In front of the clinic

Good afternoon from the Bronx Lifehouse!
Today I've had a very busy day! We have been at the front of Dr. Emily's clinic, and a lot of women have come.
When I'm there I have like mixed feelings, I want a lot of girls to come and so I can talk and help them, but then, when we are hours there and nobody comes, I think it is maybe better, because that means that the number of girls who wanted to have an abortion that day is smaller.
This morning a lot of girls have come, and only a few wanted to talk to us. Sincerely, it has been hard, but I hope next time is better. We'll pray for it, and for the girls we've met today.

A different kind of work

Hello, its Fernando again, and i hope you enjoy my Post!!!!!!!

I have to say that my last days of work has been totally different from the work i usually do. This two days have been very technical. Manu, another spanish guy, and I had to go to many churches in manhattan and its surroundings, to get money from many the churches. After that we had to go to the bank to count the money and it was impressive how much money we collected. The people in New York seems to be aware with the idea that fetus are human beings and abortion is not the right choice.

Thank you very much for your time!

A surprising day!

Today I am going to write my weekly blog in english. I hope you enjoy it!
This morning I have been working in Doctor Emily´s, an abortion clinic that is located in the Bronx.
The work at Emily´s is very hard, and we don´t usually have many people helping us to do the work. However, today was a crowded day. Many people have come to support us in defense of the pro-life ideology. There were many different people coming from different places, like many monks and young people. Moreover there were old people coming to support us. It was really exciting and, as I said, very surprising.
Hoping to see you soon!

A little reminder

+JMJ+

This past Tuesday was the feast day of St. Josemaria Escriva. Most of the interns attended mass together at St. Patrick's Cathedral. The church was packed! Celebrating the life and work of Opus Dei's founder really brought the work I do closer to my heart. Never in my life have I felt such a necessity to sanctify my work. Thankful for these little nudges.

Next

+JMJ+

I went back to Dr. Emily's recently to pray outside and hopefully speak a woman or two trying to enter. When we arrived, there was a large group of people praying the rosary in front of the door. After an hour or two, I got into a conversation with the woman leading the prayers. She said they had been praying at another abortion clinic in the Bronx, and it had finally closed. She looked at me with such energy and said they had hurried to the next clinic on the list. 

Shortly after our conversation, she began to lead us in another rosary. She hailed a woman on the street and invited her to pray with us. The woman was a complete stranger, not known to any of us, but she took a rosary in her hand and stayed with us through the next hour. It's a beautiful thing to witness Christian solidarity like this.

Fighting the Self

+JMJ+

Being poor, homeless, and alone are huge reasons for women in our clinics to come seeking an abortion. If they can't provide for the children they already have, how can they accept another mouth to feed? If there isn't room for another baby in their cousin's apartment, where will they go? If the child's father threatens to abandon her, who will take care of her family? 

None of these questions have easy answers. But they have answers, nonetheless. When a woman comes into my office with a secure job, a nice home, and a stable relationship, and all she's looking for is a "quick fix" so she can keep on partying, I have a much harder time. Because there are ways to combat homelessness, hunger, loneliness. But when I am pitted in a battle against the self, sometimes it feels like I am fighting barehanded. In moments like this, I am incredibly aware of how little I do, and how much God does in these little rooms. 

MY FIRST DAY

It's Miriam one more time!
Last Friday was my first day working in the Pregnancy Center of the Bronx, and I have to say that you should go if you really know how it is.
There aren't any words to explain their faces, their fear, and also their hatred.
It's very difficult to change the decision of all these women, who only come here to have an abortion. And most hardly, say them that we don't do any abortions, and then they leave with more win of aborting...

Thank You!

