시카고에서 옛 친구 두 사람을 만났습니다. 대학시절 친구들입니다. 한 사람은 67학번 입학동기이고, 이번 시카고에서 며칠 지내는 동안 우리의 호스트이기도 합니다. 다른 사람은 입학은 한 해 뒤에 했지만 신학대학과 신대원 7년을 거의 함께 다닌 졸업동기입니다. 동기이긴 하지만 일곱 살 연상이기도 하니 형님대우를 해야 하지만 늘 친구처럼 교제해 주어서 감사하게 생각합니다. 특히 그는 남아공화국에서 젊은 날 함께 공부를 한 사이입니다. 그 때는 모두 30대, 아이들을 유치원, 초등학교에 보내던 풋풋한 시절입니다. 주말이면 어린 자녀들을 데리고 인근 공원에서 양고기 바비큐를 했던, 아름다운 추억을 가지고 있습니다
이제 졸업동기의 여섯 자녀들은 다 자라서, 네 아들들뿐만 아니라 늦게 태어난 쌍둥이 따님들도 모두 결혼을 하고, 현재 막내 딸 집에 살고 있으며 시카고에서 3시간 내외의 거리에 있으니, 그 넓은 땅 미국이지만, 명절에는 한 번씩 모일 수 있으니 그나마 감사한 일입니다. 지난 월요일 저녁 시카고 공항에 내리니 여행가방을 챙겨서 우리 부부를 기다리고 있었습니다. 추운 날씨 아랑곳하지 않고 가까운 곳을 2박 3일이라도 여행을 하려고 계획을 세웠지만, 우리 두 사람이 심한 기침감기라 수포로 돌아갔습니다. 하지만 입학동기 친구집에서 방 하나씩 차지하고 나흘을 지내면서 틈나는 대로 그 때 그 시절부터 시작된 옛 이야기의 꽃이 끝날 줄 몰랐습니다.
대학을 다닐 때는 공부를 잘 하고 학점을 잘 받는 것이 이슈였을 터이지만, 60년 가까운 세월이 지나고 보면, 모든 것이 평준화되고 맙니다. 각 사람의 인생여정에 굵직한 이벤트들도 기억속에 파묻히고 맙니다. 돌이켜 보면 무엇보다 세 사람 모두 일찍 결혼을 할 수 있었던 것은 감사의 제목입니다. 우리 가운데 맨 먼저 결혼을 했던 이번 방문의 호스트는 두 딸에 아들 하나를 낳아서 미국에서 모두 키웠고, 이제 그들도 직장을 잡고 모두 결혼을 해서, 감사하게도 시카고 스코키에 살고 있는 제일 복 받은 가족같습니다. 1년에 몇 번이 아니라 매주, 매일 서로 돕고 교제를 하면서 살고 있기 때문입니다. 거실에 걸려있는 가족사진들이 증거가 되고 남습니다. 딸 사위, 아들 며느리 손주가 모두 열세 명이니 바라보기만 해도 배부를 것입니다.
이번 방문의 호스트를 자처한 이 입학동기 부부는 총각처녀 때부터 나와 같은 클럽의 멤버였습니다. <샤론회>라는 이름으로 농어촌선교를 주력했고, 나는 합천 청덕에서 시골교회를, 아내는 쌍책에서 중학교 교사로 지내다가 만난 우리 부부 역시 그 모임의 결실로도 볼 수 있습니다. 우린 두 아들을 한국에서 낳았고 초등학교 시절을 남아공화국 포체프스트룸에서, 중, 고, 대학교는 한국에서 공부를 마치고, 하나는 미국에, 둘째는 캐나다에 수출(?)한 셈입니다. 아들 며느리 손주 모두 열 명이 좋은 그리스도인으로서 하나님 나라 확장을 위해서 애쓰다가, 땅끝에서 곧 오실 주님을 맞이하는 자녀들이 되었으면 합니다. 시카고의 새해 한 주간 친구네가 제공한 가장 좋은 방에서, 가장 편한 복장으로, 가장 귀한 대접을 받았습니다. 남은 날동안, 새벽마다 4시 반이면 일어나 예배당으로 가서, 북한의 복음통일을 위해서 기도하는 친구부부를 본받아 살고 싶습니다.
