Layers

Sometimes it feels like discussing the subject of pregnancy is barely scratching the surface of the problems our clients are facing. If that topic is well understood, we try to move on to birth control, because that can also be so harmful to women and they don't realize it. After that is the important subject of abstinence. Sex=kids (in the natural course of things) and so if it's not a good time for kids, it's not a good time for sex. Not to mention all the other ways premarital sex can hurt women.

It takes many steps to bring someone back to a healthy understanding of life and relationships and I wish we were able to go this deep with all our clients. We could all use wisdom from people who know a better way than the one we are taking, so likewise with these women who do not realize they deserve much better than they have. At one layer or another though, we can work on communicating that to anyone who comes into our life.

Everybody have Problems

This week I have many beautiful experiences. I know a lot of girls that wants to have an abortion. All of them have different problems that makes difficult for them to have a baby. School, college, find a job, finantial problems... There are a lot of personal problems and they think that a baby is one more in the list.These girls doesn't know that problems are always present, that all the people have problems and all the people have to pass them. We think that our problems are the big ones in the world, that the person who is infront of us haven't has problems. This is not true, all of us have problems but the difference is the way that we choose for having a solution. Death is not the solution, kill the baby making an abortion is not the solution if a girl is pregnant, go and kidnapped a bank is not the solution for finantial problems... The solution of all the problems is to afront them, to find real and healthy solutions for them.Think also if you are pregnancy a baby is going to help you to pass the problems, when your baby smiles you, yo are going to forgett about the problems!

Living NY!

This week has been one of the best in the whole summer!! I have been working in Queens office. Every day has been different. On Monday, came 5 o 6 women, and was exciting being part of their mind changes. Every of each at the first few time wanted to have and abortion, but we tried through the counseling changing their minds.Most of them didn't know or didn't belief on the complications and risks that an abortion can carry on. Fortunely, all of them accepted coming back again, and continue with the pregnancy.

In the evening we met with Chris Slattery and we went to the Circus de Solei. It is one of the best circus in the world!!

On Tuesday I also went to Queens, there wasn't so many girls, and it was a hard work, but we tried to do our best. This women need our support.In evening we went to the Citi Field, Mets vs Marlins!!! Marlins won!!

`Hasta siempre`

Hi guys!!This is my last blog on EMC this summer!After seven wonderful weeks is time to back to Spain.

I want to thank everyone, may be is the same as everybody says but I think that every goodbye that we made came from the heart, because all things that we have learned this summer we are going to remember for a lifetime and we will need to help in Spain all the women who want an abortion.

Firstly I want to thank Chris Slattery for helping in this way to all those women who need it and for giving us the opportunity to help too.

Secondly I want to thank all of those people who every day are in the office, because that is the hardest work and you do it with an incredible love, and moreover because all those weeks spent with each of you have been wonderful. So thank you very much!

And of course the incredible peers I have had this summer and the good friends I have made that I hope will last forever!

Thank you very much!!

Adios!!

This is my last blog. I've been here for seven weeks, from july 9th till august 28th, almost my whole summer break. Someone could think that I should have done other things, like going with my family to the beach, or being in my hometown just resting, or going out with my friends; like many of the people at age usually do. But this has been one of the best summers ever for me.

I have met a lot of incredible people: the interns, the offices leaders (Linda, Liz, Carmen, Jowell, Rosanna, July), and many women who needed help. I also have learnt many important things: good values of the life and family, the importance of being pro-life, how to treat helpless pregnant women... and how to life in the same house with 20 spanish and american young people!

We also have had a lot of fun. The trips and the activities that Chris invite us were awesome. It was the best way to rest from the work and to know the rest of the people were I was working with.

I've also made many friends that I hope to have forever.

My american adventure for the summer '11 is coming to and end but I'm sure that I will never forget it! Thank you!

Bye and god bless!

Putin wants to increase a 30% the Russian nativity in 3 years.

As for the liberal solution to poverty is to eliminate the poor, either with mass sterilization, promoting abortion, contraception or the "one-child policy" in Russia, Prime Minister Putin has submitted a to promote fertility.

It proposes an investment of almost 40 billion euros in the country's greatest asset: people. The effort will be titanic, the country has gone from 148.5 million in 1995 to 143 at present. Official numbers show between 1.6 and 1.7 million abortions a year, but unofficial estimates put it at about 6 million per year, 90 percent of whom are, as in most developed countries at the request of the woman for "social", not for medical reasons.The bill is aimed at the whole person care, and the measures include creating favorable conditions for women to choose childbirth. The abortion would not be qualified as a medical service of the national health system, allowing doctors could refuse to perform them. The new legislation would also be illegal abortions in the second half of pregnancy.Besides maternity aid would increase to 2,000 rubles ($ 70) per month until the birth of the child.

In this ambitious strategic plan that took place on 29 and 30 June, the "demographic Summit in Moscow: the Family and the Future of Humanity" The list of participants gives an idea of ​​who wants a comprehensive solution: bioethics, demographers, sociologists, academics, university rectors, pro-life leaders, or the Metropolitan Hilarion himself.

Hi there! Today is a almost a week since I arrived to the lifehouse. I have to admit that it hasn´t been easy, but I have really loved it.

