Blood, Burritos and Happiness

What is up everybody. Dawn Patrol Nicaragua. Elder Jake is doing well and the hole in my head has closed up finally. I have not been traveling lately. I am here in my area in managua and its freakin sick. I love being with people. And there are so many people here that i love . We had a couple of baptisms these last couple of weeks.. Karla and Jose Ramon. Their families will be going in this weekend and the next.  I will send the pictures next week. 

Today Hirschi and I went to a volcano in Masaya which is in the south mission. I am finally getting off my butt on pday and starting to milk some of the perks that one gets for being with the big man for 8 months. The volcano was dope and after i took a nap. Solid pday. 

President and I have become very close since december. The other day he brought a burrito to my apartment when i was sick and we sat there and talked as i ate it.  (Dylan had Chikungunia a few weeks ago.  It is transmitted by mosquitoes but is also contagious.) We enjoy pancakes at his crib on monday mornings. A couple of days ago he ran into the sliding glass door and almost shattered it and i havent let him forget it since.  My life has changed so quickly in the time that i have been here in the mission. It has changed 10 times faster in the time i have spent with President. He told me something that was very humbling a few days ago. He told me that the reason he is comfortable letting his children stay with my mother and family is because of desicions and example that he has seen in me. I am only a product of those who gave me everthing. I owe everything to my father and mother. And I thank god everyday for them. I hope the collado kids wont have too many mental and physical scars after spending a few weeks with brycito and the all the insanity in JAKEWOOD. 

If you want to be happy for an hour, eat a burrito.
If you want to be happy for a day, play basketball.
If you want to be happy for a week, surf.
If you want to be happy for a month, buy a car.
If you want to be happy for a lifetime, put your faith in Jesus Christ. 

Love you all. stay sleezy. 

The Man

Dawn Patrol Managua. 

Life has been great. God is too good to me. I am grateful for so many things- the mish, the gospel, the fam, sleezy, cass, and for all of the people here in nicaragua that i love. 

Last couple weeks have been sick. Made it back to corinto and that was dope. It rained so hard out there and after wearing the same pants, shoes and socks for 4 days the rash, that requires at least 30 minutes of messing around time in the ocean, was fully developed. Dermatology is boring Uncle Greg but after this week my love for fine creams and lotions really fired up. 

Elder Hirschi, President Collado, Elder Jake

President Collado and I are pretty tight now. Last week he gave me a clutch update on the ripcurl pro that happened here in nicaragua a couple of weeks ago. He told me who the three finalists were and that a dude from costa rica took it. He is a great man. He has been an amazing example to me and I have learned so much from him in the last 7 months that i have been with him. We are currently working on his english together. He asked me what "shred" means from my video to dad on fathers day. I told him id show him if he invited me to bunk up with him in costa rica post mish. We are currently working on the pronunciation for "stoked."

My birthday was great. Wow. 21 years old. I am a freaking old man abd there are still so many dumb things that i need to do. My man strength is coming in nicely. Jake you would be proud. I still remember the day i popped out of mom. Time flies. It was truly the most humble birthday i have ever had- but by far the most memorable. It was just another day working and i had a cup of noodles for dinner but it will be one that i will never forget. I got to spend it with all of my people in tipitapa- the poorest place i have served in or been in during my mission, but is the place i love most and one day i will hopefully be able make a return there. I want to thank all of you for your emails, letters, and the packages that cass and mom and dad sent me. I really feel the love all the way over here in nicaragua. Of all the little things i recieved from you guys and my nicas here, the dopest present i got came from the family of one of my converts in tipitapa. Scarlet, the sister of my covert Jorgito, named her baby "Jacob" after me. 

Earlier this week my home girl Kayyyyleeeenne went for a little swim. Kaylene is best friends with martha who i baptized in deciember. Shes a great woman, despite having a family full of drugs and violence. I love them both so much. Elder Samol, my third child, baptized kaylene on wednesday. Martha is getting ready to go up to the honduras temple in december. 

Last week in Chinandega i worked with my old companion elder boice for a few hours. He is a great guy and i love him so much. In the night we went to visit a member in the hospital. While we were there someone asked us if we could go pray for a family with a sick little girl who were living in the hospital as they were waiting for blood transfusions. We went and found this little girl curled up on a filthy piece of cardboard with her passed out, intoxicated father and mother smoking several cigarretes lying next to her. What a humbling experience. We gave the 4 year old girl a blessing and it was truly one of the more memorable experiences that i have had in my entire life. I felt a true love for this little girl and it was one of the few moments i have really felt close to my Father in Heaven. 

