Articles by Ali Hearon Corona

Advent is upon us. Candles burn in Sunday services, Christmas tree lights twinkle, and even a chilly breeze settles in my corner of Texas. Advent is a time set aside to remember and expect our King as He enters into human suffering. The season exemplifies joy and waiting as we celebrate the birth of our Savior. And yet, the excitement of Advent seems like a stark contrast in light of so much pain and darkness in our present society. Everything in our culture seems to breathe a wearied and weathered sigh. The news continues to portray stories of suffering and conflict, such as sexual harassments, shootings, and uncertainty for DACA recipients and refugees. We mourn the pain of the world and in the same breath we rejoice for the hope the Lord gives. During these few weeks leading up to Christmas, Christians have the opportunity to understand the magnitude of who our King is and worship Him with our whole hearts. He is the God who came into humanity and experienced suffering in order to bring freedom. Jesus is the ultimate bridge builder between God and humanity.

When Vaughn Ross, mission team member at First Baptist Church of Waxahachie, received word from Pastor Simon Mwangi in Nairobi, Kenya that the three-year drought in North-Central Kenya was transitioning from severe to acute, he reached out to his church and Texas Baptists for support.

As Oretta stirred the huge pot of soup, almost as big as she was, she shared with us about her childhood in Italy where she learned to cook for large groups of people. 

I have often thought back to a meeting one afternoon with the "consultant" in regard to attendance. The church was at its lowest point in my tenure.