In Chicago, I met two old friends from our college days. One was my classmate who entered university in the class of '67, and he also served as our host during our stay of several days in Chicago. The other entered a year after me, but we were graduating classmates who spent nearly seven years together through theological college and seminary. Though we were classmates, he is seven years older than I am, so by rights I ought to treat him as an elder brother, yet he has always related to me as a dear friend, for which I am deeply grateful. In particular, we studied together in South Africa during our younger years. Back then, we were both in our thirties—a tender, youthful season of life when we sent our little ones off to kindergarten and primary school. I still cherish the fond memories of taking the young children to a nearby park on weekends for lamb braais.
Now, my graduating classmate's six children are all grown up. Not only his four sons but also his later-born twin daughters are all married. He and his wife currently live with their youngest daughter, about three hours away from Chicago. Given the vast expanse of America, it is truly a blessing that the family can still gather during holidays. When we landed at Chicago Airport last Monday evening, he was already waiting for us with his suitcase packed. Undaunted by the bitter cold, we had planned to take a three-day, two-night trip nearby, but our severe coughing and colds caused those plans to fall through. Even so, staying in our classmate host's home—with each couple having a room of our own—we spent four days reminiscing at every spare moment, and the delightful flowers of old stories that began in those bygone days seemed never to end.
When we were in college, doing well in our studies and earning top marks might have seemed like the most important matters, but after nearly sixty years have passed, everything is leveled out. Even the monumental milestones in each person's life journey eventually become buried in memory. Looking back, above all, the fact that all three of us were able to marry early is a profound subject of thanksgiving. The friend who was the first among us to marry, and who hosted our visit this time, had two daughters and a son whom they raised in the United States. Now all three have established careers and are married; living in Skokie, Chicago, they seem to be the most blessed family of all. This is because, rather than gathering just a few times a year, they support and fellowship with one another daily and weekly. The family portraits hanging in their living room bear ample witness to this. With daughters, sons-in-law, a son, a daughter-in-law, and grandchildren totaling thirteen in all, just looking at them must fill their hearts to overflowing.
This classmate couple, who graciously welcomed us as our hosts, were members of the same club as I was when we were all single young people. Under the name "Sharon Society," the fellowship focused on rural and fishing village ministry. My wife and I—having met while I served a rural church in Cheongdeok, Hapcheon, and she taught at a middle school in Ssangchaek—can also be seen as the fruit of that fellowship. We had two sons in Korea, who spent their elementary school years in Potchefstroom, South Africa, and completed middle school, high school, and university in Korea; eventually, we "exported" one to the United States and the other to Canada. My prayer is that all ten of us—sons, daughters-in-law, and grandchildren—will live as faithful Christians striving for the expansion of God's Kingdom, and welcome our Lord, who is coming soon, even from the ends of the earth. During this New Year week in Chicago, we were given the finest room in our friend's home, wore our most comfortable clothes, and enjoyed the most precious hospitality. In the days that remain, I wish to emulate this friend and his wife, who rise every morning at 4:30 to go to the sanctuary and pray for the peaceful, gospel-centered reunification of North and South Korea.
In Chicago het ek twee ou vriende uit ons universiteitsdae ontmoet. Die een was 'n medestudent wat in 1967 saam met my begin studeer het, en hy was ook ons gasheer tydens ons verblyf van 'n paar dae in Chicago. Die ander een het wel 'n jaar later met sy studies begin, maar ons was afstudeermaats wat byna sewe jaar saam deurgebring het aan die teologiese kollege en die kweekskool. Hoewel ons klasmaats was, is hy sewe jaar ouer as ek, sodat ek hom eintlik as 'n ouer broer behoort te bejeën, maar hy het my altyd soos 'n ware vriend behandel, waarvoor ek baie dankbaar is. Veral het ons in ons jonger jare saam in Suid-Afrika gestudeer. Destyds was ons albei in ons dertigs—'n vars, jeugdige lewensfase toe ons kleintjies kleuterskool en laerskool toe gestuur is. Ek koester steeds pragtige herinneringe aan naweke wanneer ons die jong kinders na 'n nabygeleë park geneem het vir 'n lamsvleisbraai.
