In Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple, there is a rock called the Thatched Cottage Rock with an interesting backstory. 

One day, Pastor Jung Myung Seok was working on the rock landscape next to the medicinal spring.

He was placing the rocks one by one, but for one spot, no matter how many different rocks he tried, none of them could fit or be inserted into that spot. 

Pastor Jung was frustrated because there wasn't a single rock that would fit in that location.

How can not even one rock fit? Let’s measure this area and search for a different rock. Where can I go to find such a rock? I should go at least 600 meters farther.  

He then headed off.

When he traveled 600 meters further from Wolmyeongdong, he found a rock. Because it was slightly too big, he tried breaking the rock with an excavator, but the gas tank of the excavator broke in the process. Not being able to break it, he just transported the rock on a car.

With no other option, Pastor Jung tried to fit the rock into the spot, but it obviously couldn’t fit.

The rock was roundish, so he decided to discard it at the corner of the sports field, which they were filling up with dirt.

However, at that moment, rain started to pour and the ground became muddy. An excavator is unable to even move on muddy soil, let alone transport rocks. Due to the heavy rain, all work for the day came to a halt.

The next day at dawn, the rain stopped. Pastor Jung was the very first to arrive at the sports field and started jogging and playing soccer, but ‘the rock that needed to be thrown out yesterday’ was still lying on the sports field.

Before pushing it aside to make room for soccer, he examined the rock again.  

Pastor Jung thought,

Well, I went out 600 meters farther and brought this rock; how come it doesn’t fit? Its shape is so ambiguous and slightly round. What a waste. Let’s just put it at the corner of the sports field, where we dump dirt, so that the pile of dirt won’t crumble down. Why is there no rock that fits perfectly?

As he was inspecting all sides of that rock, for one moment, an image caught his eyes.

It looked like the old thatched cottage Pastor Jung used to inhabit.

He immediately stood the rock upright and looked at it again. The rock looked almost like the old thatched cottage that he and his family used to live in. The top part resembled the roof of the house, which was fixed after the roof had rotted; it resembled the way the house was slanted since it was old, and it also bore the resemblance to its eaves and its mud walls. All the other people who had come out to play soccer saw it and said it had the image of the thatched cottage.

God, the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Son turned the tables to make us bring this rock; They allowed us to find this rock’s image, and enabled us to realize and like it.

In this manner, while we were engaging in other activities, the Trinity helped us to find something in line with Their Will. Pastor Jung believed that the rock artwork was given by God as a gift.

The rock was buried in the ground so only half of the rock was shown above the ground, and it was buried at an angle. Therefore, he didn’t know it had that image even though he’s seen that rock for decades.

Pastor Jung was always sad for not having left behind any pictures of his old thatched cottage home. But after finding this rock, his grief was finally resolved.

God gave him a rock resembling the thatched cottage as a work of art that is far better than a photo.

In Wolmyeongdong Natural Temple, there are so many rocks and trees that have been found and brought in a similar meaningful fashion.

월명동 자연성전에는 <초가집돌>이라는

이름을 가진 사연 있는 돌이 있습니다.

정명석 목사가 한창 약수샘 옆 돌 작업을 

할 때였습니다.

돌을 하나하나 쌓아 올라가는데, 

어느 지점에서 여러 개의 돌들을 갖다가 

쌓아도 들어가지를 않고 맞지 않았습니다.

정명석 목사는 맞는 돌이 없어서 속상했습니다.

“이렇게도 돌이 안 맞나. 자로 재서 다른 돌을 찾아오자. 

이 지역 어디에 그런 돌이 있을까? 

600미터는 나가야겠다.”하고 나갔습니다.

600미터쯤 가니 돌이 있었는데 돌이 좀 커서 

포클레인으로 깨다가 포클레인 기름관이 터져서 못 깨고, 

그냥 차로 싣고 왔습니다.

정명석 목사는 어쩔 수 없이 그 돌을 그냥 갖다 쌓았으나, 

역시 맞지 않았습니다. 

두루뭉술한 돌이라 운동장 맨 끝, 흙을 채우는 곳에 

갖다 버리려고 했습니다.

그런데 그때 비가 막 쏟아졌고, 

땅이 질어서 포클레인이 못 움직이니 돌을 못 옮기고 

그날 작업도 중지했습니다.

다음날 새벽, 비가 그치고 정명석 목사가 제일 먼저 

조깅하려고 운동장에 나와 축구를 하려고 했습니다.

그런데 운동장에 ‘어제 버리려 했던 돌’이 있어서 

치우고 축구를 하려고 그 돌을 다시 봤습니다.

정명석 목사는 ‘아니 600미터나 멀리 가서 가져온 돌이 

이렇게 안 맞아? 두루뭉술하게 생겼다. 아깝다. 

운동장 맨 끝의 매립장소에다가 넣고 

흙이 무너지지 않게 메우자. 이리도 돌 크기가 안 맞나’ 

생각했습니다.

그리고 ‘그 돌의 사방’을 확인하는데 

그때 정명석 목사의 눈에 ‘한 형상’이 눈에 띄었습니다.

‘옛날 정명석 목사가 살던 초가집 형상’같았습니다. 

즉시 돌을 바로 세워서 다시 보았더니 

옛날 정명석 목사와 가족들이 살던 초가집 형상과 

거의 닮은 모양이었습니다.

지붕이 썩어서 고친 것이 닮았고, 

오래되어 약간 기운 모양도 닮았고, 

추녀와 흙벽 등도 닮아 있었습니다.

운동하러 나온 사람들도 모두 초가집 형상이라고 

하였습니다.

하나님과 성령님과 성자는 여건을 틀어 

‘이 돌’을 가져오게 하시고, 또 여건을 틀어

 ‘이 돌의 형상’을 찾게 하시고, 

깨닫게 하고 좋아하게 하셨습니다.

이와 같이 ‘다른 것’을 행하면서 ‘뜻있는 것’을 

찾게 하셨습니다.

정명석 목사는 그 ‘작품 돌’을 하나님이 선물로 

주신 것 같았습니다.

땅에 묻혀 반만 보이고, 비스듬하게 있었기에 

수십 년을 봐도 그 형상인지 몰랐었습니다.

정명석 목사는 옛날에 살던 초가집 사진이 

한 장도 안 남아서 늘 아쉬워했었는데 

그 돌을 발견하면서 소원이 풀렸습니다. 

하나님은 사진보다 더 좋은 작품으로

‘그 초가집을 닮은 돌’을 주셨습니다.

월명동 자연성전에는 이렇게 찾고 가져온 

돌들과 나무들이 참 많습니다.