I spent most of the day cleaning out my closet and drawers.  I ended up gathering three bags of clothes to donate to a shelter.  Around seven o'clock in the evening, I picked up Ali from work and we went to a homeless shelter in my city called Faith City Ministries.  This homeless shelter has a drop off place where you can leave clothes and food and things like that.  They'll use it to help the poor people in my city.

It was a great feeling to donate so many clothes to the homeless and needy.  I love the good feeling that swells up in your chest.  I also felt incredibly blessed as I drove through the poor neighborhoods and saw several homeless people wandering around.  I have so many things.  Even the three bags of clothes that I gave away were more than most of those people had to their name, and those were my discard clothes!  God has blessed me with so much. 

Me: Ali, what did you learn from donating clothes today?

Ali: It's just reminded me and Emily about how blessed we are, and just throughout the day, remember to thank God for everything you have.

Today, I wrote 1 Peter 5:7 on a note card, along with a little encouraging note and waited.  Ali has her SAT test tomorrow, so I thought the anxiety that is common with those sorts of tests was a perfect excuse to give an encouraging Bible verse.  I was going to leave a verse on a car windshield, but encouraging my friend was more important.

After Ali was asleep, I sneaked downstairs and put the encouraging note right on the doorstep.  Soooooo I hope she finds it.  We'll see!  :)

Ali had to work until late last night, so she'll be fulfilling today's challenge tomorrow.

To be honest, I didn't think that anyone but me would participate in today's challenge since it involved sacrificing money, which is a valuable resource for teens like me, perhaps even more valuable than kindness at times.  However, most of my friends did end up donating five dollars to a charity, which totally made my day. 

I donated my five dollars to a mosquito net fund I started after I returned home from Kenya, Africa.  Another friend of mine donated five dollars to that fund as well, so together, we gave enough money to purchase a mosquito net for someone in Africa.  Exciting! 

Some people donated to our school's Invisible Children Schools for Schools fund.  I loved seeing my peers step up and sacrifice their own money to help somebody else.  It brings a smile to my face. :)

What charity did you give your $5 to?

I loved today's challenge.  I made my encouraging note during Study Hall while I was at school.  It wasn't super creative- I'm not very good at art, art- but I enjoyed thinking of something encouraging to say.  You can see my note below.
I put my note right beside our bathroom mirror at my high school so that the girls could read it when they looked in the mirror and possibly felt bad about themselves.  I like encouraging people.  It makes me feel good too, to be honest.

Me: Ali, what did you do today?

Ali: I wrote an encouraging note for a younger girl that I know, and I just, I hope that she likes it- I don't know yet!  But, you know, I always love receiving encouraging notes, so it always hopes me and I hope it kinda helps her, and it at least brings a smile to her!

Today's challenge has been one of the most fun so far, in my opinion.

I was going to go to the bank and exchange a dollar for a hundred pennies, but I simply did not have the time today.  Perhaps I'll do something similar later on in the month.  Today I went ahead and got a dollar bill (the last one I had, actually... lucky me!).  I wrote a little message on the bill that said "Have a great day!"  (Man, I hope that's not illegal.  Ali said it wasn't, so I believe her.) 

I looked all around my school for the perfect, obvious place to set a dollar bill for someone to find.  I finally chose a bench that sits right in front of the school.  It has little round holes all across the top, perfect places for someone to stuff a rolled-up dollar bill.  Best yet, those benches are where kids sit when they're waiting for their parents to pick them up.  Many times, the parents are late.  I often see these kids looking down and bored and world-wearied, ready to go home and get away from the hectic school environment.  What a great way to make one of these kids' days, by letting them find a dollar bill with a friendly message written across the front. 

I only wish I could have stuck around to watch someone come across the dollar bill.  I wish I could have seen the look on whoever's face that found the dollar.

Another fun aspect to the day.  I'm not the only one at school participating in the 30 Days of Kindness challenge, so a few dollar bills were left around the school.  At one point in the day, a boy ran into the high school building, shouting, "I found a dollar!  I found a dollar!  Yay!"  What a confirmation that we made someone's day better!

Stay tuned for Ali's story a little later in the day.

