by Alisa Streets
Hello and greetings from the road! Today was our first day spent at Oklahoma Baptist University. The University allowed us to come on campus, as long as we remained in the Student Union. After we arrived, we broke off into small groups, each focusing on an array of topics.
I decided to join the Praise and Worship Team because I felt called to that form of fellowship. It was a little disheartening, given the fact that very few students joined in with us. We spent the majority of the day singing songs in solidarity and praising the Lord. When the Praise and Worship Team decided to break for lunch, many of us attempted to join students in the cafeteria, but were turned away.
Instead we grabbed food on the main floor and sat by OBU students to continue our discussions. At one point we were told by the administration that we either needed to quiet down so as to not disturb students or to go back in the corner where no one could hear us.
Despite the administration’s reaction, as the day progressed many of the students opened up to us, sharing their personal stories, beliefs, and overall welcome. It seemed the majority of those I came in contact with were eager to dialogue with us and anxious to hear what we had to say. Aside from discussing the bible and homosexuality, we delved into such topics as gender-identity, dissent, morality, and oppression. Tomorrow we will return to campus to continue our dialogue and discussion and later in the afternoon hold a rally at a nearby park.