My Presentation

So tomorrow morning I am presenting to my Nonprofit Program Director and colleagues about my summer internship experience. For your reading pleasure, and to help me internalize what I wish to say, I am going to "give" my presentation here, slides and all!! It should be 15 minutes long when I present. 

Hello, my name is Cathy Phillips and I am a senior here at Rockhurst, graduating in December with degrees in Nonprofit Leadership, Psychology, and Spanish. I did my 300 hour internship this summer with Students for Life of America, located in Washington, D.C. I had an amazing experience in every aspect, and am excited to share it with you today.

So, 9 weeks in DC. Not only did I have an incredible learning experience with my organization, but I got to see a lot of cool sights. I have a few pictures to show you, just to get the fun part here out of the way. Pictured here is my host family, a retired but active couple with a border collie mix named Nola. Students for Life hosts a group of interns, so I was one of 6, and this is a picture of that group, minus Anne, who we didn't see as much outside of work. As you can see, we had some fun together, going to Jazz in the Sculpture Garden, the National Basilica on the 4th of July, and even taking a weekend trip to New York City. I met up with another Rockhurst friend doing an internship in DC, and even ran into an old acquaintance who I didn't expect to. Finally, we got to meet some pretty cool people, like Kelly Anne Conway, a strategist and pollster, and Supreme Court Justice Scalia. 

My 9 weeks was divided into 3 rotations, hence the title "Missionary." The whole time I reported to my intern supervisor at Students for Life, but the goal of this internship program is to give aspiring pro-life leaders a taste of different parts of the movement. My first 3 weeks were on Capitol Hill with Congressman Andy Harris, who represents the 1st District of Maryland. Next I spent 3 weeks in Manassas, VA, at the Students for Life headquarters. And finally I spent 3 weeks between the 4 area locations of Care Net, a network of pregnancy resource centers. Pregnancy resource centers, of which there are about 3,000 in the U.S., exist to serve women in crisis pregnancies by providing free, confidential, and always optional resources, information, and counseling. So I got a well-rounded experience of some politics, some education and activism, and some direct service. 

So what is Students for Life about? Their mission is to create a student pro-life movement that will lead the charge to restore human rights to preborn Americans in our lifetime. From the science of embryology and a philosophical understanding of all life as valuable, SFLA sees the unborn as human persons who have a fundamental right to life that should be protected by law. They want to see the repeal of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, and the companion case, Doe v. Bolton, which makes abortion legal through all 9 months of pregnancy. They work towards their mission by identifying, educating, equipping, empowering and promoting students, particularly college students. They seek to connect the national pro-life movement with students across the nation, not to re-invent the wheel. 

I knew a little bit about Students for Life, SFLA, before this internship, because I've attended the Conference they put on in DC, and their Midwest staff person has met with our Rockhurst group in the past. But I learned this summer just how much they do with a staff of just 11. The heart of SFLA is the Field Program, which meets students where they are at on their campuses. Currently there are 637 active pro-life groups on campuses across the U.S., and full-time Field Agents work and travel in their regions to start and grow even more groups, keeping careful metrics of their success. SFLA offers these groups a myriad of free resources and trainings. They put on a day-long National Conference every January the day before or after the March for Life, and this past year were sold out with 1,800 attendees and a theme of "Social Justice Begins in the Womb." SFLA is actively engaged in social media efforts through Facebook, twitter, and email blasts. Pregnant on Campus is a new initiative that is truly visionary in my opinion. 48% of abortions are performed on college-aged women, yet it's startling to realize what little resources campuses offer so that students faced with unplanned pregnancies can be empowered to continue their education while choosing to give life to her child. And finally, Med Students for Life, what its Director calls "the 2nd wave of the pro-life movement" was just launched, also visionary in that Medical Students for Choice is represented at virtually all of the 170 med schools across the U.S., but there had been no unified movement to support and educate pro-life medical students. Instead, med students are taught that abortion is part of healthcare. With groups at over 25 med campuses, we will start to see the tide turning. And finally, Law Students for Life is what's planned next. 

Here's a snapshot of the type of tasks I had at each of my locations, and next I'll go into more detail about what I learned from them. 

I've divided what I learned into 4 sections: Knowledge, Skills, Personal Growth, and Career Development. As far as knowledge, I learned how to be a part of a small nonprofit organization. With a staff of only 11, I got to know each of them and their roles in the organization pretty well. One thing that was brought up more than once was the concept of mission creep that we have learned about in class. As a small nonprofit, it's so important to remain focused. They are also seeking to redevelop their website, so I saw a con of a small nonprofit, in that the project seemed rushed to me. I learned how I would treat interns, or will treat them, when I am staff myself. I gained a lot of knowledge about American politics. And finally, I strengthened my confidence in defending the pro-life position logically and compassionately. 

I learned some technical skills like navigating software systems. Through weekly blogging on behalf of SFLA, I honed writing skills. I drafted a constituent response letter for the Congressman, and also drafted a letter to SFLA's board on behalf of the Executive Director. I learned how to be a good representative of an organization, in answering phone calls, and meeting donors in person at the Summer Social. At CareNet, I learned some technical skills as far as how to counsel and listen well. 

I could talk at length about my personal and career growth this summer. These are some of the main points. (don't need to type this out because I'll be able to elaborate easily)

Going to mention that I kept a personal blog this summer as well. 

Home Sweet Home

Haven't been online since Friday, but I'm home now!!

Leslie Chris and I drove 12 hours to Indianapolis on Saturday where they dropped me off, and then I made the remaining 4-hour drive with my friend Lindsey yesterday evening (she had been house-sitting in Indy).

