The Love of a Mother...

Today was one of my last days in New York City. Soon, I will be heading back to college at Franciscan University of Steubenville. I was in the South Bronx center today working and had the privilege to counsel a very special woman. At first, when I was talking to her, she told me she wanted an abortion. She was approximately 7 weeks so I thought that this case might be hard. I gave her a pregnancy test, and it turned out she was positive. As I was passing one of my fellow interns in the hallway, he looked down at the girl's intake form, scanning his eyes over the details. "Good luck," he said. I could just feel this was going to be a tough case. I prayed to the Lord to help me because I still got nervous over these sort of situations. I then walked back into the room and sat down. I explained that I was going to show her a short video on the abortion procedures so that she would be aware of them. Before I could even finish my sentence, though, she asked, "Do you guys help with adoptions?" I hesitated before saying, "Yes, of course!" She then burst into tears and said, "I can't have an abortion! I don't believe in it!" I immediately assured her that everything was going to be okay and that we were going to take care of her. I still showed her the abortion procedures just in case, but by the end of our session, I knew she was definitely not going to have an abortion! We exchanged numbers, and I set her up for a sonagram in a couple of weeks. I have a feeling that she is going to end up keeping the baby for herself, though, once she sees the baby. I then told her that her child was privileged to have so great of a mom as she. Anyway, I am so grateful to God for this amazing woman.

Be Gone, Satan!

Today, I went to Dr. Emily's Abortion Clinic. Because 40 Days for Life is fast approaching, the clinic has recently had clinic escorts at each of the entrances. These escorts are from a pro-choice feminist organization that is strongly against pro-lifers to an extreme. Because we are supposed to love our enemies, I try to be friendly to these escorts, but I get scorn in return. Usually this does not matter to me, but today, their hatred (because that is what they have, pure hatred for us) began to get me depressed. I could hardly even say a Rosary because I kept on getting distracted.

I was getting even more discouraged when suddenly, I looked down the sidewalk and saw two men in gray robes walking toward us. Immediately, I grabbed a nearby intern's arm and exclaimed, "The monks are here!" The Capuchin Franciscans of the Renewal had arrived at Dr. Emily's! Immediately, the brothers introduced themselves to the lead escort, but she was very rude to them in return. They then walked over to us, and we began talking. It wasn't long before the lead escort came up behind us, and said to one of the brothers, "You are in my way. You are blocking the sidewalk. You need to move." The brother looked around. The sidewalk was huge and we were not blocking the path so the brother replied, "We are not blocking the path. You can go around us." The escort repeated herself, "You need to move. You are blocking my path." The brother repeated, "No, I am not. You can go around us." The escort seemed to get even angrier and said, "I need to get through!" as if we were blocking the sidewalk. The brother moved perhaps a few inches, leaving enough space between us so she could walk through us. "You are still blocking my path!"" The brother then said in an authoritative voice, "Be gone!" Immediately, the escort walked away, leaving us be! I was so surprised that she had obeyed. What a sense of authority the brothers had! This scene encouraged me greatly, and I was able to better counsel for the rest of the day.

The Devil at Work

This past Saturday, a few interns and I went to Dr. Emily's abortion clinic to sidewalk counsel and pray. When we arrived, we noticed that there were pro-choice women standing outside the clinic doors wearing shirts that read "CLINIC ESCORT" across them. Having previous experience with sidewalk counseling, I knew we were in for trouble. Sure enough, these women were not happy to see us there. Not to mention all the dirty looks they gave us, they also did everything in their power to try to intimidate us. For instance, when we first arrived, I tried to act with Christian charity by introducing myself to them. When I asked where they were from, one replied, "I don't like chitchat." The conversation had ended.

Another time, I was standing near one woman and she said, "People are going to think you are pro-choice because you are standing near to me so why don't you get out of my bubble." I wasn't standing as near as she made me out to be, but with Christian charity I obliged, but not before she had told me that I was no different than the man who had killed Dr. George Tiller. She also told me I was no different than the fanaticals who had thrown acid on her shoes at a clinic once. She would not even let me talk so I simply shrugged her off and walked away. I would not let myself get angry over her.

At one point, a neighbor was walking by with her dog. Personally, I love dogs so I went up to it and began to pet it. Suddenly, I hear a voice from behind me say, "Can I say hello to your creature?" A clinic escort had come up to us from behind. The way she called the dog "creature" sent chills up my spine. I quietly moved away and let the worker pet the dog.

