Not Many Words Were Needed

A 19 years old girl came to our office last week, with her mind set on abortion. But as she had an open mind and heart, she was able to clearly see the facts, how abortion destroys an inocent human life, as soon as she realised it was a baby , involved in the decision, immediately turned around and decided to keep it. Her problems still there, but she realised that abortion is by no means the easy "solution" she thought..., and now we are helping her to work out a plan where her baby is part of it!

First Week

I just came here almost two weeks ago, and I had never done pregnancy counseiling. At the begining I was nervious and I didn´t know how be strong showing the videos, or even being tough with the girls because sometime is needed it. I was afraid of stand up outside of thi clinics (well I am still coz you never know how the reactions can be), but suddenly I´ve learn to trust completely in God, how HE is providing the strength and the wise to have the right words to change girl´s mind and that open their hearts.

Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

So many times in our work, the women will tell us that they want a child eventually but just not right now. "I'm not ready," plays in our counseling rooms on a near-constant loop. This is also an argument often evoked politically by those who call themselves pro-choice.

As a Christian, of course I believe every life has a purpose, a plan, unlimited potential and promise. If the woman is pregnant, if the child is here, then this is the right time. God's ways are higher than ours. This child is a blessing, given to this woman to enrich her life in ways unimagined.

I do understand that sometimes this could look like tension here, the difficulty in certain situations [and we see these worst-case scenarios on a regular basis] in reconciling these two concepts -- how could a child possibly make this woman's life better, some might reason, when she's so young, or when she needs to finish school, or when her family situation is so volatile? Often we need to remind ourselves that God is in control, that He can see ahead and inside hearts in ways we never will.

But occasionally He allows us to see a bit of His workings and greater plan as well.

A few weeks ago I met a young woman, abortion bound. She left her family in Virginia when she was 16 and came to New York. The father of the child, she admitted, is a complete loser -- unemployed, sleeps with her but does not love her, immediately told her to get an abortion upon hearing news of his fatherhood. She makes her money working as a stripper in Long Island.

Liz and I spoke with her, not just about her pregnancy but also about the other things going on in her life -- her family, the boyfriend, her job. And as we talked, I watched this amazing change come over her attitude and her outlook. At first she had been proudly defiant of working as a stripper, but then she admitted she was ashamed and wanted to do something else. At first she had said she didn't care about the father, but she it become clear she wished she had chosen a better man to share herself with. At first she wanted an abortion, but when she left she was happily clutching a sonogram appointment and promising to keep in touch with Liz and me as she gave us parting hugs.

Yesterday I got an email from her, and she's seven weeks along, and so excited about this pregnancy and this new phase of her life. This baby will be more than her first child; it will reorient her entire life. She dumped that guy. She has thought about moving back to Virginia to be near her family. And of course no pregnant woman can be a stripper. This so-called crisis pregnancy, instead of weighing her down even more, has liberated her from a damaging lifestyle and jolted her into a better future.

God never makes mistakes. Each pregnancy, each child conceived, is here for a reason. And who knows but that this child is the answer to a woman's problems, not the cause?

Heather

Bottle of water

This week, being outside the abortion mill, doing the sidewalk counselling, I experienced the kindness of the local people. I had different people bringing me a bottle of water every day. Through our constante presence there, we have developed a friendly relationship with those who pass by on a daily basis, who have known by now that we are not "protesters", that we really care for those women and their babies, that we are trying to reach them by all means... I have founded that is very good oportunity to raise concience in the local community of what is going on there. As we go on a regular basis, we get the chance to get familiar with the faces of the people who live in the area, who wonder what are we doing there, standing there so many hours a day. Sometimes people, who are just passing by, stop and ask us what is going on, and we have the opportunity to inform them and give them brochures.

Volunteer Avenues

Just this past weeek I met a young man by the name of Victor who is a self proclaimed liberal. But there is something very different about this liberal.

Simply put, he gets it. As he put it, it stops with abortion. Folks, here we have a liberal with an honest to goodness conscience. If only all liberals were like Victor the world would be a happier place.

Tag-team counselling

A young lady came into our office in the south Bronx, Wednesday of last week, she was feeling vulnerable, her boyfriend pressuring her to have an abortion, after speaking with Brenda she had a feeling of relief as Brenda affirm and reassure what she already knew, that this was a life that grew within her and it would be wrong to snuff out. They made an appointment for her return that Saturday with the plan of bringing her boyfriend along. As Brenda spoke with him and I with his girlfriend, he told us that he was worry that he couldn’t afford to raise this child and made references to hardships faced in the Latino community, we were able to offer them practical support, and I thank God I was able to relate to them in special way because of my background.