I am so grateful for my father. He is the man i strive to become every day. The way he loves others, sacrifices everything and works reminds me and many of you of our savior. I am for ever in debt to this man for the things he has helped me learn and understand and for the love he has shown me. 

One of my favorite examples in the scriptures is King Benjamin. He reminds me of my father because of his leadership, humility, and appreciation for the atonement of Jesus Christ. 

And even I, myself, have labored with mine ownhands that I might serve you, 

 Behold, I say unto you that because I said unto you that I had spent my days in your service, I do not desire to boast, for I have only been in the service of God.

behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the serviceof your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold outfaithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

 And lo, he shall suffer temptations, and pain of body,hunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can suffer, except it be unto death; for behold, blood cometh from every pore

For behold, and also his blood atoneth for the sins of those who have fallen

And moreover, I say unto you, that there shall be noother name given nor any other way nor means wherebysalvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the Lord Omnipotent.

My father understands what his purpose is in life. He gives everything for others. He understands who his savior is. He is THE Man that has made me the man i am today. I love you so much dad. Thank you.

I love all of you 

-always sleezy-

Feliz Cumpleanos

helloooo. this week was pretty dope. we were in chinandega this week. rained every day for about 7 hours. i made it back to corinto. way sick. little swells out but there was some inconsistent sets with some decent shoulders that barrelled up pretty nicely. 

love the mission. cant say that enough. the time is going way to fast especially here in the office. its a different kind of work as ap but i am enjoying every second of it. 

my girl kaylin is gonna get on the slip and 

slide this week. she is the best friend of martha who got baptized in december. love them both so much. 

love you guys. take it sleezy. 

i promise a nice fathers day letter next week. love you dad. 

also. i am 21. so thats dope 

Elder Jake

Welcome to the Jungle

Elder Hirshi and Elder Jake

Hey guys. didnt get a chance to write yesterday. we had an 8 hour meeting and got done at about 6 pm. Didnt really get to do much in my 3 hour pday but elder hirschi and i had a good time running around in managua for a couple hours. Love you guys so much.

This week elder hirschi ran around in matagalpa and esteli. i got to go to this place called the Dalia. From Matagalpa it is 2 and half hours east into the freaking jungle. When i said i was in the jungle before in esteli that was real, but this place is literally probly where Mowgli and Bagheera live. I worked with Elder Corleto for several days there and it was an amazing experience. I have been in every area in the entire mission (more than 105) and this place is by far my favorite. This little city is built up on the top of a mountian and as far as you can see there is just jungle and mountians. The pictures just dont do it justice. Slept on a wet, filthy matress and woke up to monkeys and parrots. It was freakin awesome. There is a tiny branch of 15 there but the teenagers that go are some of the dopest i have ever met. Looking forward to going back one day and hopefully serving there. Well see if prez hooks it up. 

Elder Hirschi is sick. we are having a great time. shout out to hirschi's mom laurie for the letter. Glad to hear maddy and collin are good. love you guys. 

There is no better feeling in the world than helping someone change their life. The change that takes place in someones life when they start to understand the role that god and christ play in their lives. I get to see this everyday all over nicaragua. Its what makes these two years away from everything and everyone that i love worth it. Its a change i have seen in my own life as well. 

 12 And according to his faith there was a mighty changewrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

 13 And behold, he preached the word unto your fathers, and a mighty change was also wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their trust in the true and living God. And behold, they were faithful until theend; therefore they were saved.

 14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?

I love nicaragua. Im livin better because God is a part of it. and I thank God everyday for this dirty, impovershed, 3 world country. This place and these people that i love have changed me and allowed me to find myself. 

love you guys. stay sleezy.

Short and Sweet

love all of you. Short letter this week. I love nicaragua and these people here so freakin much.

Last week the area president elder duncan came to town and i got to spend a lot of time with him and president. It was an awesome experience to be with a man that has such a close relationship to so many men that change this world. He did several multizone conferences and lidership training meetings of which i was able to go to all of them. He is powerful and has a sense of humor. Keys to being a leader. He brought hundreds of ideas to the missionaries that will change the mission.

Ran around in leon all this weekend. All the locals tell me there is great surfing there. I know god is preparing a killer swell here for june 2016.

I love this place. My love and appreciation for God, my family, and this life increases daily. God has given me so much and i find myself more and more everyday as i give everything to help the people here that i love.

