Mennonites in Belize

 Here's some good news for church goers. The government of Belize has rolled back the mandate concerning church buildings. Earlier this month the regulation stated that only fully vaccinated people could attend church services with the pastors expected to ensure that the members are following the mandate. But the prayers arising from thousands of Belizean Christians at home and abroad has softened the heart of the Prime Minister to the point where he decided that the vaccination mandate would not be forced on churches. Or perhaps there's simply another trick up his sleeve which will slip out sooner or later. Whatever the case, the new regulation that permits churches to allow unvaccinated people to attend will be officially released in writing next week. Update: there will be no official written statement from the government. The word will simply be passed from the authorities down to the police; a rather sloppy way but it is what it is. Nov. 8.    An official written reg...

   At the top of the list is... 1. Be brutally honest in your speech. Even if it's your own blood brother or sister in the Lord or your pastor, when you gotta speak, say it bluntly, say it without tact, say it like it is. No softener needed. Yes it's gonna hurt, but after all, it's the only way and it ended up turning jungle into pasture, swamp into cornfield, hills into processing plants, and mud into paved roads. 2. Be frugal. Do you really need that Coke? Is that mobile device necessary? True, there are Mennonites who carry this frugality to an extreme point where they would rather lose a finger than a dollar and their children go with threadbare clothes when better could easily be afforded. This would appear more of a vice than a virtue in my opinion. But in general, being frugal coupled with Biblical principles is something practiced by many Mennonites. 3. Be committed to whatever you start, be practical about it. Sometime ago I observed a five year old Mennonite boy e...

   If. That's the key word. IF the number of cases and deaths go down by the end of October, then the government is promising to begin lifting certain restrictions. As of right now some changes in the regulations which will be implemented soon are that contact sports will be allowed but... only fully vaccinated people may participate. Land borders may be opened... also for vaccinated people only.   And on a more disturbing note: churches will be allowed to open for services but only at 50% capacity and only fully vaccinated people can attend. So will there be a policeman at each church building every Saturday or Sunday checking vaccination cards? What about Pentecostals who have worship services every night of the week and then Sunday morning? And who will be the one to check that exactly FIFTY percent of the building's capacity is being used? Will a contractor also be hired to calculate the square feet available for each person? No, according to the government, the one ...

    Here is a neat  channel with lots of interesting content. Learn about rice farming, stretching your dollars and ingredients with baking, and cooking tasty Belizean dishes. The videos will help you see how some Belizeans have intertwined the Mennonite faith with their own ethnic customs which is something I personally experienced. So check out her channel, subscribe and enjoy learning about Belize and Mennonites at the same time.                                    A. Mendoza

        See  above  a video of rice farmers in southern Belize. The Mennonites featured in this channel are from a Conservative branch of the Mennonite religion. To know more about them, click  here .                                 A. Mendoza

     See  above  a recent video about 7 of the most common questions about Belize right now.                                                                              A. Mendoza

   Last week  YouTube announced a massive crackdown on anti-vax and anti-Covid information. One of my YouTube videos was removed due to this. I will also be editing other articles so that Google doesn't remove them.                                           A. Mendoza

      The country's biggest retail supermarket and hardware combined, Farmer's Trading Center in the Mennonite colony of Spanish Lookout, will be holding its annual sale event on the 22nd and 23rd of this month (Friday and Saturday). So mark your calendars, save your money, and come check out the incredible deals available on those days. Also make sure to wear a mask, sanitize your hands, and practice social distancing.   Normally the annual sale day is held on the 3rd Saturday of October, attracts people from all over the country, and for that day only, the store is open from 7:15AM to 8PM while a section of the parking lot is converted into a food mall with various types of meals being sold throughout the day. The employee parking garage is used to hold an auction sale of old items, damaged goods, and odds and ends of inventory. As nighttime falls, families from surrounding communities turn out for a once-in-a-year opportunity to eat, drink, and shop after 5PM at F...

   A wave of shock and murmur of disbelief is rippling through the Mennonite colonies and throughout the Christian community in general after the government announcement this afternoon. After a suffocating two-week lockdown , the Ministry of Health is partially lifting some of the restrictions. However, the two "new" regulations which have been met with dismay and frustration are the church mandate and restaurants restrictions.   The official statement makes it clear that certain restaurants and other eating establishments may reopen for indoor dining at 50% capacity but only for fully vaccinated  customers. This is sure to cause controversy with Mennonite restaurants in Spanish Lookout and Blue Creek, especially those with a monopoly on the food business such as Western Dairies and Quality Poultry Products, since the government had earlier said that proof of vaccination would only apply to government-owned buildings after it had scaled back its mandatory vaccine req...