40 BUCKS

What is up everybody? Elder DJ had another solid tube sesh this week. Hope you guys are all shreddin Dr. Rick Marshal style. Also, i got bit by a dog this week. Have you ever seen Sam Kramer kick a football? I kicked that dog so hard and i know sam would be proud of me.

Today I ran into a bunch of white people at the supermarket as i was buying my groceries for the week. (And for all the kids at home complaining about the green stuff in their noodles, i basically get 20 bucks for food and travel for the whole week. I would kill for some green stuff in some noodles haha.) Anyways, these white people (about 20) were totally out of their element and they all looked really pretty scared. When i saw them i immediately thought of the nutty British guy from discovery channel that we all know that goes into the wild to whisper over film captured with night vision goggles "Now right now we are observing a male endangered African blue berry muffin monkey as he attempts to seduce a female blue berry muffin monkey with his delicious baked goods" Basically, i "observed" these people were clearly out of their comfort zone. I later found out that they were all from Great Britain. Magical right?

I later talked to one of the guys that was there. He told me he was on a service trip through a British humanitarian aid company and was currently building houses and other things for people in the area. I told him that i was serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ and explained a little about what i was doing. He told me that he had been in Nicaragua for 8 long hard weeks and that he had 2 more long weeks. He also told me he was very impressed with my Spanish after i had a conversation with the check out lady about the amount of crazy white people that were in the supermarket that day. This British dude had no idea what we were talking about haha. Finally he asked how long i had been here. I said 8 weeks like you and ill be here for another 2 short years! The look on his face was priceless.

I am teaching a very, very poor family right now. Dad doesn't have a job and attempts to provide for his two daughters, who are ten and eleven, wife, mother, and one year old twin boys. There is no electricity or water in their little shack in down town Rosario. There is rarely food on the table and no milk for the little boys. Their situation is not uncommon and they live like most other families here in Nicaragua. Over the last couple weeks, however, i have developed a great love for this family, especially for the 10 year old daughter who reminds me of Kate every time i go over to their house.

One night after i returned home from a visit with this family, i was depressed. I looked at the 40 bucks in my wallet and thought to myself "Who needs this more?" As missionaries, we are told not to give money or things to people we meet in the mission. But i couldn't sit there and just not do anything about it. My companion and i prayed that we would receive an answer to know what we should do. The next morning, i read a couple of verses in Luke:

18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.
20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.
22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
23 And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich.
24 And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

I took that 40 bucks and bought all the beans, and rice, and milk, and diapers that i could. My companion and i took the food to a member and told HER to take it by the families house that night. We stopped by the house the next day and the father gave me the most heartfelt hug i had ever received. I knew, that he knew what my companion and i had done and words could not explain how grateful he was.

I know that true happiness comes when we help those around us.

Love you guys. Take it Sleezy.

Dr. Rick Marshall

Hola Amigos! Vida en Esteli es buenisma y estoy teniendo un gran tiempo.



I miss all of you so much and hope that you are doing well!

My typical day ---- (answering some of his parent's questions)

wake up at 630. work out for about 30 - 45 minutes push ups, sits ups,etc
shower. eat cereal and bread as i personally study for an 1-2 hours. companionship study for an hour or 2. language study for an hour.  lunch at our mama citas house at 12. begin teaching investigators, less actives, and recent converts at 1. tract throughout the day return to the house at 930. eat dinner.
go to bed. repeat.

On Sundays we have to wake up at 5 in the morning. mission wide rule. we have to leave the house by 7 to go rally all of the troops for church. members, investigators, animals, anyone we can find.

we tract all day between lessons. and we teach a ton. every day all day. people here are either working or doing absolutely nothing. People will just let you in their house and teach them and also will often give us food and some sort of beverage. sometimes coke and sometimes some mystery drink.

language is getting a lot better. I can say and understand A LOT. the hardest part is understanding when two natives are talking super fast, which is always.

we are teaching this really really poor family right now that will probably be baptized the same day Bryce will. They have two little girls one Kate's age and two twin boys who are a couple of months old. very sad how poor they are.

DR RICK MARSHALL - The official letter:

It rained so hard that all of the streets flooded. I may have soaked my rash in the street/pool a little bit. (video below may only be viewable from a computer)

I also introduced my companion to french toast. He said that he liked it but i think he lied. We are currently trying to get rid of his baby (his fat stomach) and i made him get up and run with me this morning. I learned some new words that i don't think I'm supposed to know as i got him out of bed and pushed his fat butt through the door haha!




