Feels Like Home Part 2 | Biloxi, MS

Feels Like Home; Part 2

Will Marler • Jun 30, 2022

Feels Like Home; Part 2

Our last post dealt with the need for orphan care ministries whose mission is to distribute the love of Christ to orphans, widows, and children in foster care. Although there are Godly men and women committed to this mission, the fields are ripe for harvest, but the laborers are few.

As Christians, we are all called to care for these unfortunates. In fact, no other instruction is repeated as often throughout the Bible. Such as:

Malachi 3:5 ESV

“Then I will draw near to you for judgment. I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, against the adulterers, against those who swear falsely, against those who oppress the hired worker in his wages, the widow and the fatherless, against those who thrust aside the sojourner, and do not fear me, says the Lord of hosts.

Psalm 146:9 ESV

The Lord watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

Psalm 82:3 ESV

Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.

Deuteronomy 14:29 ESV

And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do.

James 1:27 ESV

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Elijah’s Closet

This Christian ministry assists families with children in foster care and families who have vulnerable children at the threshold of entering the foster care system.

In addition to assisting foster families, Elijah’s Closet has expanded its services to aid the Mississippi Child Protective Services (MDCPS). And with prevention and reunification cases, they recently partnered with the local school districts to assist students who need help.

It’s incredible what can happen when men and women who share similar passions and common goals join forces. There is a great need on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for the services Elijah’s Closet offers. And their always looking for volunteers.

Services Offered

Clothing Closet

Elijah’s closet provides tangible items to the fostering community. They also accept the following goods in new - gently used condition. They don’t accept items with missing hardware, straps, etc.

Clothing, Undergarments, Jackets, Shoes
Crib, Toddler or Twin Mattresses, Bedding, and Frames
Personal Hygiene Items, Diapers, and Wipes
Highchairs, strollers, bouncers, jumpers, and activity centers
Car seats that haven’t expired
Kitchen appliances and utensils
Home decor
Household furniture

In-Home Services

MDCPS or another partnering organization typically refers families for in-home services. The program has a central focus on keeping children with their biological families through reunification and preservation.

How You Can Help

Rebekah’s House

Several families on the Gulf Coast are one step away from becoming homeless. Currently, families are 40% of the homeless population due to several factors:

Loss of a job
Injury
Disaster
Healthcare costs
Inability to find affordable housing

One of every four homeless people is a child.

Rebecca’s House provides temporary housing for:

Parents with teenage boys
Single parent with a teenager of the opposite sex
Two-parent families with children trying to stay together

How You Can Help

Legacy Acres

This Christian care ministry exists to provide a welcoming emergency care facility for orphaned and fatherless children. Its purpose is to show the love of Jesus and the hope that comes with it. Although their circumstances may be different, the children Legacy Acres seeks to help have similar stories. They’ve known abuse, neglect, and abandonment.

Legacy Acres is currently working toward building a home-like shelter in a rural setting with live-in missionaries on call every hour of every day.

How You Can Help

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.

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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.