by Todd Burpo
A lot of our Catholic friends have asked whether Colton saw Mary, the
mother of Jesus. The answer to that is also yes. He saw Mary kneeling
before the throne of God and at other times, standing beside Jesus. “She
stil loves him like a mom,” Colton said.
Another question people ask al the time is how Colton’s experience has
changed us. The first thing Sonja wil tel you is that it absolutely broke us.
See, pastors and their families are usual y most comfortable in the role of
“helper,” not “helpee.” Sonja and I had always been the ones who visited
the sick, brought the meals, cared for others’ kids, in times of need. We
were adamantly self-reliant—maybe, in retrospect, to the point of being
prideful. But that grueling stint in the hospital snapped our pride like a dry
twig and taught us how to be humble enough to accept help from other
people, physical y, emotional y, and financial y.
It’s good to be strong and able to bless others, yes. But we learned the
value of being vulnerable enough to let others be strong for us, to let others
bless us. That, it turned out, was a blessing to them as wel .
Another way Colton’s story has changed us is this: we are bolder. We
live in a day and time when people question the existence of God. As a
pastor, I was always comfortable talking about my faith, but now, in
addition, I talk about what happened to my son. It’s the truth and I talk about
it, no apologies.
Meanwhile, here in Imperial, the business of living goes on just the same
as it does for families al across smal -town America. Cassie is thirteen
and headed for high school in the fal . Last night was a big night for her:
she tried out for the high school show choir. Our youngest, Colby, is also
reaching a milestone: He’s starting kindergarten this year, which is a good
thing because he was starting to drive his preschool teacher nuts.
As for Colton, he’l turn eleven this month and in September wil enter the
sixth grade. He’s a regular kid in every way. He wrestles and plays
basebal . He plays the piano and the trumpet, but isn’t too wild about
school and says his favorite subject is recess. He stil talks about heaven
occasional y, but he hasn’t claimed to have gone on any more trips or to
have any kind of special, ongoing connection with eternity. And despite his
supernatural journey, his relationships with his siblings are as natural as
can be. Colby fol ows Colton around little-brother-style, and they fight over
who stole whose action figures. Cassie, meanwhile, is the long-suffering
older sister. This was demonstrated perfectly when we were al trying to
think up a good title for this book.
I suggested Heaven by Four.
Sonja suggested Heaven, According to Colton.
Cassie suggested He’s Back, but He’s No Angel.
In the end, though, it was Colton who inadvertently came up with the title.
Around Christmastime in 2009, we had taken a family trip down to Texas
and were sitting with our editor at a Starbucks in Dal as, discussing the
book. She looked across the table at our oldest son and said, “Colton,
what do you want people to know from your story?”
Without hesitation, he looked her in the eye and said, “I want them to
know that heaven is for real.”
Todd Burpo
Imperial, Nebraska
May 2010
TIMELINE OF EVENTS
July 1976—Todd Burpo’s grandpa, whom he cal s “Pop” (Lawrence
Edelbert Barber), dies in a car accident between Ulysses and Liberal,
Kansas.
1982—Todd as a thirteen-year-old hears and accepts Christ’s cal into
ministry as a preacher of the gospel.
December 29, 1990—Todd and Sonja Burpo are married.
August 16, 1996—Cassie Burpo, Colton’s older sister, is born.
July 1997—Pastor Todd and Sonja Burpo accept a cal to the Crossroads
Wesleyan Church in Imperial, Nebraska.
June 20, 1998—Sonja Burpo miscarries their second child. She is two
months along.
May 19, 1999—Colton Burpo is born.
August 2002—Todd shatters his leg in a coed softbal tournament game.
October 2002—Todd develops kidney stones.
November 2002—Todd feels a lump in his chest that is diagnosed as
hyperplasia.
February 27, 2003—Colton complains of stomach pain and has a high
fever that is misdiagnosed as stomach flu.
February 28, 2003—Colton’s fever breaks. His parents rejoice, thinking
that Colton is wel , when in fact this is a sign of the rupturing of his
appendix.
March 1, 2003—The Burpo family visits the Denver Butterfly Pavilion to
celebrate Todd’s recovery. That night Colton begins vomiting
uncontrol ably.
March 3, 2003—Colton is examined by a doctor in Imperial, Nebraska,
who dismisses suggestions of appendicitis.
March 5, 2003—Todd and Sonja personal y check Colton out of the
Imperial, Nebraska, hospital and take their son by car to North Platte,
Nebraska’s Great Plains Regional Medical Center. Dr. Timothy
O’Hol eran prepares for surgery.
March 5, 2003—Colton undergoes his first surgery, an appendectomy. He
has both a ruptured appendix and an abscess.
March 13, 2003—Colton is discharged from the hospital. But as Todd and
Sonja wheel him into the elevator, Dr. O’Hol eran shouts down the
hal way for them to return. Blood tests reveal Colton’s white blood cel
count has spiked. A CT scan reveals two more abscesses in his
abdomen.
March 13, 2003—Colton undergoes a second surgery—a celiotomy—to
drain the abscess. During surgery a total of three abscesses are
found.
