Evening news reports of death and devastation in far off countries may leave you with a feeling of helplessness. But we can make a difference. Students at Oklahoma Christian Schools decided they could bring hope for the future to an entire community in Sierra Leone.

“I’ve known since I was 12 years old that I wanted to do mission work—specifically in Africa,” said Megan Labay, a 2005 OCS graduate. Labay became involved in Youth With a Mission and signed up for a six-month Asian Pacific mission trip. Just before her departure she attended a worship conference where she watched a video of children in Sierra Leone who had witnessed the murder of their families. The plight of these children stuck with Labay. She recently lost a close family member and she could hear God telling her that she could use her own testimony to help people.

“God gave me hope during that time,” she said. “I knew that He could use me to show others the hope and presence of Christ in tragedy.”

In May, 2007, Labay was given the opportunity to help the orphans of Sierra Leone when she traveled there with the missionaries of No Boundaries International, an Oklahoma-based ministry.

During her month there, Labay got a first-hand look at the results of Sierra Leone’s bloody decade-long civil war.

“We worked with street children and previous child soldiers,” Labay said. The team found about 150 boys living in an area called Dark City outside the country’s capital of Freetown. “They were kidnapped during the war and forced to fight in either the rebel army or the government army,” Labay said. The boys range in age from about 11 to their mid-20s and have no idea where their families might be—or even if any of their family members are still alive.

“They live in a dirt field and sleep on the ground at nighttime,” Labay said. “They steal food and money during the day to survive.” Many are addicted to drugs, suffer from post-traumatic stress syndrome and have medical problems.

When Labay returned from her month in Sierra Leone, she wanted to continue ministering to those in the war-torn country. And she realized that her alma mater might be able to help.

Each year, OCS selects a beneficiary for their HEROES fundraising week. HEROES stands for Hands Extended Reflecting Our Exalted Savior. Labay talked with the school administration and Student Council members about Sierra Leone and No Boundaries’ Project Youth in Crisis.

“The things Megan showed us really impacted us hard,” said Jamy Green, chairman of HEROES week. “God put it in our hearts to do this.”

From the time school began, Green began planning and organizing the HEROES fundraising. Labay spoke to students during chapel and the entire school got involved to raise money.

“We knew we could make a huge difference,” Green said. “We knew it (the money raised) would go directly to these kids who needed it.”

The passion and enthusiasm of Labay, Green and the other Student Council members spread through the entire school.

“It was most humbling,” said Julie Divilbiss, Student Council sponsor. “Kids of all ages and every one of the teachers were very supportive of this project.”

The students came up with creative ideas to raise funds. The third grade boys shaved their heads and convinced their parents to donate the costs of several haircuts to the fundraiser.

Divilbiss said they were very careful about what they told younger students about Sierra Leone, but still the gravity of the situation got through—sometimes with touching results.

“One child sold his Tickle Me Elmo doll to a neighbor because he wanted to give the money to the kids in Sierra Leone who didn’t have parents,” Divilbiss said.

“It’s so exciting that OCS did this and took on the vision for it,” Labay said. “Even the little kids have shirts that say ‘Save Sierra Leone.’ It’s incredible how much they were inspired by it and how much it helped.”

Through their efforts, more than $80,000 was raised for Project Youth in Crisis. This is more than half the cost of the planned secondary school that will serve 14 surrounding villages.

“It wasn’t just about the money,” Green said. “The way it came in was very exciting—like a roller coaster.” Local media coverage led to unexpected checks arriving at the school. “God provided a way for it to all happen.”

Before the end of the school year, the No Boundaries missionaries returned to OCS to share their progress with the students through videos taken during an April trip to Sierra Leone.

“We saw walls going up and electricity coming to the orphanage,” Divilbiss said. “We also saw them distributing shoes, clothes, food and medical supplies.” As she looked at the students, Divilbiss saw a lot of tears in their eyes.

“This isn’t just changing lives in Sierra Leone; it’s changing lives here too.”

For more information on No Boundaries, visit nbint.org.

Gayleen Rabakukk is a freelance writer who spends her time in Edmond keeping up with her teenage and preschool daughters.