Looked like a scene from a bygone era. When these young people are part of a community in present day central america, they belong to a Christian Group known as mennonites, ultra conservative protestants, who issues the modern world. A, a new school house will sit on one side voice on their astonishing passages from the bible in only touching their way at this morning. The youngest children and then in the alphabet i look at the letter. I am pointing to god the older children are reading the new testament, printed in front to a traditional german script and not to history, geography or foreign languages. The bible is the only text book saying, and baden, i teach them to read, saying, pray, recite poetry right here, count. Thats it. The children begin their schooling at age 6 and finish when the 13th long enough to learn the basics. But this is what we learned from when i went to school when the father of my grandfather, one of our with no university, is not an ai. So college or anything studying and practicing and i learning the fighters doing them after he finished school became a blacksmith like his father. He has 20 children. 3 of his 60 grandchildren are peoples in this class. Mennonites, believe children are a blessing, directive, gaunt blue eyed blondes. Abound, originating from germany, the netherlands and switzerland. The mennonites fled europe 250 years ago, and some adventurers settled in central and south america. Devout anabaptist, i strictly adhere to the doctrine of men or siemens, a 16th century, dutch priest. They lead lives full of rigor and discipline. There are over 2000000 mennonites, worldwide, but only a fraction are old order. Mennonites, virtually selfsufficient, they live in settlements with their own schools, churches, and tribes. This isolation shields them from modern day temptations. Now one colony of this secluded community has agreed to be filmed for this documentary. Life in this religious group revolves around the bible. Everything is predetermined right down to the color of their clothes. Years after it is kind of dresses its guns, religion, it will play a different kind of those 2 rules are very strict breaking them can have severe consequences. Sort of go people dont obey the church, we must shun them. But yet the temptations are many a few months ago in france for trying to forbid an object, a smartphone. I know the reality, though is that a few go see there are so many good. Find a serene facade. Some members are rebelling. Theyre challenging. The communitys most fundamental doctrines. Vilhelm is one of the shunned and their mind. Like a cell phone, its made by see it from so uncertain living, nothing are brown on the other hand, is supposed to change. Thats why he and several other families plan to set up a new colony in an even more remote part of the world cause of the amazon at the start and you know that ground being ground 0. So who are the mennonites and why do they flee . One civilization, is it even possible to escape the contemporary world in this state n. H. We take a closer look at one of the 21st centurys most coursed communities our journey begins in central america, on the western edge of the turquoise waters of the caribbean sea. Situated between mexico and guatemala, is the country up from these. The former british colony has an extremely diverse population among us. 8400000 inhabitants. Im a caesar. Those creoles and mine. Most of the mennonites live further inland. Hidden the why in the countryside is little. Billys an old order colony established in the 1970 s. Time seems to have stood still cause after didnt fall strong. Bugsy used to get around. Mennonites, not used to having contact with outsiders going off hostile, but somewhat perturbed by our presence. They dont know what to make of our cameras and some even hide their faces like this woman. Is it possible google you who are you allowed at because people get frightened and young lady for when they get pregnant. So when theyre yeah, because theyre frightened. Theyre not, they do not get used to it. Thats the real conservative mennonites spurn one technology. A few are open minded. Mike france has agreed to talk to us ever here. And i am bracing air the whole of my life to have their tree in somewhere else by a cold cold country. And id like it over again and make the culture and the Retail Experience go and enjoy. What i found is 36 years old. He lives on this song which he built himself in me and he and his wife and his about have 7 children. The 15 year old twins honor and catarina of the eldest daughter is 13 and elizabeth 10 abra ham, and peter 6 and 8. And sara, the youngest is 4 years old. Theyre a typical mennonite family munched, have 7. 00 to 12. 00 children. They live a simple way of life, a few fields, a chicken coop, and a couple of cows are enough to keep the family faint. The girls tend to the lock stock and the little is all dont pour it all on the same side. You put some here and some there to please you. Franz works from home. Hes a mechanic in his workshop. He repairs machinery for customers who are not members of the community here and around 500. 00 a month on average. His daughter catarina finished school 2 years ago since then shes been working with her father on the grow up to do jobs like this had boys big boys and could think she would have to work and the boys would have to do this job. This is probably a job for the boys with the roles in a mennonite household who clearly defined the women take care of the home and they do the cooking, cleaning and laundry. They also so close for the entire family. And that too is governed by strict rules. When elizabeth needs more fabric, she goes shopping. Theres no sign or advertisement to indicate that it is a store and the choices here are limited. This one is too dark for me. This ones pretty nice for the younger girls. The brighter colors are reserved for the younger girls, dresses, the darker fabrics for the married women. The men are to wear straw hats and checked all stripes. By half a meter will 2, everything is precisely specified. As you see, any big difference between these 2. Elisabet only speaks plattdeutsch warlow, german, a dialect used primarily by