People Are Amazing

My favorite part of Crossroads is the people we meet. People are so incredible if we just take the time to listen and understand.

Some of the people we encounter are curious or have questions about the pro-life position. The very first weekend, a couple guys sitting next to us at a table at In ‘N Out asked us what we were doing and why. Then, one of them asked, “I’m sure you guys get asked this a lot, but what about in cases of rape?”

Our walk director explained that abortion in cases of rape is only 1% of all abortions, and so that does not justify abortion. I added that rape is such a hard situation, and the woman deserves every support and care we can give. But we don’t give the death penalty to rapists, and so even in such a hard situation, we cannot take a life. They just listened and absorbed, and thanked us for talking to them when they left. Praise God for their openness.

Other people open up to us in ways I could never have imagined. It’s always a privilege to listen to folks’ stories. It’s amazing how vulnerable a stranger can be with another stranger.

That first weekend, a young dad in his thirties came up to me after Mass, his two little girls in tow. He told me, “I used to be on the fence, but when I saw her ultrasound…” pointing at his older daughter, “I said, ‘That’s her! That’s Nina!’ Now I make videos for 40 Days for Life.” How beautiful that the tiny moment of seeing his preborn daughter could change his mind.

In Jackson, California, a gas station clerk told us her mother had been raped, and became pregnant, and she was the child. She thanked us for our witness, and asked us to pray for her daughter who was pregnant now with her grandchild. What a remarkable testament to the beauty of life, even after tragedy.

When we were in Reno, I got in a conversation with a very sweet, very mature thirteen-year-old girl. She told me, “It’s so cool that you guys are so happy and have fun! Normally, people like you are so serious.” Yes! We can be joyful and excited and happy because our message is great!

In Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, I met a lady in the bathroom. I answered her questions about our mission, and just as I was about to leave, she stated, “You know, I had a son before I was married. I placed him for adoption, and we’ve been reunited for 18 years now. You’d never know he wasn’t raised with my four other children – they’re all great friends. I just don’t understand how someone can take a life.” I gave her a hug. Talk about a testimony.

This one girl in Vernal, Utah, however, completely stole my heart. We attended daily Mass there three days in a row because it was the only church for hundreds of miles. This little ten-year-old was there helping her mother take care of her three younger brothers. The second day, she came up to me timidly and asked, “Excuse me, but, what is pro-life?” She added, “I wanted to ask yesterday, but I was too scared.”

Oh, she was so precious. I explained to her we were walking for the unborn, the elderly, and to share the beauty of all human life. She said, “Oh, yes! Because the unborn are special…and just because they’re different doesn’t mean they’re not human.” My heart melted. What a sweetheart.

I’m so blessed to be able to listen to so many beautiful people, to talk to people about pro-life apologetics, and to share with them the message of the dignity and sanctity of human life.

Love Amidst Hate At The Sidewalk

Some of our walkers pray outside of Planned Parenthood in Salt Lake City, featured in Intermountain Catholic http://www.icatholic.org/article/crossroads-prolife-walkers-come-through-utah-6246841#

I’ve prayed at many abortion clinics before, from Sacramento, Pittsburgh, New York, and elsewhere. Clinic escorts have smeared foul fruit on the sidewalk and turned on the sprinklers to deter sidewalk counselors. Others have dragged snow shovels, turned on car alarms or loud music to drown out the counselor’s voices.

Since starting Crossroads, I’ve seen a lot of sinister and eerie abortion clinics.

In Reno, NV, the abortion clinic had two fences with hedges and cacti in between, megaphones to blare music and ugly words, disturbing signs saying in all caps, “God is pro-choice,” “Pray to end sidewalk bullying,” “Pray to end child molestation by priests,” “Bullies, Molesters, Terrorists.”

In Salt Lake City, we had people yell out the window, “Your mothers should have aborted you all,” “**** you, pro-choice!” and other ugly comments.

And honestly, I can take that. I can take being yelled at or mistreated. It exposes abortion for the evil it is.

In Denver though, my heart broke. Planned Parenthood, that bastion of evil, appeared as a professional beacon of hope compared to the anti-abortion protestors. These protestors were filled with such hatred.

Plastic dolls torn limb from limb and covered in fake blood were strewn across the driveway. More bloodied dolls were hung upside down on strings from a pole, and tossed in baby strollers. Huge graphic images of aborted children were set up all across the street. Homemade signs on ladders yelled in all caps, “Don’t Kill Your Baby,” “Repent or Perish,” and “Choice Is Abortion.”