I actually completed Day 4's challenge on Day 5 because I stayed home sick, and I couldn't very well go around hugging strangers when I was contagious.  Probably not the kindest gesture to give.  Coincidentally, Ali was sick too!  So we both decided to complete two challenges on Day 5 instead of risking getting anybody else sick.  Best friends share everything, including colds, right? :)

I had in mind not to hug a complete stranger today.  Instead, I wanted to hug some underclassmen that I didn't know very well. Hugs make everyone's day brighter, and I really need to branch out and meet some of the younger kids in my high school.   However, I was faced with a problem.  My school has recently come up with a rule that nobody is allowed to hug anymore.  I'm not even joking.  So hugging a student during school hours would be breaking a school rule and disobeying authority.  My next plan was to go to a nursing home and hug random people, but my heart was set on hugging underclassmen. 

Luckily, today was a National Honor Society meeting at lunch- and I don't think lunch counts as school hours- so I managed to hug some girls there.  It was fun to hug them, and not like I felt obligated to hug those girls because of the challenge.  I love hugging.

Hugging is very important.  Check out this cute quote:

"Hugging is healthy: it helps the body's immun[e] system, it keeps you healthier, it cures depression, it reduces stress, it induces sleep, it's invigorating, it's rejuvenating, it has no unpleasant side effects, and hugging is nothing less than a miracle drug.  Hugging is all natural: it is organic, naturally sweet, it has no pesticides, no preservatives, no artificial ingredients, and it is 100% wholesome.  Hugging is practically perfect: there are no movable parts, no batteries to replace, no periodic check-ups, has low energy consumption, high energy yield, is inflation-proof, non-fattening, has no monthly payments, no insurance requirements, is theft-proof, non-taxable, non-polluting, and is, of course, fully refundable." - Sharon Lindsey

Me: Ali, did you hug anyone today?

Ali: I went up to a girl and said hi to her, and I hugged her.  She wasn't a complete stranger, but she was definitely a girl I'd never talked to.  She looked at me and smiled and said hi back.

Me: Did you learn anything from hugging people you didn't know very well?

Ali: I think it was encouraging to me and it was also encouraging to her.  It was encouraging to me because, like, because I like giving hugs.  And it was encouraging to her- I think- because, I mean, receiving hugs is nice, and when people hug you, it just makes you feel special.

Did you have fun hugging people?  Did you hug a complete stranger or someone you didn't know very well?

Today's challenge was pretty simple, as it was a Sunday and Ali and I were at church.  We both were able to compliment people before the service even started!  I liked this challenge because it encouraged us to go out of our loop of church friends and greet somebody new.

I complimented a lady's necklace.  It made my day to see the look of gratitude come over her face when I let her know that I acknowledged how cute she looked and how I knew she had worked hard on her appearance for church.  I love the visible rise in self-confidence that comes over someone when you compliment their appearance.  I love to be complimented- it makes me feel good- so I know that other ladies like to be complimented as well.

Me: Ali, what happened with you today?

Ali: We went to church and we were getting coffee, and the lady behind us had a cute dress on, and I had never met her.  So I turned around I said hi... with a smile!  I complimented her dress, which was way cute.  She looked grateful that I complimented her dress, and I think it made her feel good.  It makes me feel good when people compliment me.

Me: And what did you learn from this experience?

Ali: I learned that you can make someone smile by complimenting them.  Everyone likes to feel good about something they do or wear, so I will try to compliment more people more often.

What did you learn today?  Do you have any fun stories?  Be sure to check out my YouTube channel to see more personalized stories of each day's experiences. 

Today, we went to the mall in search for strangers to greet.  Ali and I ended up saying hello to twenty people each, which means that we greeted forty people!  It was surprisingly awkward and difficult to come out of our shells and speak to someone we didn't know.  Most people seemed to be taken aback or even uncomfortable... with a mere "hi!"  Several times, my target would look me up and down and walk away without even saying hi in return. 

It saddened me that our nation has become so turned off to friendliness that even a mere greeting is taken as offensive or startling.  I plan to make it a habit to greet strangers more often.  This stiffness needs to end.

Me: So Ali, what did you learn from today?