When we are young we are taught that we should always be thankful to anyone who welcomes us to their house. On Sundays we would go to our family friend’s house for Sunday brunch, we were always told by our parents to say thank you for having us! Thank you for welcoming us into your house! Well I would like to be able to thank all the wonderful men and woman that I have counselled for letting me into their lives. When you counsel these women you don’t just counsel them and that’s that. No these people become part of your family, they are all now my sisters and my family. I feel so loved that they would allow me to be part of their lives’. When I tell these woman in the room that I will be there for them I see a wall come down, when I explain to them that I’m going to be there best friend and whenever and whatever they need I’ll be there for them. So here’s to all the men and woman that we talk to everyday thank you for allowing us to be part of your family.

Rosie

Esta semana hemos tenido un caso especial, el primer dia que vino la chica, desprendia un ambiente ostil y no queria esuchar lo que le ofreciamos, las ayudas, el sonograma y la prueba de ebarazo gratuitos,los riesgos del aborto tampoco le importaban, de hecho se fue rapidamente sin que tuviesemos oportunidad de hecer algo por ella y por su bebe. Nos quedamos bastante tristes, pero quien nos iria a decir que dias mas tarde volveria a aparecer! y coseguiria darse cuenta del regalo con que la vida le habia obsequiado y decidiria quedarse con el bebe!

Ultimamente he estado visitando otras oficinas, me gusta ir cambiando cada dia de oficina ya que, te da la ocasion para poder hablar con chicas de distintos tipos y conocer a las distintas directoras.

A call for those who don't believe

Hi!I'm here again but today in English!Today I want to write for those who don't believe in the work we are doing here.

Maybe someone who has never experienced a pro-life work before can think there's not much to do, only a few girls per day who probably, after counseling, decide not keeping the baby.

But when you are here, working day after day with the girls, and when you realize how the offices work, then all of these thoughts change, this experience shows you how big the problem is and that more and more help is needed.

Abortion is not a problem only in NYC, it is extended all over the world, even in our countries, where we might think it's not a huge problem, it is.

Therefore, do not wait for a trip to help, search where you can do it no matter the place in the world you are, and HELP!

St. Francis was right

A girl came in two days ago and when I asked her about adoption she said that to her, adoption was the same thing as “terminating the pregnancy”. You are saying goodbye to your child either way and she didn’t care if the child felt pain. The only item of importance was her feeling. No one else mattered. Another girl last week said her main priority was putting herself first. I just wanted to ask, “Who taught you that? Who told you that that was a worthy ambition?”

                I have been taught all my life that service to others is crucial. What makes us human if we don’t empathize and help one another? How can we be fulfilled without loving one another through our actions? “It is in giving that we receive.” I know this to be true. Now all I have to do is convince these mothers.

On the Streets

Sidewalk counseling is so difficult. You're standing there on the concrete, in the cruel weather, just waiting for hours at a time for that one girl headed in to the abortion mill. The entire reason you're there. To keep her from making the biggest mistake of her life, to stop her from going through with a decision that will haunt her forever. You have to constantly remind yourself of the gravity of the situation, that it is literally a difference between life and death, or else you'll lose your nerve. It takes a lot of guts to walk up to a complete stranger, who often feels like she is doing the only thing she has left to do, and tell her that everything that she has been told up to that point is a lie. You have to tell her that despite the sterile words like "terminate", "safe", and "fetus", that what is really happening is one of the most dangerous things that she can do, because she is agreeing to have her living child ripped apart inside her body. It's hard to do this. But I imagine that the girl is walking in there with a newborn, or a toddler. That I know for sure that in the place she is about to enter, her child is sure to be mutilated and killed. That she has no idea what is about to happen to her and her precious baby. What would I do then? What would anyone do then?

Do You Know Someone Who's Pregnant and Worried?

Last week Marta, Meri, and I were outside the Queens Center handing out leaflets about the free abortion alternatives we offer in all our EMC Centers. An older woman, probably around 60 years old, took one of our fliers, quickly scanned the front of it and chuckled as she said "You think I could be pregnant? Do you know how old I am?"
"No," we replied, "but you must know someone who could be pregnant."
She looked off in the distance as she thought for a moment. "Yes! There is a young woman who works with me who just found out she is pregnant. She's a little worried about money."
We urged her to tell her co-worker about our free services, and she was very excited to talk with us about it all. She left smiling and promising to give that young woman our information.

