Playing hooky

That's what Mother Nature and our investigators have been doing for most of the week. Just as spring was about to break, Mother Nature in essence said "I don't like big cities, so I'll give you a mild winter, and then just as you are all putting your coats back into storage, I'll give you a week's worth of that winter again! Haha!" Thus, I've been using my big coat the past few days.

We haven't been able to contact one pair of investigators for a week now but we managed to get a lesson with one of our newer investigators. She is willing to meet, and has actually been looking for a church ever since she came to New York, but we are also getting the feeling that she wants help with getting a green card as well. She has already been asking all the deaf people she knows where she can go to a deaf church, and they all keep telling her "the Broadway church" (Catholic) without specifying where it is or offering to take her there. We know which one they are referring to, but we gave her our deaf church card and explained how to come. Hopefully we will see her this Sunday.

General Conference this past weekend was amazing, and helped fortify my testimony of the divine calling of our church leaders. I especially liked Elder Stevenson's talk on priesthood keys, and know that official authority from God is required to run His church. President Nelson also had a wonderful priesthood session address on magnifying our priesthood power which gave me much to think about. This is the last one I have here in the field, and for all I know I could be sitting in the conference center for the next one in October.

Probably our most effective teaching skill is figuring out the language someone is using, and then using those same terms back to them. There are often times when someone is signing about a concept or using unique signs, that when we sign with our standard New York accent, they look like they get it, but really don't. You really have to match them as best you can. It is also rather hard to connect with many deaf people because most missionaries are white, from the west, hearing, and lifelong members, so we get credibility by telling them we have a full deaf congregation of converts where they can come and actually see the church in action. Always fun.

Love you all,

Elder Ryan Turner
New York New York North Mission
American Sign Language