Let there be light !

Long ago, in the beginning of time, God stepped into the darkness and the first thing he said was, "Let there be light." (Genesis 1:3)

---Picture- Lutheran Church in Aasum, near our home in Odense.

" Then He divided the light from the darkness" --and it was all "good."

Picture: Old home in our favorite little village- awsome Aasum (oh-some).

Since we have been here in Odense, I have learned to love the dark, snowy days of winter. I miss the beautiful swans resting in the middle of our snowy fields.

The snowmen have had a great winter. They finally toppled over on a warm, slushy day.

I've learned to appreciate the dark naked sculpture in the middle of town square--

...dressed in snow,

watching the girls go by.

Almost all roads lead to St. Knud's Kirken (church) in the middle of Odense. Even the frozen, naked man spends his days and nights watching, but never entering this beloved church. (just like most of the Danes).

There is a large, "brave" statue of St. Knud near his church. I miss the dark snowy St. Knud- the evil king who was upgraded to sainthood by his younger brother. They say that King Knud was stabbed to death at the alter -- because he demanded more and more taxes from his people. I guess that was a pretty dark day. The Kings dark bones are still haunting the basement of the church.

Now that spring has brought color back to town, the king looks like a saint. (but there still is more and more of a demand for higher taxes).

It was a cold season for our favorite little wooden horses (and a goat) in the woods nearby.

The woods turned green almost overnight. Hope to have a picnic soon here with our family when they come in early part of June.

Everyone here, except for us...we love the seasons...thought this winter was way too long. The spring thaw melted the slush and all the people of Odense went out for a walk.

This is our backyard. We watch the seasons change almost every day. The snow storms have passed and left us with a pattern of rain, sprinkles, and the warm sun...

Our cat (our adopted neighbor's cat), who hated to walk in the snow, now runs through the fields, climbs the trees, and has returned home with at least five little black mice. She loves the spring.

Our field has been full of animals. We have been putting bird seeds out since winter covered their food...and now we have visitors from all over Denmark. Last week, the door was open to our little office and two blue and white swallows darted in and out of the room over and over again looking for a place to build a nest.

Almost every morning we witness a battle between these two pheasants in our backyard. They get together almost nose to nose, and bob their heads trying to decide who should own our yard. Every so often they ruffle their feathers and back away from the drama, but then they return for another "head bobbing" war. I don't think either one of them is very brave.

We took a walk in "awsome" Aasum (Oh-Some) the other day to catch the spring before summer comes. It was a warm sunny day... full of tiny homemade bridges across the streams, old rock walls, and trees of every color.

We saw a rope swing and a tiny purple rock garden with a circle of lavendar tulips.

We took many pictures in the woods...what a beautiful green day .

This is one of the most beautiful gardens we have ever seen. It is freshly planted. Last summer we watched this garden grow. There was enough vegetables and fruit to feed all of Aasum.
Surrounding the house is a picnic area, a well manicured lawn, a rock wall that lines the stream and a garden of flowers, hedges, and rows of vegetables all growing together in perfect harmony.

There are many old homes in Aasum. This time of year tulips, and daffodils fill their front yards. Old gates hinged on stone pillars welcome visitors. It is a village where time stands still...and people really do like watching the grass grow.

Yesterday we drove, with the Sister Missionaries, out in the country to an old farm. We were there to help a friend who was sick and her husband, who had broken his wrist in three places the day before. (falling off a horse) They have a family, and were having trouble keeping their home in working order. We spent an hour or so cleaning her kitchen and then he showed us these brand new colts... born two days ago.

Can you imagine that these two colts are only two days old? They ran around the field--dancing in the spring weather.

The mother of this colt is this small black pony (on the left). She is 30 years. The little colt is 2 days old. We had a great time going out in the country (near Svendborg). What a day full of surprises.

When God says "let there be light" on the Island of Fyn in the early spring...we are surrounded by yellow.

Picture: near by Rasp field grown for cooking oil (like canola oil)

We are buried in yellow.

When we drive by the fields we smell the yellow. When we reluctantly walk in the fields we turn yellow.

We sometimes worry about farmers catching us smashing their perfect yellow fields.

In a few months we will be headed home. We will miss the spectacular seasons of Denmark. We have loved the dark days and the return of the light.

The bells are ringing in St Knud's Church. The people of Odense are rushing home from work but the swans are still floating down the Odense River . We are enjoying a nice breeze through the open windows of our basement center for young adults. Not one young adult is here. I think that they are all out playing in the sun.

When God divided the light from the darkness, and said "Let the earth bring forth grass..." and then gave us the seasons, I think that he saved part of the Garden of Eden for this part of the world. You can find it just on the outskirts of Odense in a little place that we call "awsome" Aasum. Hope that you have time discover spring in your neighborhood. Don't forget to take a camera.