Hi everyone! My name is Fátima and I come from Pamplona, Spain. I arrived on Thursday´s afternoon. That day, there was a heatwave here in NY, so my arriving was a little bit hot!
I am 20 years old and I am studying a History degree on the University of Navarre.
I knew about this internship in NYC because one of my friends, Teresa, told me tahat she had been here the last summer,
I consider this experience a great opportunity to meet people so different from me (apart from spaniards, there are american people, a canadian and another english girl). Moreover, I am here to improve my english skills obviously, but specially to get concerned about what abortion really entails.

A Life Saved

On Thursday, I had started counseling on my own (after shadowing for a week) and a young woman about my age came in with her boyfriend. I saw from her intake form that she was "abortion leaning." I took her into the counseling room and as we waited for her pregnancy test, I told her about all the risks of a surgical abortion, which she was extremely surprised to hear. She said what she really wanted was to take the abortion pill and be done with it. Based on the information she had told me, she was already too far along for the pill to work, but she wanted to be absolutely sure. After we confirmed that she was pregnant, we watched a DVD of an 8-week surgical abortion. Halfway through, she said "My boyfriend needs to come see this." He came in, we finished the movie and then she said "I can't do that. If I'm too far along for the pill, there is no way I'm doing that."

Since it was Thursday, we had our ultrasound tech at the Queens Center, so we went in to have a sonogram. It turns out since she was already 7 weeks pregnant. She was worried about the fact that she didn't have insurance and still had two years of college left, but was determined to keep her baby. She and her boyfriend were happy to get our referrals to hospitals that will give free prenatal care. The difference in their attitudes from when they came into the center to when they left were extremely apparent. When they first arrived, they seemed nervous, unsure, and confused. As they left, they were relaxed, calm, and confident in their decision. He held her purse, and she protectively laid a hand over her belly.

I cannot describe the immense feeling of awe that overcame me as I realized that I had just witnessed a life being saved. I don't know how big a part I even played in it; I am convinced it was completely a work of God, and that I was blessed just to be there to see it happen.

New Intern!

Hi! I'm Miriam and I'm from Spain. I'm 18 years old, and I came here with my sister Fátima, and a friend, Rubén.
Seven months ago, my sister asked me: "Miriam, do you want to go to New York this summer?", and my answer was: "Yes! Sure!". But what I didn't know, was that it was to work as a volunteer in prolife intern. So when she told me it, I though: "Why not? I can help many girls and most importantly, SAVE MANY BABIES!
So this is the reason why I'm here, and I would never change my decision of coming to New York.

El regalo mas grande

Dicen que la vida es un regalo de valor incalculable, que hace mas valiosas a las personas que la dan, que mediante su amor la crean.
Cuando vienen madres al centro, queriendo abortar, siempre me vienen a la cabeza estas frases, y me pregunto a cuantas de ellas se les ha podido pasar por la cabeza. Siempre pienso que a ninguna, si no no estarian alli.
Si la vida es el regalo mas grande, quien esta en el derecho de arrebatarlo? Es mas, por que una madre, en esos momentos la unica persona a la que tiene ese bebe, se cree en ese derecho?
Quizas esa sea la frase que mas llame la atencion a una madre, la frase clave para que una chica empiece a pensar en la vida de ese bebe como parte de la suya, el regalo mas grande que se va a dar a si misma, y a una nueva persona que esta por venir.

Hola de nuevo! el viernes pasado tuve la oprtunidad de estar en la puerta de una clinica abortista.
Fue curioso, porque nada mas bajar del metro se nos acerco un hombre y nos pregunto que si veniamos de la Universidad de Navarra, mi companero y yo contestamos encantados que si y sobre todo nos alegramos mucho de que alguien conociese nuestra universidad. Pero acto seguido comenzo a insultarnos y a decirnos que hibamos a otro pais a matar a sus mujeres. La verdad esque ambos tuvimos que aguantarnos la risa porque los insultos con acento argentino no sonaban como tal y encima decir que venimos a matar a sus mujeres? desde cuando los defensores de la vida matamos?
En este tipo de trabajo nuestro objetivo es tratar de que las chicas no se realicen un aborto, de que se den cuenta del error de que se trata, y todo esto cinco minutos antes de la cita para realizarselo! ya que, aunque sea un pelin tarde, puesto que la cita ya la tienen concertada, mas vale tarde que nunca no?

