An Epic Easter

This was my third Easter here in Washington and it was undoubtedly unforgettable from the start. For one, it was the first Easter morning where Dan and I got to wake up and spend Easter morning with our son. Getting him dressed up for the occasion was fun - although, putting clothes on our little squirmy worm always involve a bit of a chase as he scrambles from one toy to the next and today was no exception. Here he is sporting the Tom Cruise look from Risky Business.Jackson enjoyed his first Easter basket with goodies from Grandma Jean & Mommy, but he wasn't the only one who got Easter treats. In keeping with our tradition, Dan also got to go on an Easter egg hunt throughout our apartment for chocolate treats and accompanying love notes.This was also my third Easter service here in Washington as a member at Mars Hill Church and all I can say is WOW! This year Mars Hill rented Qwest Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks, and all of the MH campuses met together for the first time in years. An astonishing 17,500 people braved the rainy weather to come worship our risen Lord and Savior at the stadium in what turned out to be the largest church service in the history of the Northwest.While Jackson slept in Dan's arms, Pastor Mark preached a powerful and clear presentation of the Gospel message in answer to the question "Who is Jesus?" and more than 680 people descended the stadium steps to be baptized right there on the football field in one of 20 baptism pools. The epic event made headlines and was highlighted by our local news as well as CNN. It truly was amazing to be there amid so many thousands, united in worship to the living God. My favorite part was when we all joined in singing How Great is Our God. It was truly moving.

The rest of the day was spent with family at Mom & Dad Blankenship's house in Tacoma. Jackson was happy to be greeted with more Easter treats from Grandma Jan, including a small, foam ball that looks like a globe. It wasn't long before our teething kid had bit a chunk out of Africa.Today and every day we celebrate the truth that our Savior Jesus Christ is alive. He is indeed risen from the dead and He is alive! All praise be to our God and King! Happy Easter from The Blankenships!