Date: February 18, 2013
Time: 9:30am
Location: Wiesbaden, Germany
Number: 11
This may sound like an excuse and I guess it kind of is, but doing acts of kindness is hard with a language barrier. I can't explain my intentions well enough for them to understand, and it is hard to do something they would appreciate without fully understanding their culture.
Today I finally had the opportunity! A woman came up to me in Germany while I was walking back to our apartment. She was having trouble with the parking meter because it didn't take small coins. She asked if I had a 1 Euro coin to trade for her smaller coins. I was happy I did have one so I have it to her. She tried giving me the smaller coins to trade but I just told her to take the 1 Euro and have a nice day. It may not sound like a lot, but it put a smile on her face!
I hope more opportunities like this arise while I am traveling!
Hebrews 13:16
Monday, February 18, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
10% Complete!
I was just looking through my blog to see if I have posted anything unrelated to my 100 intentional acts of kindness goal and saw that I have reached act #10! I guess this kind of slipped my mind as I was writing my last post about act number 10.
I just want to create a sort of roundup of my first 10 intentional acts of kindness and how I am feeling after doing them.
1 Pretzels
2 Chai Latte
3 Angel Tree
4 Campbell's Soup
5 Housekeeping
6 Hot Chocolate
7 Panera
8 Goodwill
9 Computer
10 Kiddos
I have to say looking back at what I have done feels good. I know that I am making a difference in the world by being kinder. It may not completely change the world, but I'm planting a seed of change that can grow and blossom.
I am proud of myself for completing 10% of my goal in one month. I want to continue doing good and loving on others!
Hebrews 13:16
I just want to create a sort of roundup of my first 10 intentional acts of kindness and how I am feeling after doing them.
1 Pretzels
2 Chai Latte
3 Angel Tree
4 Campbell's Soup
5 Housekeeping
6 Hot Chocolate
7 Panera
8 Goodwill
9 Computer
10 Kiddos
I have to say looking back at what I have done feels good. I know that I am making a difference in the world by being kinder. It may not completely change the world, but I'm planting a seed of change that can grow and blossom.
I am proud of myself for completing 10% of my goal in one month. I want to continue doing good and loving on others!
Hebrews 13:16
Friday, January 4, 2013
Kiddos
Date: December 30, 2012
Time: 9:30am
Location: First Baptist Church of Norfolk
Number: 10
For those of you that don't know, I'm obsessed with babies. It's a little severe. Check out my Babies Babies Babies Pinterest board. 70 pins and I'm no where near getting ready to have kids. I seriously just love babies. They make me remember how God works miracles by just giving us life. Plus, they're cute. Who can argue with that?
Anyway, my love of babies and children in general is a gift I have. I know for a fact that there are people who just don't love the kiddos and are not good at playing with them. It's sad to say, but I've seen parents who don't seem to know how to play with their little ones. This is not me. I will play with kids for hours, and often do.
My senior year of high school I was not super close with God. I was upset my parents dragged me to church, so I tried to make the best of it. As much as I love listening to the sermons now, it just wasn't for me then. I didn't get much out of it. Probably because I wasn't listening quite right, but either way it just wasn't happening for me.
I reached out to the children's ministry and somehow got connected to start volunteering in the preschool/nursery ministry. I loved it. This was one of the times I knew I wanted to be a teacher because of how I felt when I was around the kids. I felt love. Real love. God's love. I knew how much He loved those babies and thus how much he loved me for giving me the ability to work with them and make them smile.
Being back at home gives me the chance to work with the ministry more. This Sunday I got to volunteer in the nursery with the infants. They're a blast. No, they don't talk, but their facial expressions and the noises they make are priceless. I laugh every time I'm in that room. I have to admit, the crying is a little over my head and I'm a not good at getting them to burp, but I'm learning and trying.
Giving my time is something easy I can do because it is free! Giving my time to something I love and have a passion for is even easier.
Hebrews 13:16
Time: 9:30am
Location: First Baptist Church of Norfolk
Number: 10
For those of you that don't know, I'm obsessed with babies. It's a little severe. Check out my Babies Babies Babies Pinterest board. 70 pins and I'm no where near getting ready to have kids. I seriously just love babies. They make me remember how God works miracles by just giving us life. Plus, they're cute. Who can argue with that?