Nou is hierdie afstudeermaat se ses kinders almal volwasse; nie net sy vier seuns nie, maar ook sy laatgebore tweelingdogters is almal getroud. Hulle woon tans by hul jongste dogter, sowat drie uur se ry vanaf Chicago. Gegewe die ontsaglike uitgestrektheid van Amerika, is dit voorwaar 'n genade dat die gesin steeds met vakansietye bymekaar kan kom. Toe ons verlede Maandagaand op Chicago-lughawe land, het hy ons reeds met sy reistas ingepak ingewag. Onverskillig teenoor die ysige weer het ons beplan om 'n driedaagse uitstappie in die omgewing te onderneem, maar weens ons strawwe hoes en verkoue het dit op niks uitgeloop nie. Nietemin het ons vier dae in die huis van ons gasheer-studievriend deurgebring—met 'n eie kamer vir elkeen van ons egpare—en by elke moontlike geleentheid het die kosbare blomme van ou herinneringe uit daardie dae onophoudelik oopgevou.
In ons universiteitsjare was goeie punte en akademiese prestasie waarskynlik van die grootste belang, maar wanneer byna sestig jaar verbygegaan het, word alles gelykgestel. Selfs die gewigtigste mylpale in elkeen se lewensreis raak mettertyd in die geheue begrawe. As ons terugkyk, is die feit dat al drie van ons vroeg kon trou bowenal 'n bron van innige dankbaarheid. Die vriend onder ons wat eerste getroud is—en ons gasheer tydens hierdie kuier—het twee dogters en 'n seun gehad wat hulle almal in die Verenigde State grootgemaak het. Vandag het hulle goeie loopbane en is hulle almal getroud; aangesien hulle in Skokie, Chicago, woon, lyk hulle waarlik na die mees geseënde gesin. Hulle sien mekaar immers nie net 'n paar keer per jaar nie, maar help en kuier weekliks en daagliks saam. Die gesinsfoto's teen die sitkamermuur lewer oorvloedige bewys daarvan. Met dogters, skoonseuns, 'n seun, skoondogter en kleinkinders wat altesaam dertien tel, is 'n blik op hulle reeds genoeg om 'n mens se hart te versadig.
Hierdie vriend en sy vrou, wat ons so gasvry ontvang het, was reeds sedert ons vrygeseldae lede van dieselfde studentevereniging as ek. Onder die naam "Sharon-vereniging" het ons ons toegespits op sendingwerk in landelike en kusdorpe. Aangesien ek 'n plattelandse gemeente in Cheongdeok, Hapcheon, bedien het en my vrou 'n hoërskoolonderwyseres in Ssangchaek was toe ons ontmoet het, kan ons huwelik ook as 'n vrug van daardie byeenkomste beskou word. Ons het twee seuns in Korea ryker geword, wat hul laerskooljare in Potchefstroom in Suid-Afrika deurgebring het, en daarna hul middelbare skool en universiteit in Korea voltooi het; uiteindelik het ons die een na die VSA en die ander na Kanada "uitgevoer". My gebed is dat ons al tien—seuns, skoondogters en kleinkinders—as getroue Christene sal ywer vir die uitbreiding van God se Koninkryk en aan die eindes van die aarde die Here sal inwag wat spoedig kom. Tydens hierdie Nuwejaarsweek in Chicago het ons in die beste kamer van ons vriende se huis tuisgegaan, die gerieflikste klere gedra en die kosbaarste gasvryheid geniet. In die dae wat voorlê, wil ek graag die voorbeeld volg van hierdie vriendepaar, wat elke oggend om halfvyf opstaan om na die kerkgebou te gaan en vir die evangeliese hereniging van Noord- en Suid-Korea te bid.