Since then, I've done a lot of napping, and I think I'm about recovered :)

Here is the picture Leslie and I took with Maureen, Dan, and Nola before we left (regrettably, it's a little blurry). I'm going to miss them dearly! We gave them a printed picture of the two of us, and a card, and I wrote in the card that I couldn't have asked for better substitute parents for the summer.

It is really great to be home, though. And the fam is leaving tomorrow morning for a 3-day vacation at the Lake. Can't wait to spend time with them all after being away all summer, and hear all about theirs.

Thanks so much for following my journey this summer through my blog, to all of you that did! I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope we get to talk about it in person sometime soon. My next adventure: 18 credit hours and my final semester at Rockhurst. Also recommitting to the search for God in my daily life. 

If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. Jeremiah 29:13

Everyday Heroes

You're pregnant. You see that the test is positive, your vision narrows, and all you can see is this huge problem that you have no idea how to fix. Though you can't think straight at all, your feelings are full-force. Afraid, shamed, scared, stuck, abandoned, judged, helpless... Of the very few people who know, you're being pressured in completely different directions. You've never been here before. You are so desperate for a solution. So where do you go?

(This is CareNet. If you ever find yourself in this position, you should go here!)

I wish that every woman in this situation knew about pregnancy resource centers. Places like CareNet, where I have spent the last week and a half interning. I can't even express to you how amazing these places are. These places very reason for existence is to serve women faced with unplanned pregnancies. To provide them information on their options, emotional support, material assistance, and referrals to doctors and financial assistance. But most of all, they give each client the gift of time: time to talk with a caring stranger-soon-turned-friend, and to process all that is happening within them, so that they can make a fully-informed decision that they can live the rest of their lives with.

I mean, how brilliant is that!? Let's think about this. Because of the way we were made, women can get pregnant...and they do. Sometimes pregnancies are planned or expected and sometimes they are not. In our society today, a pregnant woman has three options: carry to term and parent, carry to term and place for adoption, or have an abortion. Women generally know that abortion is an option, and can pretty easily find out how to get one, and if they wanted to place for adoption, they could google away. But do they know that  there are over 2,500 pregnancy resource centers with resources and a place to talk about their pregnancy? Which is a very miraculous and terrifying and mysterious and scary and amazing thing that can only happen, indeed, to a WOMAN. Pregnancy resource centers are incredibly pro-woman. We need these places.

 
Pictured here are some of my most recent heroes. On the left, Nydia, the Director at the Manassas Center; and on the right, Angel and Tasha, the Assistant and Director at the Woodbridge Center.

I am telling you, meeting each of these women has changed my life, or at least my summer, and in a dramatic way. You know when you meet someone awesome and almost immediately are like, whoa, I'm not going to forget this person. And then you spend some time with them, hear their amazing and courageous stories, work alongside them, and are like, "yeah I've gotta be creepy and get a picture with this person so I can blog about them later". That's how I feel about Nydia, Angel, and Tosha.

These women have all been there. When you first meet them, you'd never know what struggles they've been through. They are really friendly ladies, outspoken Christians, and dedicated to their work, usually glued to their computer screens. You might think they have no idea what a woman in a crisis pregnancy is going through. But everyone has a story. And because I like to ask questions, I got to hear each of theirs :)

One grew up in the worst ghetto in Brooklyn, used to constant danger, having to mature quickly. She thought that was all there was--until she went to college in Omaha and realized not every city is a ghetto. One became pregnant when she was seventeen, and chose to parent her child despite difficulty and lack of family support. The final story floored me. She was the daughter of an alcoholic who beat his multiple "women" (one of which was her mom) and was killed in a fight when she was young. Her mom did drugs, and because she was the oldest child, before the age of 10 she was cleaning up after her, and then became a drug-dealer herself. She got pregnant 3 times by the age of 19, and carried each child to term, dropping out of school. She met her current husband at that same age, and after many years of healing and slow change, she committed her life to Christ and has been forever changed since.

These women truly get it, and they truly care. CareNet is not all about "saving the baby"--they are about helping the woman, in whatever way she needs. They are about building her up, helping her to recognize her own strength, giving her the resources she needs, showing her real love.

In my week and a half at CareNet, I felt this love, too. I hope to have the courage, strength, and compassion that these women have. They are truly everyday heroes.

Can't believe it...tomorrow it's time to go home!!

Wow, guys. Tomorrow in the a.m., I leave for St. Louis!! I can't believe it! These 9 weeks FLEW by. I'm sure there will be more to come in the way of reflection on what I've learned, but for now I'll share my last blog post from this week, "Fear is Easy, Love is Hard": http://abolishabortion.com/blog/fear-easy-love-hard

Last night the Missionaries went out for one last time together. We ate at a local place called P.J. Skidoos, walked around the Fairfax Mall, and then went to Kline's for ice cream, one of those walk-up, summertime-tradition type places. We've had Kline's together twice before, so we wanted to continue that tradition and end it right. After what happened next, we were glad we did!

The man in front of us in line had a polo with Catholic Charities on it, so I struck up conversation and we told him we were interns with Students for Life. He got real excited and asked us to come sit with him and his son after we got our ice cream. As we were walking over to sit down with our ice cream, Anne, the 6th missionary who hadn't been with us that night because her parents were in town, heard people talking about Lila Rose (a pro-life "celebrity" of sorts), thought "who in the world could be talking about her at this ice cream place!?", turned around, and saw us! Crazy coincidence. So then, we had one great big pro-life conversation with the interns (plus Anne, who's not often with us), Anne's parents, and this random Catholic Charities staffer and his son! It was great!! haha. Truly, it was pretty cool.

