magnifying glass

 - the magnifying glass-
when you focus the sunlight through a magnifying glass, you can set things on fire . . .not that i would know personally.

when you focus your actions on the will of the Lord, focus on His light so to say, you can set your own testimony on fire and also the testimony of others.

cataracts and the Spirit

my dear aunt recently had surgery to remove cataracts from her eyes.   i commented that i was so glad she would again be able to see the beauty of life.   she responded in the best way possible.

"I am appreciating the brightness that I once had and didn't realize that I was losing. The cataract grows so slowly and takes your sight so slowly that I didn't realize what I was losing. I'm sure there's a metaphor for sin in this experience. And I am having to adjust to the bright light. Many times I have to shut my eye because it hurts. I guess that is like trying to be in a spiritual place when you are not worthy."



what a great comparison!   (you can see what an awesome aunt i have)

this thought process started me thinking a bit more about stories of missionaries sharing something and the person is frightened or uncomfortable with the spirit.    it's like her eye that was no longer used to the bright light.   my aunt has been covering her eyes sometimes because the light hurts it.    it takes time to reacquaint yourself with the spirit you grew up with as a premortal spirit.  it hurts to have that strong light suddenly glaring on you instead of a slow and gradual increase.  

i had always wondered how the Spirit could be frightening to someone.   now i understand.   it doesn't take long either.   think about coming out of a movie theater into the daylight.   you cover your eyes and blink to let your eyes get used to it.   my aunt's eyes  have been shadowed for a long time, so her eyes have been taking days or weeks to get used to normal light.  


it is the same spiritually.   the longer we have been away, or the darker our lives have been, the harder it is to come back into the light.    it can hurt, be scary, or just not feel good at first.    

as my aunt keeps allowing her eyes opportunities to slowly get used to the light, allowing them time to adjust and rest when needed, the same holds true for our spiritual light.   it takes time.   it doesn't have to happen all at once.   it may be uncomfortable at times.   we may need to just rest where we are for a while.


In the end, we are all pilgrims seeking God’s light as we journey on the path of discipleship. We do not condemn others for the amount of light they may or may not have; rather, we nourish and encourage all light until it grows clear, bright, and true.   

moroni 10

moroni 10 . . .the end
moroni seems to finally be grasping his role as prophet. the way he writes is changed a bit, more mature and assured.

moroni 10:4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

so much hangs on this promise. we hand people over to this promise when we give them a book of mormon to read.

then, in 9-17, moroni gives us an example of the gifts from God, our talents and how different we all are. we are all supposed to be different.
17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of Christ; and they come unto every man severally, according as he will.

i love this verse-
31 And awake, and arise from the dust, O Jerusalem; yea, and put on thy beautiful garments, O daughter of Zion; and strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever, that thou mayest no more be confounded, that the covenants of the Eternal Father which he hath made unto thee, O house of Israel, may be fulfilled.

get up! get moving! do missionary work! it is your duty, get moving!

moroni 9

moroni 9: 5 For so exceedingly do they anger that it seemeth me that they have no fear of death; and they have lost their love, one towards another; and they thirst after blood and revenge continually.

i read this as my husband came in telling me that someone stopped to take a picture of his truck parked half on the sidewalk so he could take it to the police.   there were several other cars parked on the sidewalk, that didn't bother the guy, just the 4 door truck.   this just really brought home to me how much we as a culture are so vengeful, spiteful and nasty sometimes.

 6 And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God.

yep, the world is harsh, nasty, wrong, and angry.   that is no excuse for us to be that way or stop trying to change it.  

flooding the earth with light

since the point was brought up about light, and what kind of light you might be, it made me think of this talk. i think maybe the light is not the problem but as was said a light on a hill instead of under a bushel. maybe the question is not only what kind of light are you, but where are you placing it, what are you doing with it? in this talk, elder bednar invites us to flood the internet with the gospel. how can you do that? what can your little personal flood be?

