Andrew made his way back to the simple home of weathered old man.   He had just completed a delivery for him, and was eager to learn of the contents of this most recent letter.  John had told him there was no time for talk, for the letter must be delivered to the ship before it left port.  Andrew hoped now that his mission was complete, John would share the contents.  Both Andrew and John knew that the John’s days on this Earth were numbered, and Andrew longed to hear every detail he could evoke from the old man’s mind.

Before entering the house, he stopped and drew some water from the well.  Then passed through the threshold, and passed the cup to the old man sitting peacefully by the window.

“The message has been delivered.”  he told John.  “Can you tell me about it now?”

John looked fondly at his young friend.  He had seen glimpses of the boy’s father growing into a man, and now he had the privilege of watching the son mature.  “So much like his father.”  John thought to himself.  John allowed himself a moment of grief.  Like all of the others, Andrew’s father, Benjamin, had gone on to the next life.  John had become acquainted with him long ago. when Jesus still walked the earth as a man.  It was the disciple, Andrew who first brought the child, Benjamin before Jesus and the others.  John could still see young Benjamin at Andrew’s side, a small lunch of fish and bread in his hands.  He could hear Andrew talking to Jesus “How far will this go among so many?”  Benjamin held his offering out to Jesus so freely.  He was simply awed and the opportunity to stand before Jesus, and thrilled to have something to offer him.  Benjamin was being groomed to be a scribe, but his fascination with Jesus was unacceptable to his mentors and his family.  Running off to see Jesus that day had sealed his fate.  When stories of the outcast boy reached the ears of Andrew, he arranged for the boy’s care, and when Benjamin matured to adulthood, he became a travelling companion of Andrew for a time.  He later returned to lead the growing church in the area, and began a family.  Andrew was his first child.  Young Andrew was only about twelve when his mother and brothers were executed for teaching about Jesus.  Benjamin and Andrew survived only because they were in the process of delivering messages to the a distant church.  Benjamin had heard that John had been exiled to Patmos, and was ailing.  Heartbroken, and aching for connection, he took his young son and sailed for Patmos to once again hear first hand accounts from the only living member of the twelve.  Benjamin, however, became sick on the ship, and died not long after arriving at Patmos.  Andrew then remained with John, and the two took care of each other.  Their relationship was more than one of necessity.  Andrew never tired of hearing John’s stories of Jesus and the others.  John never tired of speaking of all the things he’d seen, and more importantly, of what those events meant to the world.  Exiled here, the old man rarely had an adult audience of more than one.  The one, however, feasted on John’s words.  Andrew also served as a scribe when it was necessary, and of course, a courrier for John’s written messages.  This last message, however, John had written himself, and sealed it up before handing it to Andrew.

John sipped the water, and paused before answering.  “The time is not yet right, Andrew.  What do you have in the bag?”

“It is a gift for both of us.”  Reaching into the bag he pulled out several empty scrolls, and sheets of papyrus.  “And I was told this message. ‘Use your gifts, Andrew.  John alone carries the gift of memories of journeys with Jesus.  You have the gift of ears that hear what he has to say.  Use your gifts, while there is still time.'”

John smiled at the young man.  He knew Andrew would only speak the truth to him, but he also knew that Andrew had great pleasure in delivering the message.  As if reading his thoughts, Andrew, picked up a parchment and pen.  “Well, shall we get started?”  he grinned.