Fantastic, awesome, incredilble..

I don´t have words to express how much I've learned during these last weeks, working at EMC. I want to give my thanks to all the people that made this possible. Thanks to all those I met at the offices. Specially thanks to Chris, who made this 6 weeks in the USA such a fantastic and incredible experience.

My last day at work I was so exhausted I couldn´t work properly. I was feeling the fatigue of the 6 weeks working and, for a moment, I asked myself: " How can the people that work here stand everyday with all the work? Everyday during the whole year." Then, I was talking to Linda and she shared her secret with me. Everyday, before she goes to work she usually prays 3 Rosaries.

After a while and reflecting about this, I found that the Holy Rosaries where the pieces that fits into the explanation I needed for understanding how they manage with all the work.

From my point of view, it doesn't matter which God you believe in, but believe in one. Treat Him as a Father, as a Friend, as a Brother... Treat him in a way so that you can take from him the full strength you need. That strength that will make you work fruitful.

In the picture: Me at Jerome Av handing out some information about pregnancy.

Woman talk, listen to them

In the following lines, dear reader, I want to ask you four a couple of minutes to read or listen what women, that have had an abortion have to tell you. I use to follow WEBA website, Woman Exploited by Aborion, an organization of women who regert having undergone induced abortion. WEBA activities focus on support, outreach and gathring anectotal data about woman who regret what they've done to their babys.
Some of the women at WEBA share their very private and painful experiences to warn other woman about the deep pain and suffering of abortion. Many of this woman have become pro-life volunteers to help other women so the wont be exploited by the people who promote and profit from abortion. Click in this link to read some of the stories http://lovematters.com/woman.htm they've write.

Also, if you still there, reading this post, please continue, you should listen to this video: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-ti9BBwQ2Kg Where Linda and Chuck from Missouri give their testymoni about the pain of abortion and how they healing, as they speak at a gathering of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign.

FOUR STEPS

This last days I've been working with Linda at the office we have in Brooklyn. She has attended thousands of girls since she become to work at EMC. I want to share one of the many things she teaches me. 4 Steps that she always follows when she talks to the girls:
LOVE

Listen

Options

Vision

Enable

Firstly, we are here to LISTEN to all those woman that came to us. To let them tell us what ever they want, to give them confidence so that they can feel that at EMC offices, our doors and our hards are open to everyone. Also, our attitude when we listen is never to judge anyone, never. We just want to give the support those woman need and let them know they are always warlmy welcome to visit us.
Secondly, OPTIONS, at EMC we use to give options besides abortion. It is understandable that when a woman has a difficult situation can get block and be unable to think in alternatives to abortion. That is the reason that explains why we consider ourselves us one of the fist organization that keeps giving lots of information to all the women that walk into our offices.

Thirdly, VISION, at EMC we are never going to tell anyone what to do. Every human is free to do what ever they want providing that they will always be consistent of it. We are here just to give another vision about the truth. "We speak the truth with love (as Linda use to say)", without imposing anything to anyone.

Finally, ENABLE, enable the woman to reach their goals, giving them the strengh they need. Giving them power, love and security.

What move us to work?

As part of our internship, Chris Slattery, the President of EMC, is giving us some knowleadge about America's culture. For us is an opportunity to extend our knowledge and the best way to go immerse in this new continent.

As it is know by everyone that to understand our present days, it is necessary to understand our past. The history of America has a deeply past, lots of people had died because of defending his values.
Chris gave us a lesson about those american people who die beacuse of the war and those who fight in it. For a moment, he did a paralelism between them and us, the american fighters and the interns. Because he realise that soldiers and employees of EMC, both fight.






Those soldiers where at a battle field and carry guns. We are at the EMC offices and the only think we carry with us is love.
We, the interns, are gonna fight with the heat of New York, with the inconvenience of living in a crowded house... Also, Chris explain to us that after our work, we are not going to have any special recognition.

