Will you help support Olive’s legacy?

Your generous giving allows Abel Speaks to support families like ours. Thank you for your partnership as we seek to ensure that every family will cherish their child’s life and have hope in the midst of sorrow!

Olive was so incredibly strong in the womb, which made it hard to believe that outside of the womb, she would be feeble, limited to but a few moments. She had such strong kicks, and we knew that if the Lord willed for us to have her here on earth, she would be our strong, resilient, little miss attitude. Her eyes were blue, and she had the cutest little patch of hair on her little patch of skull. She weighed 4 lbs 15 oz and had the cutest chunky cheeks.

The journey of walking through carrying a child with a life-limiting diagnosis is truly so hard to put into words. The whole journey is so incredibly difficult—from diagnosis, treatment, planning for birth, and what to do after, to informing family members and friends that God’s plan for our daughter’s life and the impact she would have was going to be from Heaven instead of here on earth.

When I got pregnant with Olive, I was filled with fear. I had a 15-month-old already, and having two made me feel overwhelmed. But what I really see when I look back is that deep down in my heart, I knew. I knew that things were gonna be different. God had started preparing my heart years in advance for what we were about to walk through. The day we found out about Olive’s gender was also the day we were informed that “there are some abnormalities.” The following days were filled with heartbreak, some answers, and tears… lots and lots of tears.

Through pregnancy, I can honestly say that I felt God’s peace—that peace that surpasses all understanding. While we didn’t fully know the outcome or what God’s full plan was, we knew He had one. We dove deep into that peace and allowed God to do His will. We tried to walk through the journey with vulnerability and an understanding that whether here or in Heaven, God would heal our daughter. So many prayers were answered during pregnancy, and there was no missing God’s hand in every detail. The birth team we had was amazing and, to our surprise, included like-minded believers who were so understanding and loving—not only to us but also to our family that joined us in the hospital.

I’ll never forget when it came time to say “goodbye,” watching the funeral home carry our daughter away as the song Carried to the Table by Leeland played in the background. Olive was now perfect, complete, lacking in nothing with her Savior. Now started the journey of walking through life with a forever broken heart and learning to parent our children here on earth and our angel in Heaven.

Since losing Olive, there are times of happiness and times of deep, deep sorrow. It’s deep in the sorrow that we are continuously reminded of who God is and that He has allowed us to be Olive’s parents and show her nothing but love and safety. As we prepare to welcome our third baby, God still continues to use the passing of Olive to soften and mold our hearts. We miss our daughter with everything we have!

Abel Speaks is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and all donations are tax-deductible.

2001 W Plano Pkwy, Suite 3405 Plano, TX 75075

(972) 688-6405