Birthday Celebration!

A few of you have been asking for me to write about some of the good deeds people did for my birthday celebration, so here it is! For those not in the loop, for my birthday I asked my friends far and wide to join me in a special birthday celebration. Instead of meeting somewhere for a party or spending money on dinner, I asked that they would donate that time or money to someone else in need. I offered up a bunch of suggestions on how they could celebrate my birthday by practically loving on others, but many of you guys were so creative yourselves! I am so honored and blessed by each and every person that said yes to choosing love for my birthday.

Here are some of the neat things that you all did!

• Donated money to two different organizations in Sri Lanka
• Donated money to Saint Jude's Children's Research Hospital 
• Offered to pay for someone's ice cream that was short on money
• Giving up $20 that was gifted to him/her to a hard-working man in need for his family in Mexico
• Being intentional with thanking a worker that cleans restrooms
• Donated furniture to a family in need
• Gave food to a homeless man
• Bought nice dinner for a housemate who is going through financial difficulties
• Treating a co-worker with financial difficulties to lunch
• Bought a gift for downstairs neighbors
• Send chocolate-covered strawberries to a close friend
• Giving his/her own coat to a man on the street in need of one
• Driving someone home that had too much to drink
• Baked cookies and took them to coworkers
• Drove his/her gospel choir director home to LA after rehearsal at UCSB.
• Donated money to a non-profit called Bike-and-Build
• Buying and donating items to a children's center
• Offered moving services to a friend moving into a new place
• "I baked chocolate chip cookies last Thursday and surprised a few friends with them. And today I bought postcards which I will be writing little notes on and sending to friends far away to let them know I'm thinking of them"
• "I wrote an encouraging letter and put it in an envelope along with a Jamba juice gift card. I left it taped to the flip-up desk in a lecture hall to be a pleasant little surprise for the next person who flips up the desk"
• "On your birthday we had a big school event that was catered and they were gonna throw away the many trays of leftovers so I offered to go give them to a soup kitchen instead"
• "I helped a homeless lady get her dogs into a kennel for a few days so she could go to medical appointments"

Thank you for all you have done and continue to do. Please keep choosing love!

Here are some things I did to celebrate with you

• Walked a woman without an umbrella to her car in the rain
• Wrote 50 encouraging bible verses on index cards for a friend in need of a pick-me-up
• Bought hot chocolate for a man selling flowers out in the rain
• Donated blood
• Cleaned the dishes for my housemates after a huge 100+ person party (for my housemate's birthday!)
• Bought and gave away books for someone that wanted them
• Tipped a server 40%
• Bought a cold-weather sleeping bag for someone in need
• Bought flowers for someone in need
• Prayed for over 40 people throughout the week

Can't wait to keep it up!