EDMOND—Just outside of Edmond, nestled next to Arcadia Lake, is the 145-acre Boys Ranch Town (BRT), a Christian home and care ministry operated by Oklahoma Baptist Homes for Children (OBHC).

At Boys Ranch Town, boys age 8 to 18 from troubled backgrounds can find a place of stability, identity and hope.

Bo Blakey, BRT’s executive director, has made it his mission to help these youth overcome their trauma and find who God has made them to be.

“All of our boys have some kind of trauma,” said Blakey. “They’ve all lost a piece of their family in some way or another, so the ministry we’re engaged in is tough.”

Blakey, like all the boys who live at BRT, grew up in a broken home.

He didn’t know who his father was, and his mother had a lot of brokenness within her life.

From the age of 10 to 16, Blakey bounced around living with relatives and friends, even being homeless for a while.

When he was 16, Blakey’s life turned around. A friend invited Blakey to a church revival where he heard the Gospel. At first, he was unsure that Christ could change a life as broken as his, but Blakey was compelled to follow through and trust in Christ.

So, he did. “I was saved when I was 16, and within just a couple of months I was placed in foster home,” said Blakey.

The foster parents Blakey received were devoted Christians and remain a part of Blakey’s life today. He began attending church and school regularly. After graduating high school, Blakey went to play football at Oklahoma State University (OSU) then joined the U.S. Army after. He served with the 95th Division for eight years, working as a drill sergeant for six of them.

In college, Blakey met his wife, Holly, and married her after college before the two moved to Fort Worth and attended seminary. For 24 years, Blakey served the Lord in ministry as a pastor. The Blakey family has also been involved in raising and showing cattle.

After he served in Stillwater for two years as the northern region director for Habitat for Humanity and eight years at Stillwater, Countryside Church, Blakey was offered the executive director position at BRT.

Blakey and his wife have been serving at BRT since then, helping countless boys overcome their trauma and giving them skills they need for their futures.

On the ranch, they boys are taught responsibility, patience and compassion through various activities. They also have daily Bible studies and devotions within their cottage-style homes under a godly husband and wife, who serve as houseparents.

“God has just been in the middle of everything that we’ve been doing,” Blakey said.

A major program at BRT is livestock showing. The boys are involved in every aspect of raising their show animals, which are most often young, female cattle, or heifers. However, this past year, BRT raised a male calf, or steer, that earned the title of champion steer at the National Junior Angus Show. While reflecting on the win, Blakey was quick to share that this type of success is not typical and was not something he planned for.

“We raise heifers,” he responded. “You need to know that (steer) is purely a God thing. For us to raise a national champion steer and not even be trying, that is just God.”

Whether it be through agriculture, sports, mechanics or rodeos, BRT’s main mission is bringing hope and healing to boys who need it.

According to Blakey, they are seeing life changes in many of the boys. One of them, who came to BRT from a broken home and had frequent exposure to drug houses, has now found renewed purpose and hope through the cattle program. He is one of many boys who has a testimony of the positive impact of BRT and its unique opportunities.

“God is really moving in the lives of these young men, and it’s a joy to see it,” said Blakey.

Throughout its years, Boys Ranch Town has seen, time and time again, lives being changed through the Good News of Jesus.

Through the ministry of BRT, Blakey and others at BRT are raising more than cattle—they are raising redeemed young men.

Since 1903, OBHC, which is an affiliate ministry of Oklahoma Baptists, has provided a place for children in need of a home, among its other ministries. Boys Ranch Town began in 1953. For more information, visit obhc.org/ministries/campuses/brt/.