All things consider of what he said, I had conclude that the truly reason that moves us to work is the strenght of our belives. Because we know that any human being and moreover a baby, worth any effort. As the soldiers did in the wars that they had participate, thta they remain in their battles because of his convictions. We, all the interns, are going to try our best to work hard and let our values be over the different difficulties we find in our daily day.


Picture of Elliot Erwitt

AMERICA: Land of opportunities

A few days ago I went to visit the MOMA. In the middle of it, there is a garden with different statues. Also, there you can find the “WISH TREE”, a work of the famous artist Yoko Ono. Besides the tree you can find some papers were you can write your wish and after hang it on a branch of the tree.





After observing for a while the tree I become to think that the tree was reflecting the spirit of America. A land of opportunities where everyone has a space in it. Where everyone can develope their dreams. Being enterprising is part of the esential of the American people. Since always in the history of America they had been lots of characters that had a dream and they find the way to achieve in this land.
I have the feeling that America is for people that characterize themselves for being dreamers, adventurous, braves, darings... all adjectives that has to do with the adjectives that can find in herself when she is pregnant. Although sometimes she feel she has not got that strenght, behind her is America with all her opportunities.

For those pregnant woman who think that there is no other choice than abort I think they should be very glad to be in America. A huge land with lot of oppiortunities, not only economics like job facilities, but also social opportunities. A place where everyone is welcome, where everone has its own importance.

Since ever

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit Philadelphia. There I got to know how America emerged through history. Specially, the development of the Independence Acts of Rights. I realized how difficult it was and, at the same time, how this guidelines are still the ones that define the American society.

Sometimes it can be difficult to battle trhough difficulties when defending life but, it is really conforting to know this is not a battle where we are fighting alone. Moreover, we are just following the footsteps of the American Founting Fathers who fighted for everyones rigths, puting the bases to a more just and human society, that allowes everyone to develope its identity in equality, not only the strong ones that can defend themselves.

This is an inspiring quote of the independence act, that can help us to realize those essentials facts that nowadays can be so easily forgotten.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalieanble Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness".
While I was reading this point I realized that at EMC we are continuing with the same ideals. What the Fathers of America wrote in this declaration is the base of what we have to do. They put in words this right, and at EMC we are trying to materialize it.
America has in its roots this rights and we all have the responsability to look for the contiunity of these values. This trip has thought me that every time in history has its own responsability towards society, and I believe this times we are working through ours.

Finally, it was really cheering to discover and feel that the cause we are fighting for is not other than the one the Founding Fathers pointed out more than 200 years ago.

In the picture, some interns touring through history in Philadelphia.

Discovering EMC

This thursday Chris Slattery attended a National pro-life leaders meeting in Washington.
Some of the interns had the chance to go with him. I was one of them.
I just stayed two days in there but there are a couple of points that really impress me.

On one hand, in Washington we stay over at a Chris friends house. They welcome us as if we know them since ever. In America the people is really open. Moreover, in this case, I feel that no matter where are you from or what religion you practice that there is always a way to get on well with different people. Chris has friends every where we go, maybe they don't share the same believes. But they are friends and they welcome us as I said. I had the impression that in America everyone has space, everyone can make himself at home.

On the other hand, a fact that has positive impress me is how they manage all the work tjey had at EMC. During the time we spent with Chris Slaterry, he was constantly answering calls, e-mails... He has compromise himself with the pro life movement and he really believe in what he found. He is always open to everybody. When we stay with him, each day has to work with small problems and with effort he tried to solve it.

Although I know at EMC everyone is more than welcome, I had experienced myself that EMC is an open organization who cares about people, who really thinks in the person as someone unique.

In this picture, Chris and the five interns we went to Washington.

Bonds between Mother and Son

Yesterday I was at one of our EMC offices, the one in Brooklyn. A woman came in, she has an appoiment for a sonogram. She watched a video about the development of the baby during it's first nine months. After the sonogram I had the opportunity to talk with her. Her circumstances were hard. She wanted an abortion because she can not afford a new baby. Although she and her boyfriend had jobs, she said they can't afford it. More in depth, she told me that in case she decides to parent the baby, she will give it to her sister, who wants a baby but can't have one.

