Adoption

Everyday is an adventure at EMC. Yesterday in the Bronx, a woman came in who has 2 children, and has had 4 previous abortions. Currently carrying her 7th pregnancy, she said she needed to have an abortion because financially, it's not possible for her to take care of another child. After a long talk, this woman saw that she could not go through with another termination. She wanted to keep her child desperately, but truly did not see how it would be possible. When the possibility of adoption was presented, she agreed that it truly was the best choice. Although she admitted that she doesn't know how she will be able to part with her child after carrying it for 9 months, she agreed that as a mother she needs to protect the child she is bearing. I have such admiration for this woman. Her choice shows tremendous love and selflessness. It's amazing to see the instinctual love a woman has when she becomes a mother. 

Gifts

When a pregnant woman comes in, talking about how much she appreciates everything we have done for them, it really is an incredible feeling. They just thank me over and over for all the support we have given them in their time of need.

Such a beautiful moment!

Adoption

In queens, I had a woman come in wanting an abortion. She was very sure of what she wanted. Kept saying she didn't have any other choice.

So I introduced adoption as another possibility. There are three different types of adoption available-- open, mid-open, and closed. She was so happy to know there was a better alternative to abortion.

This week we will be looking at possible parent profiles.

Help

A few days ago in Queens, I had this lady come in asking for an abortion. Although she was very upset with the decision she was making, she felt that this was the only way out of the problem she was faced with.

I told about all the dangerous side effects that come with a routine abortion, but she was still firm in her decision. I led her into the sonogram room so that we could see how far along she had progressed in her pregnancy. To our surprise, the baby was three weeks older than what we had expected. She had already entered into her second trimester.

This woman began crying so hard, saying that she just couldn't go through with the abortion, but that she really had no other option. I took her hands in mine and said "Let us help you. We want to help you. We can help you-- just let us. You don't have to do something you don't want. Please... let us help you". She was shaking her head saying no the whole time, so I let go of her hands and got up. As I stood, she got up also.

She wrapped her arms around me and said "Help me."

Crossed Paths

+JMJ+

It was a beautiful day at the clinic in South Bronx. Mary and I arrived together bright and early to learn the ropes of this particular office. Soon this counseling center will be run primarily by us, so we are anxious to learn how to locate anything from the dust pan to the medical referral sheets.

One woman I was able to counsel today had an incredible story. She had stepped into a Planned Parenthood clinic a few days prior. On her way out, she was stopped by a young man with a mobile sonogram unit across the street. This man works for EMC a couple of days a week, and spends his time asking abortion-minded women to step into the mobile unit for free ultrasounds. This tactic has saved many lives in the past, and it was no exception in the case of this particular woman.

After talking with the sonographer, and being educated on how an abortion procedure is actually done, she agreed to come into our counseling center in the Bronx for a consultation.

It didn't take long for me to realize the firm resolve this woman had mustered to keep her child. But we continued to chat and get to the heart of why she had pursued abortion as an option in the first place. Her one stumbling block was not having an insurance provider. Of course, we were able to refer her to a clinic that would supply her with the letter she needed to qualify for free pre-natal insurance. But praise God for the special grace He granted to allow the sonographer and this young woman to cross paths. He is so good to His little ones!

The power of a sonogram..

Hello hello!

Yesterday was very encouraging in Queens! We had 7 women come in who wanted an abortion, and left excited to keep their child! I witnessed for the first time, how powerful a sonogram is for a mother to see. A few of these women did not decide to keep their baby until they saw the little hands of their child on the screen or heard his/her heartbeat. It's amazing to see how instinctively protective these women are. They are going to make incredible mothers.

"And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another? How do we persuade a woman not to have an abortion? As always, we must persuade her with love… And we remeind ourselves that love means to be willing to give until it hurts…" – Mother Teresa


At EMC we are constantly being reminded to love these mothers. We are not here to place judgement but to love them unconditionally. And to do this, we must be willing to provide these women with the truth.

God writes straight with crooked lines

+JMJ+

Hello, everyone! Katie here. It was another moving day at the clinic in Brooklyn. I work there with Linda, who has directed the Brooklyn office for almost 13 years. Today we truly experienced the Providence of God and were reminded once again that "God writes straight with crooked lines".

This story has to be built up just a little bit. I will start with yesterday afternoon. Mary and I decided to catch the train to Manhattan and visit a friend of hers in the Opus Dei center at Murray Hill. In the midst of saying our goodbyes, a group of women made their way over to say hello. We chatted for a minute or two, and Mary and I left the center to find a bite to eat.

This morning, shortly after I arrived at the clinic, we had some unexpected guests. Can you believe it was the same group of beautiful ladies Mary and I had met the night before? Apparently, visiting Linda had been on their agenda from the beginning. They had seen her speak in D.C. and wanted to see her in action. So, I am making a shout out to Mrs. Fowler, her sweet daughter, and their close friend. They came with all kinds of goodies for the mothers. I'm talking baby blankets, outfits, and even cookies. We were thrilled to have their company and their prayers. 

Shortly after, we had one more unexpected guest. This particular woman brings in abortion minded women from other areas and asks them to come to us before they make a decision to abort. This woman is essentially saving them from the clutches of Planned Parenthood by getting them to our door first. It was her first time actually visiting the clinic she had been referring young women to. I pray her visit left her with a deeper resolve to help the girls she encounters in the future.

We are so blessed to know that the Lord is ever by our side. I have heard him described as the "Ever-loving Mender and the Ever-Mending Lover." On days like today I find the tapestries of our lives especially beautiful.

Here we go...

Hey everyone!

