"It is worth giving a big yes to life but not with a simple slogan but taking care of the protagonists.". Today I talk to Elvira Casas, president of the association. Mary's HomeThe program, which helps women throughout their pregnancy and the first year of their baby's life, is a one-to-one relationship, without coldness, entering into the intimacy of the mothers. Here, it is a nuclear treatment you to you, without coldness, entering into the core of the intimacy of the mothers. They see them weekly to get to know them and get close to them. The time they spend at the association contributes to a strong bond with the coordinator. And most importantly, the mothers become friends. Therein lies the quidbecause they discover that they have many things in common. Friends at a turning point in their lives. Friends who are pulling up. This is the best way to help them. The secret is not in moralizing talks but in making them feel loved and encouraged.
The proposal includes numerous alternatives. There are workshops or activities on different themes. "If a volunteer comes in, he/she is asked what he/she knows how to do and is asked to do what he/she is most experienced in."Elvira tells me. There are also talks nicknamed "spiritual touches"Some weeks we talk about virtues, others we comment on a passage from the Gospel, or even explain a sacrament to them. They accept all mothers of any religion and seek to provide them with formation. They are given the option of attending catechesis to receive a sacrament or to get closer to God. Each week they are given a talk on maternity issues, such as pregnancy, health or how to raise a baby. They are given a batch of what they call maternity productswhether diapers or baby food. small. All thanks to the benefactors who make the collaborations.
This association has two pillars: maternity assistance and evangelization. It is a project entrusted to the Virgin Mary. The association has 11 sites and more will be opened soon. "We serve 180 moms, although since 2014, which is when it was founded, more than 1000 moms with their babies have passed through. There are many collaborators and volunteers. Some help sporadically and others commit on a weekly basis. We have more than 200 collaborators who help in one way or another. Sometimes they are in person at the headquarters and other times they are companies that collaborate with products or financially. All funding is private.", they tell us.
Elvira tells us how God's hand is especially noticeable in some stories: "a woman who came to the home alone, without housing, without a job, without papers, with her family in another country. She was eight weeks pregnant. She had decided to have an abortion. She found our brochure that someone had left there in the waiting room of the abortion clinic. It was very spectacular, totally providential. When a new mother arrives, she is told that Our Lady has brought her here. They told her that she was not alone, that they were going to accompany her. They are usually assigned an angel, who is a person who is one hundred percent dedicated to them, like a sister, a support so that they do not feel alone and are very aware of their casuistry. They talk to their social worker. They worked on it to improve their situation and the arrival of the baby.".
Mothers are also sometimes given psychological support through referrals to professionals. "We feel that we are God's means to help each one of these women."The president confesses that she has often felt overwhelmed by the power of the Holy Spirit when faced with a complicated conversation that was beyond her strength.I give thanks for each one of these mothers, who are examples of brave women, who fight and move forward with everything against them. Saying yes to life is for the brave and for those in love.".
