Stories of Our City

Have you ever had an identity crisis? Or a crisis of faith? For Harriet Dodea, her journey to find answers started with a move to a foreign country and a subsequent chance encounter with a stranger on the way to the bus station one day. This life-changing experience challenged her to wrestle through some deep heart questions and discover herself and her true identity. Now a few years later, having created a sisterhood community through social media, Harriet launched a Warrior Princess Challenge to help other women grow in their faith, identity, creativity, and health. Through all this, she hopes to inspire people to live out their God-given gifts and “be faithful in the small things that they have [been given] and just trust that God is well able to multiply it into the things that he sees them to be.”

In the early 90s, guitars were hard to come by in Jordan’s capital of Amman. But instead of bemoaning the problem, local music aficionado Muhammad Khaier Al-Kukhun decided to be part of the solution—he made his own. Now nearly 30 years later, as the only known luthier, or guitar maker, in all of Jordan and one of merely a known few in the Middle East at large, Muhammad seeks to establish in his MKK Instruments a reputable Arab guitar brand made in the Middle East.

From growing up in a small town where entering the world of fashion wasn’t even on her radar screen to becoming a fashion designer in one of the largest cities in the world, Canadian-born Megan Mummery is living proof that dreams can come true—even dreams you didn’t even know you had! With her OhSevenDays women’s wear brand based in Istanbul, Megan seeks to make unique everyday staple wear that is as fashionable as fast fashion, while being ethically sourced and made. Listen as Megan shares her cosmopolitan journey of professional and self-discovery.

Welcome back! The first story of this year's fall season comes from Irbid, Jordan.

The street is Laila Ajjawi’s canvas. A self-described activist graffiti artist from Irbid, Jordan, Laila sees the mural as a platform for a message that transcends self, given its vast public visibility. For that reason, she pursues her craft with great responsibility by using the walls to raise awareness about local and regional issues and to inspire and help empower women.

Since she was a little girl, Rasha Mubideen, of Amman, Jordan, always dreamed of being a fashion designer. But as she grew up and began to pursue her dream, she faced a culture that wasn’t yet as forward-thinking as she was. So, she did what any passionate creative would do: blaze her own trail forward—from A to Boutique.  

Previously, we shared the story of Gaith, a street librarian who sold books from his classic Mercedes to spread reading culture in his native Jordan and to raise money for the first bookstore in his hometown of Madaba. Now, he’s finally fulfilling his dream of living in a bookshop.

It’s hard to deny the power of music. Many refer to it as the universal language that builds bridges between diverse peoples and cultures. Music has the power to connect us, move us, take us back, and propel us forward. In this week’s episode, Texas singer/songwriter Melissa Briseno shares how the magic of music has impacted her life and how she hopes her music will have the same powerful impact on others as she seeks to sing songs that feed the soul. May Melissa’s passion for her craft inspire you and leave you asking, “What is it that I cannot live without?”

This week’s episode is part two of a two-part series. If you haven’t had the chance to listen to the first part of Elles’ story, check it out in Episode 189!

In the first half of her story, Elles shared about her start and life as a model. This week, she shares some of her other passions and achievements—touching on a multitude of topics such as mindset change, gaining courage to give her first TED talk, changing direction in her career, fast fashion, small steps toward living a more sustainable lifestyle, and being a learner and leveling up!

As a lover of fashion from a young age, Stories of Our City producer Jessica Spann spent her childhood cutting out photos from magazines of gorgeous models wearing brilliant outfits. Now living in a large city, on any given day on her commute she will likely see and admire fashion trends on a billboard or in an advertisement with a model posing for a brand wearing their latest products.

One day, Jessica had the chance to meet one of these billboard models. Elles (pronounced “Ellis”) has been modeling all over the world for the last six years. She secretly dreamt of becoming a model as a teenager, and it came to fruition. She shares what a typical day in the life of a model looks like and how her career has shaped her into the woman she is today. In an industry where appearance is everything, Elles found that her true worth comes not from her looks, but from feeling good enough from the inside.

This is part one in a two-part series, so be sure to stay tuned for the second half.

Around the turn of the century, Joseph Kony’s Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group, wreaked havoc in northern Uganda, murdering many and kidnapping tens of thousands of children. JR (not his real name) is one of these thousands. Listen as he shares his story of lost youth, sacrifice, forgiveness, and redemption.

Editor’s Note: Due to the sensitive nature of this story, the subject's name has been changed and specific locations have been removed from the recording.