Bird Lady Gave Me Her Comb

 This week was a rollercoaster! First, last p-day was so fun! If any of you have taken the color personality test I want you to send me what color you are! We spent all of p-day as a district taking the test 😂 it was so funny! I am a white. 100%😂

Next, I got ROASTED this week by two old men. The first one we met on the street and he was so funny! We love him. He pulled up in a new Dodge Challenger and I complimented it and he said, "you have your license?" HE WAS GOING TO LET ME DRIVE IT! Stupid mission rules... 😒 then he looks at us and goes, "you two look like dorks in those bike helmets" 😂 ouch!!! We know okay? Don't have to rub it in Gary.

The next roast was when we got to go to the temple and do baptisms with our new convert Deion! We got to the changing room and I realized that I didn't bring a hair brush! I was going to use the other sister's but she had already left. The only other person in there was bird lady. Now when I say bird lady I mean this woman has over 30 birds that just roam free in her house!! She LOVES them! Anyways she offered me her comb and my choices were: look ugly, or use bird lady's comb. I chose the latter. Apparently it didn't work very well though because when I went and sat in the chapel Deion turns to me and goes, "Sister Peterson,  your hair is a mess!" Ouch!! 😂 so funny. The temple was gorgeous though! It was so fun to go.

We also got to go to a baptism this week!! So cool! The girl that got baptized used to have a giant lizard as a pet that she loved as much as her own son. When it died she was heartbroken and she cremated it and made it into a necklace. We didn't know this at the time, but apparently the lizard got baptized with her! It was under the jumpsuit! Eek!! 😂 Also her son (he's 3 and he has ADHD) almost threw a SpongeBob toy into the water during the baptism! Luckily they caught him in time!

We also got sang to this week! We were talking to this lady when all of a sudden she broke into a gospel song! So funny and awkward!

I also drove for the first time this week! I am moving up in the world 😂 

Last funny thing, we were playing basketball with the elders and I hit into my companion's shoulder. I thought that it was fine because it didn't hurt that bad, but then I got a bloody nose! So embarrassing! 😂 anyways... now for the miracles!

Crazy story: one of our friends has had a lot of struggles throughout his life, but he's so amazing!! We passed him to the Portuguese Sisters because that is his first language. They came running over to our apartment bawling and said that he was threatening to commit suicide and said he needed help. They called the mission president and the police and they told us that they needed us to call him for them because they told him they would call him back and they were crying too hard. We called him and it was hard and then we heard the police show up and he hung up... then he called us back and was kind of angry that we called the police. We felt bad, but he had asked for help. He finally understood that we did it out of love and we had to say goodnight to him. The Portuguese Sisters got blessings because they were pretty upset and then we had to go to bed. I was so calm during the whole thing and then it finally caught up to me when I was going to bed. I was so worried about him and everything just felt so scary! I made myself a night light and started praying and crying. Somehow my companion woke up and we listened to primary songs together. She said a prayer that all the darkness would go away and that there would be angels watching over us. I could literally feel a circle of angels over my bed all night and I was able to sleep.  Heavenly Father is real and loves us so much. 

We also taught a Plan of Salvation lesson to one of our super cute families with chalk and when we turned around there were like 30 people watching! It was crazy!

We also taught a really good lesson in church for the 5th Sunday.  Everyone loved my comment for some reason. I basically just said that you can be a missionary in so many different ways. Like I don't love to talk in front of people, but I can decorate their doors or bring them cookies or pray for them! Even just smiling at people is missionary work. So I challenge each of you to smile at someone today! Love you all!! ❤

Avocado Trees Are Real?! 🌳

 You know, I knew avocados came from somewhere, but I never imagined them actually on a tree and looking so weird! 😂 We went over to a member's house and she is OBSESSED with her avocado tree. She let us each pick one and it was so funny.

Florida has soooooo much wildlife!! I feel like I live in the jungle! I saw over 15 iguanas, this giant bird in the middle of the sidewalk, and I almost ran over a squirrel with nuts in its mouth... 😬 oops! All in the same bike ride.

Good news! I overcame my fear of talking to people in public! These were the weird interactions I got from the week... 

Me: Hello! Here's a free picture of Jesus!

Him: I'm trying to enjoy my day here please. RIP!!!! 😂

We saw our druggy friend Jovan yesterday and he told us that he got into some voodoo 😳 His eyes were yellow! Definitely staying away from him.

Funny thing: So, we are teaching this guy named Marcos and he speaks Portuguese and English. When the Portuguese sisters came over, we had them talk to him on the phone and he said, "can I get subtitles for that?" Apparently he didn't think their Portuguese was very good 😂 When we invited him to church he said he was scared to leave the house alone and go on the bus. Then he said, "I have a scooter? I could ride that to church?" The church is 11 miles away! It was adorable!! 😂

Elder Rundquist wore a fake mustache to district council and no one could take him seriously the entire time. The worst part was that there was a funeral going on, and he had to go, so he just wore a mask to cover it up 😂 No one even knew.

