The Calling

Chris and Lisa Chandler had never heard of the West African country of Sierra Leone until one evening in 2001, when Chris watched a documentary on MTV in which a well-known Canadian rap group called the Rascalz traveled to Sierra Leone. The documentary explained that since 1991 the country had been embroiled in a bloody civil war between an emerging democratic government and rebels from Liberia and Sierra Leone. At a key point, Sierra Leone attempted to hold a democratic election. One candidate’s political slogan was, “the future is in your hands.” In an effort to derail the political process, rebels began performing forced amputations on people’s hands with machetes. This was brutal political warfare. (One woman--pictured below in the wheelchair--Chris met on a 2008 trip to Sierra Leone recounted how the rebels, “told me that I danced when the President was elected, and so they cut off both of my legs.”)

            The documentary also detailed the political struggle of this war: rebels terrorized villagers in order to gain control of the diamond mines in Sierra Leone because whoever controlled the diamond mines controlled the country’s wealth. It was during this time that many groups in the US and Europe began warning Westerners of purchasing “blood diamonds.” (The movies “Lord of War” with Nicholas Cage about the gun trade and “Blood Diamond” with Leonardo DiCaprio give some idea of what this country has been through.) If you keep up on international news, Charles Taylor—who not only trained rebels in these terror tactics but who also supplied rebels with arms in return for diamonds thus fueling the war—has been on trial since 2003 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Sierra Leone’s conflict.

Lisa's ring.

            The next day after watching the documentary, Chris asked Lisa if she would be willing to give up her diamond wedding ring to help the victims of war in Sierra Leone. She enthusiastically agreed. A calling and a dream was born. To date, Chris and Lisa have received 15 rings totaling 136 diamonds without ever asking for a ring or a diamond.