Parents who believed prayer could bring daughter 'back to life' finally admit she can't be 'resurrected'

A heartbroken family who attempted to bring their 2-year-old daughter back to life through prayer have finally given up their efforts, and are now planning a memorial for the toddler.

Andrew and Kalley Heiligenthal had called on worshippers at Bethel Church in Redding, California to pray and sing in a bid to revive their daughter, Olive Alayne, after she stopped breathing on December 14th.

Explaining the effort on a GoFundMe page, Kalley wrote: "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 statement issued from the church stateD that the parents askED for "friends, family, and others from the church gather to pray for a miracle of resurrection (the basis for which is modeled by Jesus in the New Testament of the Bible). Bethel Church believes in the stories of healing and physical resurrection found in the Bible (Matthew 10:8), and that the miracles they portray are possible today."

Now, Bethel Church have conceded that Olive cannot be resurrected. "Here is where we are: Olive hasn’t been raised. The breakthrough we have sought hasn’t come," they wrote in a Facebook post. "And so, we are moving towards a memorial service and celebration of her life."

Although the church admitted that wishing for a resurrection was "out of the norm", they maintain "That’s what a miracle is — it’s outside the box of nature and our power."

"In this situation, grief has not been avoided,” the church continued. “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."