‘꿈이 자라는 책마을’이 어제 오후 3시에 기본적인 단장을 끝내고 첫 손님들을 맞이했습니다. 장소는 예배당 1층의 긴 복도를 따라, 반드시 끝이 나올 것을 믿고, 계속 가다보면 열린 문에 ‘꿈이 자라는 책마을’이라는 안내 팻말이 여러분을 맞이할 것입니다. 방안으로 들어가 보면 깨끗하게 준비된 책장에 잘 정리되어 있는 새 책들이 책꽂이에 자리하고 여러분을 맞이할 것입니다. 현재 모두 2,100권이며 이 가운데 영아용 책이 300권으로 우선 ‘꿈이 자라는 책마을’은 영, 유아부터 시작해서 초등학교 학생까지를 일차적인 고객으로 삼고 있습니다.
그동안 우리나라는 정말 눈부시게 발전해 왔습니다. 이제 선진사회의 지표처럼 여겨지는 OECD 국가 가운데 하나가 되었습니다. 그리고 소득만 불 시대를 넘어서서 2만 불을 향한 목표가 설정되었습니다. 그래서 우리는 스스로 잘 사는 나라로 착각하고 있습니다. 마치 우리 북쪽 동포들이 자기나라를 세상의 낙원으로 믿고 행복하게(?) 살고 있듯이 말입니다. 그러나 문화적으로 말하면 우리 조국은 한참 낙후된 곳임에 틀림이 없습니다. 인구 백만의 대도시 울산에 보통 시민들이 손쉽게 드나들 만한 가까운 도서관을 찾으려면 그렇게 쉽지는 않을 것이기 때문입니다.
저희 아이들은 두 살과 세 살 반일 때 남아공화국으로 아빠를 따라가서 초등학교 4, 5학년이 되어서 한국으로 돌아왔습니다. 돌아오면서 대충 헤아려보니 아이들이 그곳 도서관을 이용해서 읽은 책들이 수천 권은 되었을 것으로 계산이 됩니다. 두 아이가 한 번에 8권을 빌려서 2주 만에 돌려주어야 했으니 그렇게만 계산해도 8년 동안 1,700권 가까운 책을 읽은 셈인데 사실 한 번 책을 빌려와서 2주간이나 기다리고 있을 때는 오히려 예외이고 대개는 1주일에 한번씩은 다시 빌렸다고 보아야 옳습니다. 그렇게 계산하면 3,000권 넘는 책을 자라면서 읽었을 것으로 계산이 됩니다.
그러나 한국에 아이들이 돌아와서 대도시 부산에서 몇 달, 인구 천만이 넘는 서울에서 계속 살면서도 책을 가까이 할만한 도서관이 지역에 없었기에 얼마나 아쉬웠는지 모릅니다. 그러기에 저는 ‘꿈이 자라는 책마 을’을 우리 울산교회가 개관하게 된 것을 누구보다 기뻐합니다. ‘꿈이 자라는 책마을’을 드나드는 모든 어린이들이 내일의 세계시민으로서의 꿈을 키우고 세상나라를 우리 주 하나님과 그리스도의 나라로 만드는 일에 앞장 설 것을 바라보기 때문에 여러분과 함께 개관을 다시 한 번 기뻐하며 축하합니다.
Yesterday at 3 p.m., the "Book Village Where Dreams Grow" finished its basic preparations and welcomed its first visitors. As for its location, if you walk along the long corridor on the first floor of the sanctuary building, keeping faith that an end will surely appear, you will eventually be greeted by an open door with a sign reading "Book Village Where Dreams Grow." Stepping inside, you will find pristine, well-organized bookshelves lined with fresh, neatly arranged new books awaiting you. Currently, there are 2,100 volumes in total, including 300 books for toddlers; for now, the "Book Village Where Dreams Grow" considers infants, toddlers, and elementary school children as its primary guests.
Over the years, our country has developed at a truly dazzling pace. We have now become a member of the OECD, often seen as a benchmark of an advanced society. Surpassing the ten-thousand-dollar per capita income era, we have set our sights on reaching twenty thousand dollars. Consequently, we often fall into the illusion that we are living in an affluent nation—much like our compatriots in North Korea who live "happily(?)" believing their country to be an earthly paradise. Yet, culturally speaking, our homeland still lags far behind without a doubt. In Ulsan, a metropolis with a population of one million, finding an easily accessible neighborhood library that ordinary citizens can comfortably visit is by no means an easy task.