My name is Mary St. Thomas and I am from the tiny but AWESOME state of Rhode Island. I know everyone thinks Rhode Island has nothing to offer, but I promise you we have the most beautiful beaches you've ever seen! Although I'll miss little Rhody, I love everything about NYC (apart from the Yankees fans everywhere...) and am already starting to feel at home. 

I recently graduated from Sacred Heart University where I studied philosophy and psychology. I have absolutely no idea what my future holds, but I'm surprisingly OK with it. I do however, know that my heart is in the pro-life movement and working in the Bronx for EMC is exactly where I need to be this summer. 

I grew up in a pro-life family, but never became truly interested in the subject until recently. I began to learn more about the issue and the hidden truths behind abortion. Once you know the reality of the situation, there is nothing left to do but act. So that's why I'm here!

I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can from both the workers and the girls who come to the centers. It is such a privilege to be doing this work and I can't wait to share my stories and experiences throughout the summer! 

The sweetest of dreams

+JMJ+

I have spent the majority of my first week here at the clinic in Brooklyn. Almost all of the girls we see are abortion minded when then they walk through the door. It's our job to inform these young women what abortion really does to the body and to take the time to find out where they are coming from. It's so important to build a relationship with these girls in the short time we have with them.

After working with a particular girl, I still couldn't tell how she felt about everything I had told her. She went down the hall for her sonogram and found out that her child is already 6 weeks along. The baby already has a heartbeat and doctors have detected brain waves in children this young! Hearing the heartbeat is always an important moment for the mother, and this case was no exception. This particular young woman left our office without making a firm decision, but it was clear that she no longer believed her baby was just a mass of cells. 

The next day she came back with an incredible story.

The night after the appointment, she had an incredible dream. With a light in her eyes, she told me she had seen children climbing all over her stomach. Laughing, playing... loving her. She remembered rubbing her belly and hearing a voice tell her that "This-- this child-- is a great blessing. Protect him." She woke up immediately and knew from that moment that there was no other way. Her baby would come into this world and he would be loved. Fiercely. Constantly. And he will love her back. Praise be to God! 

From backwoods to Bronx

+JMJ+

Hey y'all! This is Katie Adcock posting from the Lifehouse for the very first time. I flew in from Cullman, Alabama just this past week. And let me tell you, New York City is a whole other world!

I am currently attending Auburn University as a student of anthropology. Recently, a woman asked me what it is I will be doing with my major. So, of course, I informed her-- told her how I would be able to spend my time digging up historical artifacts, studying ancient cultures, and possibly finding a well preserved Neanderthal or two. And do you know what she said to me? She looked at me for a good five seconds and said "So.... you like dead things, huh?" I just had to laugh at the irony, since I have committed to spending my entire summer as a pro life intern here.

Which brings me to the heart of the matter. Our country was founded from the very beginning on three very simple, profound principles. We all know the line, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Notice that the right to Life came first? That isn't an accident. I am here to fight for the first, the most basic right of all.

And yes, I know I can't save the whole world. But when a young woman walks into my office, dead set on an abortion procedure, the first and only thought in my mind is "I want to save her". And that's how it's done. All by the grace of God, one child, one mother at a time. Pray for us, as we pour the Father's love into the thirsty hearts of his little ones.

Not alone anymore

In queen I got a young girl who has no family her dad she has never met and her mom die at the age of 15 and has no aunts or uncles she got married in her country at the age of 16 her husband would travel back and fourth to her native country Colombia then he asked her to come to the states as a good wife she came at the age of 23 but she says 8 days after coming to the states he would beat her up and force her to have sex she took her things one day and hasn't been back or even seen him and now she found out she pregnant at first she didn't know what she wanted to do with her pregnancy I explain to her the risk of an abortion and told her how develop her baby was and the reaction was oh wow no I want my baby I can't do that besides as of right now this baby is my family now

Delivering good news

In queens I have a young lady who has been going to center almost every month for a pregnancy test because she had an abortion about 2 years ago and ready feels bad about because she didn't know that she was taking someone life and now is scared because she know that maybe she don't be able to have a child she was very upset every time she would come in and test be negative but today she came in and it was positive she was to happy even call her husband and told him the news and can't wait to come back and get a sonogram and see her baby

Another lie

Yesterday in queens I got a girl who had already gone to another abortion clinic i asked if they gave her a sonogram she answer with a yes but was told they couldn't see the baby. When she told me that I surprised to hear this because she was over 10 weeks pregnant I asked her when did she go to this place, she she a week ago. This kind of stories happend so many time. When we showed her her 10 week baby she said wow it so big I can't have an abortion

Mother / daughter

So in queens I got a young lady do as super stressed out she has had 3 abortion but after finding Christ she realized what she need was wrong and is seeking help but she found herself again after just giving birth 16 months ago and was super stress out because when she found out she was pregnant she called her mom and while in the office her mother text her saying "I know that you are now like super religious but you can travel another baby you just had one if you planing to keep it then don't come to me or your father for help" she was so sad to know she doesn't have her mother support but says she doesn't care she going to keep it and that she know god will help her am so proud of this girl

Oh brother !!!!!!!!!!!!

So I been working for this organization for a while now and I have become more open to talk to people abortion,so I found a parish that wants to start a prolife ministry in there church they asked me to go to there meeting and talk to them about how the abortion industry works so I took some of the metrical from the queens office to show them what I knew about the abortion indrustry and boy where they surprise about all the statistic and the side affect and after my speech and the movie they all came up to me and said we defiantly have to help this woman now what they are doing is wrong not only for the bsby for them and I am proud to say this organization is going to help new prolife ministry start