Me at the time. I wish I had a photo of Frankie, but I don't.

When I was a child, I had a friend at church who was around two years older than me named Frankie Mortimer. He had a disease called cystic fibrosis.

Every night he slept in an oxygen tent.

The doctor had told Frankie's parents that he didn't have long to live and that they would have to witness a time of agony and suffocation in his dying moments.

One day Frankie was very excited and said to his mother, "I saw Jesus and angels!" He also said, "the angels are building a big house in heaven for me!"

In the Bible Jesus says: “In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (NKJV)

Frankie's mom held back her tears and asked Frankie what kind of house the angels were building. He explained in great detail what the house looked like, and the various rooms. She could tell by his detailed description that it wasn't just a child's imagination; he had really seen something.

His mom asked Frankie if the whole family would live in that house. "No, everyone lives in their own house, but you can come to my house whenever you want to visit," replied Frankie.

For the next few days, Frankie continued to talk about how the angels were building the house and how they were progressing.

Then one morning he joyfully told his mom that the house was finished and that it was time for him to go. Then he closed his eyes and went to sleep, and passed away peacefully in his sleep. It was truly a miracle.

I heard Frankie's mother tell this story to my mom when we were at the funeral home. I was seven years old at the time. Many years later when I was an adult I talked with Frankie's parents at my father's funeral and they confirmed the truth of the story I had heard all those years before.

When I think of Frankie's death, I cannot doubt that Jesus Christ and Heaven are real. I know that Heaven is real and that I will meet Jesus Christ soon. Someday I will see my father, who has passed on, and my friend Frankie.

Someone in the Bible asked. "What must I do to be saved?" And the apostles replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household."(NKJV)

The gift of salvation from Jesus Christ is so simple that even a child can understand it.

Although Frankie left as a child before he had a chance to share the love of God with the world, it is my hope that his story will make a difference in the lives of all who read it.