Stay sleezy. love you guys

Half Time Desire

Dawn Patrol Managua,

Elder Jake only in crowded, sweaty buses and taxis again this week. All over managua tues and weds. Thurs, fri, sat Hirschi and I went with prez to all of his meetings with leadership in chinandega and leon. We came back sunday afternoon to get back for our boy Aaron's wedding and baptism. Aaron is so freaking sick. He's 23 and got a great wife named karla who is already a member. They are both so sleezy and are some of the greatest people i know. Aaron anounced his May 14, 2016 date during his baptism to go get sealed in the temple in either salt lake or san diego. 

Aaron and Karla's Wedding

Never thought that I would be in charge of planning a 10 year olds car pool schedule but that is my life now. I also broke that same 10 year olds trampoline last week so i guess thats what i get. Speaking of breaking things and ten year olds i accidently shattered a childs ripstik in the street the other day. We walked slowly back to his house as he cried and angrilly told his mother how the stupid white guy had broken his skateboard on his birthday. (This stupid white guy replaced the skateboard right away!)

One year down. Its crazy how fast the time has gone. I really feel like it was just yesterday that i waved good bye to suzette two times in the airport haha. I have been thinking a lot lately how my life has changed completely in such a short period of time. What have i done and what can I do better. I have gained a greater appreciation for all of you in my time away. 

Every good thing in this life requires sacrifice. If i have learned anything over the last year it is that. Effort is always required. The struggle is essential. Work. Sweat, blood, frustration. Patience and dedication are learned by those who want it. And the feeling after a win, after doing something hard, is indescribable. 

The game is half over. Many of you can relate to sitting in a locker room at halftime. Exhausted, frustrated, hating the enemy and overwhelmed with anticipation and desire to get back out and drop 30 knowing that all the sacrifice and time you have put in before will have been worth it. 

A man once said

Strength and struggle go together. The supreme reward of struggle is strength. Life is a battle and the greatest joy is to overcome. The pursuit of easy things makes men weak. Do not equip yourselves with superior power and hope to escape the responsibility and work. It cannot be done. It is following the lines of least resistance that makes rivers and men crooked. 

Doing hard things and sacrifice makes everything in this life worth it. Rededicated. Knowing that putting in work for God now will allow me to love and apprieciate all of you and this life even more.

Sleezy always. Love you guys. 

Humble - Hungry

Solid Semana. We are finishing up interviews throughout the mission. This week we visited the zones here in Managua and in tipitapa. This next week we will be in Esteli and in Matagalpa. After we finish in Esteli, i will be staying there with the ZLs until sunday. Three and a half hour bus ride back to managua and straight to the office to do numbers and Skype the fam. Should be pretty sleezy.

Did have a great experience in my own interview this week. President Collado has played a huge role in my life in the mission. We are very different people. But is a man i very much look up to. Even though he doesnt know who steph curry is or what grabbin the wall means or that sleezy is a worldwide enterprise he is someone that has changed my life. Being able to work close to him has been such a great opportunity. He is a great example to me of what kind of man i want to be after the mission.

Now, even though i am with president almost every day of the week, i had the longest interview with him. We sat in his office for about an hour and talked about a lot of things. It was an hour that i will not forget for a long time. After answering several of my questions, he asked me several things that changed my life. One of the things he asked me was how my prayers have changed since i started my mission. I really thought about it and realized that things had changed. after about 30 seconds of silence I responded. At the start of the mission, when all i wanted was to be able to learn how to be successful, i put it all on the line every night. I remember asking god to help me to be able to have success and that i was willing to do anything that he asked me in ortder to accomplish that. I realized that it is like that so much anymore. He explained to me that sometimes after we are blessed with talent-ability-knowledge we stray away from trusting in our god and giving thanks to him that gives us everything we have. 

Trials and circumstances change. Our attitudes and humility should never. As a year is coming around i have been taking time to think about life in an out of the mission. Every good thing i have, i have because my god has given it to me. I have recomitted myself to returning to that state of humility and appreciation that every human being has experienced. This does not mean that the hard work ends. The hunger to be successful in this life and the nature i have been given to never fail is something that i will never get away from. It is something that my father, leaders, sports, and this gospel have taught me. Always humble. Always hungry. Always trusting in the God that has given me everything. 

I love you. Stay sleezy.

This is Gonzalo. He got baptized on Saturday. I wasnt there but he is super sleezy

The Shark Tank off duty