It´s a real challenge counseling womens, parents or couples, trying to help them not only with the decision of continuing with the pregnancy and keeping their baby but also helping them to get Jobs and sometimes even figure out a way of graduating. Excatly this is what happened to a young couple that came the other day to the Brooklyn office, the girl hasn´t graduated from high school and his boyfriend needed a job. They are still working on the way they are going to help them, but Linda is trying to improve the situation of this young couple and make it a better place for a baby to come to this World.

I have been a couple of days in the Brooklyn office, where a lot of different girls come with really tough situations. The other day a women came with her one-year-old daugter and a possibly pregnant friend. This women come a year ago asking for help with her pregnancy and thinking on an abortion, the people in the center helped her and now she has a beautifull and loved daughter( the baby of the picture). Talking to this women was a great and enriching experience.

Write to you soon

Another way: The adoption

To make an abortion it isn't the only way to the monther's that don't want to take their children. Child's parents may also consider adoption and together make a plan for youe baby's future. Parents can make arrangements to visit the baby before the adoption and spend time with her child. In an open adoption they can meet adoptive family, write a letter to the child explaining parents thoughts and feelings, and give a gift to the child. Parents can request that photographs of the child be sent to parents. How much contact parents have after the baby is placed with the family depends on parents wishes and is agreed upon in advance by the birthparents and adoptive parents.

Parents of the child have a counselor with will discuss the options that they have. If parents wants to know about the child counselor asks for a complete medical and social history of parents and family. It is very important that the child know as much as possible about their parents if parents want.

If parents want to say to the child that they ever loved him or her it's so important to communicate parents love through a personal letter, explaining that planning an adoption was a difficult decision for you. Every child needs to feel wanted and loved from the beginning. When parents know they are not ready to parent, choosing adoption means that parents care enough to give your child ever opportunity possible. Adoption is a correct way, better than abort if the difficulties that parents have don' permit have the baby with their.

Ana Pacheco Doria.

AN INTERNSHIP IN NEW YORK!

Hi there, I´m camino. Like most of the interns, I come from Spain, Pamplona excatly. A small but really nice city in the north of Spain. August 19th I arrived to the lifehouse, since then I haven´t stopped.

I decided to came to EMC not only to finish my summer in usa helping others but also because I see the importance of the help we offer to these womens in this moment of their lifes. I´m a pro-life person, I believe in life since conception and in the Rights a human being has. I want to help fighting for this cause.

Thank You's

One of the best ways to know how good or effective your work is by gauging the response of the people you are working with. We all need some encouragement and affirmation that we're on the right track. In this line of work, we sometimes encounter a lot more adversity or at least difficulty than support.

But, when it comes down to it, if we are ever in need of assurance that our work is indeed appreciated and effective, we need only ask one of our directors. There we will encounter a wealth of emotionally written letters of love, we'll see mothers coming back to visit, faces beaming, with their saved children (even after 12 years...), and we'll hear the stories of conversion, hope, and strength they carry in countless store.

At Linda's (where I usually am), we need only look at the walls and see all the beautiful, smiling little faces or notice the newly delivered heart-felt Thank You card sitting on her desk. They don't ask for it, they don't expect it, but they receive love and appreciation in some way or another from all the clients they've helped.

That is how we know this work is good.

Mother support

One of these weeks I received a call from a girl that we counseled her a while ago.

She told me Belén I’m going to keep my baby; I was very excited about her decision

I couldn’t believe it!

She was very excited to, and also very worried about what her parents and her boyfriend parents could think about it. She was very afraid because she thought that her parents

They wouldn’t accept her decision.

Yesterday I received and other call and she told me that she was going to keep her baby instead of her parent’s opinion. She told me that her parents kick her out of the house she was very sad about that, I thought that because of that she was going to change her opinion. But surprisingly she told me I very disappointed but I’m not going to change my opinion.

I was very surprised and at the same time very happy for her big courage! Mothers have to realize about how important are them in her sister’s life, their daughters could affront her pregnancy but with her love, affection, understanding and experience. They have to realize that in the past they decided to keep her own daughter and now her daughter is going to birth a new life!

This incredible people

This last week has been my seventh week. During this time I have had the opportunity to have a lot of good experiences, to help many women, to meet other interns from Spain and USA and to work with some extraordinay people.

This people: Liz, Linda, Kathy, Rosanna, Jowel and July are the full time workers of the EMC Frontline Centers. They are always there, day after day, on the officines of Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn doing counceling or in Emily's or Jerome Avenue doing street work. They spend 8 hours daily from monday to saturday all the year trying to help young women who don't know enought about the abortion.

We, the interns spend here just for one or two months. That's almost all our summer holiday time. And we think that it is a lot of time and also that is a good experience that change our lives. So I can't imagine how would they feell this people. They our heroes and our example to follow. Thank you!

Your choice is what it matter

The choices people make in life do not always portray their real convictions. Most often, people choose what they would do with their life based on other people's conviction. Some people change their mind on their own conviction because they have been persuaded by others to do that which ordinarily they wouldn't have done. Unfortunately, their life is based on the dictates of others.

An abortion-minded woman walked into the Brooklyn office on monday. Her boy-friend later joined her. After watching our videos, she decided (and was convinced) not to abort her baby again. But she has only one problem: she is completely dependent on the boy. We spoke to her at length and convinced her to keep her baby. The counseling and explanation we gave her made her change her mind. She will also pick a job through us (coupled with our free benefits); and this too made a lot of impression on them. I wish the boy's conviction will not later prevail over hers.
Please pray with me that she may discover her self esteem and stand by her conviction to keep her baby.