"Love is all you need"

Love isn’t all you need, but it goes a long way. If all you do is give them information about the dangers of abortion and how it can hurt them, then you haven’t done enough. I would have thought the fact of us giving such information would prove that we care about them. After all, why tell them if we don’t care? What can it profit us? But these girls (and their boyfriends) rarely hear that someone loves them. That’s why they are so vulnerable to having sex in the first place. They see sex as proof that someone loves them and will give everything for them. We have to show them that we love them, but we also have to say it. When I first came I didn’t say it. I thought I was showing it by being there. This week, I told girls, and couples, that I care about them and want to help them – and they ended up crying.

                The facts are important and without them no girls would listen to us. But without love they don’t trust us – we must both show them and tell them that we love them.

I can’t believe that it only dawned upon me now how selfish abortion truly is! Within these past few weeks I have been having girls come in all wanting abortions. I ask them why? Or I ask them if they love their child?  They tell me yes I love this baby, so I ask them “why are you denying it life?”  If you truly love this child and you think you can’t have it then why not adoption? And it shocked me to hear them say that they would rather kill their child then give it up for adoption!!! Some think that its worse than an abortion. I was adopted and I tell these girls this and I ask “do you think that I deserved the death sentence because I wasn’t planned? Or because my mother couldn’t take care of me? And even more my shock they say yes!!!! How selfish of a person or how hurt and unloved of a person do you have to be to think that. These babies have done NOTHING to deserve what they get, yet every day we think that it’s the child’s fault. If I can tell one girl how much she is loved my whole time here in New York than I have done my mission. Every day I tell these girls that I love them and I care about them, because truth be told sometimes that’s all they need to hear to make the right choice.

Abortion and racism are both symptoms of a fundamental human error. The error is thinking that when someone stands in the way of our wants, we can justify getting that person out of our lives. Abortion and racism stem from the same poisonous root, selfishness.

-Alveda King

Rosie

Hoy he vuelto a tener una gran experiencia en la oficina del Bronx. Como la gran mayoria de dias de esta semana he atendido a las chicas que venian agobiadas por su "problema", y otras que a pesar de su juventud quieren ser madres. Con las primeras es mas duro ya que tenemos que ayudarlas a que se den cuenta de que no es ningun problema, de que se trata de una vida, un gran regalo que les va a aportar mucha alegria y que el hecho de poder ser madre es una gran experiencia.Con las segundas, me parece algo increible, me sorprenden muchisimo las veo aparecer como "debiles", y cuando hablo con ellas me doy cuenta de lo mucho que valen , la verdad es que me siento muy orgullosa de ellas aunque apenas les conozca.
manana tendremos una nueva experiencia...

Support

“I don’t want an abortion, but I don’t know what to do.”

 

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that this week. One situation stuck out in my mind. This girl brought three friends with her to the Brooklyn office. I set up the videos and her friends immediately began squirming and exclaiming about how awful abortion looks. When I put on the second film the girl couldn’t even look at the TV – but her friends kept on talking, so she couldn’t avoid it. Her boyfriend came once the film ended and she asked if I could bring him in and put the second film in again – specifically for him to see.