March 17, 2003—Dr. O’Hol eran advises Todd and Sonja that there is
nothing more he can do for Colton. He recommends that Colton be
transferred to the Denver Children’s Hospital. A blizzard blocks al
exits with two feet of snow. Back home in Imperial, their congregation
gathers for a prayer meeting.
March 18, 2003—The next morning, Colton shows amazing signs of
recovery and is soon playing like a normal kid. He skips to his CT
scan, which shows no more obstruction.
March 19, 2003—After seventeen harrowing days, Colton’s family returns
to Imperial.
July 3, 2003—While en route to visit his cousin in South Dakota, Colton
tel s the first of many accounts of heaven while parked in an Arby’s
parking lot in North Platte, Nebraska. Colton progressively tel s more
stories of his adventures in heaven.
October 4, 2004—Colby Burpo, Colton’s younger brother, is born.
May 19, 2010—Colton Burpo turns eleven. He remains physical y healthy.
NOTES
Chapter 2: Pastor Job
1. Matthew 10:24.
Chapter 6: North Platte
1. 2 Samuel 12:13–14, paraphrased.
2. 2 Samuel 12:21–23, paraphrased.
Chapter 9: Minutes Like Glaciers
1. Matthew 9:6.
Chapter 12: Eyewitness to Heaven
1. Mark 9:3.
2. Revelation 21:19–20.
Chapter 13: Lights and Wings
1. Acts 1:9–11.
3. Acts 6:15 NLT.
4. Revelation 10:1 NLT.
5. Matthew 18:3–4.
6. Daniel 10:4–6.
Chapter 14: On Heaven Time
1. 2 Peter 3:8.
2. 2 Corinthians 12:2–4.
3. Revelation 4:1–3.
Chapter 18: The Throne Room of God
1. Hebrews 4:16.
2. Hebrews 12:2.
3. Revelation 21:2–5a, 22–23.
4. Hebrews 12:2.
5. Luke 1:13–15a, 18–19.
6. Hebrews 12:1.
7. Revelation 21:23.
Chapter 19: Jesus Real y Loves the Children
1. Revelation 4:3.
2. Revelation 21:18–20 ESV.
3. Matthew 7:7, 9–11.
Chapter 25: Swords of the Angels
1. Luke 10:18.
2. Daniel 10:13.
Chapter 26: The Coming War
1. Revelation 9:6–10 NKJV.
2. Revelation 20:1–3, 7–10 KJV.
Chapter 27: Someday We’ll See
1. John 20:24–29.
2. Akiane Kramarik, Akiane: Her Life, Her Art, Her Poetry (Nashville: Thomas Nelson,
2006).
3. Mark 10:14.
ABOUT THE BURPOS
TODD BURPO is the pastor of Crossroads Wesleyan Church in Imperial,
Nebraska (Population: 1,762 in 2008), where his sermons are broadcast
local y every Sunday via the local radio station. He also works at Chase
County Public Schools as a wrestling coach for junior and high school
students, as wel as serving as a member of the school board. In
emergencies Todd can be found working shoulder-to-shoulder with the
Imperial Volunteer Fire Department as a fire fighter. He is also the
chaplain for the Nebraska State Volunteer Firefighter’s Association. To
support his family, Todd also operates a company cal ed Overhead Door
Specialists. Todd graduated from Oklahoma Wesleyan University in 1991
summa cum laude with a BA in Theology. He was ordained in 1994.
SONJA BURPO is a busy mom to Cassie, Colton, and Colby and works at
Moreland Realty as Office Manager. With a BS in Elementary Education
from Oklahoma Wesleyan University and a Masters in Library and
Information Science, Sonja is a certified teacher in the state of Nebraska.
She has taught in the public school system both in Oklahoma as wel as in
Imperial. Sonja is passionate about children’s ministry and also works side
by side with Todd as administrator for his garage door company.
ABOUT LYNN VINCENT
LYNN VINCENT is the New York Times best-sel ing writer of Same Kind of
Different as Me, the story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy white
art dealer and a homeless African-American man; and Going Rogue: An
American Life, the memoir of former Alaska governor and vice
presidential candidate Sarah Palin.
The author or coauthor of nine books, Vincent worked for eleven years
as senior writer, then features editor, at the national news biweekly
WORLD Magazine where she covered politics, culture, and current events.
A U. S. Navy veteran, Lynn is also a lecturer in writing at the World
Journalism Institute and at The King’s Col ege in New York City. She lives
in San Diego, California.
Colton’s three-year-old preschool photo, October 2002
Doc’s Dodgers, Todd and Sonja’s coed softball team
Todd, Sonja, and Colton at the Denver Butterfly Pavilion, March 1, 2003
Colton holding Rosie the tarantula with older sister Cassie watching
Photo from the Imperial Republican newspaper, Colton and Todd one week after Colton’s
hospital release
Colton’s 4th birthday party, a real celebration! May 19, 2003
Colton, Todd, Sonja, and Cassie at Sioux Falls, South Dakota, July 2003
Colton’s first day of second year preschool, September 2003
Todd and Colton, November 2003
Colton at age seven and Colby at eighteen months playing swords, Spring 2006
Colton, aka The Flash, October 2007