Elder Turner is home!

Elder Turner returned from an honorable and successful mission on July 13, 2016. His family was very excited to see him and hear all of his stories. Thank you all for your support and prayers over the past two years!

From East to West

Well, the day has finally come.

This afternoon I will be back in my beloved Arizona, thus concluding my two-year mission.

I have loved my time serving as a full-time missionary in the New York New York North Mission. I have seen change in my life and drawn closer to my Savior, Jesus Christ. I love Him, and I love the gospel and message I have borne. Though I will no longer wear the fancy name tag, I will still be an example of what I have represented.

For those of you who would like to stay in touch, my regular email is ryanturner1996@yahoo.com. This "myLDSmail" email will likely get deactivated within maybe a few weeks or so, and I'm only going to keep checking it for maybe another week. Please correspond to my normal email.

Love you all, and see a few of you soon.

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

Independence Week -- (plus June pictures!)

Fireworks all over the city this past weekend, though we didn't see very many. I'm sure at least a few were illegal, but we heard them nonetheless. To honor our nation's birthday, I memorized the whole national anthem, which is a beautiful work of music and art. I'm glad it is included in our hymn books. It was hard to find anyone home that night.

Sunday was again miraculous. A less-active had called us a couple times over the past month saying that she and her boyfriend (who has been taught many times before) were finally working out some problems and were going to come to church. While they didn't show up the weeks they said they would, they surprised us this last Sunday. He is super ready to progress again and has a baptismal date of July 24. That's after I leave, but I'm stoked nonetheless. Another deaf couple came as well unprovoked and showed much interest. The husband was actually baptized years ago, but because his baptismal record lacked the right signatures, it never officialized into a member record. We had started helping him prepare to be officially baptized again, but then he moved to Albany. He is showing a lot of interest in preparing again, and he and his wife said they would want to attend our branch in NYC coming from Albany every week, so the other elders are now working with them. He had a baptismal date for July 17, and his wife recently accepted a more soft invitation for August 7. I know the work will be good even after I leave.

Love you all!

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

Ryan got to visit the Freedom Tower and the 9-11 Memorial

MTC roommates reunited as NYNY South ASL missionary Elder Clair (gray suit) and former Elder Crockett (white shirt) attended the branch together

Captioned: Weekly planning stares

Two views of the Bronx: one with Ryan, one at sunset

Postcard-worthy shot of the East River and Brooklyn

With branch members, at a BBQ restaurant

Sundays Are Special Days

They truly are indeed. Mainly because we have the privilege of being clean again through the sacrament, and we are also edified by the Spirit and by fellowshipping with the saints.

This particular Sunday we were in various meetings from 10:30 a.m. til 8:30 at night (I'm sure bishops and stake presidents still have it worse). Two of these were a stake priesthood leadership meeting and a general stake priesthood meeting, which we interpreted for both. Missionaries don't attend the leadership meeting otherwise, so I have been grateful for the many chances I have had for two years to be in those meetings and hear wonderful counsel from stake and area leaders. Hopefully it will be of benefit in the years and callings to come.

Also during the course of the day, one recent convert from Brooklyn who is preparing for the temple was interviewed, sustained, and ordained to the Melchizedek priesthood. I interpreted his interview, and he asked my companion to ordain him, as Elder Holloway played a great part in finding him. It was truly special to witness, and I'm glad I have seen it. I won't be around to see him enter the temple, but happy nonetheless.

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

The Missionary Quiz -- Final Exam

I couldn't let Ryan's mission end without one more missionary quiz. To see the past quizzes, see here and here. All of Ryan's answers are in red.

1. Not including ASL, what pre-mission experience/skill was most valuable to you on your mission? Organization

2. My views on New York-style pizza …

A. I’ll never eat it in AZ. It can’t be duplicated.

B. Let’s find the best place locally!

C. Can we get Chinese?

3. Started mission at 160 lbs., current weight about 172 lbs.

Started mission at 6 feet 1 inches, current height 6 feet 2 inches.