Reflection and Prayer

It's been a few days since my last day working for EMC, but I find myself constantly thinking about the experiences of the summer. Although I may not remember the names or faces of all the women I worked with, each one of them continues to be with me, unexpectedly remembered in the middle of my everyday activities. We collided briefly, and in that short interaction I hoped to plant a seed that would save a baby's life. Reflecting on this experience has been hard, because I don't want to admit that I've left it behind. Part of my heart is still with these women and children, with this work, and with the community of people who worked beside me and to whose support I am indebted.

I came to the realization, however, that although I am no longer physically working with EMC, I am still a very important part of this mission. Through prayer, I can continue to serve in communion with those still working for EMC. I would of course encourage any readers of this blog to consider this internship themselves. But if that isn't feasible, I ask that you join me in prayer for EMC and its work, so that a constant stream of supplication may be offered to God for the lives of the children we seek to protect.

Confused, Afraid, and Ashamed

She was 16, confused, afraid, and ashamed. She hadn't gotten her period for several months, when she walked into our Crisis Pregnancy Center in the South Bronx. She had scheduled an abortion for that morning. She was on her way into her appointment, when she spoke to Laura on the sidewalk outside of the Abortion Clinic. Laura told her that we could help, and took the bus with her all the way to our office.

As I filled out the intake form it all started to come out. She had grown up without a father, the child of a single mother in the ghettos of New York City. But unlike a lot of other girls in the same situation, her older brother had become her father figure. No one ever told her to save sex for marriage, what they instead told her was to just wait until she was 18. There was a very high chance that she was pregnant, and the thought of her mom and brother finding out that she was sexually active at 16, was one that brought fear and shame to her heart. What would they think of her? She couldn't bear the idea that she might dissappoint them.

Well she took a pregnancy test and it was positive. She was pregnant.

I asked her how that made her feel and what her boyfriend wanted her to do. And of course her mom and brother, what would their reactions be? These were the things flying through her mind and aching to get out! These were the most important questions at this moment in her short life! As it turns out, her boyfriend wanted to parent. Her mother is Pro-life, and her brother had recently told her to never be ashamed to tell him anything and to never do anything that she would be ashamed of.

I told her about the various risks and complications of the surgery and showed her a video of what abortion acctually is, and what it does to the woman and child. Education coupled with the hope of familial support, and she began to weigh the decisions. Embarressment and shame of her families knoweledge of her sexual activity versus her health and safety, and the life of her child. She chose LIFE! Less than a week later we spoke of her Ultrasound results on the phone, she is 5 months pregnant and having a girl! She is very excited!

Semper Fidelis

It is important to stay always faithful in this work because lives DO get saved. While working at Linda's on my last weekday of the summer with EMC I met a young lady who was 21 weeks pregnant. She had an appointment for a two day procedure at the abortion clinic on the sixth floor of 44 Court Street and stopped by our office on the 12th floor just one half hour prior.

She was crying as she explained that the father of the baby was getting back together with his wife and five children and did not want the young lady to have her baby. Linda then shared all of the complications that could occur and how it would do harm to her in the future through the guilt. Linda then discussed the services we provide as a crisis pregnancy center: that we could giver her a place to live, help her find a job, and support her during this stressful time of her life.

She thought for a second, but then began to panic and told us she had to go to her appointment. I asked her what her heart was saying. I told her to not listen to all the obstacles and what-ifs in her head and just to listen to what her heart was saying. Linda added that she knew the young lady didn't want to kill her baby and that NO mother wants to kill her baby.

The young lady then told us she wasn't going to do it but that she needed us to remember her. Linda and I were overjoyed by this and assured her we would keep in contact and help her every step of the way as much as possible. The young lady then left our office and went back home, still 21 weeks pregnant.

Linda and I then discussed the seriousness of abortion and what it does to the women. I remember hearing multiple counselors explain having to pick up the peices of post-abortive women. I then made the connection that when a woman tears the baby in her womb to peices in the act of abortion, she too would have to pick up the peices of her life: emotionally, physically, and spiritually. I believe that time heals all wounds, all battles take time to win, and that you must pray in order to win them. It is important to try to get this information to mothers BEFORE they have to pick up the peices of their life after an abortion.

