It goes on

Nothing much to report from this week. Had a stellar lesson with our investigator with the most potential with our branch president helping us, but said investigator still has not attended church, which makes his baptism unable to happen for a while. We did today help the other two ASL elders clean out their kitchen, as the new apartment they moved into has been lived in by other missionaries for a while, and they have not done a good job of keeping it clean. Lots of critters. We scrubbed most of the afternoon and still have more to do another time.

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

The Bronx CAN be beautiful

As summer washes over the east, I can see this more and more. We spend a great deal of our time up in the Bronx, whose only touristy features are Yankee Stadium and the Bronx Zoo, and everything else is residential. However, there are several other large parks which are now covered in green, which is beautiful to me (see panorama above). That kind of green just doesn't exist a whole lot back home.

Our branch had branch conference, where leaders from the stake come and see how things are going and address the congregation. With that and three other visitors -- two RM's and a beloved member who moved -- attendance was rather high. Too bad I was upstate interpreting in another ward, so I missed it, but from all reports it went well and the stake has a little bit better of a perspective on the dynamics of our branch.

Other than that, not a ton happening except for members and missionaries reminding me that I don't have a whole lot of time left here. But, I will finish strong, and the end is still far ahead.

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

Faith stronger than sight

A couple of weeks ago some English missionaries found someone deaf for us and set us an appointment for last Thursday. We've visited this man twice now, and though he is very willing to receive us, receiving our message is something else entirely. He is a firm Jehovah's Witness and was involved in proselyting himself when he was much younger, so he knows his stuff and how to teach it well. Especially since he has controlled the conversation most of the time. It's hard for us to invite the Spirit and teach true doctrine when your investigator brushes aside spiritual references and won't accept either our prayers or a Book of Mormon. His focus is on proving things through the Bible, and since most of our message can't be done in that way, he won't listen.

I've been pondering a lot about the seemingly conflicting concepts of faith and sight. In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Alma teaches concerning "faith -- that it is not a perfect knowledge" (Alma 32:26). Throughout the ages, people have relied on faith because so much of either God or the world was unexplainable. In these days, it is more difficult because science and theology have supposed explanations for just about everything, so when one states that he knows something is true without physical evidence or explanation, he is often rejected and mocked by society at large. I know my testimony has been rejected several times because I attributed it to a feeling from the Holy Ghost and not from clear evidences found in the scriptures.

Sometimes even to me I wonder if everything I have grown up in is correct, even when other faiths and other people seem to have the perfectly-crafted answers that oppose it. However, I have come to realize that my faith in Christ and in His church comes from something that nothing on earth could give me. I have felt the power of God in my life and ministry, and things have occurred in my life that some may call a beneficial coincidence, but when I can recall literally hundreds of these said "coincidences" that all focus back to the same general theme, and that thousands and even millions of others can do the same, that makes this "coincidence" nigh unto impossible to occur. And yet it has occurred -- God has His hand in all things, and He has not turned away from mankind! I know those miracles in my life to have come from Him, and I know the info I know to be true through the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I cannot deny that it is all inspired of God, and know that my faith is stronger than whatever proof the world supposedly has.

Love you all,

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

Photos from March and April

Pictures sent home by Ryan covering March and April 2016

Previously he had found "Ryan" and "Turner" streets. Heath is his middle name, so now he has the complete name set.

Captioned "See -- I can cook!"

Another visit to Grand Central Station. Based on the number of pictures he's taken of it, I think it's one of his favorite places. No surprise for someone who has loved trains since he was a small boy.

Ryan and his companion Elder Holloway doing service with two of the senior sister missionaries

I always associate Edgar Allan Poe with Baltimore, but he lived the last few years of his life in this cottage in the Bronx.

Ryan labeled this "My beloved 125th St. 1-train station." They can see and hear this station from the apartment where he has lived the majority of his mission.

Ryan with Elder Holloway, his companion on and off since the MTC

Rainy Days

A good part of this past week has had some form of rain, which has cooled things down again and kept the busy streets a bit cleaner and less busy. Since it rained on Sunday, church attendance was expectantly less. We even had a few of our members straight-up tell us that their reason for not coming was because of the rain, so they had to "rest" at home. New Yorkers, especially deaf New Yorkers, hate any sort of contact with water falling from the sky.

Not much else of particular note occurred this week. Hopefully the next one will be more interesting.

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