You may have seen “street libraries” at your local train station or perhaps in your neighbourhood park. Many people see them as a great opportunity to borrow and even take books to read. Marina Ellis saw them as an opportunity to give.
Three years ago, Marina moved to the Blue Mountains (NSW) but had to commute to her part-time job at the Wahroonga Adventist Book Centre (ABC). This meant a two-hour journey by train each way. Marina was excited to discover street libraries in her local community and began taking magazines and books that she could read during her commute. She then started thinking about what she could donate to the libraries in return.
Marina began putting in some of her favourite reading material—Signs of The Times magazines, Spirit of Prophecy books and Mums At The Table magazines into these libraries. To her delight, each time she returned, the books and magazines were gone.
“It feels like a friendly and non-confrontational way to share the gospel with other people,” says Marina. “It’s so exciting. Because the Blue Mountains is a popular tourist destination, these street libraries are being used by locals and tourists. Who knows—someone from the other side of the world might have picked up something to take home. We might be using more social media these days but nothing beats the feeling of a real book and a magazine.”