This summer has been an amazing learning experience for me and the rest of the EMC interns and I thank all of you who supported us with donations. I also hope that you continue to support this organization throughout the year so that services are available to women who are in a crisis because of an unplanned pregnancy. We have to pick up the peices of this wounded culture. A society bruised and beaten by poor choices and lack of knowledge of the truth. EMC has brought the truth to many women and men of all ages. A crisis is an excellant time to evagelize and teach truth for as the old war saying goes, there are no athiests in foxholes.

This summer I have seen babies saved and babies aborted. I have seen people bear witness to the truth and people throw the truth to the wind. I have seen people discover the light and rejoice in it and I have also seen people deny the light and leave empty. This work is real and the stakes are high. I just want to thank God for his intercession in bringing reality to people in a time of emergency and I want to thank you, the donators, for helping this become possible.

May God's blessing be upon you and your loved ones during our pilgrimage in this life and in His mercy may He grant you a share in the Life to come.

Our Lady of Guadalupe mother of the Civilization of Love

22,000 people gathered in Phoenix, Arizona, for the Guadalupe Festival, last weekend. It was an incredible gathering! Our Lady of Guadalupe uniting us all, different nationalities but one people, receiving the mission of building up the Civilization of love.. It was in conjunction with the first International Marian Congress, organized by the Knights of Colombus. We had the opportunity to meet other prolifers, with whom we exchanged views, strategies, shared visions, and gave reciprocal encouragement. In building these friendships we realised we are part of a big family! I am fortunate to work with EMC where we build the a culture of life and love, one baby at a time

Grace counselling

Intern Grace Lape pictured with a 12 week Fetal Development Model, talks about the child in the womb.

Queens office

Inigio working diligently to schedule appointments for young women in need, at our office in Queens, NY.

Queens Office

Cata at our center in Queens.

My Experience with the Sisters of Life

The Sisters of Life is a contemplative and active religious community of women. Founded by John Cardinal O'Connor in 1991, the Sisters of Life was created for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life.
The Sisters of Life welcome pregnant women to live with them in their convent. They assist pregnant women in need with practical assistance such as spiritual and emotional support. The Sisters host retreats such as post-abortive healing retreats.
The EMC works closely with the Sisters of Life to bring Christ's hope to these women and their seemingly helpless situations.
During my first visitation with the Sisters of Life, I brought in a woman named Autumn to see how the Sisters could help with her situation. Autumn was a 28 year old woman and approx. 10 weeks along in her pregnancy. Autumn was desperate. She didn't have anywhere to live.
After working with the Sisters, we got Autumn all set up in staying with the Missionaries of Charity, the same order Mother Teresa belonged to, until she left for Virginia a few days later to a maternity home. Autumn was extremely excited to have the opportunity to move to Virginia, a place more like her home [she was originally from Pennsylvania] and closer to her mother and her 7 year old son there.
Just over a week ago, I had the opportunity, along with four other interns, to go with Chris to a small parish in Connecticut. Here, we witnessed the first profession of vows of three sisters and perpetual profession of vows of two sisters. There was a beautiful reception afterward where we had a change to mingle with the sisters. They are such beautiful, glorious women of God and we're extremely blessed to have them in our midst.

Persevere, Keep Moving Forward

While at Dr. Emily's I saw a girl that I had counseled in the past walking towards the entrance of the abortion clinic. I stopped her and asked her why she was doing this after everything we've discussed. She replied by saying that she just had too.

She explained that the father of her baby won't get her baby back from the Dominican Republic (where she is from) unless she aborts the baby she is pregnant with now. I told her that we could find another way to get her baby back from the DR and that she didn't have to do this. She didn't listen. She went into the abortion clinic even after we talked to the Sisters of Life.

We must not be discouraged though. There are still women out there who do get "turned around" and decide to have their baby. Lives are being saved but until we get these abortion clinics shut down there will continue to be a national disaster on our hands.

THIRTEEN TURNAROUNDS!

Last week at the Brooklyn office we had thirteen turnarounds! We started the day with serious prayer and then proceeded with confidence to counsel the girls and give them sonograms. The use of sonogram once again helped many scared mothers connect with their children and find the strength to say yes to life. Mother after mother walked into the sonogram room looked at her baby on the screen and had her heart melt with love for her unborn child. There were many tears and smiles. I even remember one young mother screaming for joy as she was told she was going to have a boy.

There was one mother I was especially happy to see turnaround. I saw her earlier that week at our Manhattan office in the waiting room. I remember feeling for her very much as I could clearly see the pain and worry on her face. She turned up at the Manhattan office a few days later for a sonogram. She only spoke Spanish and since I was the only counselor who could speak with her I sat down with her right away and made sure she was doing alright.