That option sounds to both of us.

After a long conversation about the bonds that exits between a mother and the baby she is expecting... She began to realise that the baby she was pregnant with was her son or her daughter... That baby is HER baby, she can feel it.

This woman began to explan that the choice of adoption of her baby by her sister was hard and she was explaning this to us for a while. She began to love the baby she was pregnant with. While she was talking to us she discovered how she already loved that baby and how true it is that the bounds between a mother and her unborn child are something special.

Finally, she decided not to abort, she decided to have her baby and take care of it. She will save some money to provide him the best she can give him, but, in this case material things go into a a place of second importance.

LIKE THE YANKEES

I am trying my best to help those women who came to visit us, also, I am trying my best to listen to them and understand their circumstances. I realized that from EMC lots of women are being helped but...there is something else that I just discovered it was happening.


Each of us can influence lots of people, not only the ones that come to visit us at EMC, but all our friends, our relatives, our neighbors, the new people we are meeting here.... All those that have nothing to do with EMC. When I explain where I am working, what I'm doing in New York, it is an opportunity for me to talk about abortion, the impact it has, the damage that it causes women, how much help is available to pregnant mothers...

On the onther hand, there is a lot of information about abortion that people don't know, although they dont agree with abortion. For this reason, talking about abortion gives us the opprtunity to give more transparency to this.

I cannot express by words this feeling, however, I do not want to give the impresion that this fact is our merit, it just happens and.. for a while, our possition in this net is really important.

Yesterday, we went with Chris to a Yankee's game and he explained to us the rules of the game and how it works. At one point he said "In this game, there are two players that are esential, the two most important: one is the pitcher and the other one is the batter.


Well, when he said that, I thought of this work we are doing and of the influence our job is gonna have and.... For a moment I imagined that all those who work at EMC are, at this moment, those two players, the most important ones. Those on which the game depends the most, those which determine the direction the work is going to take.

MORE THAN WORDS

Last Saturday I went to the office we have at Queens. I saw something special that I want to share.

It was 11:15 am when a woman arrived and rang the bell, she had an appointment to have a sonogram. She was nervous and happy at the same time. The sonogram would let her know the sex of the baby she was due to deliver in December. She had no preference for boy or girl, she said that both would be welcome.

With this woman also arrives another girls, who also have appointments at the Queens Office, however, this woman was doubting about whether to have her baby.

The first woman was full of joy, it ends up that she was expecting a boy, when she saw him on the screen she started crying because of the emotion she felt. She began to laugh, to call some of her friends and also her family. She was really happy, She couldn't stop watching her baby on the screen. Her happiness spread all around the office.

The second woman, who I described lines above, saw and heard what happened, all about the sex of the baby and how happy her mother was. She went to the Queens office thinking that abortion was another option but, when we began to talk to her, she explained to us that her feelings were confusing her. The cheerfulness of the first patient gave her the strength she needed to realize that what she was carrying was a human been, a baby that would bring her the same happiness, not just for one moment but of the rest of her life

JUST ARRIVED

Hi,

I'm Paz, a Spanish student that has just arrived to work with EMC. I am studying Advertising and Public Relations at the Univeristy of Navarre, in Pamplona, although I am from Madrid.

I am the youngest of a big family, I have 2 brothers and 4 sisters and I already have 2 nieces. I have a theory about life: in this life there are only a few things that are truly important to me and family is one of them. My family gave me all I have, all I am. Since I realized how blessed I am for having this family, I want to spread that understanding to others. Family is the best present life can give you.

I came to New York for the summer, looking for an intership here, in NYC, but I found something much much better! I found an opportunity to work with women who are in great need of help. I am learning lots of things, thanks to all the the people who are a part of EMC. They are teaching me how to manage many different situations...

In the following weeks I will share with you all my experiences. My best regards to all those who follow this blog!!

In the following weeks I will try my best.