Description
A 20-year project. . .
Limited production run. . .
Hand copied by Karen refugee children. . .
Hand assembled in Mae La refugee camp.
Let us suppose…
Let us suppose for a moment that Mary did “treasure all these things.” Where might she have put those gifts from the Eastern visitors? What might her scrapbook have looked like?
Better yet, imagine what it might be like to discover Mary’s Scrapbook, let’s say somewhere in the neighborhood of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
What We Know…
Joseph intended to end his engagement to Mary. Suppose he wrote Mary a letter and she kept it. A group of scribes penned, copied, and passed reports of events. In a literate culture, there was much for Mary to treasure.
What We Can Surmise…
Joseph Arimathea certainly would have kept Mary informed of her adopted son. There would be a search for the missing body of “Yesous.”
What Has Actually Happened…
A fictional scrapbook has been written by Mark Ritchie, produced in collaboration with Karen refugee children in Mae La Refugee camp on the Thai/Burma border.
Review
This fictional scrapbook belonging to Mary, mother of “Yesous” (Jesus) represents a fascinating idea. What if Mary kept a scrapbook of all the happenings and correspondence she had surrounding Jesus’ birth and death, including the announcement of Herod’s terrible killing of baby boys in Bethlehem, the reports (by Galilee scribes) of Jesus’ miracles and teachings, and finally, his death and resurrection? It makes for absorbing reading, and the process in which the book was created is just as fascinating. The text of the book has been beautifully hand scribed by Karen refugee children in Mae La Refugee Camp in Thailand. The one of a kind book was assembled by the refugees and is constructed of banana leaves, giving the pages the feel and look of first-century papyrus. The author, Mark Andrew Ritchie, has written all of the text and included letters from the various people in Mary’s life, including her dearest relatives and friends, such as her cousin Elizabeth. These letters draw the reader in and personalize Mary’s life story. Readers will be able to enter in to Mary’s life and imagine what it was like. Also included are reports of the many wonderful miracles Jesus performed (reports that any mother would keep). Reading “Treasures of My Heart: Mary and Joseph’s Scrapbook” is a wonderfully rich experience that will lend a new–and very personal–perspective on the life of Mary. Owning it will bring attention to the plight of Karen orphans in Myanmar. –Jerry Eberle, Booklist Magazine
In a field cluttered with well intentioned but trite literature, it presents an innovative, interesting and informative perspective in a stunning format . . . truly a collectible. –Michael Pritzker
Simply riveting . . . for a moment I thought I was there. –Norman L. Geisler, Theologian, founder Southern Evangelical Seminary
