Colton Burpo

Glimpses of Heaven

Looking at Colton Burpo today you would never know that he almost died as a four year old in 2.003. 

His father, Todd, wrote about the near death experience in the book, Heaven is for Real.

"He started throwing up in the toilet," remembers Todd. "

At first we thought he had the stomach flu because the Doctor said it was going around."

Colton's condition only got worse as the days passed. 

His doctor discovered his appendix had burst and infection was spreading in his body. 

Time was running out.

"We knew we were in bad shape when the nurse said, 'You need to come out to the hallway.'" recalls Todd. "

They separated us from everyone else and someone came and started talking to us. 

'We need to have surgery on your son.'"

Colton's mom Sonja remembers, "it was tough, seeing your boy lifeless, when he was a very vibrant child."

"It was at that moment we were looking at each other and I remember my wife holding Colton in that hallway. It was just us and Colton wasn't even moving." says Todd. "

We went to the surgery prep area. I remember them taking him away and him just yelling at me, 'Daddy, don't let them take me. Daddy, don't let them take me.'"

"Then I went back to the pre-op room and I was finally alone," remembers Todd. "

And I just broke down. I was mad at God. 

I was just frustrated, fed up. 

And I remember telling him, 'God, after all I've done for you, and now you're gonna take my kid? Is this how you treat your pastors?'"

"I was calling our prayer chain," remembers Sonja. "

I was calling anyone on the other line to get Colton on the prayer chain because it was bad."

"We were in the waiting room maybe an hour and a half total," says Todd. "

And then I remember the nurse coming out,'Is Colton's daddy out here?' 

I'm said, 'Yes.' And the nurse said, 'Well, Colton is in recovery and he is screaming for you.'"

“And I’m sitting there with him,” says Todd. “

And I remember my son in that room tlooking up at me and he says ‘Dad, do you know I almost died?’ 

And my first thought was that maybe he overheard the nurse say that. 

Or maybe they thought he was under anesthesia and he wasn’t. 

It wasn’t until four months after we got out of the hospital that we finally listened to our son.”

“And that’s where I got to see heaven,” said Colton. “Jesus and some angels came and flew me up to heaven.”

Todd asked Colton, “What did Jesus look like?

Colton remembered, “I knew that the first person I saw was Jesus. 

He was wearing white robes with a purple sash and He just came down nicely and gracefully.”

Colton continued to talk about Jesus having "markers," so eventually Todd had to ask what he meant by "markers?"

"He drops his toys down, stands up and just points," says Todd. "'Dad, they are right here.' 

And he takes his fingers and points to the palms then he bends down and touches the tops of his feet, and looks up at me. 'That’s where Jesus’s markers were Dad.'"

"I was in the throne room of God to start with," says Colton. "

So I got to see what that looked like. I was upset because I didn’t know what was happening. 

What God did was He used people or things that I liked to calm me down. 

From then on I felt better."

"One day we were traveling," remembers Todd. "And Colton looked up at me and said, 'Dad, you used to have a grandpa named pop, didn’t you?' 

And I said, 'yeah.' 'He's really nice.' So I said, 'Really?' 'Yeah, you used to play with him as a kid and fix… work with him on the farm and shoot stuff with him.' 

And I said, 'well yes, how do you know that?' 'Well, he told me.'”

Today, Colton is a healthy eleven year old and he shares his heavenly journey with boldness.

"I learned that heaven is for real and you're going to like it," says Colton.