Tonight we have a farewell BBQ at Kristan's house, and then Leslie, Chris, and I are beginning our 2-car caravan back to St. Louis. If the timing is right, I'm actually planning to get dropped off in Indianapolis and meet up with my friend Lindsey who is house-sitting there--and then we'll finish the 4 hours to St. Louis together on Sunday.

I cannot WAIT to be home! Mary and Julie, my sisters who also were gone all summer with separate adventures, have been home since last weekend now and I'm getting a little jealous. I wouldn't have wanted this ending to come any sooner, though. I've learned so much, even in this last week. This has been an amazing opportunity, and I have so many memories I will treasure.

Abby Johnson's book brought my attention to this verse...

'Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal...' (Phil 3:13) Goodnight all!

36 Things About My 36 Hours in NYC

1. Sleepover at Ruben's house Friday night since we had to wake up at 5am Saturday to catch the 6:30 bus. (found these crowns in Ruben's host family's house...I suggested a sleepover picture!)

2. Four and a half hour bus ride at the back of the bus with some annoying middle schoolers who wouldn't stop talking while I tried to sleep. 

3. Arrival at Penn Station, adventure figuring out the subway system to get to our hotel in East Village (near Chinatown). The subway system is a lot like DC's metro, but just exponentially more complex. It's also disgustingly hot and humid inside the underground stations. Like, being inside a mouth. Like, it's not even worth it to take a shower if you've gotta go down there. Gross. 

4. Eat at Little Italy, a really picturesque place and yummmm. Feel like I'm Julia Roberts in Eat Pray Love. 

5. Get to Times Square. Taking it all in, at first I'm stupefied and loving it. After about an hour, I'm like "dang, it's suuupper crowded and really quite dirty here. I'm kinda over it." But really cool to see it. 

6. We get $32 student tickets to Mary Poppins at the Amsterdam theater (on 42nd Street!)

7. Wander around Times Square, visit the huuge Toys 'R Us store, and Hershey's store.

8. It starts raining, so we take temporary shelter in Sbarro. Walk to Rockefeller Center, see NBC studios, among other cool Rockefeller center stuff. 

9. Realize we're one block away from St. Patrick's Cathedral, the Basilica of Archbishop Tim Dolan! Walk up to the Church right in time for 5:30 mass. God provides!

10. Walk back to 42nd Street for Mary Poppins. MIND IS BLOWN BY BROADWAY. Absolutely magical show. Musicals can really have an incredible effect on me. I was ecstatic at the end and beaming at the employee in the aisle next to me, who smiled gently back, probably laughing to herself at the star-struck Midwestern. I am just thrilled that we got to experience this show. 

11. Experience Times Square all lit up! Pretty amazing. (reppin' the 3-1-4 once again)

12. Sleep 5 people in a room for 4 for about 7 hours. Aren't we cute?

 13. Wake up early(ish) to depart for Williamsburg, Brooklyn, otherwise known as "hipster central," according to our very own hipster, Ruben. Actually ended up being one of the coolest places we saw in NYC in my opinion.
14. It used to be one of the worst ghettos in Brooklyn (a woman I work with at CareNet told me this--she actually grew up there!), but now is a super artsy young sorta-thriving area. We saw the Flea Market on the riverside, ate one of our most delicious meals ever in a local eatery, and saw a beautiful skyline view of New York.

15. Hop back on the crazy subway. See an impressive independent performer (there's a whole bunch of musicians who utilize the subway users as an audience).
16. On our way to the 9/11 Memorial, experience a street show by 5 guys who did break-dancing and gymnastics, and really commanded the crowd in a powerful way. (Clap! Come in closer, guys!), and by the end were pretty uncomfortable because they didn't just ask for money, they almost robbed with kindness. They were very clever and smart (making it a contest for which state would give last, etc), but it was borderline not okay.
17. Visited the World Trade Center Memorial. Very powerful.

18. Get back on the subway, have an emergency bathroom back necessity and get off the subway.
19. Realize that we wouldn't have made it to Central Park anyways, (by now it was 4pm and we had to leave for our hotel to grab our bags by 5pm to make the bus)
20. Decide to walk back to our hotel, and do our activism on the way.
21. Yes, activism! Read this awesome post by fellow intern, Lindsey, about the experience! The previous week we had ready-ed flyers about Obama's extreme pro-abortion stance coupled with SFLA's "ivoteprolifefirst.com" initiative. Education pieces encouraging pro-lifers to vote pro-life first. Also see my blog post about why voting pro-life first matters.

22. It started raining again. Took shelter in Urban Outfitters.
23. Made it back to our hotel to grab the luggage we had left there, and high-tailed it to Penn Station.
24. Four and a half hour bus ride back.
25. Drive thru DC back to Ruben's (we had parked at Union Station), realizing how much we LOVE Washington DC. It is so clean and so pretty and so calm compared to NYC!
26. Sleepover again at Ruben's since Leslie and I live an hour away and had to work early the next morning.

27. New York was really awesome, and I'm glad we went, even though it's definitely not the city for me. Just too darn big and busy and dirty.
28. But it was an incredible melting pot of ethnicities and races, and that was cool. I've never experienced anything like it.


...

29. I'm only at 29! That's awkward. But you know, I guess I did sleep for about 7 hours, so technically I only had 29 waking hours in NYC. So count yourself lucky because I'm cutting myself short tonight. That's my trip in a nutshell!

