Book excerpt: BEFORE THE INCEPTION of charitable organizations for impoverished people globally, the Mennonite Central Committee was an early innovator for overseas development. Pax (Latin meaning peace) was one of its programs designed specifically for volunteer single men of draft age. This is a story of one man’s journey as heavy equipment operator with training in Texas and Peru, then to Paraguay building roads. In a unit of five, he worked to connect Paraguay’s most isolated Caucasian settlements to the outside world. Along the way, he experienced high-flying adventures, met curious Paraguayan locals and learned some life lessons lost to many young men. Part memoir and part history, this is an account about the power of faith, the virtue in productive work and the rewarding consequences of dedication to the ideal of serving humankind.