“I wonder how beautiful Heaven will be!”

The following is taken from Matt Allen’s blog.

Published Oct 11, 2009

In 2006, Pastor James Naudi made a trip to the USA with me and my family. After a “night on the town” in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio, complete with a Reds baseball game, a sell-out crowd, and a fireworks display, James made this statement on the way back to the car: “Bro. Matt, America is so beautiful….(pause)…I wonder how beautiful Heaven is going to be!?”

Old Man Isaac
I thought of that story tonight when I got a phone call from Kotidanga, Papua New Guinea. I’m travelling in America right now, finishing up my furlough. The phone call was from Pastor James Naudi, and he was passing along news about a man in our village. The man is called “Old Man Isaac.” The term “Old Man” is an endearing term culturally accepted among the Kamea. Let me tell you about Old Man Isaac.

The first time I saw Isaac was in 2004, when I hiked into Kotidanga, looking for a piece of land to start a church and build a home for my family. Come to find out, he thought that I was his son that had died a few weeks before. You see, the Kamea traditionally believed that the white man is one of them resurrected. On that first occasion, I remember thinking, “This old man is about to pass away!” He walked so slowly and could hardly see anything.

One of my Matthew 19:29 100-fold “fathers”
A few months later, after many visits, Pastor James and I had the privilege of leading Old Man Isaac to the Lord. That day, as I walked down the path away from his house, I thought, “Lord, thank you for bringing us right to this man’s village so we could get the Gospel to him right before he died.” I honestly thought he would not survive until Christmas. That was in 2004!

Many times, over the next several years, Old Man Isaac would make the trek to our house. His house is the closest house to ours in the village of Kotidanga. Our houses are only about 100 yards apart, but it would take Old Man Isaac about 30 minutes to cross the open field. One day, after having sat and talked with him for a little while, I had a heart full of pity for him. And, in my American mind, I wanted to help him get home. I had a 4-wheeler sitting there next to my house, so I convinced him to hop on the 4-wheeler behind me while I drove carefully across the field to get him home. Never in my life have I had someone hold me so tightly! The poor fellow had never been on a vehicle before and with his poor sight, he must have thought we were flying. I never got above second gear though.

Tonight’s phone call announced that Old Man Isaac had finally passed away. It is October 10, 2009, and five years after accepting Christ as his Saviour, Old Man Isaac got ushered in before the King of Kings. One of the only people from the Kamea Tribe to ever make it to this throne room, Old Man Isaac is getting the shock of his existence! As dad said tonight, “Can you imagine falling asleep in Isaac’s hut, and waking up in Heaven?”

Take a good look at Isaac’s face—the next time you see it will be in Heaven.