The miracle of born

When babies are born they are ready for life in the big wide world. They breathe, they see,they hear,they feel. It takes only nine months do a new baby to born. In this nine months a growing baby is protected inside its mother's womb. The mothers permits the miracle of birth. Inside her borns a person. She protect, give eat and drink during nine months and the result is that a baby grows inside her. It is incredible if we think about that. It is incredible that a women can permits that a new person come to our world.

When a women makes an abortion she is lossing to give the opportunity to a baby to born, she is lossing to give a baby the opportunity to be his son or daughter, to enjoy with the good thinks of life, to grow in a family that loves him or her.

In the other hand, a women who aborts doesn't think about the possibility that if they want to have a baby in other time, they can't because one day ago they decided to have an abortion. Because an abortion have wrong consequences and one of it can be that these women never have babys in her lives.

Mi first week here has been fantastic. I can help a lot of girls to see that thanks for her a baby can born, that thaks for her a baby can take part in the world like her and they can educate a person that makes big thinks in the world.

It is a pleasure to see your babys born, grow... It's a gift to take part in the history of the world giving to the earth a baby, a person who have the opportunity of life, who have the opportunity of being someone special in the lives of a lot of people because he or she exists.

I know that there are a lot of difficulties like be afraid to face the pregnancy or to raise the child alone that makes a person takes the decision of having a abortion, but if these women can be more than only the difficulties, they could see that there are a lot of thinks more than this.

Ana Pacheco

An experience in Queens

Hello!! Yesterday I went to Queens office, it was a succesful journey. During the morning came a girl, she was 19 years old. She was pregnant of 6 weeks. At the first momment she started crying, she didn't believe it. She couldn't imagine her being a mother. We tryed to console her. She was with a very negative behaviour, she didn't want to keep her baby. She was very scared. We did the counseling with her. We gave her the information about the two main procedures of abortion and all the risks and complications. She didn't now anything about. She never had been informed about what we explained. She noticed that abortion is not a good procedure. It is not natural.
Finally the girl was so pleased about the help we brought her. he told us she couldn't do an abortion, she needed a lot of support, but she thought her mother could bring it.
It has been very greatfull!!

Redemptive Suffering

I've learned a lot from our center directors throughout my time here. They teach me more every time I see them. Often about our work and our clients, sometimes just about life and about myself. One of the things I remember in particular was from Linda, our Brooklyn Center Director. It was in the midst of the chaos of a day full of clients and we were talking about clients who had had previous abortions when she suddenly pulled me aside and said, "Don't ever think that you are better than one of these girls. They will get to heaven before you or me because of the value of their redemptive suffering!"

It is certainly true that the way to heaven is through suffering, as our Lord showed us, and the pain caused by one abortion is something I may not ever understand. I can't judge anyone. It could be that through the Lord's great mercy that he draws that wounded soul closer to himself than I will ever be because of the great suffering they have to offer him.

Goodbye New York

I write this blog from my lovely country, Spain.

The six weeks that I've spent in the Live-house going to be unforgettable, the time in the centers, the counseling with the girls are things that have marked me forever, when I arrived to USA i was pro-life just in theory, now i'm completely pro-life, in theory and practice.

Also the times with the interns in the porch, walking around Manhattan, the funny trips,etc with all the hilarious times. Everything was great.

I want to thank Chris for giving me this opportunity , and thank every one of the interns for this wonderful time.

Thanks to God for this internship.

World Youth Day (Part II)

Awesome, incredible, perfect...These are some of the adjetives that would define the WYD in Madrid these days.

Despite the fear that existed about WYD, everything turned out even better than it was expected, because more than a million and a half young people were in Madrid supporting the Pope. In fact, it has been the highest concentration in the history of Spain! A lot of people used to say that we were a few, but as spanish people always sing: "Esta es la juventud del Papa" that means in english: "this is the Pope´s youth",and once again we have shown that many of us follow the Pope.

These days have been very hot, except the last one which unfortunately rained, but it did not matter because the most important thing was to be with the Pope supporting his cause. The only negative thing was the "indignados", a few group of people who were against the Pope´s visit and they tried to bother doing demonstrations complaining of the expenses that cost this event.

However, everything were wonderful, even all of us that were in the lifehouse followed the WYD here in New York and it gave us strength to continue fighting for our cause, the fight against abortion.

So thank you very much Benedict XVI!!

A girl from Barcelona

Hello!! I´m Lis Esteban. I´m 23 years old. I´m from Barcelona and I have already finished studying Dentistry.

I´m very happy to be here with EMC. I`m the third daughter of my family, there are 7 of us. We are 4 daughters and 3 sons. I´m a pro-life person because I have my own experience with my family. We defend life in everything. Every new fertilized cell (embrion) is a new human being.

I arrived to the NY Internship on August 18th. Yesterday I went to the Queens office and it was awesome. I´m very happy because I think we could do a very good work helping them.

From Barcelona to New York

Mi name is Ana Pacheco. I am from Spain and I arrived to the Lifehouse August 18th. I am 25 years old and I have studied journalism in Barcelona.

For me Pro-life means the respect for life. The right to life is the cornerstone upon which rests or should rest our civilization and I'm sure that the right to life from the moment of conception is the first right of all. It is for that reason that I'm firmly against abortion, which would be the opposite of pro-life.