Now I can say that I've been to New York City for more than a 2 hour layover with my family back when we flew to Sanibel Island (and still managed to buy an I Love NYC shirt).

I must admit, this has been in my head since: "I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps..."
New York, New York!!

Last Wednesday: All on the anniversary of Humane Vitae

So I've got a lot to update you on, since I haven't written in a while. Last Tuesday I revealed that I'd be meeting Justice Scalia, and the following day--I did! Here's a summary of last Wednesday:

Technically I didn't meet Justice Scalia, because there were about 50 students in our group, and we just listened to him speak and then answer questions for about 30 minutes total...but I was sitting front row directly in front of him! It was a very neat experience, even just being inside the Supreme Court Building. We even got to sit in the Court itself after hearing Justice Scalia speak. The Justice certainly commanded the room ("why don't you stand up when you ask that question? it shows some respect"), but he was also incredibly amiable and humorous ("wow, we've got a crowd...I should've been charging!") He began with 2 remarks, first about the beauty of the American system of government, and then about the subject of "judging judges" on their decisions.

For all my lawyer-hopeful friends out there, he gave in response to a question some advice: 1. Make sure you actually love the law. That's essential, because you'll be immersed in it. 2. Live a balanced life, don't just work. Care about the people in your life, make time for hobbies and don't develop tunnel-vision. and 3. Work hard, of course.

Can you spot me??

Since it was too late to go back to work, the Missionaries decided to go to the Holocaust Museum, something we'd been wanting to do all summer. I had never been before, and was eager to experience it, in a strange combination of excitement and dread. The most well-known part of the tour is that each visitor gets an identity card, with the name of an actual person who experienced the Holocaust. As you make your way through the exhibit, you turn the page of the booklet, and at the end you find out if you survived. I did not. 

The most powerful moment for me was walking through the railcar, one of thousands that were used to mass-transport the people who were to be exterminated at the concentration camps. About 100 people were crowded into each car, sometimes not seeing daylight, food, water, or a bathroom, for days. I forced myself to linger in the car for a few minutes with my eyes closed, imagining the horror. 

Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor and author of 57 books, including Night, is one of the most famous and powerful voices from the Holocaust. Here are 2 quotes from him that should strike a deep chord within us all: 

• “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” 
• “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” 

After the Holocaust Museum, we checked our phones and Ruben, another intern, had messaged us about an opportunity to see a preview showing of the film Obama's America: 2016 by Dinesh D'Souza. The showing was at a theater in Georgetown, and we decided to go. The documentary presented some interesting facts, and was aesthetically impressive. However, I struggled to leave with any strong convictions about Obama's "real plan" for America. I don't doubt some of the facts, but the film was definitely conspiracy-like, and I wouldn't adopt all its theories without lots more questioning, as is my inquisitive nature. 

Then we walked around Georgetown a bit and found Johnny Rockets for dinner. A full day!

P.S. It was the anniversary of Paul VI's encyclical Humane Vitae (Human Life) on Wednesday, which made the experience of the Holocaust Museum even more compelling, and even Justice Scalia's remarks about justice. 

Now I lay me down to sleep...

'May the peace of Christ hold sway in our hearts' Weekend updates to come soon hopefully! Only 6 days until I join the Phillips homecoming!

Just a spoonful of sugar!!

Intermission at Mary show Poppins on Broadway...its MAGICAL! Ahhhh so cool. also caught mass at St. Patrick's. God's been good today.

An Encounter with the Divide

This picture illustrates a divide. 

Two office buildings, separated by one wall. Two staff teams, 

full of compassionate people, but with completely different missions.

On the left: AAA Women for Choice

On the right: Amethyst Health Center for Women, Inc. 

Can you guess which one does abortions and which is a pregnancy resource center? Probably not.

 Here's the story: 

I went on an adventure today. It lasted less than a half hour, but it was truly powerful. I pulled up to these office buildings to see the abortion clinic that I have been told about that is so close to Care Net in Manassas (where I'm doing my 3rd rotation). Amethyst Health Center. There it was, sure enough. I found a spot to park and noticed a woman standing near the building eyeing me, and as I got out of the car I realized she may think I was seeking an abortion myself (their abortion days are Tuesday, Friday, and Saturday). She said in a friendly manner "Can I help you find something?" I smiled told her "I'm here actually for an unusual reason..." and explained that I was interning with Students for Life and a pro-life student who just wanted to see the clinic and maybe pray if abortions were going on. 

I ended up talking with Mary, Assistant Director at AAA, the abortion alternative clinic, for quite some time. Amethyst, the clinic next door, was performing abortions today. She said she thinks they do about 8 on average, although one day they heard 20. Yes, "heard." Since they share a wall, they can hear the aspiration (vacuum) machine most often used for surgical abortions, and sometimes, they hear screams or wails through the walls. AAA Women for Choice is located where they are because they want to reach out to women who may feel that abortion is their only option, even literally so from next door. "Free Pregnancy Test" is displayed prominently on their window, and on abortion days, Mary stands outside the clinic (on her side of the "line") and will vocally offer the women going into Amethyst resources and alternatives. 

It's not too uncommon, or uncommon at all really, for a pregnancy resource clinic to be located so close to an abortion clinic. They follow all the rules, and they respect the woman's choice of which door to walk in, but they do all they can to show that abortion is not their only option. In fact, Triple A Women for Choice is very much like the pregnancy resource center Care Net which I just started the last part of my internship with. I am truly amazed by the good work centers like these do. Their concern for these women is completely genuine and they are so self-giving. Of course they are also concerned for the baby in cases in which the woman seeking help is pregnant, but I have learned quite clearly that their intention is, above all else, to minister to the woman in need. Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRCs) are not political places; they transcend politics. They are the hands and feet of the pro-life movement, giving proof that abortion is not the only answer to a crisis pregnancy. They are a beautiful ministry, and I wish I had more beautiful words to describe them right now. 