 

Lastly, we met this little 6 year old and he is soooooo cute! He told us that he loved pretty girls and Jesus! It was soooo cute 😂 We are teaching him and his mom this week!

Also, we saw creepy dude playing basketball! We keep running into him!!! Luckily he didn't see us because he was getting into a fight... awkward.

 

Miracle: my companion got a blessing and it was amazing! The spirit was so strong!! I am staying in this area another transfer which means that we get to go to the temple with Deion (our favorite Jamaican bobsledder/skydiver convert) and go to our other friend's baptism!!

 

Also some of the English sisters were put into a Portuguese music video because the Portuguese sisters didn't want to do it, so when it gets posted I will let y'all know!! Also, we had a dance party and I saw a Lamborghini and got really excited and the dude let me take a picture, so here it is! I've been teaching my companion all the car names 😂 I love you all! Email me if you need anything!

Stranded at a sketchy gas station!

 Wow... this week was so weird, but AMAZING at the same time! Last p-day we played basketball and I actually did good! Who am I?? Haha! I was the last Sister left with the Elders! I didn't beat them though... I'll keep practicing.

We had a lesson at Burger King with a Burger King worker we met outside sweeping and it was so cool! The spirit was really strong, surprisingly! 😂 At the end of the lesson he loved us so much that he took a picture with us and posted it on his Facebook! I'm famous now...

I saw the beach finally, kind of! I went to one of the canals! It was so cool!

So, funny story: We were teaching this guy named Willie. He's blind, so luckily he didn't see any of this, but he had me sit in a chair by him and there was a huge spider by my arm, so I freaked out and jumped off the chair (very stealthily) and waited until it jumped off the chair. My companion was over there dying because I was freaking out silently and she kept going with the lesson and I had to throw my voice so that he wouldn't notice, and then I snuck back onto the chair and he never even knew! While we were having this super spirit filled lesson there was a fight down the street. The cops were there and people were screaming at each other and across the street there was smooth jazz playing. I don't know how that lesson went so well lol.

Next on the list! We were in the car waiting for the other sisters (we car share) and these guys walked past. It was really dark outside, so they couldn't see us in the car. They started drawing on it and they were about to open the door when I freaked out and my phone turned on and they said a not missionary approved word and ran all the way down the street because they were so scared!!! Dang straight! 😂

We ran into creepy dude AGAIN. 😳 We had a lesson with a Russian lady and we had to go past him to get to her, so we went through the bushes and he didn't see us. On the way back though, he started yelling at us to see if we wanted some of his drugs. Then the worst part. We got in the car and he was Staring. Us. Down. Then MY COMPANION STILL MADE ME GET OUT AND BACK THE CAR UP!!!! I was like, "I'm gonna die. This is the end." So I hurried and ran out and backed the car and made it inside before he got up. Thank goodness for cross country 😂

It also rained a tonnnnnnn this week!

Lastly, the coolest miracle from my mission so far. INSANE! We dropped the sisters off at the church because they had a meeting and we took the car to our area to visit a family. On the way, we stopped to use the restroom at a sketchy gas station. When we got back to the car it was locked. We couldn't get back in and we were freaking out! The key wasn't anywhere! We made some calls and it turned out that the sisters still had the key with them at the church. 20 MINUTES AWAY! Cars aren't supposed to do that! We literally drove 20 minutes with no key. We were shook and we arranged for the elders to bring us the key after the meeting. We had an hour and a half and we noticed that one of our friends that we had never met lived nearby! We knew that this all happened for a reason because it was too crazy not to be God's hand. We went over and this lady just happened to be at the gate to let us in, so we got even more excited! Then we went to his house and the man that answered said that our friend had died and that he wasn't interested! Wuttttttttt. So we said a prayer and kept going. We had a feeling to turn around and this guy told us that the way we were headed was the owner of the complex's house and that she would have kicked us out. Crazy. Then we had a feeling to turn right and found this house. This lady was outside with two guys and we went up to talk to them. As we talked she basically told us to say a prayer with her and get out. After the prayer she started crying and telling us all that was going on in her life. She kept saying, "I don't know why I'm saying all of this to you" but she just kept going! We told her how we were led to her by God and she cried even more.  As we were talking she just looked at me and said, "Wow. You are really something special. You are just absorbing everything I'm saying and there's just something amazing about you." Now everyone who knows me knows that I hate talking in front of groups, but I looked straight into this lady's eyes and it was like the spirit shot through me! I opened my mouth and I don't know what I said, but it was directly from God. Not me. She bawled afterwards and said that she didn't care what church we were from because it's where she wants to be and that she had been waiting for us for months. One of the guys that was there said that he got a pass along card at a bus stop earlier that week and that he wanted to hear our message now. The lady kept saying that we came out of nowhere and we all agreed that we were meant to meet. My companion told me afterwards that she could tell that I had no idea what I was saying and that it was "straight spirit." God is so good. He puts us exactly where we need to be even if it takes a lot to get us there. We knew we were there for a reason and it was so amazing. Follow the spirit! He will lead you the right way!

I love you all! I hope you have a great week!