April Fools Day, 2000

We began our trip back to the Union Church of Hinsdale from Dungannon on April 1, 2000.  I had spent the week hearing from Chris Kinsella and a few of the other guys about how the adults (especially David Knecht) had pulled a massive April Fools joke on the previous year's trip, and how badly they wanted to get even.  Being male teenagers, their thoughts of a response included lots of violence and perhaps a few nuclear weapons.  I decided to use all of my years of deviousness and pranking (thank you Quaker Lake!) to help them out.  This is the story of what happened...

We were travelling back to Illinois over a two day span, spending the first night at the same church we had stayed in on the trip out.  We decided this would be where our retaliation prank would take place.  All we needed was a time when most everyone was hanging out so there was a possibility for conflict.  We arrived at the church while it was still daylight and after settling in decided to play some wiffle ball in the church yard.  Things could not have worked out better.  Most all of the youth were playing, but I was the only adult in the game.  There were 4 guys- Chris, Mike, Nick and Jim- who were in on the gag.  After we had played for a while, Mike & Chris (who are brothers) began jawing at each other in the outfield, talking trash and starting to yell.  Then they started pushing each other, and the fight turned ugly.  I ran to them and pulled them apart just as they started swinging.  As everyone on the field turned to watch, Mike took a swing at Chris, missed, and hit me.  I went down like I had been shot.  Jim and Nick did their part to raise the panic level and sent someone to get the other adults.  They were screaming "Carl's down!" as they ran to the church.  Mike and Chris continued to tussle.  David and the other adults came sprinting out to where I was still laying on the ground, holding my jaw and writhing in (fake) pain.  They pulled the brothers apart and tended to me.  They were asking the other youth what had happened, and Nick and Jim once again jumped in and painted a grizzly portrait of violence gone wrong.  The other leaders were distraught.  What a terrible way to end a trip.  And then- just as the crowd was dispersing in a very somber mood, I looked up at David.  And as my fellow pranksters gathered around I said, "David- don't be too hard on them.  They were only getting even..."  And at that moment we all yelled "APRIL FOOLS!"  We had completely taken them in.  They were clueless, stunned and speechless.  It was a great moment.

Up until that moment I had felt like I was being seen by my new group as a sort of guest pastor.  They liked what I said, and some of them appreciated my willingness to step up and be a leader.  But I wasn't sure if they had really accepted me until after the fake fight.  Suddenly I was "cool."  I had earned my stripes.  When they designed the t-shirt from the trip the back of the shirt became a listing of things and sayings that had been important to the youth.  It is pictured at the top.  Line 3 says, "A right hook, a left jab, Carl's down- April Fools!"  I was included.  And more importantly, they chose to make the shirt a tribute to serving God.  Perhaps I could make a difference...

I arrived back to Marilyn and 4 year old Will with stories of horror and hope.  This ministry was going to be a challenge unlike anything we had encountered before.  In more ways than I knew.  We will leave stories of UC for a while now and remember some of my favorite moments at the NYWC and New York trips.  Thanksgiving season always makes me think of those two events.  I look forward to sharing those memories with you!

Because of Jesus,