Actually, check out my friend/intern Leslie's blog on this very topic here: 

Anyways, this experience was so powerful because I literally stood at the divide of the pro-life/pro-choice debate. The parking spaces in front of each clinic are marked "Reserved." On one side, "Reserved AAA" and on the other, "Reserved AHC." The physical divide is simply striking, yet it represents the ideological divide our nation faces on the issue of abortion. As I mentioned in a previous post, I'm reading Abby Johnson's book unPlanned right now. For those who haven't heard of her, she is a former Planned Parenthood director from Texas, and the book is her powerful story of crossing the line into the pro-life movement. 

I'm glad I stepped outside of my box for a little exploring this morning, and it also felt like I was stepping into Abby Johnson's world a bit in experiencing the tension in between sides. When it comes to abortion clinics and PRCs, there is compassion on both sides of the divide, but truth and freedom lie in life, not death.

The Inconvenient Truth About Abortion

I am really proud of this latest blog post I wrote for abolishabortion.com. I encourage you to give it a read despite its length! (If you've caught on at all, I tend to be a bit long-winded.) 

The topic is Obama's voting record on the Born Alive Infant Protection Act as Illinois State Senator. His votes against this life-protecting Act was and still is of extreme interest to pro-lifers, and a fact they like to tout when exposing Obama's pro-abortion record. However, I'd read conflicting things about it from the other side, and struggled with the oft-made statement which seemed extreme to me that "Obama supports infanticide!"  So I wrote this, an informed, balanced, pro-life account of the facts and a possible way to interpret them without being an extremist. Make no mistake, I think it's abhorrent that Obama voted against BAIPA, but I think we need to be educated before making claims. I conclude with why I think that, regardless of his defenses, voting against this Act was pretty darn unacceptable. 

https://www.abolishabortion.com/blog/inconvenient-truth-about-abortion

Cool Things That Happened Last Week...

FYI: I don't have many pictures to offer (yet) because at many of these events, I wasn't taking pics but some of the other interns were. Once they upload them to Facebook, I will update this blog post with personal pics!

TUESDAY

Conservative Leaders Meeting. 2 of the other interns (Anne and Chris) and I joined Kristan Hawkins, SFLA Executive Director, for her quarterly Conservative Leaders meeting in downtown DC. This meeting took place in a frigid conference room and lasted over 3 hours, but it was awesome because there were leaders from organizations including: Eagle Forum, American Civil Rights Union, Family Research Council, Judicial Action Group, Concerned Women for America, Galen Institute, National Right to Work, and the Heritage Foundation. It was really neat to hear their updates on current projects. Much centered around reactions to Obamacare, preparations for Get Out the Vote campaigns, and getting Obama out of office. But what else would you expect?

5th Annual SFLA Summer Social. The entire Students for Life staff and the interns helped put on this fundraising social held on the 6th floor of an office building in downtown DC not far from the Washington Monument. There were about 80 people in attendance, and I got to pour the cherry lemonade punch and chit-chat with donors, potential donors, and other important people! It was great fun, and really inspiring. Congressman Trent Franks and Kelly Anne Conway were present, receiving awards from SFLA for their service to the pro-life movement.

The Missionaries with Kellyanne Conway after the Social. 

WEDNESDAY

Intern Debate, Conservatism vs. Libertarianism. The CATO Institute (a libertarian think-tank in downtown DC) hosted a debate between 2 CATO interns and 2 Heritage Foundation interns (a conservative org). Leslie and I headed to the debate right after work, but didn't get there till 7:45 because we thought it'd be more fun to walk around a whole bunch of unnecessary blocks (it started at 6:30). We heard about 20 minutes of the end, though, and then met up with Ruben, who had heard the entire thing. They are supposed to be putting the debate online, so I hope to go back and listen to it, because I was really darn curious to hear what they talked about! I don't understand Libertarianism all that well or know very much about it, so this was an awesome opportunity. 

Co Co Sala with Rockhurst friends. After the debate, I had plans to meet up with Melaine, the RU friend I've met up with a few times already, and Jackie, my roommate from freshman and sophomore years at RU. Jackie was just in town for 2 short days participating in a conference, and it worked out perfectly for us all to meet up at this swanky chocolate bar that Melaine's been talking about all summer. Leslie, of course, came along, as did Ruben, and Cory, a girl who Leslie and I had met on Capitol Hill during our weeks with Congressman Harris. We ran into her after the debate and invited her along! Jackie brought a friend who was in DC with her for the conference, so it was quite the social event! And like I said, this chocolate bar was faancy. Not where I'd usually spend to drop $15, but the beautifully presented plates of chocolate scrumptiousness were worth it that night. It was so great to see Jackie!

Remember this pic? This is Cory, the intern we met on Capitol Hill
and ran into on our way to Co Co Sala Chocolate Bar!

THURSDAY

Christ in the City: Praise and Worship with Adoration. The past few weeks, I have been really craving some community praise and worship and adoration, good old Catholic style. Through the Arlington Young Adults group we've found, there were a few options, but the dates never worked out. We found this one, though, with the Washington Diocese at St. Patrick's Church near Chinatown. The usual 5 Missionaries (me, Leslie, Chris, Ruben, and Lindsey) jumped on this opportunity and soaked up the Jesus time. Afterwards, they even had a happy hour and Chris, Leslie and I enjoyed a free beer! (I felt like I needed to show someone my ID or something)

This is St. Patrick's. Just a few blocks up to the right is where the
 Planned Parenthood petitioners that I'm about to talk about were stationed!

