How Can We Not?

Hello friends and fam bam. Its been a while since a big update from Elder Jake has come out. Like many of you, I have been playing Santa for some kids and families here in Managua. This year santa came with 12 soccer balls, toy cars, stuffed animals, and a ton of candy. Santas gift to me was no snow and no Utah this christmas!! Couldnt be happier with palm trees, big city, and 90 degrees. It has been very sleezy christmas down here!  I hope all of you had a sweet Christmas and spent some time with the people that matter most. We have been traveling all over Nicaragua lately. Lotta good food. Little sleep. Lotta energy. Lotta smiles. Lotta high fives. (Between two ferns for ya there.) 

Got to skype the fam bam on Christmas which was awesome. It was a little weird to be honest. Sometimes i forget that i have a family thousands of miles away but haha ya it was pretty sick. I want to thank all of the people that were there. You are still all just as ugly as when i left and i still love all of you so much. 

Elder Sherle (Esteli), Elder Jake, Elder Clark (TipiTapa)

At the mission Christmas party this last monday, i was pumping up my soccer balls and putting some last minute toys together to send with my old companions back to Esteli and Tipitapa when another young missionary came up to me and said "Luckyyy. Your mom is awesome for sending you all that stuff." First i told him, "yes i know my mom is awesome, you dont have to tell me that. But this stuff isnt for me and my mom didnt send it to me. All this stuff is for people i know here in nicaragua." He was shocked and couldnt belive that none of it was for me and that i had spent all this money on people that i barely know. He asked me "How can you spend all this money and just give all this stuff away without keeping anything?" Alright, pre mission Dylan would have handled the situation a little differently and probably with some different words but i simply asked him, "How can you not?" He walked away thinking. 

I will never forget the Christmas that our family had several years ago on an indian reservation. We got very little and gave much. I didnt understand at that age the reason for less presents and a work filled Christmas but i will never forget my father dressing up as santa for those little native american kids and us handing out our humble socks filled with toothpaste and candy.  

I have been so blessed. We have been given so much. How can we not give back?

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said it like this:

Brothers and sisters, such a sermon demands that I openly acknowledge the unearned, undeserved, unending blessings in my life, both temporaland spiritual. Like you, I have had to worry about finances on occasion, but I have never been poor, nor do I even know how the poor feel.  Furthermore, I do not know all the reasons why the circumstances of birth, health, education, and economic opportunities vary so widely herein mortality, but when I see the want among so many, I do know that “there but for the grace of God go I.”¹⁸ I also know that although I may not be my brother’s keeper, I am my brother’s brother, and “because I have been given much, I too must give.”¹⁹

The Bible like this:

21 Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, Onething thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and giveto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come,take up the cross, and follow me.

 22 And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for hehad great possessions.

 23 ¶And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto his disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!

 24 And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!

 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.

 26 And they were astonished out of measure, saying among themselves, Who then can be saved?

 27 And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.

The Book of Mormon Like this:

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

 17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may notsuffer, for his punishments are just

 19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

 20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his Spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

 21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to impart of the substance that ye have one to another.

 22 And if ye judge the man who putteth up his petition to you for your substance that he perish not, and condemn him, how much more just will be your condemnation for withholding your substance, which doth not belong to you but to God, to whom alsoyour life belongeth.

I hope that this Christmas we all have remembered how much God has given us. I hope that during this time of year and always that we remember Christ and His sacrifice for us. I pray that we can all be a little better this next year and look for the joy that comes in helping other people. How can we not?

Love all of you. Take it extra sleezyyyyyy in 2015. 

Mission Christmas Party

A Baby in She's Tummy - The Christmas Story

When Dylan was three I asked him to tell me the story of the first Christmas.  Below is his three-year-old version that is a family favorite.  Merry Christmas from our little missionary.

A Bad Episode of "The Office"

Remember that Office episode where Dwight harvests the
organs of the CPR dummy?  I'm feeling it with this picture.

hey guys im on right now. just so you dont think that im a terrible missionaries the aps have p night we do a bunch of crap for prez in the day and then have pday at night time haha its pretty sick.

We asked Dylan what he does now that he is working in the mission office - 

I still teach and tract. i run around like a crazy man tho haha. miss being a regular little missionary in Esteli already. happy to serve it just i love being with the people and now im in this leadership position where i am a little more limited. its great tho i love it.  We live in a really nice house in Managua.  i feel like im back in america with the hot showers and american food everyday.  We live large haha which i dont really like. 

Sorry im kind of crazy right now i had a crazy week and im trying to play santa right to and im kinda just nuts with all the crap i gotta do haha. its all good tho. ill have a sweet christmas letter and pictures next week tho. 

i bought a ton of stuff for all my peeps today tho. soccer balls, dolls, little toy cars. santa is comin to town this year!

(Yep that's it - all we got!  Not even a "take it sleezy."  He better come through this week :)

Traded Like Bynum

Hello chelloooooo. sup guys. love ya. hope you are all takin it sleezy. 

Elder Jake and Elder Clark (C man)

I am like the andrew bynum of nicaragua. I have been traded so many times recently that no one really knows where i am. I am now working in managua with the assistants to the president. My new companion elder cua who is an AP is pretty freakin sweet. He is brown and funny. Perfect combination. 

Pretty "bummed" (edited for rating purposes) that i had to leave elder clarkcito and all the people i love in tipitapa. It was very hard to say good bye to everybody. Even though i was only there for 4 weeks, i developed a real love for many people there and especially for my kid elder C man as i nicked named him. Before i left though we got to go for one last swim. Jordana, William, and Martha are a disfunctional family, like the one i come from, but the sleeziest, funniest, and most humble people that i have met. 

All the great families that i have met here all have one thing in common, amazing mothers. I have one a little bit more than amazing and want to thank her for making me the man that i am.

  

47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.

 48 And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.

Thanks mom for teachin me so much good stuff.  Love you. I love all you guys. Take it sleezy. 

Agredecido (Grateful)

Hope you all had a great thanksgiving. I am very grateful for all of you that have played a role in my life and have helped me become the person that i am. Thank you. 

Elder Clark and I had a pretty sleezy/jacobsen thanksgiving. Woke up early and made a ton of french toast and eggs. A very doug price esque french toast with all the oil we used to deep fry those pups and gross amount of chunky peanut butter used. We lacked the stuffing but were very much stuffed so freakin full that our little nica stomachs almost rejected all of it. Also i scribed elder clarkies toe. Diagnosis: amputation due the alien that is growing inside of it. 

Clark and I dropped a little 5 bomb in the pool this week. Jason, Areceli, Jider, Victor, and Javier got shacked and we a had a little post swell thanksgiving feast at their house afterward. The ward members came out with some food for them to use during the week. Its amazing how happy a family can be with no food on the table and no shoes on the kids feet. I am humbled a little more every day here. 

16 And also, ye yourselves will succor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.  17 Perhaps thou shalt say: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just.  18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.  19 For behold, are we not all beggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have.

Santa is coming to town this year 

with some shoes. 

Just want to take a little momentito to thank the family and friends that have been a part of my life since day one. I am thankful for the shoes on my feet and the food that i have to eat everyday but am beyond grateful for your examples and the love and support that you have showed me constantly. This time away has only made me appreciate and love you so much more. 

Love you all so much. Take it sleezy.