                It was so hard to get him into the room! Once he was in, no one could get him to actually watch. She looked at me, asking me to do something but nothing I said could get him to turn around. He refused to give his opinion about what to do if she were pregnant – he kept saying it was up to her. Her friends said the same thing but admitted that they didn’t like what they saw in those films; abortion looked too dangerous and painful. She kept looking at her boyfriend. She was absolutely terrified, when she left the room her friends agreed that all she wanted was for her boyfriend to tell her to have the child and forget abortion. As she was leaving she needed the restroom, so another young woman who had been in a similar situation a few years ago followed and spoke to her. In the meantime, Linda, the director of the Brooklyn office, spoke to the boyfriend. The talk in the restroom led to tears while the talk in the office led to smiles that had not appeared in the entire time he’d been in the office. They promised to come back in two weeks when an ultrasound will show the child and I think they’ll come back.

                This was another instance of a girl wanting support, but this time we couldn’t give the support she wanted. Her friends weren’t enough, the promise of aid wasn’t enough – she wants his support, so now we just need to find out what he needs. We have two weeks to do that!

A new visitos to The Bronx

I am Fernando, and i came two days ago from Spain. Yesterday was my first experience with abortion and I was really impressed with the video that the women watch when they are at the point to have the abortion.
However, today is when i did have the great experience. I was at the street in front of an abortion clinic, and we were talking with them about alternatives to abortion, because these women were on the point to make a killing. It was impressive how depressed they go outside after killing their babies. After all, they don´t know what are they really doing untill they do it.
So the experience was really good, and i recomend this to everyone that wants to do something really important with his life.

Primeras vivencias

Hola de nuevo!

Despues de una semana aqui la verdad he experimentado muchisimas cosas. Desde la ultima vez que escribi, he estado en la oficina de la 149 st. y hoy por fin he podido ir a Dr. Emily.

En la oficina del Bronx tenemos un contacto mucho mas cercano, y por tanto la oportunidad de aconsejar mucho mejor a las chicas. Me sorprende la reaccion de alguna de ellas al saber que no se trata de una clinica bortista, y como algunas pueden llegar a contarte cosas tan intimas.
Hace unos dias, vino a la oficina una mujer que queria abortar porque el padre del bebe, su antiguo  ex-novio habia hecho dano a si hija. Fue el caso mas dificil que he presenciado hasta ahora, y la verdad muy dificil de solucionar. Afortunadamente, el test dio negativo.

Hoy, aunque ha sido un dia muy caluroso y en Dr. Emily tenemos que estar en la calle, me ha merecido la pena. Ver a las chicas como llegan, intentar convencerlas cuando estan tan cerca de llevar a cabo un aborto, y luego presenciar como algunas de ellas salen habiendolo hecho, es algo que marca. No han entrado muchas chicas, y la mayoria han decidido abortar, no ha sido un buen dia, aunque confio en poder conseguir mucho mas mi proxima vez alli.

Escribire pronto!

Someone once said that "eduction is key to happiness"
Each day I am thankful to God that I am able to educate these woman about the harms and dangers of an abortion. I have girls come into my office every day saying " No one ever told me this" . How heart breaking it is to see these girls crying they are thirsting for theknowledge but no one is there to give it to them. Through educating these girls we give them more then we think. We save lives each day! We show girls that we care about them, that they are more then just a number to us . Yesterday I had a woman come in who had been in our offices 3 times before, and I asked her "why do you keep coming back" and she told me " because this is the only place I feel safe, I feel that you guys care about me. I feel like family"

Rosie

Father's Day

It was Saturday in the Queens clinic, and I counseled a girl I'll call Marie. She was only 18 and came in with her boyfriend and they both wanted to parent. After confirming her pregnancy and counseling her on prenatal care, she was able to have an ultrasound. As she was prepped for the ultrasound, her boyfriend seemed a little nervous. However, as soon as he saw the little 10-week old baby move, his face completely lit up. Hearing the heartbeat totally sealed the deal. Only as they were leaving did I remember that the next day was Father's Day.

Introduction

Hi everyone! My name is Maggie, and I just started my internship with EMC a week ago. I am from northwestern Virginia, so coming to NYC is a big change. I just graduated in May 2012 from the University of Richmond, and would like to work in the pro-life movement full-time. I'm very excited that this internship with EMC is where that life saving work will begin.