Her situation was hard, she was only twenty two years old supporting two children in Mexico on her own after the father had left them. She kept saying there was no way she could keep her baby. She was eighteen weeks and dead set on the abortion. I did not feel very hopeful but I could see she had such a loving soul I knew there was a chance. I asked her what God thought about it. She smiled and said she knew he did not like the idea of her abortion. Well then, I said...you should start talking to him about it, he loves you more than I do. I continued to check on her as she waited for the sonogram asking her how her conversation with God was going.

By the time it was her turn for the sonogram I did not really think she would turn around...THANKS BE TO GOD I WAS WRONG! She changed her mind out of nowhere and seemed to be completely at peace with her new path in life. I asked her if she was happy afterwards- she smiled and said of course she was very happy, how could she not be? A friend who was with her and did not want her to get the abortion was also very relieved. He said it is much better to have a mother with a baby than a mother without a baby and only with regret.

She called me today and she is doing wonderfully!

Coming Home

I wish you could meet Simone.

Of course that's not her real name. And of course you will never meet her. But God let me meet her.

Yesterday, as He planned since before time, a girl from Chicago and a girl from New Jersey crossed paths in the South Bronx. And next spring a child will be born who was otherwise scheduled for death.

Simone came to our center all the way from New Jersey. She googled us one day, came pushing one child in a stroller and asking for an abortion for the one she held in her womb. That morning we had been slammed by walk-ins, and by the time I started counseling her, she had waited 40 minutes. After filling out the intake form and talking with her a bit, I didn't have much hope. She wouldn't even watch the informational film we have concerning the different types of abortion procedures. "It's my choice and I've already made up my mind," she kept repeating, cutting me off as I entreated her to reconsider.

Simone's daughter is beautiful, a laughing, smiling, silly little girl, nearly three years old. As we talked, Simone and I figured out that she was about 9 weeks along in her pregnancy, and I brought out a model we have of what her child looks like at that stage -- just a few inches long, but formed exactly as you would expect, tiny hands and feet, eyes and nose. And though Simone didn't even want to look at it, her daughter loved the little baby, giggling and reaching for it when I showed it to her.

I'll never know what exactly changed Simone's mind; I was saying so many different things and approaching her situation from every angle I could think of . . . but I suspect it was this miniature child, lifeless but mirroring the life within.

Suddenly the walls broke down. Through her tears, she told me so much she had been holding back -- the controlling boyfriend who routinely beats her and her daughter, how much she misses her mom who died a few years ago, that she stopped going to church after her mom died because her boyfriend gets jealous everytime she leaves the apartment.

Trapped. That's the word she used. She didn't want to get an abortion. She couldn't see any other way out.

And God let me be there. I was blessed to cross her path at that moment, to be in a position to offer help. EMC has connections to many organizations and social services throughout the city, and one of the best is the Sisters of Life, an order of nuns specifically entrusted with protecting the sanctity of life. They offer more help than you could imagine, and I told Simone that they could help her escape, could help her get away from this man, could help her start over. "Please come with me," I said, "Please come with me right now to Manhattan and you can start over today. You can keep your baby, we will help you." I promised.

And amazingly, she agreed to come with me to Manhattan. She had known me for less than an hour, but she trusted me and and that we could help her. And I am so grateful, so incredibly glad, to have been there, to have been connected to the resources, to have been able to keep that promise.

Five hours, four subway lines, and three different convents later, Simone and her daughter and I reached her new home. We had to visit two locations of the Sisters of Life before being able to place her that evening with a home run by the Missionaries of Charity. She can stay there until after the baby is born. She wants to keep her baby; she always had. She kept asking her daughter questions if she was excited about shopping for new baby clothes and picking out a name. She wants to start fresh.

Not only did Simone and her daughter reach a safe place, away from the abuse and pain they had known for so long. Not only is she keeping her baby, and thrilled about it. But while we were at the Sisters of Life, trying to figure out where she would go, we had a moment to step into the chapel. We knelt down on the benches, Simone in the bench in front of me and the Mother Superior in the bench behind me. Silence and peace, and as Simone prayed the tears ran down her face. She turned around and told me, "It feels like I've come home."

Welcome home, Simone. We have such joy to meet you here.