mennonites, her sister in law. Margaret, however, also speaks english and she fills us in on some of the customs there. Thats where we have learned like that since my parents, my grandparents, great grandparents, they just keep it like that. Its been like that all the time. What were, what you know, you just have to read is kind of dresses thats going to religion. If you do all kind of different clothes, you know, and you know right now, not doing it all up makeup, not in no makeup. No if youre just out. Oh man, its her like that. Where we dont know like a house. You have to material for 2 dresses and a shirt for what amounts to 8 euros. Theres no excessive spending. Mennonites, little of so austere, its almost monastic void of distractions. No music, no sports, and no television. The closest they come to a moment of leisure is in church. Every sunday we were asked not to film their way a Community Leader has agreed to meet and talk with us. William is Something Like the colonies, man. He too has 7 children in order to give us a better understanding of their believes. He invites us to his home for dinner. The only source of light is a single oil lamp. The house has no electricity. The furnishings the sparse, there are no pictures on the walls, only the bare minimum. Let us pray. The girls sit on both sides of the table while william sits at the head and his son at the other end of the meal is eaten in silence. Its a practice mennonite, so followed for centuries. Tonights dinner consists of bins of vegetable soup and sausages life as it was lived in the 19th century. If you really do with long history bible says that to be accepted into heaven, you were not allowed to have any modern things like t. V. s telephones, computers, or cars or were taught to renounce modernity. When certain people did not want to obey the church, very much shunned that they could no longer take part in the community life. Already in mind, only 150 met on the no is explicit. I think you abide by the rules or you were banished from the community. A lot has changed since the mennonites came in, founded a colony here half a century ago. This used to be nothing but jungle. Now the colony is spread out over a 100 square kilometers and post nearly 3000. 00 inhabitants. When they built roads, they paved the way for the development. In spite of their respect for the doctrine, some believers find modern conveniences hard to resist. For france, it all began when he had to buy a farm for work, but hes taking a huge response, showing it to us when they saw for yourself things of years ago that i feel very guilty very they know their reality is enough. You see there are so many good ones and france discovered the internet and i love the music. The rhythm of country and western radically changed. His familys life was on me and very, very fascinated. They really like their new life. Its a new life style for us. If we really had there is any music show, it could levers have any of them. And then abruptly france, which is off the spine. Theres some one time rather is coming off. Hide your for now. This ones for my brother, you have really, but i dont like to see them mad. If they dont see the point, it will be more happy to me that maybe in the future they will start to know more about the reality. France has to be careful even around his brother if anyone finds out that he has a phone. The risks, communication is what happened to him. He used to provide medical care for the families here. He lives next to to france. Kind of surgery to sit down here and sit down here and then have a speech and then the probe would probably pay and then there are the men i would have them there. Dont cover them up, schachter all the people from the king here and yet. Oh yeah. Preacher said, you know, 20 years was the colonies lay, doctor has no formal training. His mother was a nurse, and he taught himself by studying medical textbooks. He bought a fine in order to save lives and i felt like i had to have it because there were so many accidents and you then i felt like an obligation to coddle a taxi or to call on the doctors or i said that was so useful for me and i had it then and they were complaining about that and they wanted me tole told lose it. And i said no that decision cost him dearly because he broke the rules. He lost everything that they then knew that they with excommunicate me. The day before, i would say i had about other least 60 patients at least 60 that went on the whole day up cold, late in the night. The next day got excommunicated. No one comes again. So that stops from 60 to overnight to 0. Since his expulsion will, has been shunned by the community, these days he sells time as an hours drive from home. He decided to found a new non conformists congregation within the conservative community. Mennonites, behind the wheel of a pickup trucks, a surprising size. They belong to the dozens of families that now attend the new church. From all appearances, lees believe is still seem to abide by the traditional mennonite codes of conduct. But on closer inspection, there are undeniable signs of change. Even from the pulpit. The sermon is read from a smartphone. There is no bible to be sane. Great read all the gospel of matthew. The 11 disciples went to galilee to the mountain where jesus had sent them. When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubt it. Vilhelm instigated the construction of the new church. Oh yeah. Because music is only what its not allowed to drink and all that. What, what, what this Development Troubles more traditional mennonites, they believe that souls have been lost. As one of those traditionalists, hes joining several other families who decided to leave police to set up a new colony in peru. One that small blue to the old order. Like that more traditional and a community so that they will be more more more. I dont know exactly how to explain, but the people are more conservative. More people together are brahma family will embark on a new adventure with his wife and 7 children, even though hes invested a lot in his life here in little police. So this is the house what i had to 1st find. So now. d i want to live it, so let 4 out of people can get