HOW OLD ARE YOU TODAY?

THREE.

AND WHAT IS YOUR NAME?

> AND WHERE DO YOU LIVE?

ALASKA.

WHO IS YOUR MOMMY?

WHO IS YOUR DADDY?

DADDY BURPO.

WHO IS YOUR SISTER?

Reporter: THAT WAS 10

YEARS AGO.

LOOKING AT COLTON NOW, YOU

WOULD NEVER GUESS HE ALMOST

DIED IN 2003.

HIS FATHER, TODD, STARTED

TELLING US HIS STORY THAT IS

IN THE BOOK, "HEAVEN IS FOR

REAL."

HE STARTED THROWING UP

AND WE THOUGHT HE HAD THE

STOMACH FLU.

Reporter: 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 THEY SAID, YOU

NEED TO COME OUT IN THE

HALLWAY.

AND SOMEONE CAME TO US AND

STARTED TALKING TO US AND

SAID, WE'VE GOT TO HAVE

SURGERY ON YOUR KID.

IT WAS TOUGH.

SEEING YOUR BOY BE LIFELESS,

WHEN HE WAS A VERY VIBRANT

CHILD.

AND IT WAS AT THAT MOMENT

THAT WE WERE LOOKING AT EACH

OTHER.

I REMEMBER MY WIFE HOLDING

COLTON IN THE HALLWAY, JUST

US, AND HE WAS NOT EVEN

MOVING.

WE WENT TO THE SURGERY PREP,

AND I REMEMBER THEM HAULING

HIM AWAY, AND HIM SAYING,

DADDY, DON'T LET THEM TAKE

ME.

DADDY, DON'T LET THEM TAKE

ME.

I WENT TO THE PRE-OP, AND I

WAS FINALLY ALONE AND I SHUT

THE DOWN.

AND I FINALLY BROKE DOWN AND

I WAS MAD AT GOD.

I WAS FRUSTRATED, FED UP.

AND I REMEMBER TELLING HIM,

GOD, AFTER ALL I'VE DONE FOR

YOU, AND NOW YOU'RE GOING TO

TAKE MY KID?

THIS IS HOW YOU TREAT YOUR

PASTORS.

WE WERE CALLING OUR

PRAYER CHAIN, AND ANYBODY

WHO WOULD BE ON THE OTHER

LINE TO GET COLTON ON THE

PRAYER CHAIN, BECAUSE IT WAS

BAD.

WE WERE IN THE WAITING

ROOM FOR AN HOUR AND A HALF,

MAYBE.

I REMEMBER THE NURSE COMING

OUT AND SAYING, IS COLTON'S

DADDY OUT HERE?

SHE SAID, COLTON IS IN

RECOVERY AND HE IS

SCREAMLING FOR YOU.

I REMEMBER MY SON LOOKING AT

ME, AND HE GOES, DAD, DO YOU

KNOW I ALMOST DIED?

AND MY FIRST THOUGHT IS,

MAYBE HE OVERHEARD THE NURSE

SAY THAT.

MAYBE THEY THOUGHT HE WAS

UNDER ANESTHESIA, AND HE

WASN'T.

IT WASN'T UNTIL FOUR MONTHS

AFTER HE GOT OUT OF THE

HOSPITAL THAT WE FINALLY

LISTENED TO OUR SON.

THAT'S WHEN I GOT TO SEE

HEAVEN.

JESUS AND SOME ANGELS CAME

AND FLEW ME UP TO HEAVEN.

AND I SAID, COLTON, WHAT

DID JESUS LOOK LIKE?

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.

WELL, DAD, JESUS HAS

MARKERS.

DAD, JESUS HAS MARKERS.

I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HE

MEANT.

SO I FINALLY ASKED THE RIGHT

QUESTION.

COLTON, WHERE ARE JESUS

MARKERS.

HE DROPS HIS TOYS AND STANDS

UP, AND HE POINTS AND SAYS,

DAD, THEY WERE RIGHT HERE.