Prequel to Adoration: The Missionaries Encounter Planned Parenthood. Yeah, on our walk from the Chinatown metro stop to food before Christ in the City started, we came upon 4 teens (2 on each side of the street) wearing light blue "Planned Parenthood Federation" shirts who asked if we wanted to sign their petition to "Protect Planned Parenthood." Caught off guard by their sudden presence, we walked by politely shaking our heads no (well, Leslie said "no way", hah, good for her). As we continued to walk towards food though, we mutually decided that we had to take this chance for dialogue. After all, weren't we called Missionaries for Life for a reason? Over dinner, we came up with a game plan. We had about 20 minutes before the Adoration started, so we split into 2 groups and casually walked by the PP supporters, and then engaged in conversation about what kind of support they were seeking. Now, this conversation wasn't as ground-breaking as we were hoping or expecting it would be, but it was pretty cool. The teens we talked to varied in their reasons for supporting Planned Parenthood, but they all believed that it was doing good things for health, particularly that of women. We respectfully shared why we couldn't support Planned Parenthood, and then, we did a lot of listening. 

Sidenote: God's been really hitting me hard with the realization of how important listening is to a relationship. More than anything else, people want to be listened to, not spoke at, especially when it comes to issues like abortion. It is very wise to ask questions, and to listen attentively, about why the person thinks what they do, and to draw it out of them. This is finally starting to sink in to my ever-blabbering self. 

Anyways, that encounter was totally unexpected, and totally cool. I immediately picked up reading the book by Abby Johnson, former PP director, called Unplanned. I've heard the argument for support of Planned Parenthood many times, (that they do great things, that abortion's only part of what they do, etc) and I have many friends even who find no fault in what they do, but still, talking to these energetic, passionate teens on the street ignited my desire to understand even more where they're coming from. Their compassion may be misplaced, but they do have compassion. We as pro-lifers need to remember that. And hopefully a few things that we said planted a seed in their thoughts. Like Tina, the intern director at SFLA, always says: We are seed sowers and waterers. We more often than not will never see the harvest, but our efforts will not be in vain. 

Some pretty exciting things happened last week, but I also was home basically just to sleep. So you get the update now. The end!

Big News!

Hey guys. I have 2 pieces of big news for you that I've been waiting to share:

1) I am meeting Supreme Court Justice Scalia tomorrow at 10:30. No joke! We've been invited for an intern meeting with Justice Scalia that was organized by Dr. Michael New, an amazing pro-life political scientist who has an amazing network of pro-life and conservative leaders in DC. What an amazing opportunity!! I am very much looking forward to it and realize what an incredible chance this is.

2) Also exciting, the other Missionaries and I are headed to the Big Apple this weekend! Bus to NYC at 6:35am Saturday, hotel split in the city, and then 7:30pm bus ride back Sunday night. We thought of this a few weeks ago and made it happen. Bus ride is $50 round trip, and hotel $34 a piece. Not too shabby. This will be my first time ever in New York (besides the 1 hour layover my family had there 4 summers ago...we bought a "I heart NYC" shirt too, haha)

Wowsies. Right? Crazy stuff. I can't wait.

Thinking of you all! Can't wait to share my experiences of this summer with you, and to hear about your own, which I'm sure are no less grand :)

May the Wilberforce be with you.

This past week has been extremely packed and extremely wonderful.

I'll work backwards and start with the weekend.

This weekend SFLA put on their Wilberforce Training Weekend for the 11 Wilberforce fellows they've selected for the school year. These fellows get appointed a national pro-life leader to be their mentor whom they skype with throughout the year, and they are in communication with SFLA all year as they work to bring change to their campus, and do assigned leadership and pro-life readings. The Missionaries got to join the training weekend, and it was incredible.

I'm actually not in this photo (because I'm not a Fellow), but here are the 11 Wilberforce fellows with Kristan and Brendan. This is the face of the pro-life generation. It's real. 

Friday at work we spent the day preparing for the weekend, and Friday evening's part of the program was mainly introduction. The Missionaries actually left the program early to hold out spot in line at the Imax theater where we saw a 10:30 showing of The Dark Knight Rises (the third movie in the Batman trilogy). This was something we had planned to do for weeks as one of the staff's weekend events (Amanda, social media coordinator, is OBSESSED). It was a pretty good movie, but made getting up the next morning pretty darn difficult!!

Saturday's theme was Pro-Life apologetics. Scott Klusendorf of the Life Training Institute led most of the day's sessions, and despite being tired, I was captivated by his expertise at conveying the pro-life message smartly through biology and philosophy, and in a manner accessible to the average person. I've heard many defenses of the pro-life position, and there are many different strategies in which to defend life, but Scott simplifies the whole discussion into one question: What is the unborn? If we can establish that the unborn are indeed persons (through biology), and then establish that human life has value (through philosophy), we can make an effective case. Scott has amazing materials and resources for people who want to become pro-life apologists.

Not in this photo either, but here's Scott Klus engaging us with apologetics. Note Chris and RJ's striped shirt theme.      RJ was a MedSFLA intern, a Fellow from last year, who spent just this past week in DC with us. 

