During this week we have been training for "save lives".  I am still surpresed for the faces of the women who assist the clinic. When a woman comes in the clinic she seems to be simply serious but when she leaves it,  her face reflect pain and suffering.

I have spoken on several occasions with some women who were coming to the clinic,. Most of them were not interested in listening what I wanted to tell. But last Wesnday on the Planned Parenthood clinic I decided to talk with young couples that were around the clinic. They told me that they had uncertainty about her pregnancy and that they were looking for information

Finally they decided to assist the Brooklyn office for make a pregnancy test instead of going directly to the abortion clinic. I felt really happy and proud for helping them.

After this first experience I can see how much I can help with this job.

fIrst week

We have had a hard and intense week. We have done all sorts of things. On Monday, We were training in the LifeHouse and we have learnt a lot of thing like counseling or doing a pregnancy test. We didn’t know anything before that, but after that we have improved our prolife’s knowledge.  Now, we can help to the mothers who need our assistance and advice. We met Sister Dorothy on Tuesday. She is a great woman who has a great heart. She showed us that the most important thing, that we can do to help these mothers and babies, is PRAY.

I have been the rest of the week in the abortion center of Manhattan. They have a lot of clients and it is a place very transited. I could talk to some mothers but only one heard me. Her name is Sarah and she is 17 years old. We were talking during a long time. She has a friend who is in the same situation. She said me that she will talk to her friend to convince her. So we have to pray for her and her friend. 

You can see that if you pray, God acts. On another occasion I noticed that some women, who leave the abortion center, are depressing and doleful.  They need company and consolation. And in this moment we gave advices and help after abortion, and they are grateful for that.

We can help and pray more, NY needs us!

      

                                Oh, you're saving babies!"

Chatting with curious locals.

        

It's great when passers-by and local workers stop to ask what we are doing and ask why we do it. In Queens today one man's reaction to my explanation was "Oh, You're saving babies." And yes we are! The abortion clinic I was at today is on it's last legs in no small part to the wonderful pro-life activists who regularly witness outside it. 

Very few girls entered that clinic toady. I had another potential turn around today and all it takes is the truth and kindness and prayer!!! This young woman was going into the clinic to have an abortion. She walked away from me minutes later thanking me for being there and for caring. Now she knows she really has a choice to make. A choice where she sees more than one ending. A choice in which she can follow her heart. A choice in which she listens to her body. A choice that obeys her spirit and a choice which can give her true peace of mind. 

 

#andthentherewerenone

Deirdre

So far so good

Somehow this week has been very long and short all at once. I’ve learned a lot, not only from very experienced counselors (such as Sr. Dorothy from sisters of life, who’s been doing this for 30 years), and from the other interns, but also about myself. You’re never truly aware of your abilities until you put them in practice, nor about how far over your limits you can get. I’ve always been very shy and had confidence issues, and yet this week I was (as Chris Slattery would say) “bold, bold, but not too bold”. Of course I made a lot of mistakes, which I learned from, but at times, thanks to all the praying and the action of the Holy Spirit, I was able to really connect with the mothers.

One day, at Dr. Emily’s (in the Bronx) I meet Vanessa, a young mother of a ‘yet to be born’ child. When I first talked to her, I could see the fear and sadness in her eyes, but also the hope when she heard the possibilities EMC was offering her. I could not believe when she said she would come with us to the Brooklyn Office, and actually I truly didn’t until we got there (which is why I’ve never prayed as hard as during those long minutes in the subway). I cannot take the credit for something only God and Vanessa’s bravery are responsible for. If that baby finally gets to live a long and happy life it’s only because of them. But, even though that was a victory, it’s not over yet. Her boyfriend (who she has been with for two years now) is putting way too much pressure on her to have an abortion, and her mother doesn’t know yet. But with God’s help, everything is possible!

Like I said, in a way it’s been a long week since my encounter with Vanessa was at the begging of it, and since then I’ve had training at the Brooklyn office, I’ve assisted a few women that came to it and met a really nice group of people that get together on Saturdays at Women’s all medical (an abortion clinic in Queens), learning from them, not also the best ways of approaching women, but also the importance of reaching the personnel at the clinics. It’s not impossible to make the doctors, nurses and so on, see what an abomination killing those babies is. It just takes some boldness, care and lots of prayers.

I’m looking forward to go back to work next week, especially because we are meeting the sisters of life again on Tuesday for more training, which is great as we can never be too prepared for this very tough but so rewarding job.

Hope you all get to enjoy this rainy and chilly weekend.

Marga

Learning a lot

In my first week I've learned a lot. We had training at the LifeHouse, where I learned about counseling and the best way to approach the women that go into the clinics. I also learned a lot about the work at the office, which was very interesting because I tended to think that our job was done once we had convinced the mothers, but there is a long way from the moment we talk to them or they reach us, to the final moment of them having their babies.

So far is being such a rewarding experience to put to practice everything that we are learning at training and from fellow volunteers. I got to co-counseling two girls at the Bronx office this week, which was bittersweet since one of them decided to have an abortion while the other came around and decided to keep the baby. I can feel how I'm growing more and more every day, and hopefully that will help me help, not just a few, but all of the women that come my way. I'll keep on praying for it. 