Ali: It was just kind of different.  People aren't used to others saying hi to them, and so sometimes we'd get strange looks, and other times, I would wonder whether someone heard me or not or if they just ignored me!  A few times we got "hi"'s back, but most of the time, people just smiled and walked away.  It makes me want to change that, and I want to start saying hi to strangers more often and be more friendly.  I mean, I consider myself a friendly person already, but this showed me the opposite!

Me: So how do you plan on changing this? 

Ali: I plan on smiling and saying hi to people more often and caring for strangers, just by saying hi.

We learned a lot from merely saying hi to strangers.  What were your experiences from today?

Today's challenge was easy.  My best friend, Ali, will also be participating in this thirty day challenge. 

We went to a gas station in a poorer side of town, determined to find people to smile at and show kindness.  I turned around and smiled at the lady behind me in line.  She was thin, wrinkled, and wearing worn clothes.  She seemed stressed out to purchase even her Coke.  When I smiled at her, she looked up at me with weary blue eyes and seemed to hesitate, as if she was unused to friendliness of any kind.  While the lady seemed taken aback by my bright smile, she didn't seem to mind.  I wonder if my friendliness made her day.

Ali: "I smiled at the cashier. She looked like she was having a bad day, so I thought I'd brighten her day, and it brightened mine."

Me: "Could you tell if she seemed happier after you smiled at her?"

Ali: "Mmm-hmm!"

What is your story for today?  I would love to see a picture of your beautiful, genuine smile.  Tell me about today's challenge.  Did you make someone's day?  Did your target smile back at you?  Did they ignore you?  Who did you choose to bestow upon your smile?

Stay tuned to read about tomorrow's challenge!

Day 30: A motto or philosophy

A philosophy of mine is something I took from the Bible verse James 1:27.

Does this not put your original perceptions of religion and Christianity and faith to shame?  What does God see as pure and faultless?  Helping the women and children who are in need.
 

Day 29: Hopes, dreams, and plans you have for the next 365 days

While I do want to leave my future open for God to mold and control, I do have plans that I would love to see fulfilled if He wants them to be fulfilled.

1.) I want to graduate high school this year (obviously) with all A's. 
2.) I want to go to an amazing university that is the perfect fit for me and what I want to study.
3.) I want to publish my novel, Before You.
4.) I want to travel to Kenya, Africa again and reunite with old friends.
5.) I want to make new friends in new places, everywhere I go.
6.) I want to keep my old friends from where I live after I go to college.
7.) I want to discover what career God wants me to pursue that both makes me happy and glorifies Him.
8.) I want to have hope and joy, no matter what happens to me or to those I love.
9.) I want to leave a legacy in my high school... a good kind of legacy for Jesus.
10.) I want to share God's Word with as many people as I possibly can.
11.) I want to continue to grow in my relationship with Jesus and learn to be a shining light for Him through every action that I make and word that I speak.

What are your dreams for the next year?

Day 28: A scar you have and its story

People most frequently ask about a little hole in my leg.  It's a small dip in the skin.  It looks like a hole from far away, but it doesn't go very deep.  It's from a spider bite.  We often like to assume that it's from a brown recluse because a big hole at the time formed in my leg, although it wasn't as bad as some of the horror stories I've heard with brown recluses.

Anyways, I was about ten at the time I got this scar.  It was very painful when I first had the bite and the real hole.  I could hardly put weight on my leg for a few days.  It hurt.  Ever since I got this scar, I've been terrified of spiders.

But I don't mind the funny story I now can tell because of the scar
 

Day 27: A physical feature you love

I have to say that I love eyes.  Eyes are beautiful.  I love my own eyes and I love the eyes of other people. 

Bright blue eyes fascinate me, but so do eyes that are a shade of gold... a true hazel. 

I call my eyes hazel, but they're really a kind of rainbow.

Day 26: A childhood memory

I have a memory of attending a church service with my family when I was approximately six years old.  A man from World Vision came and talked about the children living in poverty around the world and how to sponsor children.  This was one of the first times I distinctly remember feeling stricken with empathy for the children who live in third world countries. 

As we left the sanctuary that day and I was sent to Sunday School, I pleaded and pleaded with my mother to allow our family to sponsor a child.  At first, she told me no -at least not for a while, until our family discussed the idea- but I didn't want to leave the church until she sponsored a child.

We decided to sponsor a little girl from India named Bornali Deka.  She was my age.  We've sponsored her ever since. 

