Operation Amigos

In the 1980s and 1990s, Amy Herrin Inette attended junior high and high school in Alabama, where racism and segregation were still very much alive and thriving. She recounts her experiences, including her marriage to a Black man and the challenges they experienced with their three bi-racial children. Amy pleads with other white people to open their hearts to recognizing not just blatant racism, but subtle ignorance that results in harm to our Black brothers and sisters. 

In 2017, Allison's brother Preston took his life at the same time that her son was beginning his own process of coming out. While heartbreaking for her whole family, this tragedy started a chain reaction of positive learning that will continue to stand as a part of Preston's legacy for good. Allison instituted Lift and Love as a way to help support families in the LDS LGBTQ community. She teaches others (of many faiths) how to be accepting and supportive of LGBTQ loved ones in their circles (at home, at church, at school) while still maintaining a connection to Christ. Her hope is that fewer children of God will feel the desperation her brother Preston felt as they experience deeper understanding and love from those around them. 

Rabbi Benny Zippel founded the Chabad Lubavitch of Utah, and Project H.E.A.R.T., which aims to help at-risk youth, Jewish and otherwise, all over the state. Rabbi Zippel is a huge proponent of helping others learn that each one of us is important, valuable, and needed in this world. Join us as we chat with him about his faith, his work, and the unselfish purpose to which he has dedicated his own life. 

Justino and Brook Mora have just realized that Justino won't be allowed back into the United States for at least ten years. What will their life look like now, starting over with almost nothing? Join us as we listen in on their incredibly hard first years trying to build a life for themselves in Mexico, the things they learned from the amazing people and culture, and how they finally made it back to the U.S. 12 years later. 

Justino and Brook Mora were just beginning their life together when the dream became the nightmare. Brook would have to decide which she was willing to live without for ten years: her husband, or her country. Join us as we listen to the Moras' story about the intricacies, realities, and disappointments that are a part of an immigrant's life when trying to do things "by the book."

In 2010 a massive earthquake hit the island nation of Haiti, killing hundreds of thousands and displacing 5 million. Williamson Sintyl miraculously survived the earthquake, even after hours trapped under three floors of rubble. Join us as he tells his story of survival, emerging stronger, and building something even bigger than he'd imagined afterward. 

Are there any differences among how we support people with physical ailments, like cancer, and how we help others who are going through mental illness, or making their way through a grieving process? Dr. Christine Hibbert helps us understand what it's like to go through all three (sometimes all at once!), and how to best love and support those who do, without making their burdens heavier. 

Ahmad Alnassar was born in Jordan and has lived in many places in the world since that time, including Utah. He is currently a student at Brigham Young University, an Operation Amigos intern, and a good and kind human being. Join us as we learn more about Muslims and Arabs, what it's like to be both in a homogenous place like Utah, and what we can expect if we form personal connections with Muslims instead of simply relying on the evening news for information.

Ismée Williams and Alex Villasante (along with Mayra Cuevas) are the founders and organizers of the Latinx Kidlit Book Festival, the biggest gathering of Latinx authors ever organized. Listen as we talk to these ladies about their backgrounds, the countries and cultures they grew up in and around, and how these influences helped shape their identities as humans and writers. 

From her childhood in Venezuela, to law school in Provo, Utah, to migrant camps at the U.S./Mexico border, Carolina Núñez has had a life inextricably linked to the plight of immigrants from many places. Join us as Dean Núñez shares fond memories of her two homes, heartbreaking stories from her life's work, and advice to all the rest of us on how we can help. 

I'm Megan and my husband Ryan and I are the hosts of Operation Amigos, a podcast where we listen to stories from people who may be misunderstood or stereotyped in different ways. But how did this all come about? Who are we? And who are we to THINK we should do this podcast? Come find out!