4. I will miss most about NYC: Living there for free

5. I will miss least about NYC: Project buildings

6. Something Pres. Morgan always said: "I love you so much!"

7. Something Pres. Smith always says: "Wonderful" and "... to able to ..."

8. Goofiest feature of the Harlem apartment: Elder Holloway

9. Member you’ll miss seeing and why: Talvin Staton -- he has the largest and most enduring conversion fire of all time

10. Polar Pop or Slurpee? 

11. I’d come back to New York City (multiple choices allowed):

A. To live

B. On an internship

C. As a tourist

D. For a layover

12. Quality you admire most in your companion: testimony of Jesus Christ

13. Number of ties I am bringing home: about 27 (still need to decide)

14. Favorite NY landmark and why: Freedom Tower -- it's defiant, massive, patriotic, and awesome

15. Favorite neighborhood and why: Upper West Side -- it feels well-off and family-friendly

16. I wish I had known decent Spanish before my mission.

17. What in NYC is most like Arizona? The "Arizona" drinks in bodegas

18. Appointment I need most imminently when I get home:

A. Optometrist

B. Doctor

C. Dentist

D. Dating service

E. Ear doctor

Summer sweat

We are now entering the worst part of the summer here in NYC, and from other reports I've heard, so it is for all you back in Arizona. Though here it only gets to 90, humidity rates get close to 90%. On a split with my zone leader Monday we walked around West Harlem for quite a bit, and we were both getting super sweaty.

In good news, we finally got a new branch mission leader after not having one for about 18 months, and there has been much rejoicing. Our branch president has filled the role so far, and now he can finally delegate it to another. Our branch also has several men preparing to be endowed next month, which should bring our branch greater strength. Good things happening.

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

Sundays can be awesome

And such it was with is Sunday. Branch attendance was a bit higher than usually, and one part-member couple we have been working with came to Sacrament meeting after we hadn't been able to contact them for a week! We had a really good lesson with another part-active family, and they came to church as well (well, all except their two oldest kids who have been avoiding any contact with us. We have been focusing on the mother and two youngest daughters).

Another fun miracle was that halfway through Sacrament meeting one of the bishopric members from the other (hearing) ward brought up someone who had just showed up, and my companion took him to to sit with the elders' quorum president. The guy turned out to be a hearing ASL interpreter from Texas who is living in New Jersey for a couple months. He said he looked online for a deaf church to attend, and ours was the one that showed up first. He signed the whole time and even commented on my voice interpreting skills, as I typically do that for Sacrament meeting. He says he will be back next week, and we are hoping to teach him more about this church he has found.

Stay cool out there in the west. (Elder Miller, stay warm there in Brazil :)

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

Feeding the Spirit

Hello everyone once more! While the work this week has been somewhat lackluster, we had an amazing opportunity yesterday to be spiritually fed and edified. Elder Randall K. Bennett from the First Quorum of the Seventy is visiting different parts of our mission this week, and many of the missionaries here in Manhattan, including us, got to be with him for a good part of yesterday. He is a truly remarkable speaker that can teach with the Spirit, and having served in France at my age and as a mission president in Russia, he has a wealth of knowledge and experience. It has really helped me stay on track and focused for the time I have left, and Elder Holloway and I have discussed some new goals and plans to execute for our area. Things should get a little bit better.

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

May photos

Photos taken in May and sent home by Ryan

Ryan's trainer, Elder Fotheringham, visited NYC and stopped in to see the missionaries

South Manhattan from the Brooklyn Bridge

Of course Ryan found the turtles in Morningside Park near their apartment

"Random organ in the Bronx"

Ryan with Elder Bell, the missionary he trained last fall

June -- my favorite month

Hello all.

Some of you have been asking what my setup is for my final transfer. What has happened with me is .......... that I am staying with Elder Holloway in the same area. Thus, I'm finishing how I started -- with my MTC companion and probably closest friend here. My trainee, Elder Bell, has been transferred upstate to the Yorktown Ward with a Spanish companion covering mostly Spanish with a little bit of English and ASL work. He'll also help with ASL translation for the two deaf members up there just like I did in Newburgh. Elder Hill has returned to the ASL program and is with Elder West, and I am the district leader for the four of us for the next six weeks.

My roommate and former companion Elder Arines is training a new elder, Elder Ropati, a Samoan from California, and he seems like a cool guy. Otherwise, not a whole lot of other exciting stuff this week except that I and my companion taught both priesthood class and gospel doctrine last-minute, and I also interpreted for a high counselor with pretty complex speech and concepts. Always fun.

We are on our way to visit the 9/11 memorial museum, which I've heard is amazing. Still figuring out what to do the other days, but I'm sure we will figure out something.

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

p.s. For all of you who are thinking about sending me birthday wishes/packages, might I ask that you refrain on the whole sending packages bit? Because of my fast-approaching departure. I am limited on bag space and weight. Cards/money -- whatever can fit in a normal envelope is definitely appreciated, and if you badly want to send me a package, please send it to my home address in July. Thank you for all of your support so far these past two years! (Ryan's 20th birthday is June 11 if you want to send him a card to the address in the right sidebar)

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

Things do happen in the deaf branch!