The experience here is incredible. I worked two days and it is impressionant to have the opportunity to help women who are pregnant and want to abort because they see no other way for child and we can convince them. It is beautiful to have the opportunity to convince them about the life, about that they have a baby inside them and he has to life. I know that if this girls and women are informed about what they will be subject, they would have the chance of choosing what they would like to do

I am surprise seeing that the most women that comes to the centers doesn't know really that they have a baby inside with life that would have the opportunity to born. This experience is beautiful because we can valorate our life and explain to other people all the things that our family have explained and teach us.

To accept the consequences

It is very impressive to talk to a 14 years old pregnant girl. This week, I was with other internship in Queens and that happened.

She was very scared about her situation and her boyfriend too. They went to our office looking for an abortion, but the more we talk to them, the less they wanted it.

We explained them the possible bad consequences of an abortion. We talked to them for a while and they told us that the worst part of being pregnant was going to be her mother. She said that her mother did not know she was pregnant and she did not want to tell her mother this because it was going to be very disappointed. Although her mother did not want an abortion for her (that was she said) it was very difficult to tell her mother the situation. She believed her mother would take her out of home. After a while they accepted and wanted to face the situation.

I am really impressive for these teenager who accepted their consequences. They have been an example for me int this. They were scared but the accepted it, they were very strong. I am praying for them and her mother and we are calling them to be with them in this.

New people, new babies saved

This week we have we welcomed four new people into the Bronx's Lifehouse. There are four Spanish girls: Paloma, from Madrid; Camino, from Pamplona and two friends from Barcelona: Lis and Ana.

They are here for a month and they are ready to save lives here in NYC. They all are pro-life and they know the good values of the life, charity and family. When they arrived they were really exited about helping young women, being in New York and knowing people like them, who spend their summer time working in the Bronx, Queens and Brookling trying to prevent abortion.

They all enjoyed their first day. They spent it learning and getting to know the workers and the offices where we help, day after day, pregnant women who need help or are not sure of having the baby. At the end of the day, when we were having the dinner, they told us their impressions about this new experience that was just started. They all where impressed with the work done in the offices and happy with being doing this for a short time.

As everyone can see, we are having a really good time here in the Bronx Lifehouse. When we arrived we didn't know each other, but now we all are friends. That's why I encourage all young people who are thinking about volunteering, to come here and help the pro-life movement in the capital of abortion. It would be a experience that will never be forgotten.

Historys of EMC

During this two weeks I have been working in Queens office. This office is located in Jackson Heights. During these days we have had a lot of visits, all of them very different.

Every case impress me a lot as I said during my last posts I admired the big courage of all this girls and how they face up her pregnancy.

Last week a girl came to Queens with her boyfriend. When I opened the door I saw a girl, at the beginning I though she seems very young but when she said that she was 14 I got very impressed! This girl at the beginning said that she wanted an abortion the boyfriend support her with any decision that she would take. Nacho and I started the counseling informing her about all the consequences and risks that an abortion could have, fiscally and physiology. When the girl realized about the real risks of an abortion her face was changing in to a worried face a sad at the same time. The couple were very overwhelm because they started thinking about how they can tell their parents that she was pregnant and also that they want finally to keep the baby. We try to help them explaining them how they can tell their parents this decision and also we arrange an appointment for made her a ultrasound.

On Saturday the boyfriend called me and told me that finally they are not coming to make the ultrasound because the girlfriend mother want the abortion.

I now that is not a happy history it can be contradictory but when you face up with this type of cases you feel like a big strong to continue with this work and informed all the girls about the real consequences and stopped with this tragedy!

Step by Step He Leads us

God's ways are miraculous and inscrutable. As much as we try to stay on top of things and provide all the love and support we can for struggling mothers, he's the only one who can truly make their courageous decision possible. He is the one who is with them at all times, knowing the depths of their hearts and all their secret needs. Even close family and friends can't fight their battles for them.

There was a woman recently who was in much need of help, every step of the way. Her living situation was terrible, her family was not supportive, and she already had a young child at home. She couldn't even get to her doctor's appointments well, and so one day we were sent to help her. We went to the ghetto she lived in and saw first hand the bad condition. Dirty, noisy, dangerous. And a small energetic child running around needing constant attention. She said sometimes she would get so tired from chasing him she'd just lie down on the bed and fall asleep.

Here she was, struggling to keep the baby after many long talks with our center director, and all any of us could do was trust in God's providence. That her selfless decision and all her pain and trial would result in blessing. At the end of the day that is often what we are left with: God's promise, and nothing more. But God always keeps his promises.

Last day in Bronx

Last day, I was working in the Bronx, it was my last day working in the internship, during the morning came different girls, like every morning.

One of the last girls that came wasn't pregnant, she was looking for a GYN check-up, so she didn't have to fill in all of the in-take form, then she asked me if everything was ok, and when I check the paper i saw the she had had an abortion when she was 17, now she was 21.

Is surprised me, so i started asking her why she decided to have an abortion, to which she replied that she had a little sister that now is 12, and she did't want to give her a bad example having a baby so young, at that time I said to her that what she thinks that was a worse example, having a baby being so young, or having an abortion. With this sentence she realized that she was wrong, and she used her sister as an excuse to abort.

A lot of girls that i spoke to are always looking for different excuses because she can't have a baby, but i think it's just she was very scared. So we have to show them that having a baby is't as scary as all that.

First Week

Good Morning!!!