POINTS TO HIS PALMS AND THEN

BENDS OVER AND TOUCHES THE

TOP OF HIS FEET.

AND HE SAYS, THAT'S WHERE

JESUS' MARKERS WERE, DAD.

I WAS IN THE THRONE ROOM,

AND I GOT TO SEE WHAT THAT

WAS 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 THERE I ON FELT

BETTER.

AND ONE DAY WE'RE

TRAVELLING TOGETHER, AND HE

LOOKS UP AT ME, AND HE SAYS,

DAD, YOU USED TO HAVE A

GRANDPA NAMED POP, DIDN'T

YOU.

AND I WAS, LIKE, YEAH.

HE IS REALLY NICE.

REALLY?

YEAH, YOU USED TO PLAY

WITH HIM AS A KID AND WORK

WITH HIM ON THE FARM AND

SHOOT STUFF WITH HIM.

AND I WAS, LIKE, HOW DO YOU

KNOW THAT?

AND HE SAID, HE TOLD ME.

A FIGURE CAME UP AND HE

WAS POP.

HE SAID, ARE YOU TODD'S

SON?

AND I SAID YES.

AND HE SAID HE WAS HIS POP.

GRANDPA.

HE WAS KILLED IN A CAR

WRECK BEFORE I TURNED

SEVEN.

HE CAME UP AND TOLD ME HE

HAD TWO SISTERS.

WELL, HE HAD TO SAY IT

SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE HE GOT

MY ATTENTION.

FINALLY, I LOOKED AT HIM AND

I SAID, WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU

HAVE TWO SISTERS.

I HAVE TWO SISTERS.

YOU HAD A BABY THAT DIED IN

YOUR TUMMY.

AND I WAS, LIKE, HOW DO YOU

KNOW YOU HAD TWO SISTERS.

AND HE SAID, SHE TOLD ME.

SHE LOOKED LIKE CASSIE,

BUT SHE HAD BROWN HAIR.

AND HE SAID, SHE KEPT

HUGGING ME.

SHE WOULDN'T STOP HUGGING

ME, MOM, AND I DIDN'T LIKE

THAT.

I'M NOT REALLY THE

HUGGING TYPE.

I MISCARRIED THE WEEKEND

OF FATHER'S DAY, WHICH MADE

IT EVEN TOUGHER.

WE THOUGHT WE HAD GOTTEN

OVER IT.

IT, THAT THE BABY HAD

DIED.

WHEN HE SAID HE HAD TWO

SISTERS, I THINK I WAS IN

SHOCK FIRST.

AND THEN TRYING TO REALIZE,

WHAT IS HE TELLING ME.

SO I KNEW HE HAD SEEN HER.

AND AFTER HE DESCRIBED HER

AND HE SAID, SHE IS JUST

WAITING FOR YOU GUYS TO COME

TO HEAVEN.

AS WE TALKED ABOUT

HEAVEN, AND HE WAS TELLING

ME ALL OF THESE WONDERFUL

DETAILS, I ASKED HIM, DID HE

WANT TO COME BACK?

I KNEW I WAS LEAVING

HEAVEN BECAUSE JESUS CAME TO

ME AND SAID, COLTON, YOU

NEED TO GO BACK.

EVEN THOUGH I DIDN'T WANT TO

GO BACK, HE SAID THAT HE WAS

ANSWERING MY DAD'S PRAYER.

I REMEMBER THAT PRAYER.

THAT IRREVERENT, THAT

DISRESPECTFUL, SCREAMING AT

GOD PRAYER.

AND I WAS, LIKE, YOU'RE

ANSWERING THAT PRAYER?

Reporter: TODAY COLTON

IS A HEALTHY 13-YEAR-OLD,

AND SHARES HIS HEAVENLY

JOURNEY WITH BOLDNESS.

I LEARNED THAT HEAVEN IS

FOR REAL, AND YOU'RE GOING

TO LIKE IT.