Purchased some Nicaraguan soccer jerseys and switchblades. Both of which were dirt cheap. Basically Collin's paradise.

One of my favorite Will Ferrel movies is Land of the Lost.  Dr. Rick Marshall, Will Ferrel, travels to another dimension, fights dinosaurs and goblins, and falls in love. One of my favorite quotes from the movie comes when Dr. Rick is attempting to aid someone who had sprained their ankle. He prefaces his diagnosis and treatment with "Though I am a doctor, I am not a licensed physician." Oddly enough, It came to my mind while is was reading in the bible this week.

In Luke, as well as in the other testaments, Christ often is compared to a physician.

30 But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners?
31 And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick.
32 I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Christ came to earth to help people. As a missionary and representative of Christ, i have learned of the joy that comes as i serve other people. As one who aspires to study medicine when i return, this scripture really hit home. It has only further burned a desire into me that i want to help people throughout my life. As sons and daughters of a living God, it is our responsibility to help and serve others as Christ did.

Let us remember the profound words of Doctor Rick Marshal that we do not have to be licensed physicians to serve and love those around us. You don't have to be a doctor to save someones life. Look for opportunities to serve those that need some love. You will be happier and live better.


Love all you guys. Take it SLEEZY.

TUBES OF LIFE - HOW TO STAY SHACKED

Whats up my NICAS? (pronounced nee-kuz)  Hope you all are doing well.



Elder DJ got his first package in the mail this week. It was much needed. It had a letter from mom written to me while in college. It had 20 bucks in it. I laughed today as i used the money to buy some beans in a tube and thought about what i would have used the money for back in school. It was kind of a smack in the face like wow my life now is 100 percent different than my life 3 months ago.

The tubes of Playa Hermosa summer '13

Now on the the title of this little letter. One of the best feelings in surfing is getting in the tube or getting "shacked". This happens when the surfer is able to place him self in the wave where the water curls and passes over his head and when he is also able to control himself so that he can STAY in the barrel. The surfer must be able to control his speed and balance, needed to have selected the right board, and must have a knowledge of the wave and its shape. Its really an art form and very difficult to do and nearly impossible to master. There are lush tubes all over the world and i remember some of the tubes i was able to surf into in california and costa rica. What is important to remember tho is every single tube is different. Any good surfer will tell you that every beach is unique and every swell presents different challenges that one must realize and overcome in order to stay in the Tube.

Life is full of tubes. Tubes are the challenges we must face as we go through life. We are constantly in an act of balancing our lives and our problems and the things that are important to stay in the barrel. And often it feels that when we have finally mastered our "tubes" and our problems, God presents us with some new hard task or problem that we must face and do our best to overcome. God throws new tubes and beaches at us to see if we can step up and get shacked. It is hard. Life is hard. Great tubes dont come easy. It takes hard work, dedication, and a reliance in God. But when we finally overcome the wave and get in the tube, we feel great, become stronger, and are blessed by our God.

Right now my tube is nicaragua. I have to balance spanish, crazy nicaraguans, and my white boy bowels in order to get in the tube. We all different trials and problems that we need to overcome whether it be a job, calling, the death of a family member, sickness, bad bowel movements, the list goes on forever... However, what i have come to learn is that we dont have to face these waves on our own. God will always help us when we do our best and rely in him. Coach Dave Rose once said "Do what is right and God will bless you." Elder Dylan Jacobsen says "Work hard, do what is right, and God will put you in the Tube." Grandma Jakes book marks say it perfectly

"5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." (paths = nectar tubessss dudeee)

Work hard. Trust in God. And get in the Tube.  I love you all. Take it Sleezy and Stay Shacked.

Tree of Life mural painted by LDS missionaries

Week 5 - ELF

Hola amigos! okay im already done writing in spanish. maybe next week. I need some white in my life. a lot of beans this week. A LOT!

So this week i experienced some things that caused me to sympathize with Buddy the ELF and when he went to New York. Twas a week of reminders, some subtle and some unsettling, that i am not in the north pole anymore.

1. My first experience has happened gradually over the course of the last couple weeks. I have come to realize that people dont wear sports gear to support a team they like. They wear the clothes that they have and dont care or even know whats written on them because it is all they have. So when i have said "Oh i love your shirt. Do you like the bulls?" and they reply "Who is bill" (all in spanish of course) i realize that i am an idiot. 

