“If you will remain unwaveringly ANCHORED to the Lord Jesus Christ you will be blessed and all of the promises of the eternities will be given unto you.”
– M. Russell Ballard
We LOVE LDS Missionaries and we LOVE sending Care Packages!
It’s always fun to send our Kiddos a care package – but it’s super fun to send a Red, White, and Blue ‘Anchor Yourself to the Savior’ box.
Your 20-Page Kit will include the following:
✔ 1-Introduction Letter with easy to follow instructions to help you put together the Perfect Care Package.
✔ 4- Large (11.5X8.5″) Adjustable Stickers to decorate your 4 box flaps of your shipping package. Just peel and stick! (These stickers are designed to fit a USPS Priority Mail Large Flat Rate Box and large UPS boxes. The stickers can also be easily trimmed to fit a USPS Priority Mail Medium Flat Rate Box as well as some Medium and Small UPS boxes or use your own box.) * Please note the kit does not include the actual box,
✔ 1-Box Introduction Letter to be placed in your Box right before you tape it up. This unique design lets your Missionary know the theme of your care package and that something special has been created just for them!
✔ 1-Page of Unique Envelope Designs that you can adhere to the front of your Letter to your Missionary and their Companion! This page is also printed on sticker paper – so you just need to cut them out and adhere to any envelope of your choice. It’s that easy!
✔ 1-Custom Missionary Letter for you to include with your personal Letter to your Missionary.
✔ 12-Pages with over 22 Custom Tags and ideas that can be used throughout your box as desired.
This box could be sent at any time of year but I just happened to send it right before the 4th of July Holiday so I was able to find tons of things in the nautical colors of Red, White, and Blue. Plus it was fun to throw in a few Fourth of July treats and decorations. You could also shop the ‘after’ 4th of July sales when everything goes on clearance.
Print off the following Conference Talks and Stories:
- General Conference April 2014: A firmly Set Anchor by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf
- BYU Speeches June 2, 2015: Be Anchored in Order to Soar by Diane Strong-Krause
- BYU Speeches September 6, 1992: Anchor to the Soul by M. Russell Ballard
- New Era October 1996: Sink or Swim by Adrian Robert Gostick
- General Conference October 1999: Hope, an Anchor of the Soul by James E. Faust
- Set Your Anchor
- Story: The North Star by Wendy Ellison – Friend 2006
- General Conference April 1982: Sailing Safely the Seas of Life by President Thomas S. Monson
- General Conference October 2012: The Atonement by President Boyd K. Packer
- Prophets and Apostles: Become a Light for All to See by President Thomas S. Monson
- BYU Speeches Light to the World November 1, 2011: Be a Light to the World by President Thomas S. Monson
Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
Hebrews 6:19
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
Ether 12:4
Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith , maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
Quotes:
By small things great things can be accomplished.
An anchor is a small thing – but look what it can do for a ship.
I am Master of my Fate & Captain of My Soul.
A Smooth Sea never made for a skillful sailor.
Thought: A Kite is a similar example to an anchor. As long as the kite is anchored to the string it will fly higher and higher but the very minute that the string is cut the kite falls from the sky.
* The Living Christ 12 Week Memorization Challenge
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Be The Lower Light
During the October 2012 General Conferences President Boyd K. Packer started his talk on Sunday morning by directing his message to those among us who are suffering, burdened down with guilt and weakness and failure, sorrow, and despair. He then made the connection about the Atonement and our Savior by quoting the hymn, “Brightly Beams Our Father’s Mercy.”
from his lighthouse evermore,
But to us he gives the keeping
of the lights along the shore.
(Chorus)
Let the lower lights be burning;
Send a gleam across the wave.
Some poor fainting, struggling seaman
you may rescue, you may save.
loud the angry billows roar.
Eager eyes are watching, longing,
for the lights along the shore.
some poor sailor, tempest-tossed,
trying now to make the harbor,
in the darkness may be lost.
Start now in setting new goals for yourself to be a strong “lower light” and to be one that weary travelers can look to for help reaching the harbors during the storms of life.
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Anchor of My soul
Have you ever heard the song “Anchor of My Soul” by Jenny Jordan Frogley? It was on the 1998 EFY CD “Joy in the Journey”. The Lyrics are very powerful:
So many oceans to explore.
On my own I face the darkness
As I leave behind the safety of the shore.
When winds of change begin to blow.
His words of truth I will follw.
The Savior’s hope is the anchor of my soul.
When winds of change begin to blow.
His words of truth I will follow.
The Savior’s hope is the anchor of my soul.
Trying to tear me from the fight.
But somewhere deep inside my heart I know
That when I’m tossed upon the waters
When winds of change begin to blow.
His words of truth I will follow.
The Savior’s hope is the anchor of my soul.
The journey starts to take its toll.
And I am lost amid the battles
That test my faith and stretch my soul.
—
These words are true and testify of the mercy of Jesus Christ. No matter how evil or awful the waves of the world are, we an be safe if we stay anchored to our testimonies of the Savior. I we follow His words and live by His teachings, we can even avoid many of the storms that others face due to the consequences of their choices.
