Skip to main content

Bronx Week One

So, I have officially been in the Bronx for 1 week. It's a totally different place than anywhere I have ever been before. There are so many people here, it's insane, and most of them are not the least bit interested. But the vast amount of rejection makes the successes so much sweeter. We have had so much success this last week. Through faith, determination, and hard work, we have been able to meet new family members, talk to some inactive church members, and really bring people closer to Christ. The people in the ward are amazing! There is so much love at church, it's just really hard to get people there. They have a lot of excuses; they're too busy, they want to relax on Sundays, they don't have enough money to ride the train or bus. Some of these are definitely true, but for a lot of them, it's truly just an excuse.

My trainer, Elder Fuller, is awesome!!! He's from Sandy, UT, he's been in the area for a long time, he really knows his stuff and he loves the people. I couldn't ask for a better trainer. 

The people here are unique. When I have a better chance to organize my thoughts, I may write more about them, but I love them, and I love how they challenge me to learn more and to be better.

So, for P-day this week, I had the opportunity to go to a Yankees game with the mission! Around 200 missionaries at the game, it was awesome!!! The Yankees won by 2 (6-4) against the Cleveland Indians.

This week I have really had the opportunity to see how the Atonement affects peoples lives. If you read my post on the Atonement, it's true, and having the opportunity to see real people suffering and trying to apply the Atonement in their lives is a huge blessing. I can't even begin to express the joy that I feel when someone decides to turn their heart back to Christ and repent and feel of his redeeming love. 

I'm healthy and happy. I love being here. I hope you're all doing well. Write me sometime let me know how it's going.

I love you all,
An Uncommon Elder

Elder Timothy Scott Ryan

Popular posts from this blog

7/14/13

So, Australia is not the US, and there are a lot of things here that are cool, but also very different. 1 - Aussies talk differently. Not only do they have an accent, but they say things differently. 2 - A gas station is called a SERVO... 3 - Mexican food apparently isn't very good here, but they have a chain called Taco Bill 4 - The equivalent of a Burger King is Hungry Jack 5 - People don't regard some common profanities as impolite in public settings The work here has had a lot more rejection this week. Of 12 appointments that we've had with investigators, 3 actually came through. The ones that came through were awesome, one is Catholic, the other is Buddhist, one learns from us in secret so as not to upset their family ties, the other is just wanting to learn. Once again, I don't have much time to write, but I'll keep you all posted. Love, An Uncommon Elder, Elder Ryan
Read more

Preparation

Sorry for not writing for a fairly long while. the plans I had to write regularly kind of went up in smoke. Despite my best intentions, and my several recurring attempts, I never seemed to manage converting the thought and intent into reality. ...Continued As I left the temple that day, I was riding in the passenger seat of my friend's car. I pulled out my iPhone 4 and called my boss at the time. In a concise way, I informed him of my decision to quit, that I felt it was right, and that I'd be willing to work it out to make it as smooth of a transition as possible. We decided that it would be best for me to give it a few weeks, and I decided that it was okay not to be hasty. When you quit a job without a contingency plan, it can be a very stressful experience. All of a sudden you have bills that you know you're not going to be able to pay, the things that you've become accustomed to will vanish. But despite all of these fears and worries, I knew everything would b...
Read more

Spiritual Insights (9/2/13)

So, this week I had a little more time to study independently (and unlike other weeks, I remembered to bring my notes to the library) so today, my blog post is going to be mostly on how to answer the question, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" Many people have asked this question, and many people have used it as grounds to disprove that there is a God. Don't let yourself get caught in that trap. God is real, he loves you! If you don't know it now, seek him out and I promise you will find him. In my studies, I have found a few scriptures that helped prove this in my mind. In Joseph Smith's adversity he was comforted by these words from the Lord, "My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;" (D&C 121:7) and was later counseled, " 7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if th...
Read more