What...

The road that has lead us to this point in our lives is a very bendy one.  But that's not what I want to focus on for this post (maybe soon).  Instead, I want to talk a little about what we will be doing in Paraguay. 
When I first told people I had applied to be a missionary, the immediate thought seemed to be that I would be in Africa.  I don't know why people assumed this; perhaps it is my good friend who has been working in Ethiopia for the last 6 years with her family.  Perhaps it is the summer missionary work my Grandmother does through the Catholic church at AIDS orphanages.  Whatever the reason, when I learned that I would be in Paraguay people were a bit shocked.
So, what are we going to be doing in Paraguay?  Well, primarily, we will be working at a youth development camp called Camp Jack Norment (in Spanish, Campamento Jack Norment).  Not a lot of people know my very first and very favorite job ever was at a local park in NC; so I have some experience with this type of work.
I feel I have been very fortunate in this assignment, I have met several people who have been missionaries at the camp.  There are Youtube videos taken by various campers and pictures galore.  So for someone like myself who loves to research (if I had been a boy I would have been an Eagle Scout...I like to be prepared) the wealth of information available has been a great boon. 
The camp sits outside of the second largest city in Paraguay, Caacupe.  The largest Catholic Church in Paraguay is in Caacupe, and I was very worried this would limit the presence of the Disciples of Christ in the area; however, from what I have heard the Camp is a popular meeting location for local youth.  There is a sort of youth group that meets on Saturdays that combines Ecology and Sunday school.  All of this has been very exciting for me since I was a bit worried about whether or not the kiddos would have compatriots in their new community.
In addition to my responsibilities at the Camp, I will also be working with an Inter-denominational organization, Comite de Iglesias Para Ayuda de Emergencia (CIPAE), which monitors human rights in Paraguay.  I understand this organization started its work during the Stroessner regime and has continued by working with the local Indigenous people, the Guarani.  Since I have a degree in Anthropology this is a very exciting proposition for me.  The opportunity to live in, and better understand, another culture is tremendous.  The opportunity to understand various subcultures within a larger culture....ohhh, so exciting.
So, there is it, the basic outline of what I will be doing in Paraguay.  All in all I am so excited.  I never imagined my (incredibly) varied list of life experiences (Animal Care Giver, Asst. Park Ranger, Construction worker, Anthropologist, and etc) would come together in such a way as to seem almost tailor made for such an incredible opportunity.