https://www.lds.org/prophets-and-apostles/unto-all-the-world/to-sweep-the-earth-as-with-a-flood?lang=eng

alma 29 - o that i were an angel

alma 29:1-2

i have always loved this scripture. sometimes i wish i could just fly over the world calling people to the truth with such power as it could not be denied. 
3-9 people must have the chance and choice though. i have the opportunity to do missionary work right where i am. it is slow and often i feel inefficient, but i just have to keep going. little steps. planting seeds that i may never see the fruit of, but just keep planting. everything is in the hands of the Lord

alma 21-23

alma 21 - 23

ammon and his brethren finally see progress in the land of the lamanites. 21:17-32

have you ever felt like you were taking on a huge opponent or trial? this applies not only to missionary work but any trial or obstacle. alma 21:3-4 

they suffered imprisonment, were spit on and thrown out. 21: 13-15
then they finally are free and laws are passed that allow them to preach freely.
alma 22 - aaron teaches the king over all the lamanites. 22:3 they approach the king to serve him but the seeds have already been planted by ammon.
alma 22:18 -23 notice the difference between the queen to lamoni who had a convert for a servant and this queen- she is also converted but takes slightly different route.
alma 23:1-5
finally able to preach through the whole land without the minor setback of being put into prison, they are able to make progress.

alma 10-11 - zeezrom

alma 10 -11
my highlight pick - alma 11: 21 - 46
zeezrom is a lawyer who goes around stirring up trouble in order to get people to sue each other and thereby getting hired to do some "lawyering". basically, just wants to earn a living doing anything besides work honestly. he tries to bribe amulek who is alma's missionary partner but amulek is supported by the Spirit and knows zeezrom is up to no good and calls him out. zeezrom is taken back by this and starts questioning amulek again, but this time you can see his questions turn from smart mouth trying to get the best of the missionaries to actually seeking answers.
it is a beautiful example of how we can make a difference in people's lives. no matter how against us they may seem, truth can have an effect.

M&M Cookie Primary Activity / PV-Aktivität: M&M Plätzchen

M&M Cookie Primary Activity

Theme For 2013 : I Am A Child Of God

*this is the actual letter that we sent home with the kids for their family home evening.   and it's what was read to lead our activity.   this is a new cookie recipe, (not the one i originally posted) and everyone loved it.   you can use your own if you have a tried and true one you like.

we live in germany so the red is german.   i thought i would leave for those who speak german.   you can copy and paste it out of there without a problem.*

Theme For 2013 : I Am A Child Of God

M&Ms were put into a jar every Sunday for the each child that brought their scriptures. One M&M

for the Book of Mormon and one for the Bible. At the end of year party we made cookies with the M&Ms. Since we earned the M&Ms by bringing our scriptures and we have been memorizing scriptures all year, we used them to make our cookies.

Für jedes Kind, das seine Schriften mitgebracht hat, wurden jeden Sonntag M&Ms in ein Gefäß getan: je ein M&M für das Buch Mormon und für die Bibel. Bei der Party am Jahresende haben wir mit den M&Ms Plätzchen gebacken. Weil die M&Ms dadurch verdient wurden, dass wir unsere Schriften mitgebracht haben und weil wir das ganz Jahr Schriftstellen auswendig gelernt haben, haben wir die M&Ms zum Plätzchenbacken verwendet.

I used this recipe but you can use any cookie recipe you like for your family home evening. The ingredients will probably still fit into the scriptures that we used.

Ich habe das folgende Rezept verwendet, aber Sie können für Ihren Familienabend ein beliebiges Plätzchen-Rezept auswählen. Die Zutaten werden sicherlich dennoch zu den Schriftstellen passen, die wir benutzt haben.

JANUARY:

I Am a Child of God, and He Has a Plan for Me

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God”

(Romans 8:16)

JANUAR

Ich bin ein Kind Gottes, und er hat einen Plan für mich

„So bezeugt der Geist selber unserem Geist, dass wir Kinder Gottes sind.“ (Römer 8:16)

2 teaspoons vanilla -

2 teelöffel vanille

It does not take much vanilla to make a big difference in the cookies.

The Holy Ghost is quiet and has a still small voice but when we listen to His direction, it will make a big difference in our lives.

Man braucht nicht viel Vanille, um eine große Veränderung in Plätzchen zu bewirken.

Der Heilige Geist ist still und hat eine leise Stimme, wenn wir aber auf Seine Führung achten, wird es für unser Leben viel bedeuten.