All in all, I realized that the escorts were there for a reason: we had to have been getting on the clinic workers' last nerves. I know we are doing God's work, and I won't let these escorts get me down! Today, at Emily's, we were able to save three babies despite the new Clinic Access Bill that came into effect this past Monday! PICTURES COMING SOON!

Plane Simple

Today, EMC had a plane fly over the beaches in Brooklyn and the Bronx with a banner advertising "Free Abortion Alternatives" with EMC's number to call. All of the interns were split up to be at each beach that the plane would fly over so that we could pass out pamphlets while the plane flew over. When a woman called from the beach, her call would be transferred to one of the interns on that particular beach. The interns would then find her and counsel her there on the spot and if she needed a pregnancy test, we would administer her a pregnancy test. Over all, the day was great, and the plane advertisement was wonderful!

The Corruption of the American Justice System

Yesterday, I went to an abortion clinic in Queens along with a few other interns. While there, we stood outside the clinic passing out pamphlets and counseling women who came in for an abortion. At one point, the clinic workers came outside and told us that we could not stand within 15 feet of the premises. Julie, a full-time worker for EMC, kindly told the women that the Clinic Access Law had not been put into effect yet (it goes into effect on July 20th). The workers then said that they were calling the police. And they did. The police came and asked us what was going on. Thankfully, the workers had gone back inside. Julie explained what we were doing, and the police officers told us that as long as we did not block the clinic's doors, we were fine. They then left without another word.

About thirty minutes later, two clinic workers called the cops again on us. Two new cops came, and without waiting for an explanation, they came out of their car and asked for my ID (and my ID only). I obliged, and they went back to their car. The clinic workers then came outside and went up to the police officers. Meanwhile, Julie had been trying to talk to the officers, but they would not listen. They listened to whatever the clinic worker had to say, though.

After awhile, one of the clinic workers went back inside and then came out immediately with a piece of paper in their hand. They handed it to the police officer. After a few minutes, both workers went back inside. The police officer came up to me and said that he was writing me up because I had been "blocking the door." I immediately became angry by this statement because I had not been blocking the door. That was a complete lie. Julie tried to defend me, but he cut her off saying, "You need to shut up. You talk too much and argue too much. I am talking to this boy, not you!" He then told me that I had to go to court on August 28th. The other police officer with him snidely said, "If you don't show up to court, then they are putting an arrest warrant on you!" The police explained that they were writing me up because I was not supposed to be within 15 feet of the clinic doors. When Julie explained that this law had not taken effect yet, the officer took out the paper the clinic worker had given him which only stated what day the law was signed. He would not even listen to us how the law was not in effect yet. He then said he was writing me up to "justify his existence." This angered me even more because a police officer shouldn't write someone up simply to show that the police do have authority. The officer also said that if I tried to plead not guilty, he'd make sure he was there to make sure I was found guilty!

So I now have to come back to New York City during my college school year to go to court. This just shows the corruption and injustice of some of the police officers in the country. I did not even break a single law, but I was treated as if I was a criminal. So simply say your prayers so that this all can be worked out!

A Brooklyn Rescue

On Monday, I was able to go the Brooklyn clinic. At one point during the day, a woman came in bawling with her sister. Linda, the director of the clinic, led the women to me and said, "This is Brian, he will take care of you now."

I immediately took the women into one of the counseling rooms and asked her what was wrong. She continued to cry her eyes out as her sister told her to "get herself together." I couldn't get the girl to stop crying. Finally, the sister said she had to go to work and told the woman to call her when the procedure had been finished (the sister assumed that she had taken the woman to an abortion clinic). After the sister left, I said, "I can tell you don't want to go through with this. Have you ever thought about keeping?"

The woman looked up from her tears and said, "I can't. I can't keep this baby." When I asked her why she couldn't, she replied, "I almost died during my last two pregnancies. Almost died. The doctors could barely keep me alive. They said if I tried to give birth again, I wasn't going to make it. I don't want to die..."

She then began to bawl again. I didn't know what to say at first. I prayed to the Holy Spirit to guide me. I was still thinking of what to say when she whispered, "I don't want to go to hell." I immediately looked up. "So you are a Christian?" I said. She nodded. "I was raised Baptist all my life. I don't know what else to do, but I don't want to go to hell."

I immediately felt at ease. I knew exactly what to say now. I explained that God does not give us anything we can't handle. Yes, at times things could be challenging, but if we trusted in Him, he'd lead us through all of our troubles. I told her about my favorite verse, Jeremiah 29:11 in which God explains that he has a prosperous future planned for all of us. I told her that God would not abandon her. She couldn't abandon God, either.