This month, Bornali will be turning eighteen and the sponsorship will end.  It's very sad for me, because this is the little girl who I have written letters to, received pictures of, and watched grow up over the last twelve years.

We now sponsor three other children: Lavin, David, and Sanya, all from Kenya, Africa, and all children I have met before. 

I enjoy looking back on distinctive memories like the one of me begging my mom to sponsor a child, because I can see that even then, God had a plan for me to work with underprivileged and needy children.  He has always known my heart, even when I have not.

If you are reading this right now and you feel impacted by this story or by the photograph of Bornali Deka, feel free to go to the World Vision or Christian Relief Fund websites and choose a child to sponsor.  You cannot truly grasp the impact that you will make on the lives of these children until you see the change for yourself.
 

Day 25: A recipe

Today is a bit of a difficult task for me because I don't cook.  I mean, I honestly can't.  God has not blessed me with natural skills in the kitchen.  I plan to make a bunch of salads and turkey sandwiches once I enter college.

So today's recipe will be something simple and easy for everyone to make: Milk Toast.

"What's that?" you ask.  Oh, it's heaven.  It's breakfast.  It's milk.  And it's toast.

Here are your ingredients-
- Bread (however many slices you need to fill your tummy)
- Milk (Around a cup-full)
- Cinnamon Sugar (If you don't have any, make some!  A few spoon-fulls should work)
- Butter

First, take the bread and toast it.  After you've toasted the bread, get a butter knife and spread the butter over the slices of \bread.  Easy, right?  Next you need to warm up your milk over a stove or in the microwave until it is warm or even steaming hot.  I usually microwave the milk for about two minutes.  While your milk is warming, stack your toast into a bowl and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar on top of each slice.  When your milk is finished warming up, pour it in the bowl over the toast.

I know it may sound disgusting, but it is very good.  Yummy. :)

So that is basically the only thing I know how to make. 

Day 24: A movie no one would expect you to love

This was a difficult one.  I tend to be fairly predictable with all of my movie choices.  I like action, some scary, suspense... not many romance or chick flicks. 

One movie that sticks out to me is The Truman Show, starring Jim Carrey.  It came out in 1998, but I watched it for the first time this summer.  I watched it three times in two days.  I loved it. 

A synopsis of the film I took off of imdb.com:
In this movie, Truman is a man whose life is a fake one.  The place he lives is in fact a big studio with hidden cameras everywhere, and all his friends and people around him are actors who play their roles in the most popular TV series in the world: The Truman Show.  Truman thinks that he is an ordinary man with an ordinary life, and has no idea about how he is exploited, until one day... he finds out everything.

When I say that The Truman Show is one of my favorite movies of all times, people often scrunch up their faces, a little confused.  It's an old movie.  Why do I love it so much?

The concept fascinates me.  Imagine if you'd grown up your entire life in a world that consisted of a dome, with people who were being paid to like you.  What a horrifying, fascinating, life-shattering idea.  And I loved the way they portrayed this thought in The Truman Show.

This is a movie that I would recommend to anyone. 

(Note: this actually took place last week.)

Today was Nerds Day Thursday.  This is the day I've been waiting for all week.  I spent hours in thrift stores over the weekend picking out the perfect clothes.  I have an extra-large (when I should be wearing a small) collared red shirt, giant polka dot shorts, a bun, big glasses, and hi-top Chucks (I didn't have better shoes, sadly).  But I'll tell you now, I most definitely passed as a nerd.  Yikes! 

My brother and sister also dressed up for nerd day.  Amy wore a shirt that said, "Sometimes I pee when I laugh", high shorts, light up shoes, and pigtails.  Luke... he just blows us all away.  He's such a natural nerd. :) 

As soon as we got to school, it was immediately noticeable how many people were dressing up for today.  A woman was walking by our campus while several of us were walking from the parking lot to the school.  She did a double take and burst into loud laughter.  I'm sure we made her entire day.  It was so much fun.

Nearly everyone dressed up, bringing nerdy gadgets, parting their hair in the middle, wearing high pigtails, high shorts, tall socks, pocket protectors, big glasses, bow ties, suspenders... basically every "nerd" stereotype was fulfilled at my high school.  A couple people even showed up as giant boxes of Nerds.  Get it?

