Tracting!

Like I mentioned last week, we have done quite a lot of tracting this past week, and have been seeing results! We now have a good pool of potential investigators, and even a couple of new ones! Now, the game is to follow up with these while still finding more. It may not be the most enjoyable experience, but we are going forward nonetheless, and the Lord is blessing us.

My companion is currently ditching me to go see the Statue of Liberty with a few other older missionaries, so I am currently chilling with their companions here near West Point Military Academy. So, it should be a fairly relaxed day.

Other than that, there isn't a whole lot more to tell. Last weekend was a bit cold, and we even got a few very light snow dustings, but things are back to normal now. Spring is actually coming!

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

Knocking on a billion doors!

That is exactly what I will be doing a lot more of for the next while. Our mission president recently received some strong revelation about how to further the work here in New York, and the Lord told him that we need to do more finding. So, he has now asked us to do three hours of finding every single day! Up here, that translates into tracting! Elder Richards and I have already done a good amount of tracting thus far, but now the Lord is asking us to up our game. I am ready to accept His challenge.

We started yesterday, and even though we could only do 90 minutes due to other set things, we have already seen results. Three people that we had doorstep lessons with said we could come back, and we set an appointment with one of them. This woman happens to be deaf without her hearing aids, and can talk, read lips, and sign! Teaching her should be fun. I am sure a lot more success stories are to come.

Missionary sports can be painful if you aren't careful. I've been hit in the face more than once playing goalie in chair soccer, and my companion broke his toe last week playing it. One of the Spanish elders up here tore something in his leg that same day, and is currently getting an MRI. I hope he doesn't need to go all the way back to Alaska for surgery. But, other than that, sports are way fun!

The work is definitely moving forward, and will even more in the coming months. I am so glad and thankful that I am a part of it. The knowledge of Christ will go forth ever onwards.

Elder Ryan Turner
New York New York Mission
American Sign Language

Walkin' and tractin'

This past week we have done quite a bit of more standard missionary activities. We have still had normal lessons and some dinners with members, but we have also practiced some stereotypical missionary things as well.

Elder Richards and I have done a lot of tracting in various parts of our area these past two weeks. So far in all my time here, I haven't really seen any visible success from it, but it shows the Lord that we are willing to put forth the effort. We have had a few fun things happen as well. One time when we approached an older couple on the street and made our pitch, they told us "we're sinners, and we love it" and kept walking. Another time, a resident called the cops on us, as they saw two men going door to door and thought we were soliciting (I think soliciting is against the law in that town). A cop pulled up and talked to us, but since we weren't selling anything or collecting money, we were still within the allowance of the law, so he let us go without any problems.

You can never quite tell what is going to happen when someone answers the door. I've talked to a Jewish woman who was really nice to us, and then another one a few days later who flipped out and slammed the door because we didn't see the little prayer scrolls on her door that apparently denotes a Jewish home. I also think it was her that called the cops on us as aforementioned. But for the most part -- nice or not -- most people seem to be happy with what they have.

If there is an (interested) Deaf person, I can travel outside the area to wherever I need to meet them, which doesn't happen very often. We try to physically meet a new person once at the far off location, get their videophone number, and then call them from a member's videophone. We had that happen once last cycle with a new hard-of-hearing investigator, but she dropped us just before Elder Filoso went home. I am teaching my new companion ASL, though he probably won't get to a point where he can actively participate in lessons. He is starting to do ASL prayers, so that is good.

We have a little box in the car called a "Tiwi" unit. Most of the missionaries here call it a Satan box, and every car in the mission but President's vehicle has one. The Tiwi is essentially a backseat driver on steroids; it yells at you for speeding too much, for braking too hard, for turning too sharp, and accelerating too fast. All this goes to the mission vehicle coordinator, and if you get too many violations, you could lose driving privileges temporarily or permanently.

We also did a "car fast" on Monday, which is when we go a whole day without using our car. We planned well so that we stayed in New Windsor all day, though we still did a considerable amount of walking. We ended up having a super awesome investigator drive us home after our lesson, which saved us probably an hour and a half of walking five miles. We made it work, and it was fun.

Stay awesome! 

Elder Ryan Turner

New York New York North Mission

American Sign Language

Changes and constants

Spring is FINALLY here! All the snow has melted completely, and the weather is such that we can actually do outside stuff for P-day. My new companion wants to do a lot here. Today we are going to the Woodbury Commons, the largest outlet mall in the nation, only a half hour drive from here. We should have a good time this cycle. I am looking forward to it.