It is my first week


My frist day was in Bronx.whwnen I arrived Liz showed me everything about abortion like videos,instruments and pictures.


There was a woman,3 months pregnant.She wanted to get an abortion.Linda talked to her during Carlos and me talked with her boyfriend.He said"It´s is her chooise"we aren´t agree with that answer,they are the parents,now they are a family with a child.He should support her all the time.Or give to adoption.But kill the baby is not the good way to solve the problem.


I was in Brooklyn helping Linda.I did pregnant tests,talked with women.They have very difficult lives.They think they can´t take care of their child,or it´s early to have a child whose father is not her boyfriend,or they don´t have money....


The next day I was Emilys.We saw women coming into the Abortion Clinic.Iwas waiting in the back door and talked with the woman,Few of then were crying and It was hard to them to walk.A mother went with her daughter,she didn´t wat the abortion.In two hours talking with her,she came into and took her daughter out of there.


It was an amazing experience.


PBSM.

What's a world youth day?

The world youth day was an event founded by the Pope John Paul II . A world youth day is a religious and cultural event organizes with a main objective: meet catholic youth from the entire world.

Is the most international and numerous event that the Catholic Church organizes in the world. The Pope preside this event each three years. This new edition has been in Madrid since the 11^th until yesterday!

Sincerely I would like to be there last week, I went to Colonia six years ago and it was awesome! Was a meeting point for the youth from all the parts of the world. In this event the Pope meet with the future society of our world, the Pope tries to give hope and courage to be a catholic in a relativistic and individualistic society. This event is an opportunity to meet people from the entire world and to share experiences also is a big relief to continue being a Good witness!!

A good Pro-Life movie

22 weeks

Director: Ángel Manuel Soto
Writter: Ángel Manuel Soto, Ashley Shuck
Stars: Lizzy Salazar and Natalie
28 minutes

Yesterday I saw a good movie. I was at Bronx office with Lizz and a young couple. The woman was pregnant and when they arrive, they wanted to abort their baby. Finally, after the counceling they change their mind and decided to keep the baby. At one moment, the woman decided to talk only with Lizz, so I spent few minutes with the boyfriend taking about his life, what he thought about the abortion, about his family... Then, he asked me to tell him some examples of the risks of having an abortion.

I told many of that I know. But later, we saw a good pro-life short movie. It's 22 weeks and it's about one girl who has an wrong made abortion. This film is really shocking and I didn't seen before I saw in Bronx EMC office. I would recomend to everyone to know about a true story that took place in Orlando in 2005. This film show how an abortion can be risky for women and how bad time can have women when they see their child diying in their hands.

Good Morning New York!!

Hi Everybody!!!
I´m Paloma,from Spain.I´m studing enginiering.
I have a big familiy,4 sisters and 3 brothers.
I´m pro-life since i have reason,the same as my family.2 of my sisters worked here 2 years ago.
All human being has de right to live,that´s why I´m here,helping pregnant women.
They are worried so I want to help them during this complicated moment in their lifes.
I´m very gratefull doing this.

World Youth Day (Part I)

Yesterday it began WYD in Madrid. An ocassion of the Pope to visit thousands of youngs gathered to welcome him. We are in New York, so it's impossible for us to be in Madrid sharing this moment near to the Pope.

Pope's visit has caused much criticism from many people who were against Catholicism, saying it costs to the State and leaving the rest of the Christian world enjoy this special moment near the Holy Father. But the reality is that the state is not going to cost anything because WYD will cost 50 million euros will be funded 70% by the participants and 30% for corporate sponsors . In return, the event will 100 million euros in benefits in Spain. The state paid more than 25 million euros in VAT by WYD.

There is much expectation about what can happen these days because this is a call to us of the Pope for standing up for Christianity and we can not stay silent. So, although we can not be physically present in Madrid, we can also help by being here in New York.

Loaves & Fishes

Sitting in our Broadway office in the heart of Times Square, I noticed that on the wall is a modern artistic rendition of what could be interpreted as a fish and some wheat stalks. It reminds me of the classic Gospel story of Jesus multiplying the loaves and fishes on two different occasions for impossibly large groups of people. From the meager offerings his disciples scrounge up, he takes it in his hands and it becomes a feast for thousands.

This story is repeated over and over through the four Gospels and we've all heard it a lot, so it must be pretty important for our lives. To me it applies perfectly to our work here. We come with whatever simple, inadequate tid-bits we have to offer to the people we serve and then, when we let him, God takes it and performs miracles. With what they had, the disciples could have fed probably 12 hungry people at most, which would have been just themselves, and not a single person they were there to serve. Only when Christ took it in his hands was their offering able to feed the others.

It's a very simple concept and most of us know it well, but it's always good to get a reminder or new perspective to keep us in the habit of making that daily re-commital to God. It also inspires me to recognize time and again how God's work and word can be found in things all around us, if we remain open and aware.

17 WEEK BABY SAVED AT CLINIC

A few days ago we had a remarkable save at Dr. Emily abortion clinic. I first noticed a girl who looked very nervous and was smoking a cigarette in the parking lot. I had just finished speaking with somebody else and when I noticed her and called her over.

I knew I was making an impact - with some people you think you're hitting home and they go unphased in to get an abortion, and with others you don't think they hear anything and they end up keeping thier baby - but with her I just knew something positive was happening.