To read all of my blogs, click here.

PASS

This week I went to Dr. Emily’s abortion center on 149^th Street four times. This morning I spoke to a man who has experienced abortion personally. The conversation started when I asked him what he would say to a girl who was planning to have an abortion. He claimed it was her choice, whatever she wanted to do was fine because it was up to her. Then he told me that a few years ago his girlfriend had become pregnant. She wasn’t ready for a child, he wasn’t ready for a child, so she aborted that baby. He still thought that it was up to her, but he said he felt bad – he believed it was a human life that had been destroyed, but still felt that he had no right to stop her from doing what she wanted. I asked him how she was now, did the abortion help her? His face grew serious and he shook his head vehemently and sorrowfully. “No, she’s not doing good. She’s pretty bad. She knows now that it was a human life and she’s really sorry.” When I asked him again what he would do if he could give a girl advice, he said he’d try to stop her. He would want to take that child, he’d tell her to let him take the child and take care of him or her, because he’d want to protect the child and that girl. Then this man started to tell me how he felt about his child that had been murdered. He keeps the sonogram in his Bible and sometimes he’ll take it out and tears will come to his eyes. Sometimes it will happen when he’s watching TV or listening to a song… I explained to him about Post-Abortive Stress Syndrome and when we said goodbye he planned to look up SilentNoMore.org and learn more. Even if you don’t get the opportunity to speak to a woman about to have an abortion, just standing outside, willing to talk to anyone passing by, can help. This man has two nieces – before this morning he would have let them do what they want. Now he knows that his feelings are right, abortion is harmful to the mother as well as the child, and he won’t let his nieces or any other woman have an abortion without knowing what they’re getting themselves into.

Standing across the street from an abortion “clinic” always gives me a gut wrenching feeling. I am sure that most pro-life people who have experienced this understand what I am saying. Two by two the unsure, emotionally distressed young girls, with their children inside of them, walk into the clinic. One by one the shattered young ladies walk out, a little part of them having been sucked away in that remorseless vacuum. It is surreal to watch the operations of such a place of destruction, even if only from the outside and at a distance.
I always make a point of going to my local “clinic” in Calgary (I will not mention its name, no need to give it further publicity on occasion. Watching the destruction unfold before my eyes never ceases to renew my determination to work towards the annihilation through education of the entire rotting abortion system. This system which rips children apart limb from limb. This system which destroys women who have been, most often, deceived into believing lies and empty promises. The destruction will only end when we make it end.

Rosie

Hi!
Me llamo Miriam Grinan Ciria, vivo en Alicante (Espana) y acabo de terminar segundo de Derecho y ADE en la Universidad de Navarra.
Aunque solo lleve aqui una semana estoy muy impresionada con el trabajo que se lleva acabo, nunca pense que tantas chicas quisieran abortar...pero estoy muy contenta porque veo que la ayuda que prestamos tiene sus frutos!
Pienso que EMC nos da una gran oportunidad a los internos porque ademas del trabajo que es muy gratificante, podemos aprender ingles y ademas vivimos en NY!!

Hola!

Soy Andrea Martinez Gurrea, una espanola estudiante de Economicas y Derecho en la Universidad de Navarra.
Llegue a Nueva York el domingo con Miriam, una amiga de la universidad. Este corto tiempo aqui ha sido increible, la verdad el trabajo esta siendo muy gratificante y la ciudad es alucinante! Me parece muy grande comparada con Valencia, mi ciudad natal, y ademas siempre esta llena de gente. Ya conocia Nueva York y cada dia me gusta mas!
Conoci EMC Internship por companeros de la universidad, pero no sabia muy bien de que se trataba hasta llegar aqui. Aunque llevo poco tiempo aqui, me parece que la ayuda que se ofrece es realmente necesaria, nunca pense que el numero de abortos en esta ciudad fuese tan alto, me ha impresionado muchisimo.
Seguire contando mis experiencias mas adelante!Hasta pronto!