I strongly hinted to Ryan that I wanted a picture of him and his new companion

Speaking of my new companion, he is an awesome missionary. His name is Elder Bradley Richards from Idaho, and he isn't too far from going home either. The interesting part is that he goes back home the same time I am supposed to leave Newburgh to go back to the city, so I think I am changing areas either this next cycle or in two more. We shall see. Interestingly enough, he was one of my zone leaders back in Manhattan for nearly six months, so we already have a good relationship. We were even companions for a day on a split at the beginning of my mission! I know that he and I will work well together, and I'm even teaching him ASL per his request.

We had an awesome baptism this most recent Saturday for Aiden Harrison, our 10-yr-old investigator. His father -- who has recently been reactivated in the church after some years of not coming -- baptized Aiden, and his grandfather confirmed him a member of the church and gave him the gift of the Holy Ghost. The work continues to roll forth here in Newburgh, and even our mission president said that the work here -- both English and Spanish -- is the most prolific in the mission. I am glad to be serving here at this time.

I hope everyone enjoyed General Conference this past weekend. If you missed it, you can read or view it at lds.org. There were many inspiring addresses given, which I hope everyone can glean something good from. I personally will be reviewing them in the next little while.

Stay awesome!

Elder Ryan Turner

New York New York North Mission

American Sign Language

No April fools this year

So far today there have been several April Fool's jokes going around the mission. However, none of what I have and will say is a joke.

Members feed us all sorts of stuff for dinner when we are over. Last week, we had a traditional Russian beet soup, as the father is a native Latvian. There is a Honduran family that has made us some really good Honduran food on a couple of occasions, and some make just about everything. I haven't really found a main thing we get fed -- just a good amount of meat.

In terms of P-day activities, like as mentioned, I haven't done a whole lot up here. Once it warms up, we will probably do more outdoor activities. At least I always have time to e-mail.

Transfers are drawing near, and depending on everyone else today, I may not get a chance to email more. Enjoy the 93-degree weather.

Elder Ryan Turner
New York New York Mission
American Sign Language

Almost there ...

I'm almost there in every sense.......except that of going home. That doesn't happen for quite a while yet. Spring should be coming soon, as the snow is continuing to slowly melt. We had another flurry on Friday, but it all melted away the next day. Friday also just had to be the day I spent a considerable amount of time tracting. Also, transfers are in a week, and I will hopefully get an English companion for the first time!

Elder Filoso is a week from going home, and it is a bit of a struggle to keep him distracted from that fact. He is currently at the temple with our mission president, and I am up here in Poughkeepsie with another missionary for most of today. Both our companions are at the temple, as they both go home together, so we are together until they return. I will work hard this next week to keep my "dying" companion from losing focus. It will be good.

We officially scheduled a baptismal date for our 10-year-old investigator, Aiden. His father is coming back to church after many years, and we have been teaching Aiden. The baptism will actually happen just before General Conference in a week, as family is coming to town for him. It should be a good experience, and Elder Filoso is even going to Facetime in to see the service, as he will be back in Utah.

Otherwise, the work continues to progress. I really enjoy working up here, and am eager for more good change to happen here in Newburgh. Missionary work is definitely worth the sacrifice. 

Elder Ryan Turner

New York New York North Mission

American Sign Language

It's beginning to look a lot less like Christmas!

For the first three weeks I have been here in Newburgh, the terrain has been nothing but white snow and dead trees, with the occasional evergreen. Over this past week, things have been getting a bit warmer, and the snow is melting! The land is changing from white to green, and I know that spring will be just beautiful.

I didn't really get too much snow driving practice, as my companion did most of the driving at those points. If I am upstate for whatever weird reason next year, I will be sure to get more in. I feel that my ASL has improved tremendously, and have even had several deaf people praise it. It has been nice having another ASL companion this cycle to ease me into managing the ASL affairs here, and I feel confident to take over should I need -- which is likely to happen in two weeks. I am doing alright in my personal goals, and we have a solid teaching pool.

Elder Filoso goes home in just two weeks, and it is getting harder and harder to keep him focused. We still are doing good work, but he is reminded daily of how close he is to being done. Hopefully my next companion isn't this close to going home.

As for the ASL program, the state of affairs is this. When I came to Newburgh, Elder Filoso's last companion, Elder Hill, actually took my spot in the city ASL program. He was called English, but then changed to ASL when he came to the city. This means that there are still two companionships. Also, we have heard about a new ASL elder coming to the mission in mid-April, and Elder Crockett is hopefully coming back in the next month or two. This means that we could have three companionships in the city, which hasn't happened since my trainer was very young in the mission. We'll see what happens, as for now I am outside that game.

Well ... can't think of much else to write. So, I think I will end it here. If you have questions, feel free to email me.

Elder Ryan Turner

New York New York North Mission

American Sign Language