his family came with him

We had two families over from Atlanta the other night, and i was thinking about Adam Andrews.
______________________________________

(a poem written for adam andrews, february 28, 2001)
by andrew jones
—————————————————–

I know of teenage missionaries
of greater fame
than adam
who left their families
to live with primitive people

adam left behind
suburban friends
and a comfortable world
to begin his pilgrimage
a quest for life and healing
among urban primitives
and his family came with him.

a family decision
to leave behind
cul-de-sac comfort
to face the dark realities
of the underworld
the forgotten children
the wandering youth
in a land of settlers
the angry victims
of mechanical injustice
whose journey had brought them
all at once
to little five points
atlanta

young
fearful
warriors
who had left
their families behind them

some
of them
had bones
in their noses
even though it was atlanta
and not the jungles of colombia
some of them were adam’s age
even younger
looking
at adam
a picture
of what their lives
might have been
if they
also
had a loving family
a loving
jesus

adam
was a message
and a messenger
a missionary
in the way of missions to come
and his family came with him

adam passed into heaven yesterday
at the age of seventeen
he was young
and yet he had already known
the cost of following Jesus
skin-close
the pain
of sacrifice
the ugly damage
of a broken world
the adventure of pilgrimage
the YAHOO
of bound-up people set free
the play of God’s river
and the blurry glimpse
of a larger family
that will always be
together

i was in that glimpse
a lanky man
with an accent
who stepped down
from a winnebago
in adam’s driveway
to laugh with his father
and my family came with me

on occasion
i would offer
a word
or ear
to adam
but not often enough
for I had overlooked
the fact
that God had
once again
called a teenager
to live out a life
short and vibrant
as one would cut a path
to be followed
and his family came with him

adam
may the path
you marked out
be walked by millions
of teenagers
in every place
and may their families
come with them
________________________________

This poem was written for Adam Andrews. I miss him. He helped us with “Ecclesia”, one of our first worship installations in Texas. His family are very dear to us. They are still starting house churches in Atlanta and God is with them. We miss them terribly and look forward to being with them again.
Hundreds of people came to the funeral. People were moved by the stories of Adam. Once Adam gave away his shoes to street kids. Some of those who attended the funeral decided that they also would follow jesus. my poem was read out at the funeral and had a minor part to play in what God was doing.
i pray that adam’s life will continue to speak and i publish this poem with the hope of continuing that impact.

Andrew

Andrew Jones launched his first internet space in 1997 and has been teaching on related issues for the past 20 years. He travels all the time but lives between Wellington, San Francisco and a hobbit home in Prague.

3 Comments

  • A Poem for Adam by Andrew Jones

    Andrew Jones writes: “I know of teenage missionaries of greater fame than adam who left their families to live with primitive people adam left behind suburban friends and a comfortable world to begin his pilgrimage a quest for life and healing among urban

  • lee says:

    do you no sarah stuart she was in perth but i belive that she in czech. anyway im her brother……real brother! and im tryin to get in touch with her so if you have any contact details could you please send me them. thank you very much lee hunter.

  • andrew jones says:

    Lee
    i just saw your comment. i must have missed it.
    Are you joking? Sarah Stuart is my adopted sister – will tell you more on email now . . .

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