Sad, but no St. Andrews

Due to our upcoming trip to Cyprus on March 22, we have decided to not go to St. Andrews. Plus, my LAX game got canceled anyways. So we are sticking it out here in Aberdeen. Ash is doing great and is excited about going to the Arbonne National convention in Atlanta in April. I believe the dates are April 9-14th or something like that. Totally sweet for her but stinks for me. I would love to simply get a taste of some nice American culture.

The more that I am here, the more I realize that I love being an American. There are many great things about the UK (like not getting charged for incoming calls and texts on the cell phone) but I am an American at heart. It has caused me to think a bit about how each of us is shaped by our culture. Even our religious views are relative to our culture. The Christian culture here has a different feel than in America. On the theological level, they fight different battles here in theology than in the states. It has really helped to expand my view of a godly community I can tell you that!

Here are some funny pictures of Jake who will be turning 2 next Monday, 10th. Amazing!

Here is Jake and Hannah playing some good ol' fashion football - notice Jake's big kick is no where near the ball. But as they say here, aces for trying!



Here is Jake helping mom with her Arbonne party!



Here is a picture of Jake making sure he understands the basic essentials of Liberation Theology - he also is helping out his friend Mary with her book review!



Here is the first fist-bump of the Resler boys!

Update and promotion

Well, February has flown by and we are still experiencing incredible weather! It is again sunny and in the 40's. I think that we have had only one or two rainy days in the last two weeks! I even got a sun burn on my face last Saturday when our Lacrosse team played against Stirling (which we won in double OT - I almost had to go to the hospital becomes I am too old for this). Jakey actually got to see me score a goal! Afterwards, Ash said that he shouted "yeah Daddy!". How is that for awesome.

We will be going down to St. Andrews again next weekend to get away from here a bit and for my lacrosse game. It should be really fun.

Okay here is my promotion for a friend of mine who just recently published his first book, "Piccolo, the Grey Robe." It is a young adult fantasy book (think Harry Potter for genre) for middle schoolers and follows a young girl as she challenges a very Patriarchal culture and an all-boys school in their views of girls and those that Just don't-fit-in. It is an age-appropriate book that focuses on friendship, courage, and loyalty as she and a few of her friends (outcasts themselves) face challenges of various kinds. It is a good book and you can find it on barnesandnobles.com and on booksamillion.com. Here is the cover art work.

Just a Hello

Hi, I am Jakey, what is your name?

Search for Nessie!

Well, our holiday after our Christmas Holiday and before School begins (being a student has its perks!) was spent in Inverness with two friends of ours. Mary and Natalie came with us as we went in search of a little R&R near the fabled waters of Loch Ness. I must say, Inverness is one of the most beautiful cities I have ever been to (this is Derek speaking). They just recently graduated from town status to city status and it shows. They have some of the city with a large Tesco (Think Target with more of a food emphasis) and a B&Q (their version of Home Depot) as well as some other signs of modernity (some chain restaurants). However, they have all of the charm of a small town with a beautiful river walk (River Ness) and with lights in the trees and everything.

We stayed at a great B&B (4star) for little to no money and loved walking along the river. Even Jake got a kick out of walking around it one night! They have restaurants that overlook the river and give you a since of romance.

Our big trip was a ferry down Loch Ness to Urquhart Castle. The ferrymen were friendly and no before you ask, we did not see Nessy. But I did see fish jumping which made my fisherman's heart cry out for a pole! But Jake loved the ferry and had a great time. The views were amazing as you can see by the pictures and the castle was even more beautiful. Historically, it is one of the most fought over castles in Scotland as it has had numerous residents on up till the late 17th century. It finally was blown up in 1689 by those who didn't want their enemies to have a fortified castle to occupy. Since that time, it was used as a quarry for local towns. But much still remains and some of it dates back to the 12th century Pics who built a fort here. So that is to say, a lot happened here. Just as a historical note, Edward the Longshanks occupied the fort in 1303 with English forces but was ousted by Robert the Bruce in 1306.

Overall, our trip was great and we are glad that we went. The weather was awesome with no rain and with temperatures in the high 40's. I have been thinking of something ever since: I am in awe of the beauty mankind can make with its own hands. But as I looked out over the castle battlements, I realized that mankind's best still crumbled before the awesome creative genius of God.

Belated Thanksgiving

We hope that all had a great thanksgiving. We did here. We shared the holiday with about 16 people, most of whom were not american! We had a few Brits, a few Scots, a few Irish, and one person from both China and Luxembourg. Each person brought a little something of their home country, so we had Guiness and Haggis (both regular and vegetarian)! Haggis isn't too bad if you like mince meat. Jakey had a great time with his fried Pete Reid (for those from the Seminary community, Pete is Brian and Melissa's little boy).