Marta 

Hi there everyone!

I'm Eli, a 21 year old spaniard, and I've studied Degree in Primary Education.

I arrived here last Wednesday and since then I have seen, felt and experienced so much. Despite it has been just a short time I could realize that what we do, the seeds that we plant, always give its fruits, even if we cannot see them.

I decided to come to this internship because a friend of mine came a couple of years ago and she talked to me about it, and I felt I could do something great here. And also as a prolife person I wanted to share the real meaning of abortion, and the value of life.

Imagine I go to a restaurant and then I find the best pizza ever, what would I do? I would recommend it to everyone, share it, invite my friends... That's what happens to me with life, I find life so amazing that I want everyone to experiment it :)

I'll keep writing here to tell you about my prolife adventures!

Eli

First week: first impressions

This first week has been hard but very rewarding at the same time! I still don't get used to seeing how some mothers decide to end up with their babies' lives, and I don't think I ever will. Every time I hear "I want to have an abortion" my heart shrinks. But thank God and thanks also be to all of the people who are working at this organization, a lot of mothers realised that abortion is not the solution of their problems at all. Actually they realised that abortion could be the begining of a way bigger problem that will never go away.

I was with Sarah (another intern of the organization) the other day, assisting and counseling a young girl... It is unbelievable how lots of women don't know what abortion means and which are the consequences of that practice. This particular girl came to the office with the firm decision of having an abortion, and after watching a video about the different types of abortion, she completely changed her face; the dubt and uncertainty began to grow on her. I pray for her everyday! I have so much faith on her keeping the baby! 

Today we spent the morning at Dr. Emily’s, a clinic in the Bronx, and it wasn’t such a busy day (meaning very few women went in) but there were some ‘pro-choice’ volunteers, which was very disturbing for me because at some level I can understand the mothers (the fear, the pressure, the ignorance…), but for people to volunteer for defending such an evil cause when they have nothing on it, makes no sense to me.  

Luckily there were some pro-life volunteers as well, and we pray together which was comforting. We’ll keep on praying and working hard.

Fátima.

Mom being late let that baby to stay alive!

Another day next to Dr. Emily's. A pregnant lady in the picture who received a pamphlet said she does not know how far along she is. She refused to come to our office for a sonogram, but she said she would think about it inside. She admitted that she might change her mind and seemed to be quite open. When she dissapeared behind Dr. Emily's abortion clinic door, I really really wanted that baby to survive and bring joy for this mother. She already has two kids and is moving home, a big change in life. But unconditional love should be more important than that, right? 

Next to Dr.Emily's 

In couple of hours the same woman exited the clinic crying very hard. She looked so sad. Apparently the baby is 27 weeks old and the clinic refused to sign her up for an abortion! They do abortions up to 24 weeks. I was so happy, even though the lady was really distressed. How could someone be so dissapointed about a little baby? I gave her one more pamphlet because she left the first one inside the clinic. She was grateful and looked a little bit more hopeful after reassurance of help shecan get from a number of organisations. I was happy for a baby, and I hope that the mother will be ruled by unconditional love as soon as they meet each other.

Sigute

Hi! my name is Violeta, I'm 21, I'm from Madrid (Spain), and I study economics at University Rey Juan Carlos.
Regarding my family I can tell you that I have one sister and one brother. My brother, Pablo, has down syndrom and lots of people decide to abort babies with this disease, so I want to defend indefense babies as in my family we have always chosen life.
Since some years, I spend my summers doing volunteering projects.
A friend of mine told me about  this Pro-life internship in New York  and she also told me her experience and how grateful this is, and I wanted to get involved in something like this, so here I am doing my first pro-life volunteer and I'm so excited.
In my first day I went to pray to Choices, an abortion clinic and I felt so sad because it is hard to see how moms get into the clinic, and I was so shocked because that day in about 4 hours maybe 15 moms entered to the clinic.
But I saw that one mom changed her decision about the abortion and then I felt that God does big thing and we should trust Him.
    

           "I want to keep my baby, but I'm afraid."

Supporting our clients all the way. 

I witnessed my first ever sonogram on Tuesday. The baby was 24 weeks old! It was a boy and he was giving a high five! Very cool! This was a life saved, as this young woman was legally too late to have an abortion. Leaving our centre the girl was excited to be keeping her baby, which was a total U-turn. She came into our office with the aim of having an abortion. Had she gone to an abortion clinic her baby would now be dead. She left us with light in her eyes.

The more I see these types of cases the more encouraged and comforted I become in this mission we are on. The majority of women and girls I meet do not want to have the abortion they set out that morning to have. I ask their confused and frightened faces if they actually want to have the abortion, if they really want to end the pregnancy, and if they want to keep their babies. The answer is almost always the same "I don't want to have an abortion. I want to keep my baby but I'm afraid." 

Beautiful young women are going into abortion clinics out of fear and coming out even more confused and regretful of their decision. They are afraid for many reasons, mostly out of fear of rejection and financial concerns. They are afraid of the future without realising the affects abortion could have on them. Effects they are not educated on in the abortion clinics. We offer support and truth. We offer love and encouragement. I am witnessing each day how this literally saves lives. 