there. Now if they want to change or have a better one so they can put a new one. So thats how im thanking now. And i want to sell it for everything and the land for our brand prove represents the promise of an even better life. The 1st like here, it sounds like its everything at sounds better to work here. Having, having more, more like more people and who would buy us art a widget beings and all the things what we produce, they will buy more so we could sell more of what we produce that will make our more happy. Are those moving to caring for the departure that in town selling much to physicians how much for the set of balls going for 5 dollars, 2 dollars 54 dollars or higher on fire . Oh yeah. Code needs to sell as much as he can with that would be a trash can or a casserole dish. Everything im selling, whatever i cant take with me. Ok, im selling the house. All the furniture, all the things we used every day. Were taking as our buggy, the rest will be sold if its already here, but not every dollar counts. The money will go toward constructing the new colony. The auction last the whole day. One thing after lunch to take to farming equipment 11 families to share in space and cost of a shipping container. Lets take this over there. Yeah, there is a lot. We have to approach everything together and to get it together and tell it fits only their most precious possessions. Well might a trip to peru that includes tractors and machinery needed to clear roads. The country had a few things. Theyre not big farmers and in the country. So thats why we think about we can carrot cheaper. We have it here. And we carried over there. Its cheaper than we buy it from brazil or anywhere 1st of billys city then by boat. Yes. By boat. Right. The container will arrive 2 months after they do. There isnt much room left but opera and has a surprise in store for his wife. Hes going to take their marriage bed. The only reminder of the past life is the bed so that we have it ready at once. Your wife liked it, so yeah, my way i want that to keep their feet. She want to keep the beds. So she will be happy there. Not lose everything. Should lose that, they got money, but not lose everything you need. Its the evening before the departure family is feeling apprehensive, especially his wife elena, america. It will be difficult. There. We had everything here. We have to start all over again. At the moment their biggest fear is the flight. No one has been on an airplane before at times. Are you afraid of flying . Not yet, but i dont know how ill feel when i have to board. And you have and how do you feel about going through that . Im really excited really. Is it a . Yes, i cant wait. Well see who gets on the plane 1st. I dont want to be 1st. And youre still the time has come for the family to guy. Its a great moment. The biggest one when i have ever had in my life, i kleiman boys parents want to see them off. Its not easy for his mother. This is the 1st time one of her children has left the colony. Yeah, you know, dont worry, everythings going to be fine. Its all under control question. Im still anxious. I understand. But only good bye and safe journey to visit us. Maybe in april of next 3 hours later they arrive at pierre port in billys city. Theyre the 1st of the group to get there. This is where the adventure truly begins. Is the 1st time what i am taking the plane for thats way telling my children. Now and within 43 years, i want to go with the plane. So now my children all day, ill be all they can go, but with together a long driveway. Yeah. Yeah. And there are when i would go and i will go. So its going to be great. The rest of the group of also arrived 7 families, 53. 00 people in total. They were all born one way. Tickets. No one plans to return its time to say goodbye. Parents came to the airport to make the most of the last few moments with the family. There are no hoggs book uses. A simple handshake suffices. Everyone appears calm and composed but im brehms. Mama caught quite a back richie is she doesnt know if shell ever see her son or grandchildren again in the taking a huge leap into the unknown. But the challenges begin with the escalator. Bug. Me they are you scared me neither. This is fun. Its a bit shaky. Our problem seems excited, but his wife ellen not is a little anxious. Whats that clouds clouds . Yes. Clouds were flying over clouds. I was wondering why there was so much smoke. A journey will take 24 hours after a stopover in panama. They arrived in lima, the capital of peru, while waiting for their final flight to pull copa. If you can keep their eyes open. But no one has slept much since they left belize. Made the lazy, lazy on a long trip in the sprawling group of men and anstice not go unnoticed. The air force employee who checks in their luggage is curious. She knows where theyre headed and i ask them about it. But why are you going to put culpa . We want to work there, work ok. And if we bought land there and for good it was and were going to work at it. If this is what will you grow . Because it will grow corn beans saw a melon you cumbers peppers and tomatoes on and will keep chickens. Where will your children go to school . Its pretty. Are you sure you get any feedback and that will build a school . There isnt one there yet, but well build one investor pay me that you can have it seems im surprised that i didnt think it was possible to live out there, but im happy for you that there was nothing and it surprised they dont know you or they had a little a lot of people, they are surprised, they didnt know that about us and for the asking for where are you coming, where you want to go. So what, what happens, whats going on . Because they dont know, you know, and they dont know is did look people son, but they sometimes if they think about travelling but but not so im a grope so many of the group on so many baggage. The mennonites take the 3rd and final flight. This ones to conquer a town northeast of lame. Its close to the amazon rainforest. They have traveled nearly 3500 kilometers. Upon arrival, a few, mostly taxis awaiting the mennonites as something of an attraction here too. Theres a row over here. With the Largest Court in the region is the gateway to the amazon. The city has around 200000. 