lady doctor from Spanish Lookout who spent years abroad studying for a medical degree and now works at a health center here in Belize, was interviewed and shares her concern about the Covid virus. She is one of the few Mennonites who takes the Covid threat seriously and favors the vaccine. Instead of spending a few hours watching Youtube videos to convince herself, this young woman passionately pursued her dream of being a doctor in order to help her fellow Belizeans. This interview comes at a time when the modern Mennonite colony of Spanish Lookout finds itself in hot water for famously disregarding Covid-19 regulations; both community residents and government officials are stepping carefully around each other, especially since Spanish Lookout is a major commercial hub and has monopolized certain branches of the country's economy. So for this woman to actually step out from her culture and contradict her...

      It was a bright, sunny day. A gentle rain had fallen earlier in the morning. I headed out to Reimer's Feed Mill, the place where the farm auction sale was being held. (Here is a  video  of part of the event.) As expected, there were different types of Mennonites from across the country gathered there. Quality Poultry had their tents up, selling food and drinks. Customers, mostly men, milled about inspecting items and meeting old friends. The bidding had already begun. One or two government officials were present. Everything felt normal, looked normal, seemed normal. Dozens of people without masks, not much social distancing, no police... at first. Except for a few Mennonites with masks under their chin and non-Mennonites with masks under their noses, it could have been the year 2019BC (before coronavirus). I left after a few minutes.   The following is an account given to me by a friend:   Well, the crowd continued to grow and the biddi...

  This is the updated version of an article first published in 2017. The original article has been removed.   The language of the Mennonites in Belize is a curious mixture of Plautdietsch, English, Spanish and Creole. For some, a combination of all these is their only known language. Among the ethnic or "Russian" Mennonites, Plautdietsch (a dialect of German), is the traditional language.          Old Colony     The Plautdietsch spoken in northern Belize by the traditional Old Colony Mennonites is still largely untainted by Spanish or English words. Interestingly, for many of them especially the men, Spanish is their second language. Plautdietsch and High German are the only two languages used in their schools and churches; when it comes to curriculum, the Bible and memorization are the only options, hence fluent English is rarely heard in this group; usually they revert to a sort of  pidgin dialect when dealing with English-speaking no...