Grace

I have been reminded many times during this week that the battle we are fighting here at EMC is a spiritual one. Knowing that there is so much evil fighting against us can seem discouraging and hopeless at times. However, we have to remember that in the end God wins. If we ask for the grace to fight this battle, we will receive it. We need to learn how to completely trust in Him and be humbled.

“Grace is available for each of us every day - our spiritual daily bread - but we've got to remember to ask for it with a grateful heart and not worry about whether there will be enough for tomorrow.”   - Sarah Ban Breathnach

A New, Beautiful Life

This weekend, I traveled home to my little town in Rhode Island to meet my newborn niece Cora Josephine! I finally got to meet her this afternoon and fell in love as soon as I saw her. There is something so endearing about newborns. Maybe it is their vulnerability and complete dependence on others. Maybe it is their total innocence. Maybe it is the endless possibilities of what their life may bring. Whatever it is, I couldn't help but think about the mothers to be that I have met at the EMC centers. The women who choose to keep their babies will all experience this awe and wonder looking at their newborns. Life is a beautiful thing. 

Breaking down a wall

+JMJ+

Many women have come into my office suffering from post-abortive syndrome. Some can't even remember the number of times they have put themselves on the table. And they don't want to. Because abortion isn't like having your gall bladder removed. It is an ugly scar that you try not to look at. 

So when a woman comes in who looks blank and unresponsive, it almost brings me to tears to see that in the midst of our counseling.. something has shifted. She allows herself to feel, to remember. And I know that a change has been made. This woman has let someone else carry her burden. And now she can begin to heal. It is a beautiful thing. 

Building Relationships

+JMJ+

Working for EMC has taught me a lot about building and maintaining relationships. I have learned not to expect one visit, one conversation with myself to be the determining factor in a woman's decision to parent her child. It is a process. A process that could last months. 

With every conversation, a new piece to the story reveals itself. Usually this means taking one step backward before we can make progress again. One woman in particular comes to mind. We started out with a rotten relationship in which my girl had no support. It has since morphed into financial instability and health issues. 

Rome was not built in a day. Sometimes we win a battle, but we have to keep fighting the war.

New to New York

My name is Shannon Trott; I am 22 years old and a Human Development major at California State University of Long Beach. The Human Development major involves a mixture of biology, psychology, sociology, and anthropology to understand the development of humans throughout history as well as the lifespan. I entered the prolife movement as an infant in my parent’s arms at prolife events in Southern California where I live. I grew up hearing my mom’s counseling stories from the Life Center (right down the street from our house). I have participated in GAP (Genocide Awareness Project) for the past three years at CSULB and have sidewalk counseled at the abortion center in Long Beach. I love being Catholic and learning more about my faith. I participate in my school’s Newman Club (as president this year!) and enjoy doing Bible Studies with my friends. I Eucharistic minister at my home parish of St. Angela Merici, where I also teach Confirmation classes to high school teens. I have never been to New York City, so I’m really excited to be here and save some babies!

You never know the power of a kind word or a smile.

Within our line of work we feel as if we have lost a girl when she decides to have an abortion. Today I had a girl come in that had come to our office 2 years before, she left wanting an abortion and had it. As I was talking to her about it, I asked her how the meeting/ counselling went last time. She told me that she walked out! I asked her why you walked out. She told me I was looking for every excuse to have an abortion, and I knew if I watched those videos or stayed longer I wouldn’t be able to get the abortion. We talked for a while longer, then I put on the video of what an abortion is and all the risk’s; 2 minutes into the video she started crying and became upset. When the movie was over I asked her what did you think about that. She told me “The doctors never told me any of these risks; they never said I would feel pain two years later”. I began to talk to her more about her pain and how God loves her so much. She left our office with a smile on her face and was very thankful for everything.

This makes me thankful for the woman who had counselled her before, whatever you said made her want to come back. She said she felt safe So whoever you are, thank you!!!!