Our children followed their father to South Africa when they were two and three and a half years old, returning to Korea only when they reached the fourth and fifth grades of elementary school. Thinking back upon our return, I estimated that the books they read through the local libraries numbered in the thousands. Since the two children could borrow eight books at a time and had to return them within two weeks, calculating strictly by that timeline alone would amount to nearly 1,700 books over eight years. In reality, keeping books for the full two weeks was rather an exception; more often than not, they borrowed new books once every week. Calculated that way, they easily read well over 3,000 books as they grew up.
Yet, after returning to Korea, they lived in the great port city of Busan for several months and then resided in Seoul, a metropolis of over ten million people; even so, it was profoundly regrettable that there were virtually no local libraries nearby where they could cultivate a close relationship with books. This is precisely why I rejoice more than anyone that our Ulsan Church is opening the "Book Village Where Dreams Grow." Because I envision every child who visits this "Book Village Where Dreams Grow" nurturing their dreams as tomorrow's global citizens, taking the lead in transforming the kingdoms of this world into the kingdom of our Lord God and His Christ, I celebrate and rejoice with all of you once again on this blessed opening.
Gistermiddag om 15:00 het die "Boekedorp Waar Drome Groei" sy basiese afronding voltooi en die heel eerste besoekers verwelkom. Wat die ligging betref: as u met die lang gang op die grondvloer van die kerkgebou afstap, met die vertroue dat daar beslis ’n einde sal kom, sal ’n oop deur met ’n uithangbord wat lees "Boekedorp Waar Drome Groei" u verwelkom. Wanneer u die vertrek binnestap, sal netjies voorbereide boekrakke vol vars, geordende nuwe boeke op u wag. Tans is daar altesaam 2 100 boeke beskikbaar, waarvan 300 vir kleuters bedoel is; vir eers beskou die "Boekedorp Waar Drome Groei" suigelinge, kleuters tot en met laerskoolkinders as sy vernaamste besoekers.
Oor die jare heen het ons land werklik teen ’n verstommende tempo ontwikkel. Ons het nou ’n lid van die OESO geword, wat dikwels as ’n maatstaf van ’n gevorderde samelewing beskou word. Nadat ons die era van ’n inkomste van tienduisend dollar verbygesteek het, mik ons nou na twintigduisend dollar. Daarom verkeer ons dikwels onder die illusie dat ons ’n welvarende land is—byna soos ons landgenote in die noorde wat "gelukkig(?)" leef in die oortuiging dat hulle land ’n aardse paradys is. Kultureel gesproke is ons vaderland egter ongetwyfeld nog ver agter. In Ulsan, ’n metropool met ’n bevolking van een miljoen, is dit glad nie so maklik om ’n gerieflike biblioteek in die omgewing te vind waar gewone burgers maklik kan in- en uitstap nie.
Ons kinders was maar twee en drie en ’n half jaar oud toe hulle hul pa na Suid-Afrika gevolg het, en hulle het eers na Korea teruggekeer toe hulle in graad 4 en 5 was. Toe ons terugkyk, het ek rofweg bereken dat die boeke wat hulle deur daardie plaaslike biblioteke gelees het, in die duisende moes loop. Aangesien die twee kinders agt boeke op ’n slag kon uitneem en dit binne twee weke moes terugbesorg, sou selfs ’n behoudende berekening oor agt jaar op byna 1 700 boeke te staan kom. Om die waarheid te sê, was dit eerder ’n uitsondering om twee weke lank te wag; gewoonlik het hulle elke week nuwe boeke gaan uitneem. Op daardie manier bereken, het hulle sekerlik meer as 3 000 boeke gelees terwyl hulle grootgeword het.
Maar toe die kinders na Korea terugkeer, het hulle ’n paar maande in die grootstad Busan gewoon en daarna deurlopend in Seoel, met sy meer as tien miljoen inwoners; tog was dit ontsettend jammer dat daar geen plaaslike biblioteke naby was waar hulle met boeke kon saamleef nie. Daarom is ek meer as enigiemand anders verheug dat ons Ulsan Gemeente die "Boekedorp Waar Drome Groei" kon open. Omdat ek uitsien daarna dat elke kind wat deur die deure van hierdie "Boekedorp Waar Drome Groei" stap, hul drome as môre se wêreldburgers sal koester en die voortou sal neem om die koninkryke van hierdie wêreld te omskep in die koninkryk van die Here ons God en sy Christus, deel ek met groot vreugde en hartlike gelukwense in hierdie opening saam met u almal.