Though the workload this week wasn't the greatest, we did actually see a little progress in the branch. Elder Holloway and I have served in this branch for most of our missions thus far and still only finally contacted two inactive members that we haven't seen or met our entire time here. One of them told us just to come back in a week, but the other accepted our invitation to attend church and actually came on Sunday! We met her as we were calling through strings of phone numbers and stumbled across her videophone, and she has since given us her new address. Elders Bell and West will be working with her more, as she is now in their area.

We also found a former investigator that has investigated off and on for years and has also moved around a lot. He had been to the branch a couple years before, so our branch president recognized him when we took him with us to teach. The lesson went well, President Bond helped explain the Restoration in clear terms, and we set a baptismal date for June 5, something we haven't successfully done for a while. Hopefully he keeps on the path this time.

I also learned a new phrase this week -- "An empty can makes the most noise." A man on the subway leaned over and told me this as another clearly drunk/high/crazy guy loudly sang/rambled in the subway and threatened to break the jaw of anyone who stepped on his sneakers. I love Elder West's question of "Why does the weird stuff always happen on the subway?!" I then gently remind him that there are plenty of weird things that happen in public as well, but do agree that the subway has some pretty odd things. What better place to perform/beg/solicit/preach/panic/sing/be high/be drunk/sleep/shout than a place with a captive audience? Oh, how I will miss this city when I return to the west this summer.

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

Transfer week

Transfers happened yesterday, and the ASL program is staying exactly the same for a transfer for once! This means Elder Holloway and I are still together and Elders Bell and West are together, though they are moving to a new apartment which we are going to go see this afternoon. We are still in our 125th street apartment. However, one of our roommates has returned home, and the new elder in that area is none other than Elder Arines, who both Elder Holloway and I have both been companions with in Newburgh. Living with him is going to be fun.

We've picked up a couple of former investigators recently, though we'll see if anything really comes from it as they were both a bit iffy about firm appointments. Work still isn't the greatest around here, but we are making it work. As summertime is hitting the city, people are out more, and that makes all the bad stuff that much worse and public. That's the fun part of serving in the city.

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

Splits (No Bananas Included)

Probably the most significant events of this week have been doing a couple of splits, otherwise known as companion exchanges, which last for a day at a time. On Sunday I went with Elder West up to a ward upstate that has requested short-term interpreting help. We went there for a while every week last year to help the member interpreters there, and now one of them is having shoulder surgery soon, and the bishop there has requested our help again for the next couple of months while she heals. It was nice being upstate once more.

We also did a split with the zone leaders yesterday which was also a nice change of pace. Elder Buckley and I were up in the north part of Manhattan trying to contact some former investigators, many of which live with Dominican family. Really, the whole area is Dominican, and it's a good thing Elder Buckley is fluent in Dominican Spanish even though he's white as all get out. He really enjoyed being up there again.

My honest guess for transfers next week is that I will be with my mission "grandson" Elder West over in the ASL east area. We've been on splits, but not actual companions yet, and if we aren't comps this next cycle, I'm pretty sure I'll close out my time here with him. I only have two transfers left!

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

Mom: The reason I heard at the beginning of my mission for Wednesday p-days is that for most museums in NYC, Wednesday is donation day, which allows you to enter the museum for any contribution. We've always paid $1 each when we go.

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

Easter weekend

How wonderful it was to remember the death and resurrection of Christ this weekend. And, how blessed we are to hear from church leaders and a modern-day prophet this coming weekend at General Conference. I'm really looking forward to it.

Church this past Sunday went well and had some good attendance. I taught gospel doctrine class with Elder Bell about trust, and it went over very well. The investigator who was baptized last week was also confirmed on Sunday, but because the elders who taught him were in the hospital, he chose me last-minute to perform the confirmation.* Now, I have performed one baptism and one confirmation on my mission, and I'm just fine with that. Always have to be ready to help out where needed, and I'm glad I can.

With things warming up, I hope you all have brighter days ahead (sorry for my friends in the Southern Hemisphere).

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

* Ryan's Dad asked him about performing ordinances for deaf members: "You place your hands on their head, and then remove them to step back and sign the prayer. Then, at the end, you place your hands back on their head to seal the ordinance. Deaf baptisms work by the same concept of assume the position, break away to sign, then reassume the position."