It was a fairly quick talk by sidewalk standards - perhaps less than five minutes, but then she said she had to go in the clinic. Confidently however, I prayed, and like out of a movie the girl comes storming out of the door and I just asked, "Are you ready to come with me now."

With a tear in her eye she just nodded yes.

For a Reason

A few days ago I got on the wrong train to go to work and had to switch trains more times than usual. Frustrating. But while I was on the train I saw a lady looking at the pamphlets in my hands (I was one my way to stand outside Dr. Emily's - the abortion center in the South Bronx). She asked if she could have one and I gave her one in Spanish. We had to get off the train a few seconds later so I didn't have much of an opportunity to talk to her but you never know the difference it could make. So long story short - I guess God definitely had a reason for me getting on the wrong train.

Pro-life "work" is not a 40 hour per week job but a life style - a worldview. The way you vote, live, lifestyle decisions etc. are all influenced by it. You can't "clock out" from being pro-life.

Learn from the others

Last week I made a post about the abortion in Spain and the importance of give voice to all the mothers that suffer their decision alone. In this post I want to remark the important point of counselling. During this month helping in EMC offices I learned the important meaning of listen somebody. It' s seems a common action that we practice everyday with people around us. But how it changes this "ordinary" thing in an EMC office, women that sometimes they are alone, or they don' t have any support of their relatives o families. How important is to be a sensitive person, and try to think how I could feel if I were in their situations. At the begining you think: how I'm going to do it? This sensation is very common, at the begining and everyday! But we are very lucky we have the opportunite to work with pepole around as that have a lot of experience and they can show as ,with their examples, how we can be good counselers. Also this year we are a big group of interns, each of us give a different manner of helping those mothers, one use his big sense of humor, other his/her sensitive. Every person that we form EMC give us the opportunite to help from his/her example.

Thank God

I’m writing this text from my house, near Barcelona. I have spent the last hours doing balance about my experience of working for EMC, and I only can say that it has been awesome.

I thank God about this experience, I thank God for all the amazing counselers that I have met like Linda, Liz or Carmen, I thank God for all the incredible interns I have known, I thank God that He has used me like his brush to save some babies, I thank God about all the knowledge I’ve received. I also pray in order God show me the way to continue serving Him and to finish with the abortion. Amen.

Keep the Faith

This is my last blog but not my farewell. I have been here in NYC, the capital of abortion, for six weeks, always ready to help those who need it. I've heard and talked with lots of women, learned plenty of different things and even grown up.

I really have to thank all of you for everything you taught me these weeks and I have to confess all the admiration that I profess to you: Liz, Linda, Carmen, Chris, Greg, Rossanna and Jowell as well as all my co-workers interns. I'll ask you not to change as the years pass by. I'll ask you not lost your courage. To keep your faith in your work even in the hardest moments. These women need you and so do their babies. It is good to know that there are people in this world that fight and try their best to make this world a better place for everyone.

In Spain the problem of abortion is not as big as it is here (the number of abortions in the entire country is almost the same as NYC alone) and many people ask us why are we pro-life. The answer is pretty easy: "How couldn't we be?". We do not own someone's life, we cannot choose who deserves to live and who doesn't. Life is the best gift we'll ever have and everyone must have the chance of living his life. We have to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Abortion is one of the most unfair things in the world. We don't have to work hard to save some babies in NYC, we have to fight as hard as we can to end abortion all around the world.

From now I'll try my best every day.

Thanks to all of you.

Outside there is hope (II)

Most of the times that I've been helping in one of our offices the women that came had their minds into abortion. Once I was counseling one woman for two hours, we talked about almost everything, and finally all she said at last was: "So, I cannot get an abortion here. Can I?".

But sometimes there are days that you'll never ever forget.

This past thursday a 24-year-old-women came to our office in Bronx and I had the luck of counseling her with the help of Liz. This girl did not know for sure if she was pregnant and she has already one daughter; at first she wanted an abortion because she wants to start studiyng and she thought that with another child that would be imposible. What impresed me about this woman? She loved so much her daughter that while she was talking to us explaining her reasons to have the abortion she did realized that she loves her unborn child as much as the already born one. She couldn't break her baby in pieces in order to study, and who says she is not going to be able to study with another baby?

She did the pregnancy test and turned out to be positive. Could anybody imagine the reaction of this woman? She started jumping because of the happiness, called her boyfriend, she was so mad happy. She left the office as the happiest person in the world.

Women like this one remands me that out there exists a chance of change this world, a chance to help everyone who needs our help. Remands me that our work is important.

Situations like this remind me to keep the faith in what we do, these women need us and we need them. Don't care about how hard it could be sometimes.

Days like this are worth it.

One day at Emily's

Today I've been at Dr. Emily's abortion center. I went with another two interns of the Bronx's Lifehouse at 7.30 pm. We think that today would be a normal day and that we would't have too much work to do trying to counseling women. We thought that we will get bored. But it has not been like that.

We have work hard and we have talk with many women who went to the Dr. Emily's abortion center. Five of them went to our van to have sonograms and, after had a counseling with them, all of them has decided to keep their babies. The girls were very grateful to us, and they said that we were doing a good work.

We also give some pamphlets to other women of the neighborhood and answer some questions that people ask us on the street.

It seems that today is much better day that we thought at early morning...