Rosie

Looking for a sign

+JMJ+

Today I was working out of our office in the South Bronx. A woman came in asking me for abortion pills before I could even shut the door behind her. So I led her to a room in the back and tried to get to know her a little bit. Someone this anxious to “solve the problem” can't be carrying an easy load.

Counting from the first day of her last period, we discovered that she is too far in her pregnancy to procure a chemical abortion. So I showed her a procedure video that would educate her on exactly how much trauma a woman's body is subjected to during a surgical abortion. She could hardly finish watching it. It was after this video that I found out she had already been to an abortion clinic for a consultation. 

She told me she had gotten scared and left without making a return appt. Walking out of the clinic's office, she prayed to God for a sign. A sign that she should not go through with the termination. Immediately, a young man approached her, showing her pictures of children in the womb, and offering material help. He even gave her his phone number, so desperate was he to protect her and her child. She told me she threw the number in the garbage later that day. Now, to me this looked like a pretty big sign, but this young woman just couldn't see it.

So we talked a little more. This time about God's Providence and how he was holding her heart at that very moment. It was in the midst of this conversation that her mother sent her a picture text message. It was an image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Nothing more. She started to cry. So I cradled her in my arms and told her all I could about what it meant to love unconditionally. Then I told her that the young man who had tried to help her outside the clinic worked with the same organization as me. I told her that if this wasn't the sign she was looking for, then I didn't know what to do. 

We sat together for a long time discussing her situation. And I'll be honest, I definitely didn't have all the answers. But I am convinced of God's presence in her life, and I know that he will not give her more than she can handle. She will be blessed and this child will be a testament to the great glory of our God in Heaven!

The Power of a Hail Mary

This Monday I had a girl come into the pregnancy center who was twenty-one years old. She already had three children, including one child whom she had aborted at sixteen years old. Many of the girls we counsel who already had abortions in the past have become hardened and sometimes will not listen to us. Many refuse to view any information we have on abortion procedure or pre-natal development, so I was pleasantly surprised when this women agreed to watch a film of various abortion procedures.


Normally while this film plays I watch it with the girls, answering any questions they pose. However something told me deep inside as I stared at the film that I needed to use this time to pray especially for this case. I began to pray the Hail Mary, over and over until this film was finished. Looking at the mother's face I didn't see any change in the grim, determined set of her features. However, when I accompanied her to the sonogram room, we both saw something that confirmed the value of prayer.

As she lay on the sonogram table and we watched the sonogram take form the child inside of her looked as if he was dancing. He moved back and forth, nodded his head up and down, and even rolled over. His hand moved to and fro in what inevitably reminded me of a waving motion as if he was saying, "Hi Mom! I'm alive!" His heart beat loud like a steady drum and after watching him in wonder I peeled my eyes away to look at the desperate woman carrying this wonderful child. She had tears pouring from her eyes, and they continued even when the sonogram finished and I began to talk with her. She told me that she didn't think she could put herself through another abortion. And she hadn't known how developed her little treasure was.

I continue to pray for her, as I do all the girls that EMC has dealt with or will ever counsel. But I especially recommend prayers said to the Blessed Virgin who holds motherhood and children very close to her heart. Pope Adrian VI once said, "The rosary is the scourge of the devil." As the devil attacks humanity and motherhood specifically through the travesty of abortion, ought we not all turn to the perfect Mother, so close to Christ and beg for these women?

Building a community

The Brooklyn office was full of joy and excitement as 17 girls came in for their prenatal care. It was my first time experiencing a prenatal day, and I absolutely loved it. It was so uplifting to see the happiness on the girl’s faces. You could not help but partake in delight with them.    

Today I experienced the other side of the work that we do in the centers. Many of these women are experiencing their joy and happiness because of the love and care they are given in the centers. They receive hope and confidence that they can go through with their pregnancies, and be wonderful mothers!

While these women wait to be seen by the doctor, they all sit in a circle in the waiting room and many of them chat and get to know each other. I sensed a community being formed between these women and couldn’t help thinking how wonderful it was for these girls to be forming a support system with each other. God is good.