Here in the city

Hello again. I've been here in NYC for over a month now, many things are becoming more familiar.  I'm improving mastering the subway lines, and also where our members and investigators live. It's starting to cool off little by little, though I have yet to wear a sweater.
I'll look into winter footwear soonish, and I think I'll go with galoshes. A previous ASL elder here had them work great for him, so I'll try the same. I found a pair of gloves in good condition in the apartment, and since no else claimed them, I do now. They fit nicely, and should hopefully work. Elder Fotheringham says that we use them in conjunction with hand warmers, which he says make good Christmas gifts.

We all pitch in $20 dollars a week, and $40 at the beginning of each month, and use it at Costco to buy in bulk. I've barely touched any of my snacks other than the Jolly Ranchers (which disappear quickly), because I have companions that can cook. I don't cook as much, but I do dishes quite often by hand of my own free will. We are all good about doing housework. The other guys were super excited when I told them about the pizza money you sent. That plus another dollar will get us two full pizzas from Two Brothers Pizza.

I went inside the Manhattan New York Temple last week after writing you all, which was a wonderful experience. The temple is a beautiful place, and thanks to the architecture, is completely sealed off from the outside noise. It is a magnificent building, and I'm allowed to go once every cycle (a six-week period, where missionaries are shuffled areas at its end).

We've been working with two investigators with baptism dates, one of which was just changed to October 12, and he seems pretty excited about it. We got a new investigator who lives in New Jersey which we call via videophone. He'll be an interesting one to teach, as he's on parole, recently found a Christian church he likes, and was smoking during our first meeting with him. We are also working with less-active members of the branch to try to get them back to church, which is a patient process. I do know that whatever we do has a purpose to it. Even if nothing goes as planned I am confident that something good did or will come of it. For that, I am grateful.

I'm figuring out the city more, and am learning a lot about it. If you have questions about the city, I'll do my best to answer them. I always love hearing from you.

-Elder Ryan Turner