But the worst part of all was the despicable character of the protestors. With bleeding hate, they screamed at the women entering the clinic. Holding more pictures of aborted children, they shrieked, “We have help for you! Don’t kill your baby. You will go to hell! God doesn’t want you to kill your baby. Don’t be a murderer!” And once they were in the parking lot, the protestors would climb on the ladders to see over the fence and continue to scream at the women.

These protestors may have been anti-abortion, but they were totally immersed in a culture of death. Their screams chased these already scared women into the seemingly professional and caring arms of Planned Parenthood. How twisted.

Love is at the heart of a culture of life. To be pro-life is to recognize the dignity and sanctity of all human life – children, elderly, mothers, fathers, abortionists, staff, everyone. It means to work to understand these poor mothers who are struggling, in pain, and think they have no choice. We want to love them, give them hope, and empower them to choose life.

These protestors had fallen so far into despair that they failed to recognize God’s unfathomable mercy for these women and men who are made in His image and likeness. They forgot to hope. But we have hope. Our loving Father loves these women no matter what. St. John Paul II said, “We are an Easter people, and hallelujah is our song.” We know that Christ has already conquered abortion since He conquered death. That is why we must never cease to work for the conversion of hearts.

There is hope for everyone. And we need to offer it with love.

10 Things That Make You Know You Walk Crossroads

You know you walk Crossroads when:

1. The following are more exciting than the last…

a. A Small Canyon

b. A Few Bushes

c. A Few Trees 

d. One of these…Now you’re stylin’

e. A Gas Station. So luxurious!

2. You can get ready in 10 minutes for morning shift3. You can bathe in a sink

4. You can sleep anywhere…

 

On a 6-foot table bed

Or on the floor

Standing up (maybe even in Mass…eep!)

3. Your staple foods are:

Grapes

Cream Cheese

PB&J

Salad

Condiments

4. You are an authority on the best kind of jam

5. You run on rosaries

6. And Fruit Snacks

7. And Goldfish

8. You instinctively call, “My Cows!” whenever you see something that looks like a cow

9. The acronym “KOA” sounds like heaven on earth, complete with sink, showers, swimming pool and mini golf

10. Everything is FTB…For the Babies

Relying on Divine Providence

Crossroads runs into problems a lot. Seriously. But when you’re walking across the country, you have to expect that. You grow resourceful, and when it seems like there’s no solution, you rely on Divine Providence. And the good God always provides.

Our rental van broke down the first week of walking. Apparently that’s a record, and we will go down in Crossroads history. But we were in civilization so we got a new rental van.

(PC Marina Bianco)

The next day, our new rental van got two holes in a single tire, so we had to drive for miles on a low tire to find air. After we prayed a single decade of the rosary though, we saw tow trucks and found the perfect place to patch up the tire!

The next week, we stayed at a state park with no showers. But we were able to shower in the sink!

A week later, we ran out of water in the middle of the desert. But we had ice. So, our assistant walk leader sat on a jug of ice to melt it. It worked. Out of the blue, a nice couple offered a bottle of water to some of our walkers too!

In the very middle of Nevada, we weren’t sure where we were going to stay. But a fellow from the local Baptist church stopped us and told us that his church ran an RV park as a ministry, and we could stay there!

(PC Marina Bianco)

The week after, the host housing for the guys fell through, but at the last minute a couple offered up two hotel rooms for them.

Last week, it took us 4 hours to find an RV park, but we had enough time to get there, get settled, and even cook dinner.

This past week, we were desperate for daily Mass. Nevada and Utah are sparse for parishes, and the Eucharist is so crucial for us to have the strength to get through the day. We’d been nearly two weeks without daily Mass. So, we drove two hours to a parish only to find it closed. But the next day, we found a parish, and were able to attend Mass there three days in a row. They even served us breakfast the second day! It was a huge blessing.

Our rental van got another hole in its tire last week, and that same day our RV broke down. The engine blew a gasket and we had to leave it in Salt Lake (we’re in Denver nearly 400 miles away). But we happened to be in a city that had a Ford dealership which could fix it. We’re still RV-less at the moment, but we’re staying in motels until it’s fixed. Plus, just this week at Mass, a man came up to our walk leader and told him, “I’ll pay for the RV fixes. Don’t worry about how much it costs; whatever it is, I’ll cover it.” Praise God!