At lunch, a group of friends and I got together and went to the mall to eat.  A couple of soldiers dressed in army fatigues started laughing, pointing, and waving at us when we walked by.  Many people made comments about how we looked.  The most noticeable nerds in our group would have to be Zeek and Rebekah, but we all looked pretty crazy.  We were sure to stay in character during the entire meal.

As we drove back to the school after lunch, we all enjoyed blasting rap music from the speakers, rolling down the car windows, and nodding at gangsters as we drove by.

I love Spirit Week.    

Day 23: A way in which you want to be remembered

I want to be remembered for my compassion.  I have always felt a sense of compassion for people: for the poor, for the hungry, for the unloved, for the forgotten. 

I feel compassion for the kids who are unloved and neglected by their own parents.

I feel compassion for the people who go to bed hungry each night because they have no food.

I feel compassion for those who have never heard the Name of Jesus Christ.

I feel compassion for the children who die each year, forgotten and invisible: the aborted.

I feel compassion for the women who believe that they are not good enough to succeed.

I feel compassion for the weak. 

I believe that God has naturally gifted each person's personality with something that helps them to relate to or help others.  Perhaps you feel a great sense of generosity.  Perhaps you are perceptive of emotions.  Perhaps you are very forgiving.  Perhaps you are a generally happy person, even when things are difficult.  Perhaps you have an underlying sense of hope in everything that you do.

I feel compassion for so many, but I want to be remembered for what I do about it in Christ's Name. 
 

Day 22: A website you like

A website that I love is www.inkpop.com.

This is a website where you can post books, short stories, essays, or poetry that you have written and allow others to read, critique, and "pick" your writing.  There is a forum and a friendly community.  Nearly everyone I've come across on this site is kind and eager to help me improve my writing.

You can read my posted project, a novel called Before You, at this link.

If you're a writer like me, I'd definitely recommend that you become a member of inkpop.  It's a fun and addicting experience.

(Notice: This actually took place last week.)

Today was Cops and Robbers Day.  The Sophomore and Senior classes were the robbers.  The Freshman and Junior classes were the cops.  I felt kinda bad for the cops, because how can you really dress up like a cop?  If you're a robber, just throw on some black and a ski mask and you've got a costume.  Plus, being the robber is way more fun, in my opinion.

The day was spent trying my hardest to act like a gangsta, which is very hard when you're a 5'1 white girl who attends a private Christian school.  Being thuggish just doesn't work.  I would try to have a thug accent or a tough guy face, but I couldn't help but smile and laugh and sound silly.

I wore a pair of $1.50 black baggy sweat pants I purchased from a thrift store, red polka dot boxers showing up top, a big black hoodie that said "White and Nerdy", like the song (my dad's), and a black beanie I got from Wal-Mart.  I wear a lot of black t-shirts, but I'm not sure if I've ever worn all black before.  A new experience for me.

I'll admit any day that my private school doesn't have any true gangsters. 

The best-looking robber/gangster was my friend Zeek, who happens to be one of the two African American teens at my high school.  He pulled off his look quite well, if you ask me!

For lunch, my friends and I decided to visit a happy deli, a usual lunch destination for us all.  We were giggling as we thought of all of the reactions we would get.  We were very careful not to be loud, obnoxious, or disruptive when we went out to eat.  We figured we would act like our normal, positively received selves, and see how people responded to the gangster versions of us.

As soon as we entered the front door, every eye in the room locked on us and every single smile faded completely.  Mothers grabbed their kids, grandparents shook their heads disapprovingly... it was awful.  It literally wiped the grins off of our faces.  We weren't considered funny.  The cashiers wouldn't smile at us, even though we acted as 'sweet' and bubbly as we always do.  A couple of ladies bumped into me and a friend, opened their mouth to smile and apologize, and then clamped their mouth shut, turned, and walked away without a word.

To be honest, I was affected by this.  My friend Rebekah shook her head as we left the restaurant, saying, "People are so judgmental.  I never realized that."  We may say that we don't judge people by appearances, but we do.  We honestly do.  From now on, I will not look at appearances as much as I do.  If someone dresses scary, maybe they're just in costume for Spirit Week.

Maybe a genuine smile is all it takes to brighten someone's entire outlook on their day.