FEBRUARY:

The Earth Was Created for Heavenly Father’s Children

“We will make an earth whereon these may dwell; and we will prove them herewith, to

see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them”

(Abraham 3:24–25).

FEBRUAR

Die Erde wurde für die Kinder des himmlischen Vaters erschaffen

„Wir wollen eine Erde machen, worauf diese wohnen können; und wir wollen sie hierdurch

prüfen und sehen, ob sie alles tun werden, was auch immer der Herr, ihr Gott, ihnen gebietet.“

(Abraham 3:24,25)

2 eggs -

2 Eier-

The egg represents our world. Just like a chick grows and is nourished with all it needs inside an egg, so to, has God provided us a world with all we need to develop into the Supreme Being we are to become.

Das Ei repräsentiert unsere Erde. Ebenso wie ein Küken im Inneren des Eis wächst und mit allem genährt wird, was es benötigt, hat Gott für uns eine Welt geschaffen mit allem was wir benötigen, um uns zu dem höchsten Wesen zu entwickeln, das wir werden sollen.

MARCH:

Jesus Christ Is Our Savior

“Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world” (D&C 43:34).

MÄRZ

Jesus Christus ist unser Erretter.

„HÖRT AUF diese Worte. Siehe, ich bin Jesus Christus, der Erretter der Welt.“ (LuB 43:34)

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbs molasses

150g zucker

150g braune zucker

1 Esslöffel Zuckerrübensirup

The brown sugar and molasses are dark like our sins but through Christ, our sins can be as white as the white sugar is.

Der braune Zucker und Zuckerrübensirup sind dunkel wie unsere Sünden, aber durch Christus können wir so weiß werden wie der weiße Zucker.

APRIL:

Jesus Christ Restored His Church in the Latter Days

“I have sent forth the fullness of my gospel by the hand of my servant Joseph” (D&C 35:17).

APRIL

Jesus Christus hat seine Kirche in den Letzten Tagen wiederhergestellt

„Und ich habe die Fülle meines Evangeliums durch die Hand meines Knechtes Joseph

ausgesandt.“ (LuB 35:17)

1 cup butter, room temperature.

240g Butter

People still had knowledge of God and Christ after the Apostasy but could not hold all of the information together. Just as our cookies won't stay together without the butter, the restoration brought together and tied together the bits of information that was lost over the years.

Selbst nach dem Abfall hatten die Menschen noch Kenntnis von Gott und Christus, konnten aber nicht alle Informationen zusammenhalten. Genauso wie die Butter unsere Plätzchen zusammenhält, wurde durch die Wiederherstellung Stück für Stück alle Informationen wieder zusammengebracht, die über die Jahre verloren gegangen waren.

Mix the wet ingredients together. Start the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.

MAY:

Prophets Teach Us to Live the Restored Gospel

“Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the

prophets” (Amos 3:7).

MAI

Die Propheten lehren uns, nach dem wiederhergestellten Evangelium zu leben

„Nichts tut Gott, der Herr, ohne dass er seinen Knechten, den Propheten, zuvor seinen

Ratschluss offenbart hat.“ (Amos 3:7)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teelöffel Salz

Christ has said that those who are faithful and follow the prophets are like the salt of the earth. Salt was very valuable in Christ’s time because a tiny bit would make the food taste better. When we follow the prophets’ words, we are like the salt of the earth and make everything around us better.

Christus hat gesagt, dass diejenigen, die treu sind und den Propheten folgen, wie das Salz der Erde sind. Salz war zu Christus Zeiten sehr kostbar, weil schon ein Kleinwenig davon den Geschmack des Essens verbesserte. Wenn wir den Worten der Propheten folgen, sind wir wie das Salz der Erde, weil wir alles um uns herum verbessern.

JUNE:

I Will Follow Heavenly Father’s Plan by Being Baptized and Confirmed

“Come unto me, and be baptized in my name, that ye may receive a remission of your

sins, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (3 Nephi 30:2).