00 inhabitants vendors from the surrounding villages come here to sell their goods. The opera is delighted and karen looks up such bright looks happy, beautiful. Yet here theres a look. Oh and they look nice and looks so it looks like dad, you know, lots of moments. Yeah. And that, that all of its been here. Ive looked out for lunch alone and its all right here. I think here we can work like we how we like to because i see the people is moving and lots and lots of people thought will be a day different than in the least because bill is so poor and so little that people on everything tight just the fast boats leave from their brand has no time to loose lips, police with a 1000000000 minimum. So he needs to plant a few supplies. People heading into the rainforest, but 1st he has to change money. Cant say, come and count the dollars. This is our primes in time savings, 30 years of work. Now hes investing it all in his future. But we sell our shares some whatever, what they sell on the auction sale and they get their money and then they change it for buying things more by wire land or open my land opera house a total of 18000. 00 u. S. Dollars. Not much to start a new life. Thats why the group feistiness info to save money. 1st thing on the list mattresses. Dont let me get all together because all 10 and i have a different price. Thats why we are all together going and buying things. Thats not why this one is hard. It would be like sleeping on the ground, like that the day is drawing to an end in part, but work has just begun. Tomorrow he will take an exploratory expedition to the new colony. I send apples apples, vitamins, come and get your app, owes me everything has reserved a seat on the 1st go to tea at atlanta, the last milledge before the company yon, another member of the group is accompanying him. The trip would take 2 days on a tributary of the amazon to go and have fun, but he was quite content, but playing on monitoring every day of the day that everything but this is a few hours later. There are no more buildings and signs. Nothing but long stretches of forest. But that doesnt trouble. Abra. On the contrary. To the park, thats what i like basketball, but i like what i like. Thats what it is right now. That looks like it was drawn on our book, a crow picked out of our lunch bag or under the car up to 48 hours on the post op from his nearly reached his personal paradise. Were almost there. Yes, not far. Know how much longer about half an hour, but theres more to come on bremen, your hand take and not that much smaller boat. Its the only way to reach the new. Hi, im deep in the heart of the amazon. Hardly anyone traversed says the river at this point, and once they touch land, its still not over. Theyve got another 90 minutes on the a muddy bumpy road. You hear that at one point johanan are brown, have to get out and porsche still nothing can dampen operands. Enthusiasm of the road is very difficult, but they have, they could change if they change the baseline to work well, you have to do everything else. Everything you have to start anew. Thats from studying found 0. To 2 hours. The 1st house comes into view. It was built by the 6 men in my time, this is 73 year old guy give me we finally found your hello welcome. Like thats enough. Luckily we could take the road. Otherwise, wed have had to walk and thats nothing compared to how it was when we came with all our luggage around 50 men are not sleeping here, all and around in the middle of the jungle. Without electricity, all Running Water is not to be done. And his family will have to live in tents before they are able to build a house, and there are all of one. Will it be finished . He says one way he have work maybe 3 days more and then he ready just 2 weeks to build a house mennonites, a seasoned carpenters, and they know how to make the most of what them the people and the least lot of time. And they say, oh, how could that happen, that we dont go to school and they do love Different Things than they do. And how could it be . But they say, we say we work on the farm on a farm. We dont go to school, we go to school on the farm. A little deeper in the forest opera, musi his own plot of land for the 1st time. Hes waiting to hear this moment disappear again. If you like this. Yes, is there my piece of land here . Yes or no. This is how we how we 1st. Open. This is the bush right now we will go inside and there i could show you how it will make my house. Its the land ive always dreamed of. Our promise 1st instinct is to reach down and grab a handful of town men to plant carrots. All of us for just saw the very good the one side it will be going on. And on our side there will be us out there and the vegetables will be here front and on the yard front yard. So and people are calm on the scene. There it is, a yard and freddie way to tell is our carry, happy day. The day after this is when he wants to create a new Mennonite Community based on old water traditions. Thanks here. We will be even more isolated the unborn helpful morning and everything it will be more together. People are living in a years time and the 40000 years will be a time here around 300 people in the amazon, it may be the last refuge for the many nights. Elegant lifestyle. Talian fashion design, brand where the high quality textiles transformed into new sash. This esteemable idea recently won the label the Green Fashion award. Now we meet the incident. Youre about 30 minutes on d. F. W. Massive drama competition viable marketing numbers, atmosphere color, fight at sight, intuition, love money, fans, friends, files, fans and friends on you tube. Joining us is for me just for his 1st beethoven is for beethoven, is for every one beethoven 2020, 5th anniversary, here on d w. This is d. W. News live from berlin. Fears mount of a wider conflict in the field. As refugee numbers grow, the government accuses rebel forces in the northern tikrit region of firing rockets into other parts of the country. Also coming up, u. S. President s, donald trump, makes his 1st public remarks in more than a week. But he refuses to concede the election saying time will tell who takes office in january