Grandma not in heaven’ boy reports

APPLE VALLEY, Minn. — Four-year-old Jeremy Werdt says he went to heaven during emergency spleen surgery, and his testimony of seeing Jesus and deceased relatives thrilled his Christian family and landed him a book contract.

Then Jeremy revealed to his family that Wanda Spencer, his maternal grandmother, was not in heaven after all.

“To have Jeremy back and talking about this amazing experience of being with the Lord was the most wonderful day of our lives,” says his mother, Brenda. “He named all the relatives he’d seen and we just sat there crying. Then, after a while, we realized he hadn’t said anything about my mom, Grandma Spencer.”

When Brenda asked about her, Jeremy shook his head and said, “She ain’t there,” then rolled over and went back to sleep.

“Our smiles froze in place,” says Brenda. “All the comfort I’ve had since her death vanished.”

Distressed, the family gathered in Jeremy’s recovery room two days later to gently quiz him again about who he had seen. He was able to repeatedly name and describe every deceased relative he had spent time with in heaven, even ones he hadn’t met during his life on earth.

But when it came to Grandma Spencer, the boy was firm.

“Every time we asked he just shrugged his shoulders and said, ‘Nope. Not there,’” says Brenda. “We suggested maybe he didn’t recognize her because she looked younger in heaven. He smiled and said, ‘Mom, you recognize everyone in heaven. Grandma wasn’t around.’”

The revelation has divided the family. Some doubt Jeremy had an out-of-body experience at all. Others suggest that during Jeremy’s visit to heaven, Grandma Spencer was elsewhere on God’s business.

But “what kind of grandmother wouldn’t stop by to visit her grandson to encourage him before he returns to earth?” asks one of Jeremy’s uncles. “That just doesn’t sound like Mom.”

Other relatives have started to speculate about Grandma Spencer’s actual beliefs. They describe a quiet, mischievous woman with a stubborn streak, very much the opposite of Grandpa Spencer who was outspoken about his faith. Many are wondering if Grandma Spencer ever made a solid declaration of faith.

“She was always coy about it and kept her beliefs to herself,” says Brenda’s sister Beatrice. “She would sit there with a knowing smile when we talked religion. I always thought it was a sign of her wisdom and humility. Now I’m racking my brain to remember if she ever claimed Christ or not. I want anything to hold onto.”

In the weeks since the experience, some say they can’t look at old photographs of Grandma Spencer without a fresh sense of grief and even anger at her. Some say they wish Jeremy hadn’t been granted a heavenly visit at all.

“As wonderful as it was for him, the rest of us are going out of our minds,” says Beatrice. “I wish someone could go back to heaven and find out for sure.”•



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