JUNI

Ich folge dem Plan des himmlischen Vaters, indem ich mich taufen und konfirmieren lasse

„Kommt zu mir und lasst euch in meinem Namen taufen, damit ihr Vergebung für eure

Sünden empfangen und vom Heiligen Geist erfüllt werden könnt.“ (3 Nephi 30:2)

3 cups flour

360g Weizenmehl Type 550

Just as the flour is white, we also can be made white when we are baptized. Flour is the main ingredient in the cookies, it provides the stability for the cookies to be solid instead of just being liquid. Baptism provides us the first solid rock of our foundation to build on.

Genauso wir Mehl weiß ist, können wir auch durch die Taufe weiß gemacht werden. Mehl ist eine Hauptzutat für Plätzchen. Es sorgt dafür, dass die Plätzchen fest anstatt flüssig werden. Die Taufe ist der erste feste Felsen für unser Fundament, auf das wir bauen können.

JULY:

Families Are Part of Heavenly Father’s Plan

“The family is ordained of God” (“The Family: A Proclamation to the World,” paragraph 7)

JULI

Die Familie gehört zum Plan des himmlischen Vaters

„Die Familie ist von Gott eingerichtet.“

(„Die Familie – eine Proklamation an die Welt“, 7. Absatz)

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda 

2 teelöffel Maisstärke

1 teelöffel Natron

The soda and cornstarch help the cookies to rise and be lighter. There is very little soda used but it helps the whole batch of cookies rise. Like the cornstarch, we can make the burdens of those around us be lighter. We may think we are just small and cannot make a difference but we can help raise others spirits around us.

Natron und Maisstärke helfen den Plätzchen aufzugehen und leichter zu werden. Man verwendet nur ein ganz bisschen Backpulver, aber das langt, um ein ganzes Blech Plätzchen aufgehen zu lassen. Wie Maisstärke können wir die Last derer, die um uns herum sind, leichter werden lassen. Wir mögen meinen, dass wir ganz klein und bedeutungslos sind, aber wir können andere Geister um uns herum emporziehen.

Now that we have used our scriptures, we can add the M&Ms we earned this year.

Nachdem wir nun unsere Schriftstellen benutzt haben, können wir die M&Ms hinzufügen, die wir dieses Jahr verdient haben.

Mix the dry ingredients well and then add the wet ingredients and dry together.

AUGUST:

Heavenly Father Hears and Answers My Prayers

“Be thou humble; and the Lord thy God shall lead thee by the hand, and give thee answer

to thy prayers” (D&C 112:10).

AUGUST

Der Vater im Himmel hört und erhört meine Gebete

„Sei demütig, dann wird der Herr, dein Gott, dich an der Hand führen und dir auf deine

Gebete Antwort geben.“ (LuB 112:10)

Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Use a teaspoon or regular sized “cereal spoon” to scoop dough and place on the cookie sheet. Use a silicon sheet for best results.

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until just set.  Let cool for a minute on the cookie sheet before placing on a wire rack to cool completely.

Benuzten ein Teelöffel die Pläatzchenteig zu formen.

Backen um 150* C für 8 – 10 minuten

Now, we will form the cookie dough into cookies and take them in our hands and put it in the oven. Even though it is hot, it is through the heat that the cookies are made into what they should be. God answers our prayers by leading us in the way we should go. It is not always easy but it is what is necessary to help us be the person God wants us to be.

Jetzt werden wir den Plätzchenteig zu Plätzchen formen, sie in unsere Hand nehmen und in den Ofen legen. Obwohl er heiß ist, werden unsere Plätzchen genau dadurch das, was sie werden sollen. Gott beantwortet unsere Gebete indem er uns auf die Weise leitet, die wir gehen sollen. Das ist nicht immer leicht aber notwendig, um die Person werden, die wir nach dem Willen Gottes sein sollen.

While our cookies undergo their transformation, we are going to continue with our scriptures and see what else we can learn from them.

Während die Plätzchen ihre Umwandlung durchmachen, werden wir mit unserer Schriftstellen weitermachen und sehen, was wir von ihnen lernen können.

SEPTEMBER:

I Will Serve God with All My Heart, Might, Mind, and Strength

“Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy might, mind, and

strength; and in the name of Jesus Christ thou shalt serve him” (D&C 59:5).