We are so thankful for all of our friends and family. God has been really great to us. We are so blessed to be here in Scotland. We have made great friendships and our Arbonne business is doing great. I have found a dissertation topic and have already begun to read and write for it. As great a time that we have had, a day does not go by in which we don't think about our friends and family back in the states.

Oh, as far as Jakey goes..this picture says it all...



Be praying for us ;)! We love you all and will be back in Phoenix on Dec. 17! We can't wait!

Glamis Castle et al.

Hello again...just to let you all know that we totally love it here. And as you can see, so does the little guy. He really loves leaves!

So, a few weeks ago we went to Glamis Castle where the late Queen Mother (Elizabeth's mum) grew up. It is still owned and lived in by an Earl or a Lord or something like that- hey, I am an American, I am not supposed to know about all of the noble stuff! Anyways, it is a beautiful castle as it has retained much of its history throughout the centuries. It started out as a hunting lodge and over time it has become a gorgeous manor house/castle. Since we couldn't take pictures in the castle, I will try to describe it to you. The ceilings and walls are covered in frescoes and paintings some dating back about 600 years or more. You can actually rent out the dining hall area for formal dinners and the like. Each room has a decided theme and I believe each Lord or Earl has a picture of himself or herself represented. They also have a private chapel attached to the house that has services on Sundays- but you have to be invited to them personally by the family. Also, I believe that it is a service conducted by the church of Scotland - so it is protestant.

The gardens and lawns are just as spectacular. They have an Italian style garden that if full of paths and fountains. Also, their lawns are well maintained as well as used by the cattle and sheep of the estate. They have a river that runs through the area and it is privately owned by the family. I hear they have great brown trout! Here are some pictures plus a video of Jakey - he sure loves being outside here:






As for my own personal studies are concerned, things are looking good. Latin is coming along as well as my Scottish Reformation class. I believe that I might have found a topic that I can write on: The reformation of Dundee. Basically, it was here that the reformation really found a hold. Dundee is located in between Aberdeen and Edinburgh. So I am really excited about the possibilities there. I have been thinking about the motivations that must have to grab a person and a community to totally change the way they think about the church. It seems like as the church becomes more and more separate from the community, the more the community demands a new way of thinking. During the scottish reformation, the common person and the middle class were estranged from the church and its practices. The church was too concerned about politics and not concerned enough about the state of their communities. Is this a warning sign for us in the US?

As for Ash, she is rockin' here. Her Arbonne business is getting ready to really rock and roll. She already has her first few people signed up and is hoping that one in particular sees what the business can do for her (she is a nursing student with a heart for medical missions). Other than this, she has about one party every other week. Right now the business model is mass exposure with a follow-up of personal contact. People seemed really excited about the products - now it is just a matter of them seeing the business as something that they can do! So you can be praying that way for us here.

We love you all and can't wait to see you again soon. We will be back in the US on Dec. 17th and it can't come soon enough. We will be having about 15 people over for Thanksgiving - a few Americans but also some Scottish and Nigerian people as well. The Scots can't get enough of the Thanksgiving deal!

Love the Reslers

What we have been up to...

Well, my program finally started and I am three weeks into school. It is a lot of fun and I am really enjoying focusing on learning again. I am even doing okay in Latin! A lot has happened since our last blog - and all of it good. Ashley's Arbonne business is doing great. She has met with two girls already about the products and even tonight is out with about 15 others to do a party about Arbonne. One girl has actually agreed to sign up as a wholesale buyer as of Nov. 1!

God has really been at work too. I am realizing more and more each and every day that I am here that we are here for other reasons than school. I can have gone to other schools and received a very good history education. However, after seeing the interest of many for Arbonne it is plain to see that God has moved us here for "such a time as this." Also, we are here so that we can share the love of Jesus with others here. I have joined the University of Aberdeen Lacrosse Club and it is fun playing again (who knew that the next time I played lacrosse would be in Scotland?!). But I see that I am there to help some of these young men to see how one is suppose to treat others - women in particular. They are your typical guys on a sports team and use the typical talk for others and women. I guess each team needs to have a moral voice and I guess that that is my role here. I have thoroughly enjoyed myself during practice and have really grown to like the guys. I even went out for a spell to the local pub with them last night.

We haven't been seeing as many places recently, but we did go back to Edinburgh with my parents when they came out. We actually went inside Edinburgh castle this time. We have heard that it is the top castle to see in all of Europe - and it lives up to all the reputation. It is still lived in for time to time and is spectacular. Here are some of the pictures from that trip: One is of us going up to the portico of the castle - another one is the Boys (my Dad, Jacob, and I) on the battlemount - the next one is of my school, King's College (not in Edinburgh but when I saw the picture I had to put it in). I am trying to put up a video, so I hope that it works. It is Jakey's dance...