What are some things that you can do to stay anchored in Christ?
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Ahoy Mateys! Depending on the size of the box you are sending – you could include or delete any of the following items below – or come up with a few of your own. I tried to make sure that most of the items could be used to enhance missionary discussions, to be given away, to decorate their missionary apartments and left for future missionaries when they moved on, or simply eaten and enjoyed. But of course there were always a few that were just for fun!
Shopping List:
Mr. Mac –
1. Nautical Colored Tie (Red/Blue) I bought 2 – One for the Companion and one for my Missionary
Kohl’s –
1. Croft and Barrow Anchor Pajama Bottoms (They are in the Men’s department – but they are unisex.)
Nautical Anchor Men’s Dress Socks or Navy Blue Ladies Tights (Tie them up with fun Red, White, and Blue Ribbon.
1. Anchor Tie Bar – $9.00 (I Refuse to Sink)
Target –
1. All occasion (Anchor) Note Cards
2. Travel Size Gold Bond Foot Powder .97cents
Hobby Lobby –
1. Anchor Ribbon
2. Red and Blue Anchor Paperclips (Spare Parts by Paper Studio in the scrapbook section)
Michael’s –
1. Rectangle Hanging Chalkboard $1.99 (I drew an anchor on it with Chalk Ink Wet Wipe Markers and wrote Anchor Yourself. First I found an anchor pattern I liked on the internet. Then I printed it and cut it out. Then I traced around the anchor pattern onto the chalkboard with a pencil. Finally I colored it in with the Chalk Ink Markers. It looks harder than it actually was!)
2. ‘Artist Loft’ Leather Fashion Journal – Navy Blue w/Anchor imprint design $4.99
3. Anchor Red and Blue Ribbon
Amazon.com –
1. Rainbow Kite
1.Active Sand 1lb. Turquoise $2.39 per bag
2. Plastic Bottle 7.5in $1.00US
3. Notepad Spiral Bound w/Pen $1.99US
4. Wood Frame Ships Wheel Design .99cents
5. Anchor Ribbon by the Yard
6. Metallic 2oz. Rich Espresso Craft Paint (For Frame)
7. Scrapbook paper from the ‘Anchored’ collection from the
Authentique Paper Company
8. Scrapbook paper from the ‘Nautical’ collection from the Fancy Pants Designs, Inc company.
1. Duff Brand Red, White, and Blue Striped Cake
2. Duff Brand Cake Frosting
3. Travel Size Gold Bond Foot Powder
4. Men’s Fruit of the Loom Short Sleeve Crew T-Shirt $3.85US (Use for DIY Anchor T-Shirt)
5. Tic Tacs Mints (Red, White, and Blue)
1. 4th of July Glasses
2. 4th of July Bead Necklaces
3. 4th of July Table Decorations
4. 4th of July Banners
5. 4th of July Party Favors
1. A Smooth Sea Never Made For a Skillful Sailor
2. Humanity is an Ocean
3. Anchored in Faith
1. I Refuse to Sink Necklace (Sisters)
2. Anchor Tie Bar (Elders)
3. I Refuse to Sink Keychain
Anchor Pattern Jewelry – Charming Charlies
Star Charts – Night Sky Printable:
The Living Christ 12 Week Challenge
Or this Anchor Bracelet
Or Make an Anchor Bracelet Yourself!
APRIL 2014 • INTERVIEW BY CANDELA RICE •
Howard Lyon was born and raised in Mesa, Arizona. He is the youngest of five children. Howard had very supportive parents who, even when he was very young, made sure he had the materials and education to hone his talents. While attending high school, Howard met his wife, Shari Lunt. After they graduated, Howard served a mission and then they married and went to BYU and started their family. He began his career studying illustration at Brigham Young University working with artists such as Robert Barrett, Don Seegmiller, James Christensen, and Greg Olsen. Over the past twenty years he has worked in the video game industry as an art director, concept artist, and freelance illustrator. For much of his career he has painted dragons and trolls or scenes from science fiction. His work can be found in products from Dungeons and Dragons books, World of Warcraft cards, Magic: the Gathering and Star Wars. He has studied art in Italy, France, and most recently at the Grand Central Academy in New York. He has recently combined these experiences to switch gears and expand his subject matter to create inspirational pieces in the style of some of his favorite old masters: William Bouguereau, Lawrence Alma-Tadema, and John William Waterhouse.
Will you share your thoughts about your painting From Fear to Faith?
It was an important piece, very personal in some ways.
The disciple on the left-hand side of the boat is bailing out water. He is focused on the storm in the distance. He sits in darkness and can’t see Christ. He is so busy working to save himself that he doesn’t notice the Savior or turn to him. His actions are dictated by fear.
The next two disciples are gathering in the rigging and trying to right the mast. One pulls ropes in from the water and the other leans back, both still trusting in their own strength, not wanting to let go and approach Christ.
The disciple behind the mast has just let go of the cross bar. He has done everything he can, and is now turning towards Christ. Faith is guiding his actions now.
