by Andrea and Julianna Trudden

I began my journey with Heartbeat International just out of college. A few years before I was married and even more until I had my first child. (I'm dating myself, I know.) Like many who work in ministry, my children have been little helpers over the years. Writing notes to supporters, organizing envelopes, stuffing literature bags for conferences... you know, the fun stuff. The things that our children get to do to serve the movement as well.

This year, my 14-year-old daughter, Julianna, joined us in Washington, D.C. for our Babies Go to Congress event and the March for Life. She is a freshman in high school and there are many perspectives on a variety of social issues that she is exposed to. She has been looking forward to coming with us for Babies Go to Congress for a couple of years.

I asked Julianna to help us understand the events she participated in from her eyes. Here is what she witnessed:

Tell us about your experience of Babies Go to Congress:

Babies Go to Congress was something very different from anything I’ve experienced. We got to take three children, Lei’ Lani, Hezekiah, and Zoe, to meet with different Congressmen with their mothers to share their powerful stories. Seeing the kids and their mothers walk through the different rooms and halls of Congress, specifically, Lei’ Lani and her mother Danielle, was very inspirational, and Lei’ Lani was clearly enjoying the walk through the passageways and walking around outside the Capitol.

When we met with the legislative aids, they were all considerate and interested in the story that Danielle told them about herself and how the Paul Stefan Foundation had helped her. Everyone that we met there was very kind and treated everyone there equally and like adults, even Lei’ Lani and me.

Tell us about the March for Life: 

The March for Life was crowded and you really weren’t able to identify who all was there because there were so many people. It was hard to even move around during the rally, but when the March started, it was easier to walk around as you were following the crowd of people you were walking with.

Everyone was walking together and it seemed to be like a unity formed between everyone in the March. Schools that had come were praying, chanting, and singing while marching, and one woman who came was on crutches but still persisted through the March despite having difficulty moving around. Overall, it was really unified and peaceful; you could see the people around you talking with each other like it was just another day even though they were carrying signs or joining in chants and prayers periodically.

What does it mean to be pro-life?

Being pro-life means that you believe that everyone should have a chance to live, no matter what. Being pro-life doesn’t only mean that you are against abortion, it also means that you believe that no matter what a person has done, no matter the fact that they might be different from others, they deserve a chance to live and their life should not be taken from them.

Some pictures from Julianna's trip:

I am so grateful that Julianna got to see this side of our work and that we got this special time together. And a big thank you to my mom for joining the team as well! This is a trip we will always remember and perhaps the start of a new tradition!