SEPTEMBER

Ich will Gott mit ganzem Herzen, aller Macht, ganzem Sinn und aller Kraft dienen

„Du sollst den Herrn, deinen Gott, lieben mit deinem ganzen Herzen, mit all deiner Macht,

ganzem Sinn und aller Kraft; und im Namen Jesu Christi sollst du ihm dienen.“ (LuB 59:5)

We should be of service to our fellow beings. Christ said that when we serve others, we serve Him. We are going to make Christmas cards to send to others to tell them that we care about them.

Wir sollen unseren Mitmenschen dienen. Christus sagte, dass wir Ihm dienen, wenn wir anderen dienen. Wir werden Weihnachtskarten herstellen und sie anderen schicken, um ihnen dadurch zu sagen, dass wir Zuneigung für sie empfinden.

OCTOBER:

I Will Share the Gospel with All of God’s Children

“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your

Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

OKTOBER

Ich will allen Kindern Gottes vom Evangelium erzählen

„So soll euer Licht vor den Menschen leuchten, damit sie eure guten Werke sehen und euren

Vater im Himmel preisen.“ (Matthäus 5:16)

We are to let our light shine or be missionaries. To be good missionaries, we are going to include a gift with each card. We are going to put a pass-a-long card in each card. This pass-a-long is special because with it, the people you give them to can get a dvd about Christ’s birth. This way we can share the gospel while giving and being of service to those around us.
Wir sollen unser Licht leuchten lassen, also Missionare sein. Um ein guter Missionar zu sein, werden wir jeder Karte ein Geschenk beifügen. Die Besondere an der beigefügte Informationskarte ist, dass wir damit den Menschen ermöglichen, eine DVD über die Geburt Christi zu erhalten. Auf diese Weise können wir das Evangelium teilen, indem wir denen um uns herum etwas geben und ihnen damit dienen.

We helped the kids make their own Christmas cards to give to teachers, friends, and family. They used some basic supplies like paper, glue, scissors and colored pencils to make them. You can use the pass-a-long pockets to make more Christmas cards or any other kind of card you need. We gave the kids lots of paper and colored pencils to decorate their cards with but you can glue them into any purchased card you send as well. If you would like the template for more pockets, please contact Maggie Bacher.

Wir haben den Kindern bei der Herstellung ihrer eigenen Weihnachtkarten geholfen, die sie an Lehrer, Freunde und Familienmitglieder geben können. Sie haben dazu einige einfache Materialien benutzt wie Papier, Klebstoff, Schere und Buntstifte. Sie können die Taschen zum Weitergeben dazu benutzen, um weitere Weihnachtskarten oder andere Karten herzustellen. Wir haben den Kindern reichlich Papier und Buntstifte gegeben, damit sie ihre Karten dekorieren können, aber sie können sie auch für andere gekaufte Karten verwenden. Wenn Sie das Muster für weitere Taschen haben möchten, kontaktieren Sie bitte Maggie Bacher.

NOVEMBER:

We Are to Thank God in All Things

“He commanded them that . . . every day they should give thanks to the Lord their God”

(Mosiah 18:23).

NOVEMBER

Wir sollen Gott für alles danken

„Und er gebot ihnen, … jeden Tag sollten sie dem Herrn, ihrem Gott, danken.“ (Mosia 18:23)

When our cookies are done, I bet you are grateful for them! Remember to always thank Heavenly Father for the things that He gives you.

DECEMBER:

I Know That Jesus Christ Will Come Again

“I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth”

(Job 19:25).

DEZEMBER

Ich weiß, dass Jesus Christus wiederkehrt

„Ich weiß: Mein Erlöser lebt, als Letzter erhebt er sich über dem Staub.“ (Ijob 19:25)

So that we can remember what Christmas is about and know what gift we are giving in our cards, we are going to watch the same dvd that your friends and family can order from the pass-a-long cards we are using.

Damit wir uns daran erinnern können, worum es bei Weihnachten wirklich geht und wissen, welche Geschenk wir mit unseren Karten geben, werden wir die DVD anschauen, die Freunde und Familienmitglieder mithilfe der Informationskärtchen bestellen können. 

We have invited the missionaries to our activity so the kids will be more familiar with the missionaries, (and because the missionaries like cookies). Please, remember the missionaries in your personal and family prayers. Don't forget to pray for the people around you so that their hearts will be made ready to hear the gospel.

