Because of Him

(Anziano Wilkinson)

This week Anziano Te Maari and I had and will continue to have a great Fourth of July week. Starting on Monday, we were invited to eat over at the house of a half-American half-Italian family (the husband, Peter, is American and the wife, Fausta, is Italian). They made all kinds of American food that I hadn't had in forever; everything from guacamole to ribs. My companion is from New Zealand, but since they eat similar foods as we usually do in the states he was equally excited to celebrate our Independence Day. Today we had a zone grill out to which a bunch of missionaries in our zone came (it was a lot of fun). And on Saturday we will have a ward grill out. So basically the only thing I'm missing about the Fourth of July this year is the unending fireworks. All this American style food has been/will continue to be amazing. You would be surprised about how rare some foods are in Italy that are typical for us back home, like peanut butter, bacon, and barbecue sauce. I'm always very appreciative whenever I get to eat these things, because after a while, you begin

to miss them haha.

We also got to meet our new mission president and his wife, the Allens! They are extremely loving people and from just the two hours that we were there together with them I could tell that they are truly

seeking to follow the example of Christ. I'm excited to work alongside them in this wonderful country!

Anziano Te Maari and I found ourselves using a particular video a lot in our lessons this week and watching it so much has given me a broader perspective on it. The video is called "Because of Him" and is

all about what is possible for us because of what Jesus Christ did. Repeatedly I have been touched by the power behind the words in that video. Among other things, it talks about how because of Him, "we can start again." Because of Him, we have "clean slates" and "new beginnings." Because of Him, "Guild becomes peace, regret becomes relief, [and] despair becomes hope." I am unbelievably grateful for the gift that Christ gave to us. He gave us His own life so that we might live. He took upon Him the spiritual pains of sin so that if we looked to Him, "he might blot out [our] transgressions." And He took upon Him the physical pains of mortality so that He might "be filled with mercy" and be able to "succor his people according to their infirmities" (Alma 7:12-13).

Jesus Christ is our Savior. He lived a sinless life, taught His gospel, and led His followers. He took upon Him our sins and

infirmities in the Garden of Gethsemane and then was betrayed and sentenced to death by His own people. He died on the cross. Three days later, He rose from the dead. He lives today. How grateful I am that we have a savior. Because of Him we have second chances and "there is no such thing as the end." Let us go forward rejoicing in this simple truth!

Go watch this video that I've been talking about. It's truly fantastic! The name is "Because of Him" and you can find it at this website: http://www.mormon.org/becauseofhim . It's only two and a half minutes long and I promise it is well worth your time! Have great week and spend some time thinking about what is possible for you personally "because of Him."

-Anziano Jake Wilkinson

American-Italian Family 4th of July Barbecue Zone grill out

President Allen and Sorella Allen