Austin, Reporter on Location

This is from Austin, defender of life, age 16:

"Its 2:30 in the morning. I’m tired and congested, its probably 58 degrees in this church hall, and I swear someone is having a war upstairs. So why am I here? I’m freezing and annoyed!"

That was me, the night before the 2007 March for Life. Of course, all those little sacrifices of comfort were well worth being at the March, but I thought it would be interesting to give scenario of what really happened on our trip.

To me this trip was more than just going to the March for Life -- it was an adventure! With all of its little twists and turns. To summarize briefly our ("our" being two parents, and a bunch of teenagers) story...

Sunday January 21, 2007

We left around 12:30. Roads were decent until we hit a bad stretch on the toll road. Sometime that evening (I forget when) we reached our destination, a church hall on the outskirts of Pittsburgh. Though the pizza was good, the sleep was not.

Monday January 22, 2007

We woke up around 4:00 am and got ready for the day. By 5:30 am we were on the bus and all seated together as a group. The bus left a little after 6:00 am. During the bus ride we all talked together, watched movies and had a good time. By the time we reached Washington, D.C. it was past 11:30 am, so we all left the bus and headed for the rally. After about two hours of standing and listening to speakers, the March began -- tens of thousands (including our group) began to process down the Mall, protesting the evil of abortion. By 4:00 pm our group had finished marching and we were off to the National Shrine. After visiting the artwork of the shrine we were privileged to celebrate Mass in the crypt of the Basilica. After Mass everyone got back on the bus and we headed back to Pennsylvania where we stayed at the church hall again. Thankfully, we all got great sleep that night!

Tuesday January 23, 2007

Fortunately, for all of us this day was a little more relaxing. We got good sleep! By 8:00 am we were out of the church hall and out on the road again. After stopping a few times for breakfast and other things, we headed to Franciscan University, located in Steubenville Ohio. After receiving a little information about the programs at the University we walked around the campus and went to the gift shop. Again, we had the opportunity to celebrate Mass but this time with the students and religious members of the University. After Mass we ate lunch at the campus cafeteria. (Which was surprisingly very good.) Once we finished lunch we said goodbye to Steubenville and hit the road again. That night we all returned to our beloved state (Michigan) where we all certainly "hit the hay" ASAP.

So that is our story. Not only did we get to March for Life but we also got to visit some great and holy places. I know for sure that every one of us came away from that trip spiritually benefitted. The time we all spent together bonded us into a tighter, more personal, and more spiritual community of friends -- it was definitely a holy experience.

Being able to participate in such a just cause was a wonderful way to kick-off this year. And I am thankful for the people who fight for our values and organize this event.

Thank you Mrs. Wittmann for providing us teens with a chance to stand up against the American culture of death. Again, I know we all had a great time and are looking forward to another March for Life next year. (*hint* *hint*)

Thanks for inviting us to share our experiences with others!

-Austin