A Very Special Guest Visits a Very Special Exhibit

This striking exhibit also features powerful biblical and scientific teaching that celebrates human life in the womb being made in the image of God. A 20-foot long timeline provides the bulk of the teaching on how our Creator knits us together in our mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).

One of the “sidebars” on the timeline focuses on micro preemies—babies born prior to 24 weeks embryonic age (26 weeks gestational age). This sidebar features one of the youngest micro preemies to survive. Lyla Stensrud was born at just 19 weeks and 4 days and weighed a minuscule 14.4 ounces. Lyla’s parents, Paul and Courtney, were told that their daughter’s odds of survival were extremely low.

Here is Lyla’s “sidebar.” Look closely at the top photo, and you can see her parents’ wedding rings around her tiny right arm.

Well, thanks to many answered prayers and the skill of Lyla’s medical team, the guests at our ribbon-cutting ceremony were in for a wonderful surprise. Now six years old and in excellent health, Lyla, her brother Hayden, and their parents made the trip from Texas for the event and received special recognition for allowing us to share their amazing story.

The Stensruds toured the exhibit prior to the event, and Lyla had the opportunity to see the section discussing her story.

During their two days with us, the Stensruds were given behind-the-scenes tours of the Creation Museum and Ark Encounter by Tim Chaffey, the content manager of our Attractions Division.

Besides the Fearfully and Wonderfully Made exhibit, Lyla’s favorite displays at the Creation Museum were those that featured butterflies or dinosaurs (our insectarium and Dinosaur Den are very popular with both children and adults).

Darin is the chief of our public safety team, but this tough guy was moved to tears by Lyla’s story. He was very excited to meet her and made sure her family met his team of officers and received an excellent tour of the Ark Encounter, including a special behind-the-scenes trip to the Ark’s top floor so they could get a unique view of the Ark grounds (you can see the playground and brand-new Truth Traveler virtual reality building in the background).

I met with the family and sent them home with a bag full of children’s resources.

Lyla’s mom Courtney shared this about her trip to the Ark and museum:

Ken Ham, Tim Chaffey, Allen Greene [the exhibit’s designer], and the entire family at the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter were beyond gracious to our family! Every single person we encountered treated us so kindly. We continue to talk about the behind-the-scenes tours and Hayden has written about them for his school’s writing assignments already. We had the most unforgettable time!

The work that you all do at Answers in Genesis is so moving! I will be tuning in to watch your videos on Facebook Live, YouTube, and Answers.tv. I’m moved by you all and am now a follower of all the ministry is doing.

Thank you to everyone who worked on the exceptional exhibit! This powerful pro-life display will no doubt touch many lives. We are beyond humbled, blessed, and grateful to be a part of this exhibit! My hope would be that those that see this exhibit will see that the earliest surviving babies can survive and thrive.

Sadly, many hospitals are not equipped with a NICU to help micro preemies, so these babies often die soon after birth because they do not receive necessary medical attention. Courtney has been raising awareness about this issue through her website, where you can read more about Lyla’s incredible journey.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made highlights the truth that all human beings, including micro preemies, are made in the image of God from the moment of fertilization.

Fearfully and Wonderfully Made highlights the truth that all human beings, including micro preemies, are made in the image of God from the moment of fertilization. We pray that God will use this exhibit to save lives: that more micro preemies will receive the medical attention they need, that mothers who might have been considering an abortion would change their minds, and that those who need God’s forgiveness would find it through faith in the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved eternally.

Plan your visit to Northern Kentucky at CreationMuseum.org.

Thanks for stopping by and thanks for praying,
Ken

This item was written with the assistance of AiG’s research team.