Why I'm Pro-Life

Yesterday I went to the Priest for Life's headquarters in Staten Island, NYC. After having a tour by the building, the filmed us in a short interview. What they wanted to know was the reasons of why we are prolife. I tried to do my best, but I would like to repeat again here.

First of all, I'm pro-life because I believe in the life. It's sounds weird, I know, but that's true. I believe in the life that God gave us and I truly believe that no one can remove it. It's God who decided when is our time to born and when is our time to pass away.

I'm pro-life because I've seen what it's an abortion. And I can assure that is no good. Never, under any circumstances, I'seen how women walk outside of the abortion centers alone, crying, scared, shaking... I don't know any woman who is proud of having an abortion. No one.

I'm pro-life because I don't trust pro-choice people. I don't judge them, but they don't really know what a real abortion is. They just believe in fake freedom of women to choose in their body. And what about the baby's choice? Who takes care about them?

These are many of my reasons to be pro-life. I have much more, but these are the most important reasons.

How beautiful is to see a sonogram!

This Thursday I have been in the EMC Brooklyn office. It was not crowded but there was a 17 years old girl who let me show her 8 weeks baby in a sonogram. It was incredible for me be able to see a baby in a sonogram for my first time in live! I was so happy and I thanked her for let me seeing that.

She had decided to have an abortion, but after that she was confused but very happy for that. I think she did not want really an abortion after that. I was able to see her smile when the baby moved his/her hand. It was awesome. I think I was almost as happy as her mother...

I really thank God for these opportunities to learn about this, to fight against abortion and to help mothers for keeping their babies!!

The abortion "doctors"

I've been today in front of an abortion clinic in The Bronx. I don't know why, but when I've seen the two doctors that are doing abortions, I've been thinking about one thing that one of my friends, that is studying medicine, told me about abortions: "Doctors learn how to save life's, to bring life where there is something that is not working".

Those doctors were thought to promote life, and to save life's. No to murder innocent baby's... They didn't understood the first thing that a doctor has to know!

I actually don't understand books such as "Why I am an abortion doctor", where it is said that "preventing unwanted children and helping poor women break out of the cycle of poverty". This is the principal reason for making the abortions legal... As a student of economics, I don't understand such an absurd statement. Usually, when you state such a thing, you have to explain more clearly and support with data the things you're saying. Anyway, paying $600 per abortion is not the way to save money. Even if the government pays it, it will be better to use that money for education for instance. Cos education is going to help them and let them develop themselves, and taking an abortion that might have some psychological consequences.

I still searching for a explained reason of why are they doing the abortions. And I'm sure I'm not going to find such a reasonable reason. "It's all about money", a neighbor of Emily's abortion clinic told me.

Priests for Life

Last Wednesday we were at Priests for Life, an organization directed by priests who give their lives fighting aganist abortion. The thing that most impressed me was the great organization of everyting and the large amount of people that they help.
When we was there, we filmed some video clips telling our experiences here, working at EMC. Because of being nervous, I was unable to speak in front of the camera, I regret that a lot, because it was a great oportunity to help this cause.

That's why the next day, while I was working at Jerome Av, I seized the opportunity to give a tutorial about abortion in the office, with this tutorial, I hope I made up for my mistake at Priests for Life. I hope that the tutorial will be great. I will tell my experience in the following blogs. Wish me luck.

"Something came up.."

Each office is run a little differently as far as scheduling appointments and taking in clients. Most often, clients make an appointment for a certain time period and we put them on the schedule. We try to make sure clients are reminded and followed up with, but occasionally we still get no-shows. When this happens, it is taken more seriously than a lazy blow off, because in our line of work, a missed appointment could mean a child has lost it's life between the call we had with the client and the unfilled time slot. If it is missed and we are able to get back in touch with the prospective client, we may hear an answer like: "Oh, yeah, sorry, something came up..."

At this point we almost hold our breath. That "something" is literally the difference between life and death. We can hear their positive, polite responses to us over the phone and hope and pray that they are truly happy about the plans they have made for their life and that of their child. Their situation is now out of our hands and entirely in God's. Prayer is the real life changer though, so we do not lose hope.

Outside there is hope (I)

These past days down at Jerome Av, working outside giving pamphlets and talking and counseling anybody who wants some information you realize that we are not alone in this fight against abortion. Lots of people stop by your side or stayed by the table watching the video and then start asking questions and trying to finish their appetite about pro-life stuff.

I mean it's so wonderfull when you are standing up there and then a 20 year old guy says: "good work bro, I'm from another pro-life organization. We have to work hard together in order to end this big problem”. Or another wonderful situation is when you are at Emily’s on the street and the people of the neighborhood every time they pass us by they say:”God bless guys. Keep working. Be strong”.

For me this is so rewarding, we are not the crazy guys here. People support us. People like us. They defend us. People, although they don’t work with us, are pro-life. This means hope for us and for every single baby and mother. Things are changing.

Outside in the South Bronx

Whenever we begin to give our pro-life demonstration outside in a new area for the season, the first day is usually the best because people are not accustomed to seeing fetal development models and a TV with aborted pictures of aborted babies in their neighborhood.

I had a very good day outside in the South Bronx (in front of our pregnancy center and across the street from Planned Parenthood), many people stopped to watch the pictures and ask about fetal development. While the South Bronx is a poor neighborhood, I'd much rather be here where the people are open minded than in a liberal area of Manhattan.

It was great hearing the advice of many people that we should be in the schools. The best was a young man who told me that I should be in an auditorium, and that I should have a microphone.

