Alexa PenaVega says God showed her vision of late daughter in Heaven: 'Dancing with Jesus'
While worshiping in church just over two years after her daughter Indy came into the world stillborn, Alexa PenaVega asked God for a radical request.
"I was like, 'Lord, I don't even know if this is possible, but if it is, can you just show me what she's doing in Heaven right now? Can I just get a glimpse? Is she playing? Are there other babies in a playpen right now? What does that look like? What is she doing?'" the 36-year-old actress told The Christian Post.
Almost instantly, PenaVega said she received a "whoosh of a vision that was so clearly from the Lord."
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"I don't know what Heaven looks like. I don't know what time the timeline looks like in Heaven," she said. "But He showed me an image of a young woman in her 20s worshiping God in Heaven with long, gorgeous, dark hair. And that was Indy, worshiping God up in Heaven in her 20s, and it blew my mind.
I was bawling. It blew my mind because I was just like, 'God, what? I'm sitting here thinking she's this little baby in Heaven, but she's this grown woman worshiping and praising God. I was like, 'Thank you. I just needed that.'"
In April 2024, PenaVega and her husband, Carlos, revealed Indy was "born at rest" after a "beautiful and peaceful delivery."
In a May 2024 interview with CP, the PenaVegas said the weeks following the loss of their fourth child had been a "roller coaster" of emotions — yet God had been ever-present.
"God has really been meeting us where we're at, and He's just been providing us so much peace," PenaVega said at the time. "He's really been so graceful to us. … He's been the only reason we've been able to get through this season."
For PenaVega, grief has given James 1:2 — "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds" — a deeper meaning, strengthened her relationship with God and given her a sense of purpose.
"The sliver of Heaven that He allows us to experience over and over again through her life — it's painful, and it hurts and it's heartbreaking, but it's also like, 'God, I've never known You more than I know you now. I've never experienced You more than I've experienced you now,'" she told CP. "Even my closeness to Indy without her physically being here, I feel so connected to her, knowing she's safe up there dancing with Jesus. It's just a wild, beautiful, painful experience."
Finding hope in faith is a theme in PenaVega's life — and it's one she carries into her newest holiday film, "Get Him Back for Christmas," playing on Great American Family's streaming platform Pure Flix.
"Get Him Back for Christmas" follows Bella Harlan, a rising pop star (played by PenaVega) who returns to her hometown after her rockstar boyfriend suggests they "take a break." Bella reconnects with her high school songwriting partner, Jack Grayton (played by PenaVega's real-life husband), to craft the ultimate "get him back" song. But as the two work together, Bella begins to question what real love looks like — and discovers it might be closer than she thought.
"Bella isn't your typical bratty pop star who needs to learn a lesson," PenaVega explained. "She's sweet, hardworking, and determined. She's chasing both her dreams and love, which makes her so relatable."
PenaVega, who shot to fame as a child actress in the 2001 film "Spy Kids," and Carlos PenaVega, known for his role in the pop group Big Time Rush, married in 2014. Throughout their marriage, they haven't been shy about using their platform to point others to the goodness of God — and their latest film, she told CP, is part of that mission.
"Carlos and I elevate each other. We know what we're capable of and push each other to be better," she said. "Plus, we have so much fun on set. I love to ad-lib, and he just rolls with it. That kind of synergy makes filming a dream. … This movie was our baby, so to be able to do this together was very, very special."
The movie also features original songs co-written by Carlos PenaVega and performed by the couple, including the emotional track "Hey Bella, Part Two."
"We didn't have the final version of one song until an hour and a half before filming," PenaVega shared. "I was so stressed, but in the end, it was perfect. God's timing, as always, was impeccable."
For Alexa PenaVega, this movie is a passion project that revisits the charm of old-school Christmas films.
"We love the classics, like 'Christmas with the Kranks.' They're fun, wholesome, and full of heart," she said. "We wanted to create something like that — something families can watch together."
Balancing a thriving career with a grounded family life has been a priority for the PenaVegas, who now live in Tennessee with their three children. The duo is outspoken about their faith's influence on their parenting.
"It starts at home," she emphasized. "Kids watch how you live, how you treat others, how you respond to challenges. That's how they experience faith."
"Even the way my mom raised me, we were just always normal kids at home when we weren't on set," she recalled.
"At one point, I was being a little bratty around 10, and [my mom] was like, 'No.' So, she pulled me out of the industry and turned down jobs. At the time, everybody was like, 'You're crazy. You're going to ruin her career.' She's like, 'Well, I don't want to ruin my kid.' That is something super important that you don't really hear about often in this industry. Even though we love filmmaking, we don't love the industry. There are a lot of aspects of it that are just a battle."
For PenaVega, her experience with heartbreak, loss and God's faithfulness through it all has only deepened her resolve to share stories of hope and redemption.
"I really feel like Indy taught us that God knew the attacks of the enemy. He knew what was going to happen. So He made a way, and the community that he provided for us throughout this season, I've never had community like this before; the way I think of Heaven now on the daily, the way I talk to God, my relationship with God, it's never been like this," she said.
"Even though it was a profound loss, it was also a profound gain, where I experience a sliver of Heaven daily because He just continues to meet me where I'm at, and the same thing with my husband. It sounds weird to say because it is so painful, but it was also so purposeful. We say that Indy didn't even take a breath, and she changed the world. The things that she's done for people who've reached out to us, who've also experienced stillbirth — what God has not just done for us in this season, but for other people in this season. I really do feel like it was almost like a reigniting of faith."
Leah M. Klett is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: leah.klett@christianpost.com
