Fuel your flame

Familia,

I had a great week.

Starting with today. We had a zone activity in which we went to a small town that many tourist go to and had a barbecue and went on some go carts---I love Colombia.

At the end of the go carts I just wanted to call myself speed racer. One of the sister missionaries asked me why I drive so nuts. I told her that it's because I live my life by one rule---no limits. hahaha, jus kiddin, but I dooo love go carts.

We then had a barbecue Colombian style. la carne asada, delicioso.

I learned a lesson as we worked with the firewood grill. We had cooked about 3/4 of the meat and then left to eat. when we went back to the grill it was dying and we had little wood left. The coals were about to go out but I went to work trying to get it started again blowing and fanning the coals, but i couldn't get it to start. Then a strong wind came and ignited the fire. We were able to cook a good share of the meat but eventually the fire burnt all the wood it had. We still had a good share of meat too cook. So we went and looked for some more things to burn. We took some of the ashes from the fireplace, and found a cardboard box to get it started. With the little heat left in the grill and the already burnt ashes and cardboard box we went to work getting it started again. This time with just raw effort fanning and fanning the fire. After fanning the fire for a good time we finally got it to start and we finished cooking the meat.

I see it like this (bare with me!)... We have many goals or missions in life. Some we finish with ease, others we start and about 3/4 of the way through we run out of fuel, wood, and energy. It happens for a variety of reasons, sometimes lack of diligence (leaving to eat before the job is done), lack of preparation (not stalking up enough wood), or sometimes uncontrollable circumstances. But the lesson is that we don't give up until we finish completely our honorable goals and missions.

Sometimes, as our flame starts to dim we will start fanning the flame desperately with little progress. If we follow diligently in the task, a Divine wind will come, and give us the needed push.

Other times we will have to use our minds, look for new ideas and think for ourselves just be creative, and even running around looking for scraps of wood. Then after doing all that we can do, and working the hardest we can with what we know, we can start the fire again.

There was one point when we had the new fuel there to burn, but just a little started flame. The sister of the house taught me that it was because we had put the uncooked wet, meat on and it wasn't letting the fire start. So we painfully took off all the meat that we wanted to eat, and started fanning the fire again. Almost instantly it started to burn, and burn well. We then placed the meat back on the grill and bam! quality steak.

Often, we have all the components of a project ready but the fire doesn't want to start. But we want to eat! Sometimes, we have to take a unwanted step back, work on the basics, and then add everything in at its given time.

Sunday i felt a little discouraged. I started reflecting. I know that I love this work, I understand the utmost importance in what i am doing, so why then was my heart lacking? I learned, that fires will always burn out if we leave them alone with out anything to burn. But if we fuel the flame with all that we can find, God we give us that push, and if we stay at it, we can keep the flame red.

I'm working to have the same flame that Alma had ----

“O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people!
Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.“

I always want to feel this way. I'm going to study more to learn how Alma fueled his fire.

ha. I hope you understood my analogy.

I love you and i wish you success in all your worthy goals and tasks.

fuel your fire,

e. adams