(PC Angela Marino)

And this week, we only found host housing by a very generous family the night before we were to arrive.

Without the RV, we’re not sure until the afternoon whether we’re sleeping on a church gym floor, sharing beds in a motel, or stuffing into a host family’s house. But God always provides.

So, Divine Providence is at work, folks. It’s scary relying on God. But He has a plan. He always comes through. And honestly, out here, when things are completely out of your hands, you can’t help but trust Him. It’s quite beautiful, really.

Utah and Colorado: I Could Live Here

Utah is so gorgeous and majestic. Beautiful tall mountains rise above grassy fields. Small mountain streams wind peacefully through evergreens and birch trees, and forget-me-nots nestle within lush meadows. I could walk here forever. Deer softly poke their heads out of the forests to peek at us and moose munch happily on small bushes. A beaver crept over caches of rocks sweeping down to a cascading river. When I imagine peace, this is what I think of.

We climbed a really tall peak just for fun to get a good selfie, and found a geocache! Later, we walked through Dinosaur National Monument, and got to crawl into a tiny cave. Maybe dinosaurs lived there…

But Colorado…I’ve never seen anywhere so beautiful in my life. Rocky Mountain National Park took my breath away completely. Magnificent snow drifts cap deep blue mountains with slim evergreens marching up the sides. Rivers of melted snow rush to greet the ground 12,000 feet below the summits. Herds of moose and elk graze in the valleys, and wildflowers collect in bunches to gaze at the sun. A cute little marmot curled up in the sun.

As we drove up the summit of this one mountain, you could see for miles. So, we played full orchestral soundtracks with epic scores – Gladiator, Narnia, Braveheart, World of Warcraft, and Irish music. It was marvelous.

I’ve collected the best pictures for you below.

We walk from sunrise (PC Marina Bianco)

to sunset (PC Marina Bianco)

Yay Utah! (PC Angela Marino)

PC Marina Bianco

The Great Salt Lake (PC Anthony Briseno)

Yes, I tasted the Great Salt Lake. Worst. Idea. Ever. Seriously, don’t ever do it. Just say no. (PC Anthony Briseno)

Bison at the Great Salt Lake (PC Angela Marino)

It’s our dinosaur friend (PC Angela Marino)

Selfie in the Rockies! (PC Anthony Briseno)

Hello, Elk! (PC Anthony Briseno)

We had a snowball fight at 11,700 feet in the Rockies. Be jealous.

So majestic!

Just 11,000 feet up. No big deal. 😀

Don’t You Ever Feel Like Giving Up?

She checked our groceries methodically as we told her, “Yeah we’re walking across the country.”

“Wow. Don’t you ever feel like giving up?” she asked. It’s a good question.

I’m known as the always chipper, adventurous and happy one on my walk. I’ve licked a salt flat, walked through a drive thru window, punched a bee by accident, and been excited even when there were no showers because it meant bathing in the sink! Wahoo!

But I’ll admit to you…sometimes I feel down. Maybe it was that mountain where I was searching for breath at 7500 feet. Maybe it was mile 15 when I still couldn’t see the van signaling the end of shift. Maybe my feet hurt and had blisters, and maybe my legs had a Charlie horse and shin splints.

And occasionally, I think to myself about how crazy this all is. Here I am, getting up at o’dark thirty, walking long distances all day, and then stuffing myself in a 35 foot RV with eight other people to sleep in a tiny space for a few hours. Rinse, lather, repeat.

So, yes. Sometimes I do feel like giving up. Yet even here, there is beauty. Even here there is hope.

It’s in those moments where the voice says, “Give up,” that I search for strength. I remember the people we meet at parishes, the people that wave “hi” on the road, the people in my life who I am offering this suffering for. Most importantly, I remember the unborn and their mothers and fathers.

It’s in those moments that I lean on Mama Mary. I begin another rosary and ask her to walk with me and support me. I especially love the second Joyful mystery of the Visitation, since “Mary arose and went in haste into the hill country…” (Luke 1:39).  She would have made a great Crossroader. 😀

It’s in those moments that I search my heart for the One who loves me most. The dear Lord does not abandon His children. I’ll call up some encouraging verses in my mind (Philippians 4:13 and Romans 8:39 especially), or offer up a silent prayer through gritted teeth and heavy breath.