Sunday was all about activism and practicality: how do we make a pro-life nation a reality? We heard from almost all the SFLA staff about their areas of specialty:

• Phil, the Northeast Field Director who boasts an athiestic, vegan, pro-life worldview, spoke about Activism (protests, tabling, graphic image displays)
• Amanda, Social Media Coordinator who placed her own son for adoption a few years ago, spoke about domestic adoption 
• Ashleigh, Pregnant on Campus Coordinator who spent 2 years volunteering at Maggie's Place, a home for single mothers, spoke about the need for college campuses to become more friendly to pregnant and parenting students
• Tina, Assistant Director who spent numerous years working for Rachel's Vineyard, spoke about the reality of post-abortion healing 
• Jon, Director of Med Students for Life, spoke about the MedSFLA initiative and how through spreading MedSFLA groups across the nation in medical schools, we are going to see a shift in our lifetime in the practice of medicine (Med Students for Choice is at EVERY medical school in the U.S.)
• Kristan, Executive Director, spoke about SFLA's Get Out the Vote initiative and why it is vitally important that pro-lifers pledge to vote pro-life first in this upcoming election. 

We also heard from one of the nation's leading medical experts, Angela Lanfranchi, MD, FACS, on the Breast Cancer-Abortion link. 


I'm telling you, it was incredible. I learned so much and was set on fire for this cause even more. It was also amazing just to meet the 11 Wilberforce students from across the country who are also passionate for the cause. And after the weekend ended, the Missionaries went to mass down the street together, and then Leslie and I spent our first night home in over a week with Maureen, Dan, Nola, and PBS's Masterpiece theater. 

Epilogue:

We may have a different look about us, but we
are following in the footsteps of this dude. 

William Wilberforce was a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade in the British empire in the early 1800s. He was an incredibly influential leader, but had to persevere for decades before seeing the change he desired in his nation. The pro-life cause champions him as a mentor in the fight for justice. You can see why: 

“You may choose to look the other way but you can never say again that you did not know.”

“We are too young to realize that certain things are impossible... So we will do them anyway.” 

“Accustom yourself to look first to the dreadful consequences of failure; then fix your eye on the glorious prize which is before you; and when your strength begins to fail, and your spirits are well nigh exhausted, let the animating view rekindle your resolution, and call forth in renewed vigour the fainting energies of your soul.”

Voting Pro-Life: Issue or Responsibility?

I've given a lot of thought to this issue and wanted to craft a thoughtful blog post about it.

Please read and let me know what you think!!

https://www.abolishabortion.com/blog/voting-pro-life-issue-or-responsibility

...Part II

So Saturday, Sunday, and Monday just flew by! Spending the weekend with my brother and mom exploring  parts of DC was incredible. I'm so glad they made the trip out to visit me. It was pretty darn hot all weekend, but we survived.

Here's the gist from Sunday onward:

We started Sunday with 10:30 mass at the National Shrine (the same beautiful Basilica I went to on the 4th of July). Then we went back to the National Mall area (this is all by metro), walked through Federal Triangle (which was really neat and I had never seen before!) and went up the tower at the Old Postal Office, which boasts an awesome history and also one the best views of DC.





















After that we met up with my cousin Matt, who's been living in DC for quite some time now and who generously lets Leslie and I park in his neighborhood when we metro in. We spent a few hours in the Natural History and American History museums together. 


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Robert: "Why did the chicken cross the road? ...
to get to the other museum" Robert had me
 knee-slapping all weekend. 

With a giraffe! That's drinking
from a watering hole!
What excitement!

awkward
space

Robert acts like I'm embarasssing sometimes.
I don't know at all where he gets that.

Left: in front of Federal Triangle with Matt! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We rounded out the day with some performing arts at the Kennedy Center--a free orchestra performance in the Concert Hall! (I'm a rockin' tour guide, let me tell you). And then, a leisurely walk through the Georgetown area.

After 2 days in the heart of DC, today we decided to take it a bit easier. We finally got the kind of sleep the Phillips family loves (the 9-10 hours kind of sleep, ha), and left our hotel at 12 to go to Old Town Alexandria, the nation's 3rd historic district, which has a very rich history. George Washington's boyhood home, General Lee's hometown, big location for domestic slave trade in 1800s, and more. We rode the free King Street Trolley up and down King Street, and got off to see a few shops and for lunch at the Hard Times Cafe.                                          

And I'm the embarassing one?

My favorite stop in Alexandria was the Torpedo Factory. It was this absolutely captivating collection of art galleries that had previously been, take a guess, a torpedo factory during the war! Its interior was SO cool, and there were dozens of galleries with all kinds of mind-entertaining art. I'd really like to go back sometime, and wish all my artists friends could see it. I'm definitely going to have to take Ruben, our proclaimed "hipster" intern.

Today, also, was my mom's birthday. Happy Birthday Mom! Soo we planned an impressive 4-way call operation that was a surprise to her until I handed her the phone in the airport before I said goodbye. With Mary in Rhode Island, Julie in Kansas, and only 5/8 of the family in St. Louis this summer, I think she was really happy to have us all there at once (kinda-sorta). I am so glad she's my mom :) She's the bomb mom.

Well, back to the office tomorrow. Hope you are all doing well!!

The Phillips' Take DC

So I don't think I had even alluded in my blog to the fact that my brother and mom were coming up to visit me in DC--I definitely meant to earlier this week but the week got away from me and I barely posted at all!!

Regardless, my brother and mom are here right now! We are in our hotel getting ready for our second night here actually. They got in yesterday morning, went on a tour of the Capitol while I was at work, and then I met them in Crystal City. Last night we just relaxed and went to a "Wine in the Garden" low-key concert near our hotel. Today we probably walked a few miles on the National Mall, and visited the Air and Space Museum, National Aquarium, White House Visitor Center, and saw the Washington Monument. 

