To every individual who loves and is and raising children and teenagers with experience of care,

It’s easy to feel forgotten, unseen and lonely in this season, but this letter is for you, wherever you are and whatever your story.

We see you.

To the foster carers preparing a room on Christmas Eve for the arrival of a new teenager, uncertain of what’s to come, with your hearts burdened for the newest member of your family.

We see you.

To the grownups working long into the night to plan each day of the holidays, adapting their schedule and setting aside their preferences so their children feel safe and loved

We see you.

To the newly formed families, as you wonder how different this Christmas will be, with all the joy and pain mixed in the eyes of your family’s newest addition, as you live in the tension of the now and not yet.

We see you.

To those whose hearts are tinged with sadness this Christmas at the memory of children no longer with them, who have moved to new families or home to birth family, in the joy and the pain of the call to love and care

We see you.

To the grownups on their knees after a year full of pressure, wondering if they have the strength to keep going with hearts yearning for God’s best for the children they love.

We see you.

To those newly approved fostering families, adoptive parents or supported lodgings hosts.

To those approaching a panel date, full of vision and excitement, trepidation and questions.

To all those following God’s call to play their part, wondering and waiting for what and who 2023 might bring.

We see you.

To everyone who loves and is raising children who had a difficult start in life, thank you.

Thank you for who you are and all that you do, seen and unseen; both on the days when you feel like you're nailing it, and in the times when it’s all going wrong.

We’re praying for you this festive season and into the new year, that above all else you would know His presence, with the strength, joy, hope and peace that only He can bring into every circumstance.

And hidden within your hearts, cared for within your homes, most of all, we celebrate the extraordinary, brave and brilliant children and young people. Their creativity, uniqueness, humour and quirks. Their energy, passions, character and strength.

We see them. We believe in them. We are for them.

To each of you, as you wait, as you navigate your story, as you wrestle with what has been and look ahead at what is to come, we see you and we’re praying for you. That this Christmas, you would find joy in the present because of the promise of His presence.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13