So I lean on the strength that’s greater than me. My toes keep gripping the earth. My feet keep walking. But somehow, my steps feel lighter.

Kindness in All Its Forms

One of the most striking things about walking is the kindness of strangers.

People have taken us to breakfast and lunch, made us humongous potluck dinners, and served us every kind of tasty dish. They ply us with seconds and desserts too, saying, “Oh, you’ve got a long walk ahead of you!” If I gave in each time, I definitely would gain weight over the course of this summer.

More than a few kind folks have stopped in the middle of the desert to give us granola bars, water bottles, and encouragement. One lady drove up to me and Colby in a big truck with a trailer. She asked us what we were doing, and after we told her, she dug a $100 bill out of her truck to hand to us. She shook her head saying, “Wow, I just really admire what you’re doing.”

We’ve also crossed paths several times over the last few days with a group biking across the country to raise money for disabled kids. It’s been super fun cheering them on and having them root for us. “Yeah, Push America!” “Go Crossroads!”

On the weekends when we stay with host families, I’m shocked and humbled by the generosity of these wonderful people. These folks are genuinely sweet and selfless. They open their homes, their hearts, and their fridges to us. Let me tell you, we have more cookies packed into our RV than we could ever eat!

One host family in Sacramento set it up so that every single walker on Central, Northern, and Southern walks would have a prayer warrior praying for their safety every day. We pulled the names out of the hats…I couldn’t contain my excitement and joy. How wonderful that so many people, even people we may not have met before, care enough to pray for us each day. Since this was my home parish, I knew most of the prayer warriors. Mine were an awesome family and my neighbor down the street! One family of prayer warriors makes shirts with the name of their walker on the back. So awesome!

So, to all of the awesome host families, kind strangers, lovely parishioners and cool bikers, I salute you.

Desert. Lots of Desert.

I’ve been walking through the desert all the live long day!

We’ve been through Carson City, Dayton, Fallon, Austin, Eureka, and Ely, Nevada. Sitting in the middle of the desert, it’s a very harsh and inhospitable landscape. They call Highway 50 “The Loneliest Highway in America.” But the rugged terrain maintains a stark beauty.

The sunsets turn the sky bright orange and pink. The brown hills are dotted with trees, gaining shades of blue and yellow silhouettes at dusk.
Bright constellations light up the night sky as we make our way back to the RV we call home. The alkali salt flats that looked white moments before turned into miles of reflective mirages.

By far the most exciting locations I’ve walked by would be the forest fire in Lake Tahoe and the bombing range in the Nevada desert. The wildfire had dozens of fire crews and police, two aircraft and a helicopter dropping fire retardant and water on the small blaze. The bombing range was complete with half a dozen military planes practicing hitting their targets.

Some other highlights include:
-driving the RV (we’ve lovingly nicknamed her Bessie the Struggle Bus)
-flooring the gas (I need to so I can get Bessie up these hills)
-licking an alkali salt flat (note: it tastes like dirty salt)
-walking through a drive-thru in Reno (just because)
-seeing wild horses, antelope, many species of lizards and birds, and a dead rattlesnake and coyote

Best sight by far: the night I first saw wild Mustangs. There were two chestnuts and a paint. They flicked their tails and shook their golden manes in the light of the setting sun. Powerful, graceful, independent and carefree, they pawed, pranced, galloped and grazed their way across the bushy plains.

Wild Horses! I can die happy now.

I fell in love. Truly, I don’t think I have ever seen such majestic creatures in my life.

Of course, now my fellow walkers love to poke at my soft spot for horses. Whenever I start bouncing up and down over how gorgeous they are, they love to point out that they will likely be sent to a glue factory, or starve to death, or meet some ugly fate. But I still love them (horses and walkers).

Why We Walk for Life

So far this trip, I’ve walked further than I ever had in my life (my longest day so far was 14.5 miles). It’s stretched me in the most beautiful ways. Early mornings, late nights, little sleep, speed walking, good conversations and peaceful scenery.

Since we’re the only ones out on the road, I wave at all the passing cars and trucks. Nearly everyone waves back. They probably think, “Human interaction! YES!”