2. Do you ever wonder where all the merchandise goes from the teams that lose in a championship in the United States? Well some goes to nicaragua haha. The other day i saw a guy wearing a spurs 2013 champions shirt. I dont know what is real life anymore. 

3. I saw a man throw a cat 20 feet. that is all.

4. "The yellow ones dont stop" is elfish wisdom that i have come to live my life by. Taxis here do not stop. If you are in the street you will be run over. On the main road in esteli there are probly 50 dead dogs on the side of the road. 

5. This past sunday, while we were inviting people to church at about 730 in the morning, a man tried to break in to a nearby house. The entire neighborhood came out to kill this guy. A group of about 30 people (some were kids, some were naked, and some were naked kids)  chased this guy for like 3 blocks.

Like Buddy, i have come to realize that i am a long way from home. My candy cane forest is a dirty jungly Nicaragua that unfortantely doesnt have gum stuck everywhere that i can eat. Buddy learned to love his new home as have I. Buddy says "the best way to spread christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear." Though i am not literally caroling down here in Nicaragua in the middle of july, i am working hard to help families hear Jesus' jingle and to realize how great life can be when God is a part of it.

Buddy got lost in New York. I am getting lost in nicaragua. I have learned that getting lost is a good thing, its how we grow and learn to trust in god. There is a scripture in Matthew that i read this week that really impressed me.  

39 He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. 

Im having a great time and love all of you guys. TAKE IT SLEEZY!!!!

Week 4 - Views from the Li (Esteli)

Lets be real, I know you all have been anxiously awaiting news from tootsie shop. Luckily for me, but unlucky for your entertainment, my bowels are fine haha. I think i am finally becoming a nica.



i had the wonderful opportunity of watching and playing with some of the members this week. was it really basketball? i dont know. Did i laugh the whole time? almost. When we picked teams for bball, was the white boy picked first? yes. When we picked teams for futbol afterwards, was the white boy picked first? no haha. Soccer is becoming more enjoyable as i realize that it will be the only sport that i have for two years.

Happy Birthday bryce!!!!! the big ocho. Tell bishop to lighten up in those interviews and if you get stuck on a question just tell him that duke basketball is gods team, thats why jabari went there haha.



this week has been one of firsts. got my first nicaraguan haircut today which was the best i have ever had. They use a real razor for your head and face. it was awesome. I cut down an entire tree by myself. And with a machete. Are you proud of me dad? i went to my first birthday party for a guy who was turning 48. you would have thought it was for a 6 year old girl with all the balloons, hello kitty table cloth, and pink and white cake haha. Also i had my first nacatamale. It is basically a spicy hot pocket that is supposed to give you diahrrea. My bowels deflected the fiery darts of that mystery hot pocket.

LIfe in nica has been good this week. i am having a great time. wow what a statement. The change that has taken place in me has been one of perspective. A perspective that causes me to be increasingly grateful for all that i have in life. For all of my loving friends and family and for the very comfortable life that i have lived. This greater perspective has humbled me and brought me low, as the dirt in which i know live.

I havent changed too much tho, dont worry. I still love poop jokes. no suprise there. i still think about the sleezy dodgeball championship as being one of the best days of my life. And i still think about how the first thing im gonna do in 21 and a half months is kiss my mother and get an in n out hamburger. I am still dylbag and always will be.

But guess what? i love the dirt now. I love the sweat, and the exhaustion, and the frustration and the work. Most of all, i love the people. and i love helping them become better and happier. As i have grown to love them, i have developed a greater love and appreciation for those i left back home.

Love you all. Take it sleezy for me this week.

WEEK 3 - RASHLESS

Hello earth. It is currently pouring here in esteli. Also i am rashless. Unfortunately, even if i did get a rash (which i am very capable of doing because lets face it babies get rashes all the time by just pooping and peeing on themselves and im not saying that i would defacate on myself to go in the ocea.... actually yes i would.) even if i did get a rash, i am currently in the middle of the jungle and the only body of water that comes to mind is the puddle that i can see through the window of the internet cafe in which i sit that is filled with trash and horse poop and is currently being urinated upon by a little nica boy.