Wir haben die Missionare zu unserer Aktivität eingeladen, damit die Kinder die Missionare besser kennenlernen (und weil Missionare Plätzchen mögen). Bitte schließen Sie die Missionare in Ihren persönlichen Gebeten und im Familiengebet ein. Vergessen Sie nicht, für die Menschen um Sie herum zu beten, damit ihre Herzen bereit gemacht werden, das Evangelium anzuhören.

We, the primary presidency, hope you and your family will have a wonderful Christmas season and remember to share the wonderful message of Christmas with those around you.

Als Leitung der Primarvereinigung hoffen wir, dass Sie und Ihre Familie eine wunderschöne Weihnachtszeit haben werden und denken Sie bitte daran, die wunderbare Botschaft von Weihnachten mit denen in Ihrem Umfeld zu teilen.

*end of activity letter*

a few notes on the actual activity, you know, the reality of what happened.

we had the missionaries talk about the movie as it played to help make it less boring for the little ones.   we didn't watch the whole thing.   the missionaries were introduced at the beginning by name because we should be praying for our missionaries by name.   they helped with cutting and making cards.   the point was to get the kids excited about the missionaries and become familiar with them.      

i had an 11 year old that needed a faith in God project so she helped out with the cutting the cards out and she actually lead the program by reading the sections.   the leaders introduced that she would do this and one of the other older kids helped by reading the scriptures as we went through them.   

it worked out really well.   we let the kids take turns putting things in and stirring so they all got to help.   they used spoons to put cookies on the sheets to bake.   then we had them go in to make their cards.   (one of us stayed behind to even out the cookies and bake them. wink wink)

we were able to give each parent a copy of the letter and explain quickly what it was and what we did.   we gathered up supplies for them to take to make their own cards.   they all liked the idea of a free family home evening.   the kids were wanting to make sure they had the cookie recipe.    

i was surprised a how well the cards were received.   some of the kids made several cards and took several home to make more.   we suggested that they could give them to teachers and friends that are not members.   it was nice to be able to just talk to them about missionary opportunities casually while they worked on their cards.  

for the cards, i also printed several little black and white things for them to color and use on their cards.  if you have someone that has stamps or punches, you could include those as well.

i used images from a Christmas coloring page search.  all of the images were free to download for non-commercial use.  this is not commercial so i figured it was ok.   i used lds.org and these sites to create these cut out collages.  

http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/decorate-the-tree-for-christmas-decorations-printable

http://pencils11.blogspot.de/2009/08/christmas-coloring-pages.html

http://www.raisingourkids.com/coloring-pages/printable/bible/045-jesus-nativity-color-page.html

http://unliketheworld.net/index.php?p=coloring

http://www.honkingdonkey.com/holiday-coloring-pages/christmas-coloring-pages/Christmas-Bible-Coloring/christmas-bible-coloring-301.htm

http://coloringpages.onsugar.com/Happy-Thanksgiving-Coloring-Pages-8833571

http://www.coloringpages1001.com/coloring-pages/christmas-candle/

http://dailycoloringpages.com/page/3/

 i used picassa to make the collages.

here is the template for the pockets i am using.   sorry, i would add a pdf but can't seem to figure out how.

basic card idea

you can use the pocket on the front or back.   you could use a picture of your family on the front or just print some pictures for the kids to color or just decorate.  i do not have any scrapbooking supplies other than scissors and a paper cutter so if you are a scrapbooker, you can totally make it as great as you want.  if you, like me, are without fancy tools, you can still make it great with some basic coloring, cutting shapes, stickers, etc.   put the pocket on the front if you want, doesn't matter.   it's best if you write some of your testimony and that the card is a certificate for a free movie about the birth of Christ.   watch the movie first so you know what it contains and maybe tell them about it a bit or what you love about it. 

i hope you enjoy this and are able to give the gift of the knowledge of Christ this Christmas season.

Side note -

we are actually going to use this for more than just Christmas.   you can make birthday cards, just add the pocket and desired pass-a-long card to a store bought card, use it for the non-member invitations to a baptism.   make any type of card a missionary tool.  have a wonderful day and a wonderful family home evening, craft day, activity, whatever making your cards.