By Sammie Gallo, Creator of Abundant Life: You Were Made for More
We have missed you guys! If you haven’t been keeping up with what we’re up to, that’s what this blog is for. Right after the Christmas season, we launch into the crazy busy, but awesome and fulfilling, March for Life season! This year, things were a little bit different – we weren’t traveling to DC and marching with hundreds of thousands of people, but we were holding our first ever virtual youth conference (it was our third year for the ySummit and we’re so grateful for the Lord’s provision over this event!).
We put so much thought into who we invited to speak at the ySummit because the goal of the event really is to encourage the next generation to be fight for the lives of every human being. So, when I was thinking about and planning the You Were Made for More Podcast for 2021, I knew I needed to share these messages with you, and whether you have or haven’t listened, this blog is to highlight the messages for you AND more importantly, encourage you to hit that play button on your favorite podcast platform!
Ryan Bomberger is an Emmy® Award-winning creative professional, international public speaker, columnist, factivist, and author of the powerful book, Not Equal: Civil Rights Gone Wrong. He is also the co-founder of RadianceFoundation.org, a life-affirming organization based on the belief that every human life has purpose. Ryan has a rather unique perspective of the innate nature of purpose. He is one of ten children who were adopted and loved in a racially diverse family of fifteen. Today, as an adoptee and adoptive father with his wife Bethany, he enjoys boldly illuminating the intrinsic worth we all possess.
He and his wife, Bethany, founded The Radiance Foundation to extensively research and creatively present challenging social issues through ad campaigns, multimedia talks, fearless journalism, and compassionate community outreaches.
What I love most about Ryan is that his life really does defy the myth of the “unwanted” child – his birth mother was raped yet courageously gave him a chance to live. Today on the podcast we are sharing Ryan’s talk from the ySummit 2021 (which we held in conjunction with Anglicans for Life and the March for Life, virtually!). Ryan is one of the best of the best and we couldn’t help but share his talk with you all, about exposing lies that are rooted in what we believe about humanity and the worth of all human beings.
Abortion is a lot more than a political topic for debate – unfortunately, a lot of our society thinks otherwise. On this episode of the You Were Made for More Podcast, we will hear Kristan Hawkins’ message from the ySummit 2021 as she presents the key facts about abortion that each person needs to know, which will help us understand why abortion is the key social issue of our day and what the role of God’s people is in helping to abolish it.
If you don’t know Kristan, she is a Christian, wife, mother, grassroots activist, author, speaker, Podcast host and a human rights advocate. You probably know her as the President of Students for Life of America, where she’s been doing activism and leading for 14 years now. She has built up a small organization made up of a few dozen student groups scattered around the country to a coordinated national team serving more than 1,200 Students for Life chapters in all fifty states.
Kristan’s expertise includes abortion, feminism, disability advocacy, and healthcare, as she navigates the social conditions and public policy that impacts the human rights issue of our day. We’re going to hear from her about everything you need to know about abortion – the facts, the misconceptions, the important arguments. Kristan is so passionate about life, firmly believes that all children have value, no matter the perception of their abilities – something I love about her is that she doesn’t just spend her time working for this cause, but she’s living it out, as a mother of four children, two of whom have cystic fibrosis. Her goal is to make sure that millennials and generation Z recognize the horrors of abortion for women and their preborn infants, and I hope that after hearing her, you’ll walk away with that as your goal too.
Toni is someone who believes in the power of relationships and is passionate about sharing that with the next generation. She is vulnerable and real when sharing her own story of relationships, sex, and how God has redeemed her past. The thing we love about her story is the fact that she doesn’t overlook the hard work of healing that she needed to put in to set a new foundation for herself. Toni first and foremost wants to make sure that every person knows how to handle forgiveness, receive redemption, and look at mistakes through the lens of the Gospel. Toni speaks profoundly about love, identity, the sanctity of life, and how they all connect together.
Toni is an international speaker on the topic of abortion and healthy relationships. She is the founder of the program Relationships Matter which seeks to educate the youth on the degradation of sex in our culture while equipping them to walk out healthy relationships to not only protect themselves but honor their spouse in the future. Because of her background, she understands the power of overcoming a past and setting new foundations. Her goal is to educate and expose the lies of abortion by sharing her own story. She is a graduate of West Chester University, with a master’s in professional counseling from Clark’s Summit University. She is married to a wonderful man and blessed with 4 beautiful children.
Finding wholeness in your life is a continuous journey that can see hardships and healing. Discovering your identity in Christ and the worth your life is given will be the most rewarding experience. Join us as we discover tools and truths to walk in wholeness, worth and love – all of which are so important.
Kristie serves as the youth director at the Church of St. Clement in El Paso, TX. Her heart’s desire is to see this generation of “youth” on fire for Jesus. Isaiah 61:1-3 has been near and dear to her heart throughout the past several years; to see chains broken and captives liberated, for crowns of beauty to be placed on the heads of our youth instead of a sack of ashes. Kristie has personal experience with what it really means to struggle over sin and seek healing because of the impact that it had on her life, her relationships, and her identity. Kristie has been married to her high school sweetheart, Mark, for three and a half years.
Our prayer is that the messages on this podcast would educate you, empower you, and inspire you to believe that the power you are given because your identity is in Christ is more than you can imagine. Life is important, valuable, and irreplaceable.
“When our [women’s] liberation costs innocent lives, it is merely oppression redistributed.”
Pro-Life Feminists
Sammie graduated from Robert Morris University in 2017 with a background in biology and psychology and started working with Anglicans for Life (AFL) shortly after. In addition to her work with AFL, she spends time speaking to high schoolers about healthy relationships and sex education, as well as homeschooling for a family in her community.
Sammie married her best friend, Juan Gallo, in May 2019. During her free time, you can find her leading youth ministry with her husband at their church, where he serves as the youth pastor, and caring for their sweet baby girl who joined their family in August 2020.
Sammie spends her day-to-day making sure that every person hears and believes the words: “you were made for more.” You can follow Sammie on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter! She’d love to get to know you!