From an intestinal perspective, this last week was a tich better. I got pretty sick again on wednesday and once again both doors were in service. I slept for 20 striaght hours on thursday after going back and forth to the bathroom all night on wednesday. I had 5 very weird dreams during that 20 hours haha. Bob saget even made an appearance in one of them haha. I dont know why, but since i was set apart i have been able to remember my dreams very vividly every single night. By friday i was pretty much back to normal.

Question of the week, whoever gets it right will get a prize: How much does a regular box of lucky charms cost in nicaragua?

We are baptizing 2 ladies on saturday which will be cool. One is a 15 year old girl who has made it very apparent that she wants to have a white baby. I have found that a hard cover book of mormon doubles as both the keystone of our religion and also as a athletic cup to combat 15 year old females.



Anyways i am doing well and am having a good time. Despite the sickness and the difficulty with understanding all the mexican being spoken down here, i am having fun and constantly am reminded by a little book mark that i can do hard things. I was reading in 3 nephi this week and came across some scriptures that really had an impact on me. I have been stressed and still am a stressed with a little homesickness, exhaustion, and thoughts about my future. However, i forgot that jesus is the man. In third nephi he says

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow, for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient is the day unto the evil thereof.


God knows what we need and when we need it. I have found that it is important to keep the future in mind and to let it motivate us but also, more importantly, to not allow the future to bring stress into our lives and distract us from the important things currently happening in life. All god asks us to do work hard and seek first the kindom of god. By doing that, all other things fall into place. Love all you guys. See you next week. Take it sleezy.

Week 2 - Nicaragua has been "super twanis" (twaaaneeeesss)

Week two in Nicaragua has been great. I am no longer sick and am becoming more and more used to my new life.



These first couple of weeks out here in the jungle have reminded me of scout camp, or high adventure or any camping trip for that matter. Im sure all of you can relate to this idea or maybe not haha. I had little spell last week where both of my sphincters turned into hallways and really got aquianted with nicaraguan plumming, which is exactly what you think it is. Anyways, last monday night i had returned basically to normal and thought my bowels had come back inside me. The rest of the week was great. I felt good and had no problems with the potty. But on saturday i realized that something was a little fishy. My bowels had been a little too good. I realized that i had not used the bathroom since monday and I figured i should probably go to the bathroom. As i was sitting on the toilet i realized that my life had turned into one giant camping trip. It was like i was at scout camp and just didnt need to poop for 4 or five days. When that 5 day rolls around and you let fly, the toilet has no chance. I know uncle scott, aunt shannon, and that 7 11 gas station bathroom can relate to this haha. I have decided that saturdays shall be my poop days.


Contrary to popular belief, Nicaragua is home to very few black people. I have only spotted 2 myself. And lets be honest, are they really black people if they speak mexican and cant play ball? I think not.




I have been enjoying myself so far. I was a little homesick the first couple of days but i know you are all doing great things at home and will be right where i left ya in 22 months. I thank god every day for all of your love and support.

Life here is very different than back in temecula. Everyone here has nothing, but gives everything. People are very kind and very willing to impart of the little substance that they have. Their humility makes them more receptive to the gospel. It is very difficult for me to see people live the way they do. I have already developed a great love for them.

Bryce. There are many wild cows, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, and people here. The other day, I saw someone throw a baby cat 5 feet out of her house. People here throw all of there crap into the street. Occassionally a good samaratin will push it all into a big pile, pour gasoline on it ,and burn everyting. Thanks garbage man!


That story about the lewis family is crazy. Mackenzie will be in my prayers. I cant even begin to relate to how they are feeling but something i am learning more and more everyday out here in the field is that everything happens for a reason. I know that god will bless their family because of this trial. And i was reading the email that you sent me mom i couldnt help but correct the word "Carotid artery" in my head. haha Thank you anatomy. And mother, if something like that happened to you, dad, collin, maddy, kate, or bryce i dont know if i would tell me...because i dont know if i could be as strong as morgan.

i hope that everyone had a super twanis fourth of july. Twanis is slang in nicaragua for cool/sick/awesome. i included a picture of what i did on 4 of july haha. my companion and i built a fence for one of the members. I also included a pic of my friend bonesy, the dog carcas that we found in the river the other day. Also, i have watched many of the world cup games. Not out of disobedience but sheerly because if we show up to an appointment and there is a game on, the lesson cant start until the game is over haha. I cheer for the white people. go netherlands

Anyways this week i learned the importance of being patient. Not everything comes when we want it or as easy as we want it. LIfe is hard sometimes. All we can do is work hard and trust in god. I love you all.