'She Is Alive in the Presence of God': Bethel Family Moves Toward Memorial Service for 2-Year-Old

A post on Bethel Church's Instagram page announced that the family of Olive Heiligenthal, who had been praying for resurrection after their 2-year-old daughter suddenly passed away days ago, is now “moving towards a memorial service.”

Despite the continued prayers of the family, Bethel Church, and believers worldwide, the miracle they were hoping for has not happened.

The following update was shared on Bethel's Instagram page:

“Olive hasn't been raised. The breakthrough we have sought hasn't come. With the same heart of confidence in God's goodness, we receive the comfort of the Good Shepherd as Andrew, Kalley, and Olive's big sister Elsie, their family, and our church walk together through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). And so, we are moving towards a memorial service and celebration of her life."

 

 

 

 

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Since learning the news of two-year old Olive Heiligenthal’s sudden death, we have sought a miracle from God to raise her from the dead. We realize this is out of the norm, but that’s what a miracle is—it’s outside the box of nature and our power. As the Bible testifies, God is the God of the reasonable & possible, as well as the God of the unreasonable & impossible. In this process, we have been asking God to fulfill our hearts desire to see His kingdom manifested in great power. When you are a friend of God and know that He is your heavenly Father, you trust Him and ask for big, outlandish miracles. As a church, we have been contending for, singing about, and witnessing God’s power to save, heal, and deliver for over fifty years. It is normal for us to ask for things, trust Him, and then glorify His name regardless of the outcome. This is what life with the King is all about. In this situation, grief has not been avoided, as we have all been grieving from the moment we heard the news. Faith isn’t denial of the facts or of our emotions, it is knowing that God cares and intervenes in the midst of them. Here is where we are: Olive hasn’t been raised. The breakthrough we have sought hasn’t come. With the same heart of confidence in God’s goodness, we receive the comfort of the Good Shepherd as Andrew, Kalley, and Olive’s big sister Elsie, their family, and our church walk together through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23). And so, we are moving towards a memorial service and celebration of her life. Our community is being deeply impacted by the tragedy of Olive’s death. As we have gone through this difficult time, we are grateful to see that faith, hope, and love have been the response. The Lord wastes nothing. He will bring beauty for ashes (Isaiah 61:3CloseIsaiah 61:3 To all who mourn in Israel,*  he will give a crown of beauty for ashes,a joyous blessing instead of mourning,  festive praise instead of despair.In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks  that the LORD has planted for his own glory. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). The joy of our faith is that, though we haven’t seen the miracle of Olive being raised, she is alive in the presence of God. Her mom and dad will see her again, and we too will join her in resurrection one day. Believers know that heaven is full of homecomings, reunions, celebration, worship, and joy. He is good, all the time. Thank you for your continued prayers for the Heiligenthal family.

A post shared by Bethel Church (@bethel) on Dec 20, 2019 at 5:42pm PST

Olive was the daughter of Bethel worship leader Kalley Heiligenthal and her husband, Andrew.

Following the child's death, the Heiligenthal's and Bethel Church asked everyone of faith to pray that Olive would be raised back to life by God's power.

"We sought a miracle from God to raise her from the dead. We realize this is out of the norm, but that's what a miracle is—it's outside the box of nature and our power."

CBN News previously reported that this type of prayer gathering for Olive was the first-ever public gathering of prayer for a resurrection that Bethel has ever hosted.

Over the past week, Bethel Church, the Christian community and prayer warriors around the world never lost hope that God would make a way for Olive to breathe again.

 

 

 

 

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Our God is the God of miracles, and nothing is impossible for Him! We are asking you, our global church family, to join with us in prayer and in declaring life and resurrection over @kalleyheili and @apheiligenthal’s daughter, Olive Alayne. Kalley, Andrew, and Elise, we stand with you in faith and in agreement for Olive’s life! Read Kalley’s Post: We’re asking for prayer. We believe in a Jesus who died and conclusively defeated every grave, holding the keys to resurrection power. We need it for our little Olive Alayne, who stopped breathing yesterday and has been pronounced dead by doctors. We are asking for bold, unified prayers from the global church to stand with us in belief that He will raise this little girl back to life. Her time here is not done, and it is our time to believe boldly, and with confidence wield what King Jesus paid for. It’s time for her to come to life.

A post shared by Bethel Church (@bethel) on Dec 15, 2019 at 10:34am PST

Renowned missionary Heidi Baker, who has seen miracles in her outreaches to Africa and Mozambique, joined with the Bethel community in praying for Olive's restoration.

The Helingathal family is grateful for the faith, hope, and love that has surrounded them during this difficult time.

A GoFundMe was started to assist the family and their financial needs. So far, the effort has raised $56,228 of his $100,000 goal.

Please continue to pray for the Helingathal family.