what's your idea of heaven ? a little boy from nebraska thinks he has a good idea because he said he's been there. we'll talk to him in a moment. first, his story.
some people have called this god's country. with crimson sunrises and rolling farmlands. imperial, nebraska, population 1,982, is the heartland. it's also where the burpo, todd , the local pastor, sonja and their three kids live. normal in all respects it shaexcept one.
a few angels came to pick me up and i was looking at jesus .
that's right. their 11-year-old colton has been to jesus .
then he says the thing that gets their attention. that's when the angels sang to me, mom . wow.
it all started when colton was 4 with a near tragedy.
we hit a low. we looked at each other.
what they thought was the flu was a burst appendix.
he had it for four days.
they were given little hope.
i remember the doctor not saying anything. you know that was a nightmare.
after 17 days in the hospital colton emerged but he was different. he began speaking about things he couldn't possibly know about. his mother's miscarriage. his father's prayers and a visit with his great-grandfather pop.
i was just sitting by the holy spirit . then this guy comes up to me and says, are you todd 's son? i said, yes. he said, well, i'm his grand-father.
it led to this book " heaven is forle real." good morning to all of you.
good morning.
colton , i will talk to you in a second, but todd , first they will say this is a pastor, a believer, a man of the cloth. he wants desperately to believe this and he wants others to believe it. that's why this story is out there. how do you respond to people like that?
at first, we were surprised. we doubted ourselves. we never anticipated to talk to our son about these things. what grabbed my attention is he could tell me where i was while he was in surgery. the surgeon couldn't, my wife couldn't. he could tell me.
you asked how he knew. he said, i was sitting in jesus ' lap as you were doing all these things.
yes.
you were both cynical until you started to hear these things.
exactly.
some of the other things he said. okay, i'm sitting in jesus ' lap. everyone in heaven has wings. mine for smaller than most people's. nobody is old in heaven .
i like that part.
a lot of people like that.
did you start to share these stories with other people and did anyone say, you folks are crazy? you have been through a traumatic experience. sonja ?
we didn't share at first. once we started sharing, people were amazed and encouraged by what we were sharing with them.
colton , today you're 11. this happened when you were 4. how vivid are your memories today? can you close your eyes and remember exactly what you think heaven looked like? exactly what jesus looked like? all those things?
well, i remember most of it. but since time has come by, you forget.
when you say nobody in heaven is old, they all -- you saw nobody like in their 60s, 70s, 80s up there?
no. saw them in their 20s, 30s at oldest.
i think a question a lot of people would like to ask is what did heaven itself look like? is it the way i talk about it to my kids? is it above the clouds? is everybody floating? what's it like?
well, there was a lot of colors. there are a lot of people. and a lot of animals.
you know, i think the story that's going to get people's attention, sonja and todd , is the story that he met the child that you had miscarried. that was a couple years earlier. had you ever told him about that incident?
not at all. not at all.
how would you explain it to a 3-year-old that a baby died in your tummy? no. it was something we didn't even share with our friends.
can you describe the moment he said that to you?
shocking, but then a relief which she's okay. we didn't know she was a she.
tell me about pop, colton .
well, pop, he was very big, huge wings. he had curly hair , big smile and he was really nice.
you know, what's amazing is this has become a "new york times" bestseller for nonfiction. is simple explanation is a lot of people want to believe or want to question.
i think for us, he told us about his sister in heaven and we hadn't told him. another one of those holy cow moments. he can't invent this. no memory was planted, but the pie peace that came other us and the healing that, wow, i have a daughter waiting for me. a lot of people need that hope and healing, too. i think that's what a lot of people are finding when they hear colton 's testimony.
tell us what you want people to take from this -- a sense of peace prap peace prerhaps?
hope, healing.
the book is called " heaven is for real." they will be back in the fourth hour to talk to kathie lee and hoda. we'll be right back after your local news.