At the airport he hugged me tightly and said: "Dad,
Jan and I are ready to run the New Zealand office, if you want us to do
this."
I recommend that every parent have a bonding session
with their children as often as possible. Always hug them goodbye, and
always try to say goodbye on the best of terms. We parted as perfectly as
anyone could that day.
Andrew
helped run a youth group at his church in Sidcup and was also in charge of
the football team. On the morning of the 10th April 1999, he played
football. Tim was with him that day, as remarkably he had a day off from
school and was visiting Andrew and Jan. After the game they went home and
whilst drinking a cup of tea, Andrew collapsed.
Jan immediately phoned 999, and Tim phoned me on his
mobile while holding Andrew in his arms. (Tim had only had his mobile phone
for a month, but thank goodness he had one.) I was in Kuala Lumpur when the
phone call woke me up from a deep sleep with the news that Andrew had
collapsed.
Stephen was at a Church conference and had to be called
out of the meeting and was told the news by a good friend, who then had to
drive him home to be with his mother.
Shocked and overwhelmed with grief, all I could do was
listen to what was happening at the other end of the line so far away. The
ambulance arrived within minutes, and the paramedics tried to revive Andrew.
He was taken to Sidcup Hospital located at the end of their road. I waited
10 minutes before Tim called me back and said the words I did not want to
hear: "Dad you know what I have to say to you."
Sadly, at the young age of 24 (nearly 25) Andrew Mark had
gone to heaven. I was alone in a hotel room at two o’clock in the morning on
the other side of the world. To say the least, this was a harrowing
experience.
Through the help of a travel agent friend, I got flights
back to the UK immediately.
I checked out of my hotel at 5:00am to catch a flight to
Singapore, and from there, I continued the 12-hour flight home, which was to
me the longest 14 hours in my life. I arrived back at Heathrow on Sunday
morning, where Tim and my secretary collected me.
The next day we drove to Sidcup to make funeral
arrangements and to see Jan and her family. On the way home we drove through
a huge thunderstorm, and then we saw high in the sky the brightest and
largest rainbow ever. We all looked in amazement at the beautiful colours
stretched across the heavens and felt as though Andrew was smiling at us!
Surprisingly, a friend wrote the following poem the
day before we saw the rainbow.
The Rainbow
The rain is falling, the sky looks grey.
But through the clouds creeps a golden sunray.
It shines through the rain and across the sky,
Then a beautiful rainbow curves way up high.
The rainbow is that which God gave,
To Noah on the day he was saved.
As I heard the news on this tragic day.
I felt God tell me to write this and say.
That as tears are shed and grief takes it course,
His love is with you with mighty force.
And through those tears His love will shine,
Producing a rainbow, remember all’s in His time.
By Heather Davidson
11 April 1999
Andrew’s crematorium service was far from normal. People
came from all over to celebrate his life--New Zealand, Australia, France and
hundreds from around the UK. Stephen and Tim spoke eloquently about their
brother; unfortunately, I was far too upset to share my thoughts.
I
do remember well the words that Tim shared: "I have not only lost my
brother, I have also lost my best friend."
The most memorable moment was when the curtains were
being drawn after the service, and out of the quietness in the room a mobile
phone rang with the tune, I am saying goodbye. Dear Andrew had a
great sense of humour, and in a way I like to think that this was his way of
saying goodbye to his family and friends. These words alone sum up my
Andrew: He was everyone’s friend.
There is no doubt that Andrew Mark was special, his time
on earth so tragically cut short. He was a committed Christian, and we rest
assured that he is in heaven.
Now ten years on, I remember my dear son daily, and I
smile as I hear him whisper to me the words: "Come meet me in Heaven; I
am here with my granddad!"
