Pulling A Prank

Have you ever pulled a prank on someone?

Once upon a time, I was a twenty-two year old recent college graduate starting my first job as a campus staff worker with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, a college ministry.  I was in Madison, Wisconsin (IV headquarters are here) for about a week for New Staff Orientation.  It seemed like it was mostly IV staff workers staying in the hotel I was in.  We overtook that place with our palm pilots and side shoulder bags and meaningful, intentional conversations and bible reading.

While we were there to learn our about our new job, we also had some fun.  If you've ever been to Madison, you already know State Street is pretty amazingly cosmopolitan.  It has almost every type of food on the planet represented.  I remember trying Jamaican and Ethiopian food specifically.

One particular day, a fellow staff worker (who shall remain nameless) from my region (Blue Ridge - North and South Carolina and Virginia) and I devised an evil plot.  We were going to break into one of our fellow Blue Ridge region staffer's hotel room and tp it.  Fairly inconsequential, but devious for us bible believin' folk.

We had a small window of time to work with when we knew Haars* was away from her room.  I went to the front desk of the hotel and told them I locked myself out of my room, giving them her room number.  I told them my name (her name).  They asked for identification, as I expected they would.

My heart was pounding out of my chest by this point.  I WAS LYING TO SOMEONE ON PURPOSE.  I'm a campus minister for goodness sake!  What am I doing??!

I told them my purse and all my stuff was in "my" room, so I had no ID to show them.  They looked skeptically at me, but gave me the benefit of the doubt.  They quickly made me a new room key/car thingy and I was on my merry way.

I scurried up the elevator to meet my accomplice at the room.  We hustled inside with my ill-gained key to Haars' room.  In just a few moments, we toilet papered everything we could.  We put hotel-provided lotion under a few drawer handles, just for extra pizazz.  We moved clothes around to different drawers.  For fear of getting caught, we finished up and bolted out of the door.  We split up and went different ways, so as not to be seen together.

Later that evening when we ran into Haars, she had quite the tale to tell about what she found in her room.  She asked everyone for any leads on who could've done it.  I was sure my face alone betrayed me.  I'm really not a good liar.  Despite my terrible acting, Haars didn't seem to know it was me and my partner in crime that had pranked her.

WE PULLED IT OFF!!

Well, at least until now when I'm telling on myself...

Take away messages:

-Campus staff ministers are no more innocent than the rest of the population.  We need Jesus just like everyone else. :)

-Haars, I'm sorry I lied to you.  In case you didn't know who dunnit, IT WAS ME!  And my partner in crime.

-Hotel security has most definitely changed (I hope) since this event in 2000.

-*Name changed to protect the innocent.