January 2026 Newsletter

The Influx and the Invitation

Author

Tracey Albrecht
January 14, 2026

Papa D with Chloe at grandparents celebration at Chloe’s school last year.

The Influx & The Invitation

The week after Christmas felt heavy in ways I couldn’t have imagined. On December 25th, my dad took his final breath, here in South Carolina, where we had spent these past months walking him through the valley and recovery of Parkinson’s. He wasn’t my birth dad, but he was fully my father - the man who chose to raise me, who stayed, who taught me how love can be steady even when the world trembles. His departure left a deep quiet in our home, the kind that echoes through every routine we built around him.

And while our family grieved, another truth quietly unfolded across our community: January brings an influx of children entering foster care. Agencies brace for it every year. Holidays can be stressful and when kids are home from school, reality sets in. Families fracture. Safety gives way to survival. And more children step into the unknown, often clutching a bag with everything they own.

The timing struck me, both the personal loss of my dad and the reminder of the many children losing something too. My father’s love was a choice; so is the love of every foster or adoptive parent who opens their door to a child in need. Maybe that’s the thread God wanted me to see: love that comes not by birth, but by heart. Chosen, intentional, grace-filled love.

I got to visit with the boys while we were in Illinois working through my dad’s house.

This season, I keep hearing the quiet invitation to prayer. December was about praying, through the chaos, the change, the heartbreak. January, I think, is all about praying into what’s next: into the unknown, into the ache and the hope that coexist. For every child entering care this month, for every parent saying yes to a middle-of-the-night call, for every caseworker carrying too much, may our prayers meet them there.

Prayer doesn’t erase the hard, but it opens space for God to move where we can’t. So, as the new year begins, let’s be people who pause to pray. For the children stepping into new homes. For the families learning to welcome them. For the birth parents facing deep loss. For the systems stretched thin. Let’s lift them all, and trust that God’s faithfulness will fill what is missing.

Even as I sit with my own grief, I feel the whisper again: I AM HERE. 

My uncle got me this ring that says, “God is greater than the ups and downs.”

So as we step into this new year, may we keep praying into the unknown, confident that God’s steady, quiet faithfulness will be enough for every child, every family, and every aching heart.

Tracey

IN OUR HOUSE

When dinner shows up at the door and the girls are ready to help.

When Dinner Becomes a Gift

January has felt like a strange mix of grief, new routines, and plain old everyday chaos. Getting back into school rhythms, appointments, and visits has made even simple things, like figuring out dinner, feel overwhelming some nights.

That’s one small place where Home Chef has been a gift for our family. On days when emotions are high and energy is low, having a box show up with ingredients and a plan takes one decision off my plate. It doesn’t fix the hard, but it gives me enough breathing room to be more present with our girls. Instead of scrambling, a few nights a week we already know what’s for dinner.

If you want to give it a try, you can check it out here:
https://www.homechef.com/invite/traceya54

BOOKS I’M READING

God Loves Kids - A Book That Points Kids Back to God’s Love

By Jamie C. Finn

God Loves Kids by Jamie C. Finn is a beautifully illustrated, gospel-centered children’s book that gently explains foster care through the lens of God’s love and redemption. It begins with God’s good design for families, honestly acknowledges the brokenness in our world, and helps children understand why foster care exists. Most importantly, it points back to the truth that every child is deeply loved by God and part of His redemptive story.

I first heard Jamie speak at a fostering conference a few years ago, and she is truly a gift to the foster care community. As a fellow foster parent and follower of Christ, her heart for vulnerable children and families shines through everything she does. This book is a wonderful tool for opening conversations with kids about foster care, adoption, and the way God adopts us into His family through Jesus.

If you are looking for a meaningful, faith-filled book to add to your home or gift to another foster family, you can find it here:

👉 Buy God Loves Kids on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3NfDzIy

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

Support for the Start of Your Foster Care Journey

The holidays are over, but the need for love and care in foster families doesn’t take a break. January often brings an influx of kids into foster care, and stepping into this new year as a foster parent can feel both exciting and overwhelming. That’s why the Foster Parent Starter Kit is here, to give you practical tools, guidance, and encouragement as you welcome children into your home.

This all-in-one kit is designed to help you feel prepared and confident, whether you’re just starting the licensing process or getting a fresh start after a busy season. With the Starter Kit, you can focus less on “what now?” and more on giving hope and love to the children who need it most.

Here’s what’s inside:
✔️ Step-by-step guidance for choosing the right agency and navigating your next steps
✔️ Printable tools to keep paperwork, training, and schedules organized
✔️ Ready-to-use templates and checklists so you’re never starting from scratch
✔️ A calm, organized system to support you through the early days of fostering

Normally $67, the Foster Parent Starter Kit is available this month for just $19, because giving hope shouldn’t feel overwhelming.

Get it now and make your foster care journey smoother!

FEATURED BLOG POST

We didn’t have a plan for foster care, but God did.

Why in the World Did We Become Foster Parents?

I often get asked why we chose to become foster parents, and honestly, it wasn’t something I ever imagined for our family. I didn’t know any foster parents growing up, and it all felt a little scary and unknown at first. But after divorce, remarriage, and meeting a foster mom at church, Garon and I felt God calling us to open our home.

In this post, I share why we said yes, giving children a safe place for however long they need it, offering love and stability, and trusting God to guide us through the challenges. It hasn’t always been easy. There were hard placements, emotional ups and downs, and more growth than we ever expected. But through it all, we’ve seen how God works in the hearts of kids, families, and even us as parents.

If you’ve ever wondered why anyone chooses this path, this is our story, messy, faithful, full of hope, and always pointing back to God.

Do you know someone that is thinking of fostering? We would love it if you would forward this email to them so they can sign up!