Behind the scenes

My Mom used to say that good experiences never end if there is something that reminds you about them. In a few days well go back to Spain and this is going to be our last blog post. But, although we are leaving, we take with us all those wonderful things we have learnt this summer and all those babies we have saved.

This last post is not about what we have learnt, nor about the babies we have saved, but about who made our internship possible. Us, the interns, are the ones that write posts on the blog every week talking about what we are doing, and we are the ones that say every day after work “I saved a baby’s life today”, we are the ones being thanked by the people in the street when giving out pamphlets, and we are the ones being thanked by those Moms when their babies are born, we are the ones called… ‘heroes’. But we are not. The true heroes hide behind the scenes. With their day to day work, and their smiling face, they make our internship possible. They are the ones that should be called heroes, not just because of what they do, but because they do it without asking for anything in return. That’s the reason we are writing this post. We want to thank those heroes. Thank you Chris, Liz, Carmen, Kathy, Linda, Kathy, Wadiya for making all this possible

One outstanding father

When working for EMC pregnancy center you wake up every morning knowing that you are going to learn something new. But none of us could have known what we were going to learn a few days ago. We woke up like any other day and after having breakfast we headed to one of our Bronx centers. When we got to the subway we started talking about one of our latest saves. Then something amazing happened. A young man who was standing right next to us heard us talking about EMC and he told us his story. He told us how his girlfriend got pregnant two years ago and didn’t tell him. The reason she didn’t tell him is that the baby wasn’t his. That is the reason why she wanted and abortion. The day before she got the abortion he found out that she was pregnant and made her girlfriend realize that even if it wasn’t his baby, it was still a human being, and as such its life had to be protected. He went with her to one of the EMC centers and thanks to that she didn’t get the abortion. Now, after two years, they want to get married and live happily in the Bronx. When he finished telling his story we realize how much good its done thanks to EMC.

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.

The Sisters of Life, Profession of Vows

The Interns of EMC showed our support for the Sisters of Life last Thursday, when we attended their Profession of Vows. I have never seen so many nuns in one place at one time! Their faces radiated joy, peace, and love! The ceremony was very moving. Three Sisters said their Temporary Vows and two more Sisters made their Permanent Vows.

From the Sisters of Life website, "The Sisters of Life is a contemplative / active religious community of women founded in 1991 by John Cardinal O’Connor for the protection and enhancement of the sacredness of every human life. Like all religious communities, we take the three traditional vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. We also are consecrated under a special, fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life."

We work with the Sisters on a regular basis, referring clients in need to live with them in 'Holy Respite', in one of their Convents. We were honored to prayerfully cheer the Sisters on, as they followed the path that God had set out for them!


Heather

Each Mother is Different

The other day I had the opportunity to counsel four of the young ladies that came to see our office in the South Bronx off of 149th and Third Avenue.

One of the young ladies simply did not yet realize that she was indeed pregnant, which of course does come as a surprise to some. But that's what happens when you lay down, take off your clothes, and have the most intimate contact you'll ever have here on earth with another human being. Every time you have sex you can get pregnant.

She just kept laughing and saying something like, "I can't be having a baby". Which Liz, the director of the office, said, "Than what is it, a fish"

Her boyfriend understood and wants her to have the baby while she didn't seem to know what to do yet. He did his best to comfort her while she just tried to understand what was going on. Laughter was her way of escape.

I had another young lady that had just lost her virginity three weeks before. She's 15 and only here for the summer. Her parents are divorced and she is with her father for the summer.

Washington D.C.

Currently, Congress is in it's August recess, but within the next 30 days, Congress will be reconvening and so will the Obama Administration's to pass it's HealthCare plan.

Unfortunately, they also believe that abortion should be included. As if to say that abortion is a needed surgery. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Recently, I got the chance, along with four of my fellow interns, to go to Washington D.C. and attempt to let Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office know how we at EMC feel about that idea. Of course, I don't really think we were well received. Especially, when the Capitol Police were more or less told to keep an eye on us. Some how being peaceful just isn't enough. But then again, Martin Luther King Jr. and his marchers had the same problem. No wonder Alveda King is on our side.

The Capitol Police ended up warning us and the three people that layed down to symbolize the tiny babies that we are trying to protect; that there is a statute that makes a person subject to arrest if they are inhibiting the free traffic of pedestrians going by. These 3 people left plenty of room for people to go by and in fact the police were taking up more area and were more prohibitive than these three prolifers, but of course Nancy didn't like what was going on.

Freedom of Speech is apparently an elective for prolifers. Imagine that. What will we see next?

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.