After talking with her for some time more, she finally looked up. She asked if she could make a phone call. As the phone was ringing, she told me she was calling her mom to ask what she should do. I remember, at that moment, I spoke to God saying, "Lord, I got her this far, but it is up to you. I can't do this alone. You said knock and I shall receive. Well, I'm knocking!"

Well, she talked to her mom, and her mom miraculously said, "Come on home. Bring the baby with you!" The woman was so overjoyed that her mom would help her raise her unborn baby. She had decided to keep her child! She turned to me and said, "Thank you for everything!" She then left. I texted her later that night and she said she was doing well. Praise God!

David Slays Goliath

On Tuesday, I had one of the most amazing experiences of my life. I was standing outside the front of Dr. Emily's, an abortion mill in the South Bronx, when a girl walked up. I immediately approached her and asked how many weeks she was. At the time, I was holding a box that contained actual models of an unborn baby's life cycle. When she saw the little babies, she immediately began to cry, exclaiming, "I'm a Christian, and I know this is wrong, but I have no choice!" She then rushed in.

I immediately began to ask the other interns who were at the mill with me to pray for her. Less than a minute later, a clinic worker came out and yelled at me, telling me that the girl who had just gone in was now bawling inside and that I needed to "leave her alone because she doesn't want to talk to me." I knew the real reason the woman was out here was because the crying was bad for the clinic's business.

11 o'clock came so I moved to the back of the mill where we could give post-abortion counseling to the women coming out after their procedures because there would be no more women coming in for abortions after that time. Well, to my surprise, the girl who had been crying earlier was standing outside on the phone. I immediately approached her and asked what happened because I knew it was too soon for her to have had her abortion.

She explained that her insurance had been denied. I then knew that God had answered my prayers. I remembered she was a Christian so I began talking to her about the Bible and how the book of Jeremiah says that before God formed her in the womb, He knew her, and before she were born, He set her apart for His holy purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). I explained this passage applied to her precious child inside her womb too. She explained to me she would love to keep the child, but she knew she couldn't. She was divorcing her husband, and she already had about half a dozen children, including a newborn. She simply couldn't deal with anymore.

I explained that life was a precious gift, and that deep down, she cared for ALL her children, including the one in her womb. She looked at me in the eyes, and replied, "You are right." She told me how she DID care for her unborn child. She explained that she felt that the baby was a boy. I explained that the Lord had plans for this child. I even suggested that she should name him Jeremiah because Jeremiah 29:11 says, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the LORD, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" I told her how the Lord has a hopeful future for this boy. She then said, "No, his name is David, like David and Goliath." That was awesome because I then said, "David is fighting for his life right now! GOLIATH is this abortion clinic, and he's such a small boy! He NEEDS to defeat the Evil One, the Devil!"

I continued to talk to her for a little while longer. All the while, she was crying. At around 12 o'clock (I had been talking to her for about an hour), she stopped me from talking. With a big smile, she said, "Guess what? You got me."

I didn't know what she meant at first. She then said, "I'm keeping David." I was so overjoyed that I gave her a huge hug. I then called her my "bff" or "Best Friend Forever." Her spirit was immediately lifted and she became joyful. She wanted to meet all of my friends so I introduced her to them and we ended up talking for another half hour. Finally, toward the end of her conversation, she said to us, "Since I am going to keep this baby, I want you guys to make me a promise." We all said sure. She then said, "I want you guys all to be in the delivery room with me the day that David is born!" We all readily agreed! She then left to, in her own words, "stuff" her face with food and take a nap.

I called her later that night to see how she was doing and she answered her phone by saying, "Hey BFF!" She is such a joyful woman! She invited me over to her house sometime so that she can make me a huge dinner! I'm excited!

Attending the 2009 National Right to Life Convention

This past week, I had the privilege to attend the 2009 National Right to Life Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina. While there, me and a few other interns were able to meet many young pro-lifers like ourselves and attend many different talks on different areas concerning abortion. I learned all about how to answer the tough questions women ask me on a day to day basis when they come into the pregnancy centers, along with the combative questions I have been asked by passersby while standing outside Dr. Emily's.

This convention not only taught me more knowledgeable information about abortion, but it also opened my eyes to the fact that people from all over the country are united to stop this terrible crime. A lot of times when we are working at the centers, we sometimes feel like we, pro-lifers, are so few in the world, but in reality, we are obviously not. At this convention, my motivation for the work was strengthened. I am so glad I attended!

