Mennonites in Belize

     Springfield colony, a community of Hoover Mennonites in the northeast Cayo District, is springing up and out. According to a farmer of that village, they have recently purchased a small tract of land to the north, near Beaver Dam bridge by St. Matthews village. The colony now numbers around 40 families which led them to consider immigrating to Suriname but when that failed they decided to search for land in Mexico however due to certain reasons they decided to remain in Belize.   For the record, these Hoover Mennonites (commonly mistaken for "Amish") are different than the "Russian" Mennonites such as the Kleine Gemeinde and Old Colony in that they are much more conscious of their responsibility towards the land and do not clear out large tracts of land at one time. Firstly because having too much farm land available leads to pride, greed, and materialism second because they do not believe in using any motorized equipment which means that plowing and other fiel...

     I first tasted it 18 years ago.    Last month I tried again. Honestly. I vowed to conquer my fear of cheese or any dairy product for that matter. I believed 2025 would be the year I would become fully Plautdietsch ("Russian") Mennonite since I am married to one and resolved, so help me, that I not only could but would eat werenaki  or perogies, folded pockets of boiled flour dough with cottage cheese filling and a white schmauntfat accompanied by a tasty piece of formavarscht.   I served myself a helping of it. The cheese... ok, let's just say mission accomplished for now. I'm good for another 18 years. Somebody reccomended I try the fried werenaki . Thanks, Sis. I will.   There's other Plautdietsch dishes I look forward to. One of my favorites is salted fryjacks with watermelon...uh, I mean rebus mat rollkuchen, homemade buns spread with butter and a bowl of noodle soup. Occasionally, I eat somma borsch. Mennonite News View Blog   ...

     The cool wind created ripples on the placid waters which created a distorted yet uniquely beautiful and breathtaking reflection of the setting sun. Quality time being my love language, I simply sat with folded hands and observed both the lake and the pedestrians while wondering why it is so difficult for many individuals in my generation to sit for more than 5 minutes without pulling out their phones. (Perhaps for me it's because several years ago we completely left Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat and 1 or 2 others and vowed, so help us, that we would never return to them. We have never regretted that decision or had any doubts about it.) I had mine along for a clock and communication, not for wasting valuable time on it.   Valuable time such as noticing that the sun had shifted farther north since last week. A Guatemalan cattle truck was parked across the pasture and I overheard faint snatches of the conversation. I caught a whiff of a pig barn then the s...

     Commonly yet mistakenly referred to as "Amish" due to the men's bushy beards, the women's black bonnets, and the Pennsylvania Dutch dialect, this sect of traditional and conservative Mennonites in the foothills of the Maya Mountains in southern Belize may not attract converts to their church but they certainly draw inquisitive visitors to their colonies. Although more tolerant of other races than their Plautdietsch-speaking "Russian" Mennonite counterparts such as the Old Colony of Shipyard or the Kleine Gemeinde of Spanish Lookout, their communities have still remained small by Mennonite standards. Springfield is the most popular one for visitors. The others in Red Bank, Roseville and Birdwalk are smaller and therefore not as widely known.   How does this group view courtship and what is their practice in regards to seeking a life companion? Rather than write it down, I will let 2 of these ex-Hoover Mennonites explain what their dating practices are li...

  The Shining Star clinic was destroyed by fire,                Spanish Lookout Also known as "Mennonite beer" View from FB trailers A US/Canadian style home Future site of a modern church building for one of the   Kleine Gemeinde congregations A Mennonite choir in Santa Elena Linda Vista Shopping Center in Blue Creek A motorcycle and pickup crash in Spanish Lookout Spanish Lookout funeral home Students perform at Fusion Church Harmony Mennonite Choir Mowers on display at Universal Hardware Koop Sheet Metal in the evening on Iguana Creek Road The "Green Hills" area of Spanish Lookout A motorcycle went for a dive at Baking Pot ferry crossing A motorcycle accident in Blue Creek Cast aluminum products in Shipyard Mennonite News View Blog                 A. Mendoza

  At Universal Hardware customers are greeted with smiles and a cheerful "hello"   I hired a Mennonite girl to go shopping with me several months ago. The purpose? To tour the different stores and businesses in the Mennonite community of  Spanish Lookout in order to discover the best customer service in the colony. Actually I did not exactly hire this girl. I persuaded her to join me.   We were not able to visit certain of  the churches since they are only open on Sundays and now and then in the evenings. But...but...churches are not businesses, right?  Right! However if you attended some of these churches you would think otherwise.   So we leisurely wandered in and out of stores, asking random questions and glancing at each other when the dust on the display shelves was so thick we could trace letters with our fingers. In one store items were in decidedly chaotic yet somehow organized mess. Packages were crumpled and labels yellowed and faded. Another...

       Who will be the first to arrive?  was the question on everyone's mind last week as the community of Spanish Lookout officially inaugerated its very own funeral home. Located on Rt 35 West and made of glass and concrete, it is a building that now finally became reality. In the past the bodies were stored in a refrigerated trailer from the until the day of the funeral. Actually, based on the contractor, a few weeks ago he was asked if bodies could already be stored there but he refused because the building wasn't properly finished. Mennonite News View Blog                            A. Mendoza