I have had a handful of girls over the past few days say "thank you" to me. 'Thank you" I have to repeat it such is my gratitude at their openness to God's grace through our presence here. Young women who were about to have abortions say 'thank you." It's incredible! They are thankful because someone took the time to talk to them and truly care for their good. They are thankful for hearing that they have another choice; a choice to save and not to end. They are thankful for the truth. I am thankful for God's saving grace and Our Lady's intercession. 

Deirdre

Strength in mother's heart

It was a regular morning next to Dr. Emily's when I saw a man quickly walking towards the entrance with a woman reluctantly following him. Their body language has already told half of the story. Another intern Marga spoke to the lady while the guy was shouting her name from the doorstep of abortion clinic. She was distressed and did not listen. Then Marga came to me and told that the lady agreed to come to our office. Since she was a new intern, I showed the way. The man was adamant, he was getting agressive and made the lady cry. However she sticked with us. She read the pamphlet about negative effects of abortion and alternative options on our way, it seemed like she was finding comfort internalizing that information. The young man followed us and attempted to change her mind from time to time. 

How can one have such a strong desire to kill? It was her first pregnancy, and her intuition was unmuted. That young woman had all the gentleness and affection that her baby is going to need. But her man completely ignored our invitations to see the sonogram, he wanted to reject the idea of a baby being real human being. Not far from our final destination he left us full of anger.
We still don;t know if it is a turn-around, because the girl spent some time to cool down after such a shock and then told she would come back for a sonogram with her mother. 

I really want this baby to see a daylight and I hope that his or her mother will stay loyal to the voice of her heart.

                                            Next to Dr. Emily's that morning



Sigute

                                                 Heartache and Hope

First blog ever! Daunting! First time in New York! Exciting! First time to witness abortion on demand enacted. Frightening! First time to sidewalk council. Hopeless! First time to see women just after having an abortion. Devastating!

I arrived here a week ago from Ireland. My name is Deirdre and I'm a teacher. We have been blessed not to have legalised abortion, that is until 2013 where abortion under certain circumstances was passed into law. We don't have abortion on demand like here in the States, like here in New York. After spending one week outside insanely profitable abortion clinics I never want to see another land inflicted with this wrath. I never want to see another woman so cut up, confused and crippled by this atrocity. 

This has been a hugely challenging week. It feels like I've been here much longer. It feels as though I've been doing this for a long time. Such is the weight of this work. Such is the weight of this struggle. I don't know the impact of my presence outside of the abortion clinics but I have to believe that we are making a diference. I know that these girls need us. This story demonstrates that....

On Friday morning I tried to stop a girl on her way into a major abortion clinic. She was with a friend. She was black. I add that because to date I have only seen one white girl enter a clinic and so I believe that colour in abortion here is relevant. She didn't want to talk to me but as she left the clinic she was willing to talk to me. She told me that she was 18 weeks pregnant and when I showed her images of a baby at that stage in the womb she ran into the subway crying. Saturday morning she was back at the clinic. She confided in me that she was actually in the middle of a laminaria abortion, and she was in pieces. She said she wished that she had listened to me the previous morning. She was so regretful and it was so apparant. She had gone too far and I couldn't change her mind. We spoke again when she left the clinic abortion completed. My heart ached for her. Her heart was broken and she knew that this pain would linger. She had wanted her baby. She had needed support, encouragement and love but instead, she got exploited. It made me angry that the abortion clinic had taken her money and her baby when what she needed was help. I let her know where we are if she needs to talk in the future. I don't think I will ever forget her face, her regret, her confusion, her fear, her loss. I will pray for her and her baby. 

I encountered another girl on Saturday morning who I'd like to write about in my next blog. We are still in contact and I'm hopeful that she will keep her baby. Pray for her and her boyfriend.

Having hope,

Deirdre 

Giving real choices outside an abortion clinic.

Greetings to everyone!

I’m Borja and I’m 22 years old. I’m from Spain and I decided to come to New York because I wanted to help people and what better that helping babies who don’t have right to defend. I am studying law and economics, and I prefer do volunteering in summer than a good labor practices. This is the reason why I chose to join to EMC.

 I arrived with a friend the 18^th of June to the JFK airport; we were concerned because the United States was something new for us. Now I consider myself a new citizen of Woodlawn Heights. I only have been here three days since my arrival, but the days have been very intense and tired, but I’ve learned that we can do a lot of things to help these babies and their mothers who often don’t know that they do. I’ve realized that we have to pray so much for those babies who are helpless. They need our prayers that are never enough.

My first day of volunteering, I was in the Bronx’s office and I saw two young girls who came to the office to get ultrasounds. I could be with them and I saw their faces lit up when they saw the ultrasounds of their children in their belly. When I saw their smiles with their children, you can see that people change their opinions about their children’s life. The cause of this is that one day an EMC intern spoke to her that there are solutions which are better than the abortion.

I will hope that EMC interns can bring in the culture of life in New York City. This city needs your prayers.

Regards and see you soon in this blog.

Borja