Orphan Care, Feels Like Home | Biloxi, MS

Feels Like Home; Part 1

Will Marler • Jun 28, 2022

Feels Like Home; Part 1

Motel advertisements aside, the true home-like feeling one gets is only possible with the love of family. Unfortunately, millions of children worldwide are homeless today with no food, no shelter, and no hope. And with so much attention on the war in Ukraine, many agencies and non-profits are scrambling to inject resources into the area to rescue and care for displaced children ravaged by the brutality of war. It is a noble act of humanity and Godly compassion.

But one doesn’t have to travel across an ocean or to another continent to realize such hardships. If you live in South Mississippi, you will not be hard-pressed to find a war against children in or near your community. Unfortunately, a child taken from their home happens almost daily in the lower counties of Mississippi because of abuse, neglect, or abandonment.

The problem is not at the forefront of political discourse because it rarely garners votes. Resolving the issue does not improve the cost of living, stymie inflation, or lower the price of gas. But it does create a severe strain on our human condition and should be a major focus of our communities, our churches, and our local officials.

Bringing These Children Home

The answer to this problem is not solely financial. Only the love of Jesus Christ will deliver these kids to a home that will care for them and give them a chance at a future. A future that does not include addiction, teen pregnancy, homelessness, or prison. James 1:27 exhorts us to look after orphans and widows in their distress to ensure we are not corrupted by the world.

This self-sacrifice for others requires more than calling Child Protective Services when you see evidence of children not receiving humane care. Every one of us must get involved in our local communities to salvage our most untapped resource—children who suffer or have suffered from the very ones who should show them the most love.

Much is needed in Harrison, Hancock, and Jackson counties to bring these kids to a place that feels like home. It begins with an emergency care facility where boys and girls taken from a bad situation have a place to go. Then it requires selfless couples to provide a nuclear family that showers love and compassion and directs them toward a future that adds value to our community.

How Can I Get Involved?

Here is a question that is asked but rarely effectively answered. How do I answer the biblical call to orphan care?

God will not hide his will if you have a genuine concern for these children. Practical ways to serve the most vulnerable children are available for men and women with a heart for orphan care. Here’s one we will shed light on with this post.

Get Your Church Connected to Orphans and Widows

You don’t have to look far in your community to find Christian non-profits designed to bring relief to these kids. Their mission is to connect you with these foster care kids or orphan children to build relationships, create home-like environments, and advocate for children’s adoption into God-loving homes.

A great example of this practice is Michael Memorial Baptist Church in Gulfport. Moved by the Holy Spirit, Pastor Tony Karnes challenged his congregation to get involved in the adoption effort in Harrison County. They responded with Rescue 100, a collaboration with the state’s Child Protective Services, the municipal courts, and denominations from across the state to streamline training and licensing processes to provide loving homes for children in the foster care system.

There’s More

Stay tuned for future posts to learn how you can get involved with children who find themselves in a bad situation with no place to go.

To learn how to get involved with kids who need your help, contact us today at Legacy Acres. A child’s life could depend on it.

Will Marler is the executive director of Legacy Acres, a Christian non-profit that exists to provide emergency shelter to abused abandoned, and neglected children with no place to go.

< Older Post Newer Post >

The Power of a Crumb

By Will Marler • 12 Jul, 2022

The power of a crumb can lift every burden, heal every affliction, and answer any prayer. Jesus is the Bread of Life, and He is able.

Essential Oil

By Will Marler • 07 Jul, 2022

Essential Oil 2 Kings 4:1 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the Lord. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.” In the fourth chapter of Second Kings, we learn of a widow left with a huge debt but only a small jar of oil to her name. A debt so insurmountable, her dead husband’s creditors were coming to enslave her sons as a reckoning. In the first verse, we begin to understand the widow’s desperation, but do we recognize the miraculous work unfolding through her faith. Circumstances do not determine our future but may reveal where our dependence lies. A Widow in Need Here we find a widow’s dependence on a miracle to be revealed. She did not seek help from a king or the governing powers, nor did she try to rectify the matter herself. Instead, she sought the help of her only connection to her creator, the prophet Elisha anointed by God. Simply put, she chose the only Savior capable of helping her in her plight. The comforts we seek, the securities we cling to, and the solutions we cultivate by our strength can create dangerous independence from God. How often do we devise well-planned solutions and present them to God? Then pray for Him to confirm our thought-out strategies to resolve our circumstances instead of releasing the problem to the Lord. Opportunity Lost In doing so, we could miss an opportunity for revelation. For God’s response to our struggles is a study in faith. In verses one through six, we find Elisha giving the woman detailed instructions to gather many vessels and fill from her limited supply of oil. Imagine this act of obedience as the desperate mother gathers all the vessels she and her sons could find. Let’s not miss the opportunity like that of the widow, whose faith was limited only by the number of vessels she collected. God’s provision is supplied by our readiness to obedience where His process allows His promises to prevail. Lesson Learned She returns home and begins pouring from her jar. One by one, she fills each vessel. Then the promise of the Father allows her to sell her abundance, pay her debts, and save her children from bondage. The Lord offers provision to all of us. One in which our debts are settled, and our lives are restored. His grace covers the debt of our past and extends to us a hopeful future. An abundance of mercy, as our sins are reconciled through the blood of Jesus. Only He is the provision that meets us where we live. Only he is the hope that sustains us. Only he is our essential oil. Not some counterfeit ideology, a government program, or a class offered in college, but a love that covers our deepest needs. He is the beginning and the end of our humanity, and there is nothing from man that should be in-between. Lord, help us to trust you. To exhibit complete dependence and obedience and the utmost faith in your plan. Help us choose your wisdom and knowledge rather than relying on my talents and resources, learning the importance of total dependence on You. Learn More If you would like more information about Legacy Acres, please contact us today . Will Marler is the executive director of Legacy Acres , a Christian non-profit that exists to provide emergency shelter to abused abandoned, and neglected children with no place to go.