Helping a Girl Escape

Yesterday, I worked at the South Bronx center on E 149th St. Sometime during the afternoon, a girl and her boyfriend came in. I brought the girl back to discuss what her situation was and fill out the intake form. When I asked what her plans for her pregnancy were, she asked if I could close the door. She then explained that her boyfriend was forcing her to have an abortion against her will. She explained that she was completely against the act of abortion, but her boyfriend gave her no other choice. She also explained that she had been calling homeless shelters for over a week now so that she could get away from him because he was physically abusing her.

After hearing her situation, we immediately set to work. Her boyfriend was told that she would be some time with us, so it was advised that he come back in a half hour. After the guy had left, we immediately began making phone calls to find a home for the girl. We also told her to come back tomorrow so that we could set her up for a sonogram because it was too far in the day to get one at the moment. She said she would be able to. We then instructed her on how to sneak out of her house to go to a shelter when the time was right. With all her instructions given to her, she left for the day. I texted her later that night to make sure she was alright.

Today, she came back for her sonogram. She saw her baby and was so overjoyed. Her boyfriend still thought she was going to get an abortion sometime and that the sonogram was simply the first step in the process. She left today happy. She is still working out arrangements to find a place to live so please pray for "Rita" and for her safety against her boyfriend. She is keeping us updated on what is going on in her life.

A Busy Day in the Bronx

I began my day at Dr. Emily's in the early morning. At around 11 o'clock, a girl and her boyfriend walked up to the front of the clinic. I immediately offered them a free ultrasound, knowing that if I could simply get them to go to the ultrasound van, I'd be able to talk more in depth to them about abortion. They agreed with caution, but that was all I wanted. When the girl went into the back room of the van to get her ultrasound, I was able to talk to the boyfriend. He was unaware that his unborn child even resembled a human being. He kept asking if his child (who was 7 weeks) had arms, legs, etc.

When his girlfriend came out, she was crying. She had heard her baby's heartbeat, and the thought of killing the baby now deeply confused her. The two decided not to have the abortion because they had to do a lot of thinking. I was able to give my number to the boyfriend so that he could get a hold of me in case he wanted to talk. As we were going he asked me how developed his baby was. I replied, "I bet your baby is sucking his thumb right now." He smiled at me, and right before he left, he said, "You really know what you are talking about, don't you?"

Later in the day, two girls, one being pregnant and the other simply a friend, came out of Dr. Emily's. Julie, one of the EMC staff, talked to them for several minutes before calling me over. She asked me if I could escort the two girls over to the Bronx center on E 149th. Agreeing, I led the girls to the nearest bus stop and rode the bus down with them to the center.

Once we were at the center, they received excellent counseling from Liz, the director of that particular center. It turned out that one of them was scheduled to come in on Monday to have an abortion at Dr. Emily's, but they had come in today to ask questions about the procedure. Not one single question of their's had been answered by the staff at Dr. Emily's. Each staff member at the abortion clinic claimed they could not answer any of their questions about what was going to be done to the woman during the abortion and that only the doctor could answer these questions. When the woman asked to talk to the doctor, the clinic workers apparently said that was not possible.

According to Dr. Emily's, the woman was 20 weeks pregnant. Well, when we reassessed her, we found out she was 27 weeks pregnant, which made procuring her an abortion illegal for her stage in the pregnancy. This meant that Dr. Emily's either lied to her about how far along she was so she could get an abortion, or simply didn't assess her correctly, or our assessment was wrong. Liz then told me that this woman deserved a real ultrasound because at Emily's they had not answered any of her questions. So I again took them to the bus stop, but after waiting for a bus for a long time without a bus, I located a cab and we road to Bronx Care, where we have a worker who does sonograms for us.

Finally, after a long day, I headed back to Liz's before heading back to the Lifehouse. Kathy, the ultrasound technician at Bronx Care, said she'd call Liz after the ultrasound to let her know how it went. Keep this woman in your prayers!

Saved by the Phone

I began my day sidewalk counseling at Dr. Emily's before heading over to the Bronx center on 149th St. We had a pretty busy day at the center, and I had the privilege to counsel several girls by myself. At one point, I was counseling this girl who was so set on taking the RU-486 pill. She was a practicing Christian and she explained how this world was falling to pieces. She stated how so many people were blind to the injustices of the world. All this time, she still wanted the abortion pill. Finally, Liz, the woman who runs the center, stepped in to help me talk to her. Liz began doing an amazing job, but the girl still seemed to not be wavering. Finally, Liz sighed, accepting that nothing we could say could change this woman's mind. Well, at that moment, the phone rang, and Liz picked it up. The caller on the other end stated that she had been to the center earlier that day and had watched one of the films showing the actual abortion procedures. At the time, she had walked out on the video. Thinking about it since then, she told Liz, she had realized she could not go through with an abortion. Liz was so happy she thanked the Lord out loud. The woman who was sitting in the room with us had heard the whole conversation. She seemed amazed to see a real turn-around happen right in front of her. We finished our conversation with her, and as she got up to leave she thanked us both. As she walked out, I had the feeling that that phone call had been God's way of "awakening" that woman.

