New book: Bethlehem’s Star
Bethlehem’s Star is an enchanting children’s bed-time book … and the story of how it came to be written is just as special.
Americans Christi Hoover Seidel and her husband, Timothy Seidel, moved to Bethlehem in 2004 as volunteers with the Mennonite Central Committee of the USA and Canada. The young couple stayed three years and, in 2006, Christi gave birth to their first child, a son named Kai. Read Christi’s account of her last days in Bethlehem here.
Kai’s birth inspired Christi to write and illustrate her book: ‘Bethlehem’s Star’. This is a mother’s Christmas story to her child. She weaves the story of the birth of Christ out of the elements of the family Christmas tree. The shiny colorful decorations, even the tree itself, become props in her story of the very first Christmas in Bethlehem. And right at the top of the tree is the shining star, reminding us that Bethlehem is a real place in this world.
Every copy of this enchanting bedtime Christmas book helps to fund the work of Open Bethlehem. Why not organize an event around this delightful book, or host Christi herself and allow her to tell your guests the story of her family’s stay in Bethlehem? If you are interested in organizing an event with Christi, or wish to buy the book wholesale please e-mail her at bethlehemsstar@gmail.com.
Open Bethlehem and Christi Hoover Seidel would like to thank the Mennonite Central Committee for their generous support in printing and promotion of ‘Bethlehem’s Star.’