I’ve only had one person yell out the window, “Pro-choice!” It amused me. Pro-life young people walk across the country because we have a cause, a desire, a hope. Our message is life-saving, and each child is life-changing. Yelling a single word at us accomplished nothing.

To be pro-abortion has no fire, no hope. You either believe you’re advocating killing which is frightening, or you are confusedly advocating for a surgery…which is just boring. There is no cross-country walk for choice by the youth because it is a dead end. To be “pro-choice” is to be pro-abortion. It promotes pain, heartache, and death, and few people have such an intense passion for the culture of death.

I don’t think any of us would do something this crazy and intense were it not to offer it up for the unborn. We want to change the world, to save our unborn brothers and sisters, to love mothers and fathers, to spread a culture of life. And that in itself is exciting. It motivates, it fuels our actions, and it pushes our feet when they ache.

 

 

We Nailed This First Week of Crossroads

Rockin the Pyramid

Woohoo! We are still very much alive!

PC Angela Marino

We’ve walked across the Golden Gate Bridge, by the San Francisco Bay, San Quentin, Napa, Lake Berryessa, Sacramento, Jackson, Tahoe, and Silver Lake. After walking a lot and running a bit, we’ve reached Nevada! It’s beautiful country: open ocean, golden hills, meadows of wildflowers, quiet streams, fields of strawberries, tomatoes, sunflowers and wheat, pink and red sunsets, mountains covered in trees and capped with snow.

I’ve seen a lot of very dead wildlife, including a dead bear! Hawks, geese, cranes, and swallows soar overhead. Deer poke their heads out of the woods with curious expressions. A couple dumb ones jumped right in front of our van. Yikes! Of course, the most common creature to be seen are cows…and they are mine. If you see a graveyard, body of water, or roadkill though, you can tell me all my cows are dead.

We’re working our way up to 60 miles a day. And yes, I’m feeling the burn. The uphills are especially gruelling. But when the going gets tough and it seems like the miles don’t stop, we start another rosary and find strength there to push through the pain.

PC Anthony Briseno

God is so good. What a beautiful chance to witness to people about the importance of protecting all human life. I’m also getting used to being stared at now. Being the nut I am, I wave at all the cars. Some people wave back. Others aren’t too happy. Others contort their faces, conveying a very confused expression that says “do I know you?” Hehe no, stranger, but God bless you.

Last Saturday, we headed to In ‘N Out. The walk director is also from Sacramento, so he told all the others that you need to have a special handshake to order from the In ‘N Out secret menu…mwahahaha. What a prankster. While we were there, two guys sat down next to us, saw our shirts and asked about our walk. They wanted to know our motivation, the details, and asked how we would respond to the hard cases for abortion.

PC Angela Marino

I’ve spoken three times in parishes so far. Even though I like public speaking, it’s still nerve wracking. But it’s the same beautiful rush that I miss from my competitive speech and debate days. Plus, people are so generous. It leaves me completely humbled and grateful. A few ladies have even asked when they saw my nice shoes for Mass, “You have walking shoes don’t you?” Hehe, yes, I just wanted to dress nice for Mass. 🙂

PC Anthony Briseno

One wonderful gentleman came up to me after Mass with his two young daughters. He told me excitedly, “I make videos for 40 Days for Life. You know, I used to be on the fence about abortion, but when I saw her ultrasound, I said, ‘That’s Nina! That’s my daughter!'” I was so touched by his story. We discussed pro-life apologetics, how to make the biological case for life and respond to the hard cases. Even after he left, I was mulling over the beautiful gift it was for him to recognize the beauty of all human life.

Fitting eight people in a 35-foot RV makes things very cozy. So far, I’ve bumped my head on the ceiling, the cab, the cabinet, and my teammate’s face! But I wouldn’t want it any other way. I love how unique and diverse our walkers are. We have an intellectual, prankster Texan, an ice-cream-loving Philadelphian, a crazy, seminary-bound Virginian, a rambunctious, redneck Delaware native, a martial arts guru Arizonan, an accent-loving, snowboarding Coloradan, a sweet, independent Alabaman, and your token California girl (yours truly).

It’s hot, dusty, exhausting, fun, exciting, thrilling, adventurous, dangerous, and amazing.

Here’s to 3000 miles to go.

PC Angela Marino

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Ben Elliott

We found Mr. Bean’s Car! PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

PC Anthony Briseno

If you want prayers, comment below and I will pray for you as I walk.