Angels Lift the Van: Emily Bowen Brought Back to Life by Priesthood Power

In his April 2024 general conference address, "Miracles, Angels, and Priesthood Power," Elder Shayne M. Bowen of the Seventy recounted how his ten-year-old daughter was brought back to life by priesthood power:

"In 1989, our family of seven was returning from a ward outing. It was late. Lynette was expecting our sixth child. She felt a strong prompting to fasten her seat belt, which she had forgotten to do. Shortly thereafter we came around a bend in the road; a car crossed the line into our lane. Going about 70 miles (112 km) an hour, I swerved to avoid hitting the oncoming car. Our van rolled, skidded down the highway, and slid off the road, finally coming to a stop, landing with the passenger side in the dirt.

"The next thing I remember hearing was Lynette's voice: 'Shayne, we need to get out through your door.' I was hanging in the air by my seat belt… We started lifting each of the children out of the van through my window, which was now the ceiling of the van. They were crying, wondering what had happened.

"We soon realized that our 10-year-old daughter, Emily, was missing. We yelled her name, but there was no response… I looked in the van again with a flashlight and, to my horror, saw Emily's tiny body trapped under the van. I called out desperately, 'We have to lift the van off of Emily.' I grabbed the roof and pulled back. There were only a few others lifting, but the van miraculously flipped onto its wheels, exposing Emily's lifeless body.

"Emily was not breathing. Her face was the color of a purple plum. I said, 'We need to give her a blessing.' A dear friend and ward member knelt with me, and by the authority of the Melchizedek Priesthood, in the name of Jesus Christ, we commanded her to live. In that moment, Emily took a long raspy breath.

"After what seemed like hours, the ambulance finally arrived… Emily had a collapsed lung and a severed tendon in her knee. Brain damage was a concern because of the time she was without oxygen. Emily was in a coma for a day and a half. We continued to pray and fast for her. She was blessed with a full recovery. Today, Emily and her husband, Kevin, are the parents of six daughters."

Elder Bowen testified: "Those who lifted the van off of Emily observed that the van seemed to weigh nothing. I knew that heavenly angels had joined with earthly angels to lift the vehicle off of Emily's body. I also know that Emily was brought back to life by the power of the holy priesthood."