Atlantic City/The Murder of Tiller

This past weekend, our boss, Chris, took a few of us to Atlantic City for a short change in scenary. While there, his intention was to get to know us more personally, and help train us individually in regards to counselling the women.

It just so happened that on Sunday morning Chris recieved a call from a close friend who told him that George Tiller, the infamous late-term abortionist, had been murdered. We were all shocked, wondering who could have done such a thing.

Immediately, reporters began to call Chris's phone nonstop, asking for his opinion on the murder. By watching him answer all the reporters' questions, I learned how a person should compose him/herself when bombarded with questions that are meant to attack and how to answer some tough questions about abortion.

When Chris wasn't being interviewed, he was teaching us how to respond to certain types of questions about abortion (such as "Why don't pro-lifers hand out contraceptives?"), so that we could know how to respond to practically any question that might be asked. This was crucial because if one wants to be a true pro-lifer, he/she must know what they are talking about!

I learned a lot during my brief sojourn in Atlantic City, and it was great to get to be taught by Chris!

Counseling One-on-One

Even though I have been working with EMC for a few weeks now, I had not had the chance to counsel a women solely by myself until today. During these past few weeks, I had simply sat in with another counselor so I could observe and learn from him/her.

Today, I worked at the 149th and 3rd Avenue center. Sometime in the morning, the center became very busy, and I was asked to counsel a girl because no one else was available. I prayed to the Holy Spirit to guide me as I took the girl in for her consultation, knowing that it was only through Him that a miracle could happen.

Thankfully, the girl was not sure of what to do, compared to the many other girls who are deadset on having an abortion. I guess this was God's way of easing me into the business. I talked with her about her homelife and about her thoughts on abortion. As I talked to her, I couldn't tell if she was actually taking in what I was saying. Finally, we signed her up for a sonagram and she left.

I went on with my day, sitting on many other counseling sessions. At around 3, the center recieved a phone call from the girl I had counseled earlier. She told us how happy she was to see the sonagram and hear her baby's heartbeat. She wanted to come back in and see us.

I was excited to hear this because I had been the main person who had talked to her. I thank God for this awesome experience!

Working in the Brooklyn office...

Before this week, I had never worked at the Brooklyn office. I had grown accustomed to either going to Dr. Emily's or the Bronx's center. On Monday, I went to Linda's for the first time, not knowing what to expect. We had only been there a couple minutes before Linda showed us a sonogram of one of her clients. I had never seen a live sonogram before, and watching the baby's beating heart was amazing. I was able to sit in on a counseling session that day too, and even take part in one. Another intern, Amelia, and I counseled this one girl who was afraid to have a baby because of various reasons. We talked with this girl for about 2 hours straight, but she still wouldn't budge. Linda told me that we could not do anything more, but that it was the Holy Spirit's job from now on. I listened to Linda and prayed to the Holy Spirit. Before long, the girl had started to think about the possibility of keeping the baby. Originally, she was going to have the abortion the next day, but by the end of our talk, she agreed to come visit us again on Friday. I am looking forward to seeing her. Amelia called her yesterday to check up on her, and she is doing well. Working at Brooklyn was a truly amazing experience.

My first few days working for EMC...

I started my internship this past Sunday, May 10th. I didn't know what to expect because working as a pro-life intern was going to be a whole new experience for me. On Monday, I was able to take part in a counseling session at the Bronx's EMC center. I felt the love of God flow through the counselor's words to the despairing soon-to-be mothers at the clinic that day. I knew that we were doing the Lord's work.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we prayed and sidewalk counselled outside of Dr. Emily's Women's Health Center (a.k.a. abortion clinic). This was a moving experience for me because even though I had prayed outside a clinic before, I had never had the courage to counsel one of the women on the sidewalk as she walked toward the clinic doors. On Tuesday, I was very much reserved, but by the time Wednesday came, I was openly talking with the women, explaining that we offered free sonagrams to them and that we cared for their own wellbeing as well as their babies. There were a couple saves, and I am glad to have witnessed God's amazing power.