It is great to have them here, and to be able to show them around for a few days (they leave Monday night). We're planning to meet up with my cousin Matt at some point tomorrow as well! 

Here are some pictures to enjoy :) 

Bro Ro and I in front of the White House! (He is thrilled.)

Mom with the space shuttle--her dad (my grandpa, of course), worked in Cape Canaveral.
We saw the SkyLab too. Cute to see my mom excited about this kind of stuff. 

Mom and Rob in front of the Smithsonian Castle

P.S. I finished my 2nd rotation this past Friday! So my official time in the Students for Life office is over, although I'll likely be there for at least a few days in the next 3 weeks. My next rotation (starting Monday) is supposed to be at CareNet, a pregnancy resource center. However, they don't have the capacity they expected to have for 2 interns at once, so Leslie and I are probably going to split the time in half. I've got a lead on some volunteer time with another pregnancy resource center that's kinda on our way, Life Choices. So it's kinda up in the air where I will be next week! I'll keep you posted. 

A post about last weekend coming soon!

Learning to be Creative Extremists

Forgot to post this earlier in the week when I wrote it. Here's my latest blog post for abolishabortion.com. It  goes on studentsforlife.org's blog reel as well.

Looking Ahead: The End of Abortion in the U.S. 

http://abolishabortion.com/blog/looking-ahead-end-abortion-us

Feels Like Home

Tonight I felt very blessed to be at Pat Troy's in Old Town Alexandria for Theology on Tap with dozens and dozens of Arlington Catholic Young Adults. The topic was "Shrewd as Serpents and Innocent as Doves: Evangelizing a Hostile World," and it was excellent. 


Most excellent was that amazing and overwhelming feeling that hit me in the middle of the Q&A session as I looked around the Irish pub/bar and saw so many young (20s and 30s) faces glowing with the same love for the Catholic faith. How amazing is it that so many young professionals chose to spend their Monday night listening to a talk on Catholic theology? All just gathered around with a beer and some good friends, there to learn more about our faith and to build community. AWESOME. People are so GOOD. Our world is so GOOD. There is so much beauty and truth out there, which is easy to forget when I get down. But when I come to events like this, I am infused with hope, and try to remind myself not to forget these beautiful moments when all hope seems lost again (because I'm a dramatic 21-year old). 

Anyways, the Catholic family really is truly universal. My sister Mary is living in Connecticut this summer earning her Master's in Education, and she posted this as her facebook status a few weeks ago: "‎1,200 miles away, the Mass still feels like home." 

She's exactly right. I love being Catholic. And I love that even here, so very far away in Washington DC for the summer, I can find a group of passionately Catholic young adults who are engaging our culture with united beliefs and purpose, and all united in our beautiful Eucharistic and apostolic faith. 

So, tonight was a blessing :) As it was a few weeks ago when we were all at Pat Troy's for the Young Adult Catholic Trivia night... and every time Leslie and I go to 10:30 mass with Maureen and Dan... or when we pray before meals... or how we sometimes say a rosary on our way to work. I am blessed. 

"Lord, in my zeal for the love of truth, help me not forget the truth of love." (St. Thomas Aquinas, a quote from tonight's talk on evangelization)

A Capitol Fourth!

Missionaries for Life in Our Lady of Guadalupe's chapel, patroness of the unborn!

Well celebrating the 4th of July in Washington DC yesterday was pretty amazing. We had the day off work, and began the day at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in northern DC...which is BEAUTIFUL.They have 70 chapels lining the Basilica, each one to a different title of Mary. Each chapel is so ornate and in the style of the Marian apparition it honors. SO cool. This was my 3rd time seeing the Basilica, but it was still amazing.

The Basilica right after Mass ended. So many people!! Such a beautiful Church!!

They had the closing mass for the National Fortnight for Freedom campaign to pray for the protection of religious liberty in regards to the HHS mandate. The Basilica was PACKED with people--luckily we got there just in time to still snag a seat because mass was 2 hours long. Very moving to see so many people devoted to the free practice of their faith.





Then we metro'ed back to the National Mall area, and got PotBelly's sandwiches for lunch. At around 5 we headed to Capitol Hill to get a seat for the concert, which started at 8. This was the "A Capitol Fourth" concert that gets broadcasted on PBS. We were sitting ON the Capitol lawn... we had to keep reminding ourselves that this was not your everyday occurrence. The concert, which only lasted from 8-9:10, had quite the lineup of performers, including: Tom Bergeron as MC (host of America's Funniest Home Videos), Matthew Broderick and Kelli O'Hara (Broadway stars), Josh Turner (country singer), Kool & The Gang, Mercedes from Glee, Megan Hilty from Smash, Javier Colon, Phillip Phillips (winner of the past American Idol, loved him!), John Williams (composer of Harry Potter, Star Wars, and much more!), and The National Symphony Orchestra.

Left: Bringing the 3-1-4 to DC! (Leslie, Chris and me--the STL interns); Right: "Look at me I'm at the Capitol!!!"

So that was pretty neat. 

And then the fireworks! Which went off over the Washington Monument. I must confess that the fireworks did not blow me away, as you would expect fireworks at the Capitol of the United States on the Fourth of July to do. I couldn't even hear them which is my favorite part! (because they were on the other end of the Mall). Still, it was pretty cool to be there.

Happy 4th of July, everyone!!

Bonus picture! The night before July 4th, the Missionaries got together at Lindsey's house to barbeque and watch a movie. We went to the grocery store to get food and Ruben found this sweet cookie cake. Born in the USA, y'all!