SeeLife 2024 took place at the headquarters of Focus on the Family in Colorado Springs to celebrate 20 years of saving lives through their Option Ultrasound. My husband and I were fortunate to attend this event as we were already in CO for a family visit. I want to give you glimpses of what we heard and saw, as well as a synopsis about how ultrasounds work.

The Main Event

The program was hosted by Jim Daly, the head of Focus on the Family, and Amy Ford who leads Embrace Grace, an organization that trains churches to run outreach programs for pregnant single moms. Danny Gokey opened the night with his song, “Hope in Front of Me,” comforting those who need to overcome life’s troubles and temptations. He then prayed for the endurance of the Pro-Life movement to keep fighting the good fight for the sanctity of life.

During the introduction, Jim Daley reminded us about the courageous acts of Christians in pagan countries like Rome and Greece, when infanticide was legal. These Christians would hide in alleys, under bridges and forests where babies were usually left to die, and they took them to raise as their own despite difficult circumstances.

John Stonestreet, the head of Colson Center, followed by expanding on Psalm 11:3 to explain what motivates Christians to take courageous stands.

Psalm 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The reason that Christians have always welcomed children is because of the foundational idea that we are made in the image of God. Focusing on Psalm 11:3 is most important because it will encourage the righteous to persevere in doing what it takes to respect every human life.

Keynote speakers, Benjamin and Kirsten Watson, mentioned that current statistics indicate abortions are still on the rise in spite of Roe vs. Wade being overturned, according to the Wall Street Journal article of October 2023. They referred to the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand to illustrate that the numbers shouldn’t deter us from using our talents and resources, while we let God do the multiplying.

Jesus could have fed the crowd alone, but he wanted the disciples to get involved in the process. The Watsons exhorted us to embrace compassion and offer encouragement for those in a crisis pregnancy. They concluded that this will be the best way to win the hearts of abortion-minded people.

The program culminated after an elaborate concert by Danny Gokey and his band. We were then invited to circulate among the various booths of ProLife organizations, and you can find about them here:

The Ministry Fair

I was most attracted to StudentsforLife.org, since they are closest to the age demographic that I work with as an educator. It gives me great hope to meet young adults who are willing to fight for the unborn, since they can be most impactful on their peers in college.

While chatting with their representative Victoria, a young girl urged us to hold each of the 12–26 week fetal models. Just like this child’s infectious enthusiasm, I pray that these models spark protective instincts in every adult who sees this display.

In reality, we couldn’t hold a baby before they are born! With an ultrasound machine however, it is possible to safely see their shadow, watch them grow, and hear his or her heartbeat as early as six weeks after conception when she or he is only 6mm, the size of a sweet pea.

About Ultrasounds

The heart of the ultrasound is the transducer that can generate waves with high frequencies (18 MHz), beyond levels heard by humans (20 kHz). These waves travel at 1540m/s which is 4.5 times faster than the audible speed of sound. The ultrasound waves interact with the body tissues where they undergo reflection, scattering, and absorption. The echoes from the reflections only return to the transducer, while the scattered and absorbed waves are dissipated as heat in the tissues.

The transducer contains an array of crystalline elements that vibrate when excited by an electric current, and induce pressure waves with ultrasound frequencies. Conversely, the crystalline material will vibrate when exposed to pressure waves, and will induce electricity.

These two properties of the crystalline material enable the transducer to emit the ultrasound waves to the organ as well as to receive the echo from the organ’s dimensions. The mechanical vibration from the echo is converted to electricity and sent to the computer, which processes the electric signals into real-time images.

Ultrasound instruments are another scientific discovery that can be utilized to bring glory to God. That evening at SeeLife24, I learned that nearly half a million babies have been saved since the Option Ultrasound began in 2004. It takes just $60 to provide a woman facing a crisis pregnancy with an ultrasound session.

Hope for America

SeeLife24 offered us all more hope that someday America as a nation could wake up from its stupor regarding the sanctity of life. In his song “My America”, Danny Gokey shares that he still believes in America in spite of her bruises. He also weaves in the verse from the song “America The Beautiful,” which reminds us that God has shed His grace on her. “My America” ends with wishes that she will always be a sign of hope for all those who seek refuge from oppression. This includes the unborn!

A trip to Colorado Springs is never complete without a glimpse at America’s Pike’s Peak, a symbol of beauty and grace. As we celebrate the 4th of July, let us pray that our mountains echo God’s truth and that its people will have the courage to obey.

In awe of our Creator and Redeemer,

Suzanne Shera, educator and author of Lightlab

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