After that little adventure, we came to the apartment and started pounding down mini pizzas and handfuls of cereal to prepare ourselves for the fast we had planned for today. After my stomach was satisfied and teeth were brushed, somehow someone got the idea that eating ghost peppers would be fun (our bishop grows spicy peppers so he always makes sure we have some on hand). So, we ate a ghost pepper. IT WAS REALLY HOT. To soothe the burning in throat, we were shoving Activia yogurts and bread down our mouths. Unfortunately, although that helped with the burning, it was too much food in our bellies in too short of a time span! Anziano Lilly went to the bathroom and barfed it all back up, but I fell asleep with a spicy mouth and bloated belly last night.
On that note, I want to tell you guys about the conference with Elder Holland! It was an incredible. Going into the conference, I was half expecting him to call down hell-fire on us all or to blow our minds with a new scriptural concept that was recently revealed to him. However, during his time with us, it felt kind of like a mash-up of his talks. There were many things phrased very similarly to the way he has phrased them in genera conference talks. That being said, it was a very spiritual experience for me and I walked away with a resolve to become better in a couple aspects of my life.
I really appreciated when Elder Holland emphasized the importance of the work that we are doing right now. But, the thing that stood out to me the most was when he was talking about the Holy Ghost. He mentioned that he thinks we take the Gift of the Holy Ghost too lightly. "If we had Jesus as our companion every day, would we change anything about what we do during the day? The Holy Ghost is the third member of the GOD HEAD and we need to act that way!" I've been thinking a lot about his words and I totally agree. All of us have received the Holy Ghost after our baptism, but "having the companionship of the spirit" for me has often been the warm, fuzzy feeling I get when watching a Mormon message or reading a cute story from a general conference talk.
I've been hearing the atheistic argument quite a bit lately that spirituality is simply an emotional state. When I don't put my life in the degree where the Holy Spirit can be with me and when I'm not seeking after the gift I was promised at baptism, the Holy Ghost in essence becomes an emotional state because it's not changing me in any way. I've had quite a few experiences that I often share with investigators and ward members about times I was guided or comforted by the Spirit, but that kind of heavenly assistance is going to be something that I'm going to diligently strive for on a more regular basis in my life.
There are times where I KNOW that my mind has been inspired by a thought that wasn't my own and I want to recognize that more often. Elder Holland mentioned that he believes we aren't seeing miracles as often as we could because we aren't putting our lives in line with where the miracles happen. I know that's true because I know Elder Holland is a prime example of someone that has used his earthly life to some of his full capacity. He has overcome many aspects of the natural man as he has implemented strict obedience into his life and has relied on the third member of the Godhead during times of trial, question, or doubt.
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