The next three disciples sit in the boat, turned towards Christ. They have the faith to do this but haven’t approached him yet. A little hesitant, but for the most part, their faith has pushed their fears away. The two that sit together, one with his arm around the other, represent the idea that sometimes we need put our arm around our brother, or know that it is okay to lean on another for a time.
The last disciple, Peter, is at the front of the boat. He had the faith, in the middle of the trial, to kneel at Christ’s feet and ask to be saved. At that point, he heard and felt the great words, “Peace, be still.” In the middle of the trial, his faith was whole and knew that he could turn to Christ for salvation.
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Warner Sallman Painting Entitled
‘Christ Our Pilot’
Warner Sallman (April 30, 1892 – May 25, 1968)
Warner Sallman was born on April 30, 1892, in Chicago. He became interested in art at an early age, and was especially impacted by the religious art of Gustave Dore. Following graduation from high school, he apprenticed in local studios while attending the Chicago Art Institute. After a brief attempt to establish himself in New York, Sallman returned to Chicago and began his career as a commercial artist.
Through the encouragement of a business associate, Sallman enrolled at a Bible school. Sallman recalled a conversation with the dean of the school, Dr. E. O. Sellers, which had an impact on his image of Christ. The dean said, “Sometime I hope you give us your conception of Christ. And I hope it’s a manly one. Most of our pictures today are too effeminate.”
In 1924, Sallman produced a sketch for a magazine cover that portrayed a strong yet serene image of Jesus. This sketch was the basis of what would become Sallman’s most recognizable painting, the Head of Christ, which has been reproduced an estimated 500 million times.
Throughout his career, Sallman produced a wide range of religious imagery, including Christ at Heart’s Door, Christ Our Pilot, and Christ in Gethsemane.
He once said of his work, “I give God the glory for whatever has been accomplished by my efforts to bring joy and happiness to people throughout the world.”
Plain Cotton T-Shirt – any color. (I bought mine at WalMart for $4 and I purchased an extra shirt for my son’s companion – so I did one Red shirt and one Blue shirt to stay with the Nautical Theme).
Bleach (1/4cup in a Spray bottle – undiluted)
Stencil (you can find a pre-made stencil or make your own – I provided the stencil I used below.)
It is super easy to make your own stencil. Simply print any Anchor design off of the Internet onto regular paper. Cut it out but not right next to the Anchor design yet because you are going to adhere/stick it to it to any inexpensive Magic Cover paper you find at your local Dollar store. (The kind that you use to cover the insides of a cupboard.) I used clear. I used glue dots to stick my stencil to the Magic Cover paper but you can use scotch tape or anything you have around the house. Then cut it out.
The first thing you need to do is make sure your shirt is clean and wrinkle free. To protect the back of the shirt from bleach, slide a piece of cardboard inside the shirt. Make sure the cardboard is big enough to protect the entire shirt from any bleach overspray!
Attach your stencil to the shirt and firmly press down all the edges. Then you’re ready to bleach!
Pour about a quarter cup of pure bleach into a spray bottle. You don’t need to dilute the bleach for this project. Set the spray nozzle to spray a super fine mist. Trust me; the tiniest bit of bleach will do the job! If you’re worried about how heavy your spray will be, just practice spraying a piece of cardboard first. You want the bleach to just barely mist the surface of the cardboard, not soak it!
Start by gently spraying a very light coat of bleach onto your shirt all around the stencil; one or two trigger pulls will do it, you don’t need a lot of bleach. Immediately blot the whole area with a paper towel. You don’t want any giant puddles of bleach on your shirt or on your stencil!
Bleach works pretty quickly, but it can take up to two minutes for the bleach to pull all the color out. One or two sprays of bleach will eventually lighten the whole area; don’t get impatient and spray more bleach, just give it more time to start working. If it’s not bleached enough after a few minutes, do another gentle spray, blot it up, and wait again. Also, don’t freak out when the shirt changes colors during the bleaching process! About fifteen seconds in, the bleached areas of my shirt turned green and I thought I had ruined the whole thing! That is just the color starting to come out of the shirt. About ten seconds later it had turned orange like in the picture below.
Don’t pick up the stencil until you’re sure your shirt is exactly how you want it! Then gently peel the stencil away, and you’re done! Hang the shirt and let it dry. If you were a little heavy handed with the bleach, you may see some fine dusty powder on the shirt once it’s dry; that is just crystallized bleach. The best way to get rid of crystallized bleach is to throw the shirt in the dryer for half an hour. The tumble dry will knock the bleach powder loose without bleaching your shirt any further. DO NOT GET YOUR SHIRT WET if you see this powder! Water will reactivate the bleach and your bleach shirt design will be ruined!
Once the shirt is dry and there’s no crystallized bleach on it, rinse the entire shirt in cold water. Hang it up to dry, and then you can wash and dry the shirt as usual without fear of ruining the design. You may want to wash it by itself once; just to be sure you don’t accidentally bleach any other clothes.