That would be a good idea.

Beautiful point of view!

Sometimes, when we talk about choose life or abortion, we and pro-abortion people usually use the dangerous consequences of both as an argument to defend the different points of view. It is really necessary to inform women about that because they do not know those consequences and pro-abortion people never talk about that but sometimes is better to talk about the great consequences of keeping a baby.

This week I have been counseling a woman who wanted to have an abortion. She said that she had one son already and she was 28 and unemployed so having a new baby was impossible. I was with my brother, so we began to talk about our family, because we are 12 children. We insisted on how wonderful is to be a big family, to have brothers and sisters. We explained her what she was going to "lose" keeping the baby was insignificant in comparison with what she was going to give to her son and herself. We tried to show her that the most important thing in this life is to trust in God and to have a very beautiful family, because when you have problems, God helps you, and your family is your best support. She came to the clinic crying and she left smiling and giving thanks.

I am praying for her and her baby. It is impossible to explain how beautiful is to "use" your loved family as a way to convince her of keeping her baby. I think that the best way to convince a woman is to show her that her problem is to much less important than the happiness of having a child and a family believing in God.

Abortion in Spain

In Spain Since 1985 date that the abortion was legalized, this crime has been increase every day.

The quantities are surprising. In our country in 1985 only 9 mothers decided to abort her baby in 1990 the quantity increase in a 21’86 %, in 1996 the abortions that were done were 51.000, in 2000 were 617536, in 2003 it increase a 3’45% more and in the 2007 the quantity was 1.020.952 abortions.

Nowadays the situation in Spain is not better, in Spain as here in America this is a hide decision that most of the woman decide to made it alone. We have to give voice to this mothers that suffer this pain alone and try to inform them what the reality of an abortion is

Pro Choice?

Today I began really considering the phrase "Pro-Choice", living here in the US I've learned a lot of new English terms, but in Spain we call those who are not pro-life, pro-abortion. I suppose the term pro-choice came along as a euphemism because pro-abortion sounds so harsh. But upon consideration, I believe that the abortion decision should be decided upon by all people involved, everyone should be given the choice. I don't know why so many people say it is the choice of the individual woman.

I don't think that anyone has the right to make a decision about whether another human being should live, especially the unborn who cannot defend themselves.

A pregnant woman's baby is not just a part of her body. The baby is a part of her, and her family, and a part of the father and his family. Even if unborn children were only considered parts of the parent's bodies, they would have to be considered a part of BOTH of the parent's bodies. And a woman has no right to destroy the man's body!

But the fetus is not just a part of her body. The fetus is a human person who should be entitled to the same rights as any other member of the human community.

From what I can understand, "pro-choice" signifies the right to be ignorant, the right to be self-centered, and the right to kill an innocent baby.

Working on the sidewalk

Most of the days since we arrived to the internship, we have worked in passing informatives brochures out. Those brochures, in spanish and english, talk about the abortion procedures, consequences, alternatives, and stories of girls that were happy to keep their babies.

Usually we just give them to the women that are walking on the street. Most of the times we have a table near us, with a DVD player with abortion videos, or fetus models of different ages. The table help us a lot, specially by attracting people who ask us about what are we doing.

The best part comes when those people talk with us in a very friendly way, and give us support. It's very encouraging to meet this people and talk with them during a while. It's always great to feel supported by even more people.

Time flies!!

This is the first summer in which time has flown with lightspeed. I just got to NYC, when suddenly I had to leave. I´ll always say; I have to come back! I didn´t have time for all the things I imagined I´d do. But I never imagined how much I did, and learned in such a short period of time.

Being an intern at EMC is something you have to experience to know what I´m talking about. No matter how much you said you were prolife before, if you come you´ll be triple. Because being prolife is not something you´re for the summer. It´s neither a theory or simply not liking abortion. It's fighting for life every second of the day. And this is something you can only learn by living it. By standing 8 hours on the burning hot streets of NYC. Or helping women in the offices who don´t know what they´re dealing with when they think of abortion.

The fact of being an intern is even more enriching, because it's not only your experience, but also the ones you get when hearing your roommate´s stories. Like living 20 lives at once, makes you discover the power of sharing: sharing our food, rooms, bathroom.... it´s all for the greater good.

So I want to thank Chris for this great opportunity he´s given me. I want to thank Liz and Carmen for all their teaching, help and work in the offices. Rossana and Jowell for the encouragements and bravery on the streets . Linda, who I never got to meet personally, but whose turnarounds were the best of all. And to the lifehousers: Thanks for everything guys! To each and every one of you! As you could see from reading other blogs there are many things all of us agree and disagree about. But the strongest? EMC moved our spirits, changed our lives.

Save the Heroes!

During the Summer of Mercy in Maryland we got a T-shirt from Abort73 saying:''41% don´t make it out alive''. This is a really shocking fact. Nearly half of the babies conceived in NYC aren´t born!

The reality of how many people are lost, being missed out of the society is scary. No wonder the eonomy is going so bad! We´ve got lack of artists, of lawyers, of politicians.

I was talking to a man the other day at Jerome Ave who made me realise how many famous people come from the worst backgrounds. Singers, actors, war-leaders. It does make sense, they´ve had to learn how to make their way through life. Many babies are killed before being born because their moms think there won´t be money enough. What if Nelson Mandela had been aborted? We need these people, lets be a 100% alive!!