An Outreach of
The First Day With Option Ultrasound
Lots of women received baby supplies from Hope Women's Centers in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., yet few arrived who were thinking of aborting their children — a statistic that worried executive director Nancy McDonald. Then representatives of Focus on the Family's Option Ultrasound Program (OUP) paid a visit and asked some "piercing questions," she said, "and I knew that we were missing the mark."
McDonald had requested an ultrasound machine from OUP, and the challenging site visit led her and the board of directors to draft a new mission statement and strategic plan for converting all five centers to medical clinics.
"Just two and a half years after we began the process, we completed the medical conversion and began to offer ultrasound at our fifth location," McDonald said. "God is faithful to finish what He starts. We thank Him for OUP and for the tremendous difference this program has made."
"The regional I.M.P.A.C.T. training was an unexpected bonus," adds Frank. "Not only was it provided by Focus on the Family at no charge to us, but it also focused on the very specific and unique needs of a pregnancy medical clinic. The materials from the training remain a valuable resource and sit within easy reach on the left side of my desk. Thank you Focus on the Family and may God continue to bless your ministry!"
McDonald told CitizenLink about the first day of operation with an OUP machine.
"The sonographer had done the scan, and she went to call the boyfriend in," McDonald said, "She asked me if I would like to come in and see the image of the baby. The patient said it was OK. I joined a tall, lanky young man who looked like a basketball player. He kin of folded himself up against the wall, and I stood next to him in the tiny exam room.
"I noticed the patient stared at the ceiling, never looking at the screen. The sonographer pointed out the baby's heart, head, hands, and feet. The baby (11 weeks gestation) did a couple of flips to entertain us. It almost took my breath away. When the sonographer asked the patient if she would like a picture to take to her mom or grandmother, the patient said, "No." About this time, my basketball friend from the wall stepped up near the table, "I do," he said.
"This frightened young woman, resolute in her decision to have an abortion, melted. Still, she did not look at the ultrasound screen, she looked at him. Her eyes filled with tears as she understood the importance of what he was saying. She broke into a smile and reached for his hand as both of them turned their attention to the screen, where their baby was dancing for joy.
"I quietly slipped out of the room to marvel at what I had just witnessed. I had seen God turn the heart of a young woman to her child because the father of the baby had chosen life when he saw it on the ultrasound screen."