Anyway, my love of babies and children in general is a gift I have. I know for a fact that there are people who just don't love the kiddos and are not good at playing with them. It's sad to say, but I've seen parents who don't seem to know how to play with their little ones. This is not me. I will play with kids for hours, and often do.
My senior year of high school I was not super close with God. I was upset my parents dragged me to church, so I tried to make the best of it. As much as I love listening to the sermons now, it just wasn't for me then. I didn't get much out of it. Probably because I wasn't listening quite right, but either way it just wasn't happening for me.
I reached out to the children's ministry and somehow got connected to start volunteering in the preschool/nursery ministry. I loved it. This was one of the times I knew I wanted to be a teacher because of how I felt when I was around the kids. I felt love. Real love. God's love. I knew how much He loved those babies and thus how much he loved me for giving me the ability to work with them and make them smile.
Being back at home gives me the chance to work with the ministry more. This Sunday I got to volunteer in the nursery with the infants. They're a blast. No, they don't talk, but their facial expressions and the noises they make are priceless. I laugh every time I'm in that room. I have to admit, the crying is a little over my head and I'm a not good at getting them to burp, but I'm learning and trying.
Giving my time is something easy I can do because it is free! Giving my time to something I love and have a passion for is even easier.
Hebrews 13:16
Computer
Date: December 30, 2012
Time: 9:30am
Location: First Baptist Church of Norfolk
Number: 9
During the Christmas Eve service at my church I was reminded of the church's need for computers and computer equipment. My family had told me about it once before, knowing my old laptop was laying on the floor in the corner of my bedroom, but I had forgotten.
I can't lie, this computer was dead, had stickers all over the back of it and was obviously owned by a middle schooler. The laptop died when I was in high school. It was an old Gateway and I bought it for about $300 when I was in like 7th grade. I got a few good years out of it, but eventually I let the virus protection run out and, obviously, it got viruses.
I knew I needed to get rid of the laptop, especially now that I have my Mac. I had no need for it, and no one in my house could get it to work. I was planning on trashing it, smashing the screen like my brother and I did to our old family computer that died. Realizing the only reason we did that was because of tax stuff that was on it, I decided it would be silly for me to do that. Even if it would be fun.
My Gateway and I parted ways on Sunday when I donated it to the church. I have no idea if they will be able to fix it or get anything out of it, but I figured it was better to give it to them and let them try than just throw it away.
Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this glorious laptop for you to laugh at, but I'm sure you can imagine its beauty.
Remember, giving is all about giving what you can. I couldn't donate a working, new computer, but I was able to give something. Who knows, maybe someone will learn how to fix a computer thanks to this donation. I'm sure God can use this act of kindness to glorify His kingdom some how!
Hebrews 13:16
Time: 9:30am
Location: First Baptist Church of Norfolk
Number: 9
During the Christmas Eve service at my church I was reminded of the church's need for computers and computer equipment. My family had told me about it once before, knowing my old laptop was laying on the floor in the corner of my bedroom, but I had forgotten.
I can't lie, this computer was dead, had stickers all over the back of it and was obviously owned by a middle schooler. The laptop died when I was in high school. It was an old Gateway and I bought it for about $300 when I was in like 7th grade. I got a few good years out of it, but eventually I let the virus protection run out and, obviously, it got viruses.
I knew I needed to get rid of the laptop, especially now that I have my Mac. I had no need for it, and no one in my house could get it to work. I was planning on trashing it, smashing the screen like my brother and I did to our old family computer that died. Realizing the only reason we did that was because of tax stuff that was on it, I decided it would be silly for me to do that. Even if it would be fun.
My Gateway and I parted ways on Sunday when I donated it to the church. I have no idea if they will be able to fix it or get anything out of it, but I figured it was better to give it to them and let them try than just throw it away.
Unfortunately I don't have a picture of this glorious laptop for you to laugh at, but I'm sure you can imagine its beauty.
Remember, giving is all about giving what you can. I couldn't donate a working, new computer, but I was able to give something. Who knows, maybe someone will learn how to fix a computer thanks to this donation. I'm sure God can use this act of kindness to glorify His kingdom some how!
