Why was Theta Alpha paying to hear your story?

On any given day, there are more people passing through Turlington than there are in a Disney park. Thousands of people being asked to take a flier, sign a petition or buy a donut. On any given day there is unending activity but limited interaction.

People will extend their arm out just enough to hand out a flier but never to truly touch someone. We keep each other at arms-length.

Theta Alpha, a Christian sorority at UF, set out to change that. It turns out, all it takes is a sign (and a little bit of bribery).

All day, sisters of Theta Alpha, including myself, held these signs around campus, some offering donuts, dollars or pizza all in exchange to hear a story. It didn’t take much to get people to stop. Many people approached us with the same question, “Why are you doing this?”

Maddy McKay, Outreach Chair of Theta Alpha and the one who organized the event, felt very passionately about it’s purpose. Maddy said, “I wanted to create this outreach event to show that as Christians we are not here merely to try and push our religion on others but to sit with one another and hear others perspectives on life, their story, what gives them hope, and what they rely on to get them through the day.”

With this mission in mind, the sisters of Theta Alpha set out to listen, and we accomplished just that. We listened to stories of students who had battled mental disorders, one who overcame injury to become an award-winning athlete, and another who used his past struggle with bullying to create UF’s first anti-bullying club. Our signs didn’t just attract students, even faculty, staff and visitors shared their lives with us.

Samie Denslow, a sister of Theta Alpha, heard the story of how an RTS employee came to know Christ. After speaking to him for about an hour, she learned of his experience with the church and how he came to have a personal relationship with Christ.

When she recounted her experience, Samie said, “I thought that I had signed up to touch lives that day, but in actuality I paid a dollar to hear this man’s incredible journey, and it changed my life!”

Eric (pictured above right), a Senior Mechanical Engineering major, also stopped to share his story. When asked why he bothered to stop he said, “I was curious and I like stories. I don’t really know what story I’ll tell right now but I want to tell one.”

Although we didn’t tell people to share stories about God, many people chose to talk about their faith. One sister of Theta Alpha, Tiffani Bretz, was baffled by the incredible bond that she was able to make with someone in just a few minutes. After hearing one student’s story about his childhood and walk with the Lord, he asked her if there was anything she needed prayers for. When she told him she was fasting to grow spiritually, he said he would also fast with her for a few days, and be praying for her throughout that time.

What may have seemed like a small gesture of kindness to this student made a profound impact on Tiffani. She said, “It just showed me that even strangers are willing to love like Jesus does and I think we should all strive to show that kind of care towards people we don’t know just as much as we do with those that are important to us.”

“My hope for this event was to let the name of Jesus be known, but to also let people know that their stories are irreplaceable and that they want to be heard,” Maddy explained when asked about her goal for the event.

So why don’t we have these kinds of conversations every day? It’s not because people don’t want to tell their stories. It’s because no one asks.

The next time you’re booking it through Turlington, headphones in, avoiding eye contact, remember that these people around you are more than just extras in your movie. They are people with stories, and if you dare to look up, maybe one day you may just be lucky enough to hear them.