When Nothing Happens . . .

Do you ever have one of those weeks when nothing seems to grab you? You know, nothing special seems to happen, nothing to write home about, so to speak. It's not so bad to have those kinds of weeks, when the pace of life flows normally along. But it's a Bad Idea when you are supposed to be writing a weekly blog. I confess, I am stumped. (Our big event was spraying the yard for ticks) In fact this last week was more outstanding for what didn't happen instead of what did.

Monday afternoons I am supposed to have an individualized class with just two students. Shortly before I was going out the door for class the phone rang. It was one of my students saying that they could not have class that day. (I didn't catch all the reason - not too important anyway.) Wednesday evenings I have another class - around 11 students in this bunch. I drove out to the church for class but no one was there. That's not too surprising. I am usually the only one on time. But this time nobody came -  except the pastor who informed me that no one would probably be showing up because of all the heavy rain. Now I understand that, with the rain the buses don't run on time, the roads are mud, the church is cold. But it is still a little disconcerting when all your students stay home. (If you teach in Bolivia long enough you will have that experience. I remember the first time it happened to me, I was sure that I was a failure and should not be teaching anymore. But, lo and behold, the next class they were there.)

Social conflict is nothing new in Bolivia but we are currently having our share of it again - this time over food prices, wages and bus fares. So there have been strikes and protests going on all around the country. Last Friday was supposed to be a strike. But not even that happened. What's a guy to do who has to write when nothing takes place?

The one big event of the week was our going to Güembé with Daniel and Naomi on Saturday. Güembé, known otherwise as the butterfly garden, is a fun place to go once in a while, and this time was no exception. The water in the pools was a bit cool at first, but the day was pleasant enough and we enjoyed the butterflies, the birds and the water.(We did get in trouble with the lifeguard but that's another story.)

I am glad that God is the God of the mundane as well as the exciting and that he goes with us no matter what the week. So even though it was a non-eventful week and I was not captured by aliens, bitten by snakes or threatened by a wild band of roving terrorists, I was still being kept by the one who goes with us at all times. And that, I suspect, is enough.