Dear London, (Part 2)
With Matt & Haylee Hooks
Dear London,
The place where people from all corners of this world are drawn to.
Your red double decker buses, your countless green parks and your ever increasing population of pigeons, have always been familiar to me. From as early as I can remember, I’ve known that you’re a special place to be. From the vibrant Indian sweet shops of Tooting Broadway, to the tall shiny skyscrapers of Canary Wharf. A place where everyone is welcome and all cultures are celebrated. You are impressive in every sense of the word and I’m proud to be a Londoner.
London, growing up, you were the place of movies. From Harry Potter to Peter Pan, from Parent Trap to Mary Poppins, I had only known you through someone else’s eyes. The diverse culture, the historic landmarks, the endless entertainment, the dreamy accents - what more could a girl want. You were the place I dreamed of and yet never really knew.
How much has changed. You are no longer a distant dream or a far off place. You are home. You are life. You are long commutes and stuffy tubes. You are constant crowds and loud noises. You are empty wallets and unaffordable house prices. You are the place of family. And yet, you’re still a mystery. So much still to see, to experience, to learn. So many people to meet and stories to hear. You are a never ending story book of chapters so diverse and unique, it would take a life time to read.
You are a place that offers everything, and yet within your walls there is so much need. As we walk your streets, it doesn’t take long to see the cracks behind it all. Everyday I meet young people who are facing the battles of identity, and mental health, and wondering who they are meant to be in this big city. The pressures of local gangs and the rising count of talented young men and women being victims of knife crime, is becoming all too familiar.
Through the work that I do I see how these cracks can impact even the youngest in our city. Every 15minutes a child in this country enters the care system. And you London, are higher than the national average. Within broken relationships, the injustice within systems, the impacts of a global pandemic and cost of living crisis, there are so many children waiting, longing for a place to call home. A place to belong.
But there is a hope, and his name is Jesus. Through him, you will find true identity.
Through him, you will find a place to belong.
Through him, you will find peace.
Through him, you will find love.
And as you find this hope and find your place in this family - London, would you begin to look beside you, around you and share that hope with someone new. Could you offer opportunity to a young person, could you open your home to child waiting in need? You see, we are loved so that we can love. It is through his love and generosity that we can show the same. Would you, London, become a place of hope and love.