Hebrews 13:16
Goodwill
Date: December 23, 2012
Time: 6:30pm
Location: Goodwill
Number: 8
You can easily look in my closet and drawers and see the abundant amount of clothing I own. It's crazy. All the t shirts I've accumulated over the years, the "sale" clothes I buy for no reason. I am blessed beyond reason. I love my clothes, but I noticed this year at school how much I brought with me and how rarely I wear certain pieces.
I like to say I'm a giver, but it is hard for me to part with clothes. I can donate old toys and shoes and trinkets all day long, but clothes are hard for me. It's not like I can't give them away because I won't have any left. I'd still have enough for weeks if I gave half my wardrobe away.
Coming home from school with boxes of clothes and stuff made me a little stressed out. Where in the world could I fit all of the stuff I have? I don't have a clue how it fit in my room prior to me moving it out for school. I decided it was time to do a sweep of my room and grab a few bags to donate or trash stuff.
I ended up with a giant bag full of everything you can imagine: t shirts, teddy bears, pants, shorts, dresses, shoes, erasers, etc. There was seriously some random stuff in there. I found it hard to part with certain shirts because of their sentimental value. (I'm strange that way.) I had to remind myself that it was only a shirt, I had the memories, and that someone else needed it way more than I did.
Here is a blurry (sorry) picture of the bags I brought to Goodwill a few days before Christmas. The bag on the left from Steve and my mom cleaning out their closets and the one on the right is mine. Hopefully someone finds these clothes helpful and keeps them warm this cold winter!
Hebrews 13:16
Panera
Date: December 22, 2012
Time: 12:30pm
Location: Panera
Number: 7
I was finishing up some Christmas shopping when I realized it had been a while since I had done an act of kindness. My mom was getting hungry and wanted to go to Panera. I asked her what she was going to get and she said she wanted one of the sweets. I remembered I had a "free sweet" on my My Panera card. I asked my mom if I could treat her and she said yes.
Remember, you don't need to be kind only to people you don't know or spend tons of money on them. The Lord rejoices when you are kind to anyone and in any way.
 |
| Mom with her sweet! |
Hebrews 13:16
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Intentional
I was talking to my friend Danielle the other day about my 100 acts of kindness project. She loves what I am doing, but we were talking about what "counts" and what doesn't. We were trying to figure out what a "random" act of kindness was and couldn't really figure it out. Does doing something nice for a friend count? Or would it only count if it's someone I don't know? What if I planned it out? There were a lot of unanswered questions.
Please remember that the purpose of this project is for me and for the Lord. I want to glorify Him by serving others. Hebrews 13:16 speaks to this. This project is not to make anyone think I am an awesome person or anything like that. The reason I am posting it on here is to give others ideas on how to serve in small ways. I found out about the project through blog posts like this, so I thought it may help someone else in the future.
Upon reflection, I've decided to change my project name. The acts I am doing are not random at all, they are intentional. I have created this project to intentionally serve people, not randomly do nice things. Therefore, I'm changing the name to "100 intentional acts of kindness" to be completed whenever it happens. No deadlines. No stress. Just serving.
Please pray that my intentions stay true to Him through this project and I never boast about what I am doing, but tell people with humility. Also pray that I can tell others about Him in this process!
Thanks for all of your love and support!
Please remember that the purpose of this project is for me and for the Lord. I want to glorify Him by serving others. Hebrews 13:16 speaks to this. This project is not to make anyone think I am an awesome person or anything like that. The reason I am posting it on here is to give others ideas on how to serve in small ways. I found out about the project through blog posts like this, so I thought it may help someone else in the future.
Upon reflection, I've decided to change my project name. The acts I am doing are not random at all, they are intentional. I have created this project to intentionally serve people, not randomly do nice things. Therefore, I'm changing the name to "100 intentional acts of kindness" to be completed whenever it happens. No deadlines. No stress. Just serving.
Please pray that my intentions stay true to Him through this project and I never boast about what I am doing, but tell people with humility. Also pray that I can tell others about Him in this process!
Thanks for all of your love and support!
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