Hope Talks

In this episode we are delighted to talk with Arnetta Davis, a wife and mother of three, social worker and community activist in the Columbus, Ohio area. When tragedy strikes, Arnetta is often one of the first people to show up and engage with families - offering not only her skills as a counselor but also springing into action to get needs met. She is truly a role model for love in action and we are eager to learn more about what led her to be this way.

Nana Eshun is a student at The Ohio State University, who is majoring in Political Science and minoring in Theatre. Nana has lived in the United States for about six years and was born and raised in South Africa. She joined us to talk about about her endeavors in film inclusivity and incorporating more “hero” figures of African descent in the narratives and visuals of film and animation.

In this episode we are excited to talk with Nathan Weidner, teacher at Canal Winchester High School in Ohio and screenwriter, director and producer of the film “A Story for Winter”.

“A Story for Winter” is about a doctor who gets snowed in at a facility for children with developmental disabilities and somehow gets pulled into the dream of a non-verbal child where she can talk and run and play. More than that, it is a story about living into our human potential to find hope, even amidst great sadness, and forgiveness, even in response to grievous acts.

In this episode we talk with Jill Amos, twice elected Canal Winchester, Ohio, City Council Member. We wanted to learn from Jill in this episode because she is a leader in a growing community, which has experienced divisiveness as part of that growth, and she has a reputation for bringing positivity. We also discuss her desire to continue in a leadership role in turbulent times.

Johnson Mayamba, a Ugandan journalist and human rights activist, is a Hubert Humphrey Fellow at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Arizona State University. In this interview with Uganda Christian University student Christiana Ampeire, Johnson gives his research-based opinion of the Covid pandemic as well as the status and needs of the press in his home country. 

Jackie Stewart takes her love of horses to the next level—rescuing them from abusive situations, giving them purpose and peace, and educating others with their stories. Linda Hambly and Patty Huston-Holm conduct this interview with Jackie among her menagerie of animals at Equestrian Ridge farm in rural Vinton County, Ohio.

For over twenty years, Ugandan Idi Seif worked for the British Broadcasting Corporation. In this conversation conducted by journalism students at Uganda Christian University, Seif talks about how the image of Africa gets overshadowed by despair, and the dilemma of broadcasting positive stories in the midst of the continent's woes.

What drives people to speak the word of God openly on the streets? Ugandan Moses Mukitale is one such preacher living and shouting scriptures in public places within the United States. He tells his story to Uganda Christian University’s Kefa Senoga.

Despite challenges, 44-year-old Katherine Harrison lives on hope that she will keep and grow her family’s fifth generation farm in Groveport, Ohio, throughout her lifetime. Her story is about her more than 600 animals, her friends, the young people she mentors, artistry and more. She says all of nature has a purpose. 

A missionary and pastor from West Africa discusses his research and new book about the life of Jesus through the eyes of an unlikely disciple, Simon Peter. This podcast was recorded in three countries by a journalism student asking questions from Uganda, a journalist issuing queries in the USA, and the subject of the story coming from England. The book's main purpose is to make Jesus known.