Our Mission
The purpose of the Lighthouse Children’s Homes is to provide a good quality Christian home for homeless, abandoned, unwanted, and orphaned children.
The children in the Lighthouse Homes receive the love, education and Christian upbringing that every child deserves. God has blessed us with wonderful Christian house parents who dedicate their lives to raising them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. The children attend a solid, fundamental Baptist Church where they are taught the Word of God and learn to serve the Lord.
Our History & Future
The Lighthouse Children’s Homes was founded by Larry and Paula Neff in 1978. Their desire was to provide a Christian Home for homeless and abandoned children. The Neffs opened the first Home in Kosciusko, MS. After thirty-six years of working with troubled girls, the Mississippi Home was closed in 2014 due to the dwindling number of girls.
1992 Costa Rica - While holding revivals for missionaries in Costa Rica, Brother Neff saw the need for a children's home. Brother Neff was introduced to Sally and Patricia , who had begun taking children into their own home. After much prayer, the Lighthouse Children’s Home in Costa Rica was opened in 1992. There is room for twenty-two children which houses both boys and girls.
2000 India - Brother Neff felt the Lord leading him to open a third children’s home while in India preaching for missionaries there. In 2000, Brother Neff partnered with Matthew Henry and the Lighthouse Children’s Home in India was opened. There is room to house up to fifty children.
2010 Mexico - Brother Neff met Jonathan Bryan, a church planting missionary in Mexico, in 2009. Brother Bryan was interested in starting a home for abandoned girls and asked Brother Neff to partner with him. After much prayer, the Lighthouse Children’s Home in Mexico was opened in 2010. The Home has room to house eighteen girls.
2010 Panama - Brother Neff and Missionary Alex Taylor opened the Lighthouse Children’s Home in Panama in 2010. Brother Taylor was a church planting missionary in northern Panama. A native of Costa Rica, Brother Taylor had known Brother Neff for many years. The Home was an all-girls home and was capable of providing for thirteen girls. In 2023, the Home along with Brother Taylor retired.
2015 Mexico - Brother Bryan, the Director of the Girls Home in Mexico, approached Brother Neff about starting a boys Home in the same town as the Girls Home. The Lord provided a building on the same block as the Girls Home and the Boys Home was established in 2015. The Home has the capacity to house twelve boys.
2015 Thailand - Brother Neff was approached about starting a home in Thailand. After several trips and much prayer, the Lighthouse Children’s Home in Thailand was opened in 2015 with Missionaries Tim and Maureen Searles. The Thailand Home was in the residence of a former missionary and had the capability of housing twenty boys and girls. After seven years with no growth and no progress of securing the property from the government, the Home was closed.
2017 Philippines - When Brother Neff met Missionary Christopher Hunter, Brother Hunter shared how he had been praying for ten years to start a children's home in the Philippines. In 2017, the seventh Lighthouse Home was opened. The Lord blessed, and a three story dorm was built which can house twenty-five to thirty boys and girls.
2024 Myanmar - The Bernard's began working in Myanmar in 2019 and planted New Horizon Baptist Church. In May of 2023, Ben began supporting an established orphanage eventually moving them close to his church. In January of 2024, the Lighthouse partnered with the Bernard's in helping to raise funds to care for the children as well as construction of a building to expand the work.
Please pray as we reach out to children around the world.
