What Turned This Teen's Heart to Jesus?
How many moms and dads can relate to the weekly challenge of getting their adolescents out of bed for church? Or the bargaining that begins after school to convince your teenager to attend a Midweek (MDWK) event?
Westside has some incredible student ministry programming, but that doesn’t change the fact that teens will be teens!
Perhaps it’s encouraging to know that those power struggles happen inside the homes of Westside staff members, too. Today that’s the story we’re telling – and the importance of staying the course because you can’t always tell what God might do next.
Next month, Westside Students will host the “One of a Kind,” a weekend winter conference. For more information or to register, click here. Summer camp registration is also coming up soon, so keep an eye open on our socials and westsidefamily.church/students for details!
Bzzz, bzzzzz, bzzzzz
“Christa, is that your phone buzzing again?” Jeff leaned over, feeling slightly embarrassed. Jeff and Christa were at a dinner with another couple from Westside to talk about the Unshakeable initiative.
“I’m so sorry,” Christa asserted. “I better see what this is – it’s from JJ.”
Looking down at her phone, there was an urgent message from JJ, the youth pastor at Westside. “Hey, Nate is getting baptized at MDWK tonight. How quickly can you get here?”
And another. “Checking to see if you got my message. Nate is getting baptized in a little bit. Can you come? He really wants you here.”
Christa was grateful to have a good working relationship with JJ, but even more for the impact he was having on her son.
Looking up from her phone at her dinner party, Christa could barely contain her excitement. She knew there was one place she needed to be, and this dinner party wasn’t it.
“I’m sorry,” she awkwardly began. “I need to get over to the church. Nate decided to get baptized tonight!”
The announcement was met with immediate joy and excitement by the other couple. By all means, they understood and encouraged her to go.
Christa Meyer participates in the baptism of her son, Nate Hardesty, July 13, 2022.
After a quick drive to the church, Christa ran through the doorway of the commons area at Westside and saw Nate sitting in the baptism tank, waiting for her to arrive. As soon as he saw her burst through the door, a massive smile broke out on his face, and Christa found it hard to control her emotions.
She couldn’t believe the change she was seeing in her son. A change that all started a few weeks earlier with summer camp.
Rewind to Spring 2022
It was a spring Sunday morning like any other when Nate’s unwelcome phone alarm began blaring. Opening his sleepy eyes, Nate reached for the device to silence it. He knew what would come next if he didn’t get up, but he didn’t care.
Nate turned over and pulled the blankets up over his head.
“Nate!” Nate’s stepdad, Jeff, walked into the room and turned on the blinding light. “Hey, it’s time to get up…Nate, come on, let’s not do this again! Mom is already up at the church this morning.”
Ignoring Jeff’s pleas, Nate pretended to sleep.
Stepping closer to Nate’s bed, Jeff gently pushed his shoulder. “Come on. I don’t want to be late.”
Nate glared at Jeff through squinty eyes. Church was the last place he wanted to spend a Sunday morning—especially when his bed was so warm.
This was the routine every week. Some weeks, Nate would make it; others, he obstinately stayed in bed. On Wednesday nights, Christa met a similar struggle (minus the bed) to get Nate off to Midweek.
“I don’t want to go! I don’t have any friends there!” Nate’s argument was always the same.
“You know that’s not true,” Christa would reply.
“Well, not many, anyway,” Nate would retort, only to have his mom suggest that going was the best way to meet new people and that he should text the friends he does know to encourage them to go.
The repetitive back and forth every week was exhausting, but Christa and Jeff weren't giving up on their efforts or prayers.
When summer CIY Camp sign-ups were announced that spring, Christa quietly hoped Nate would be open to going this year. Every year, she’d ask, and every Nate responded with a firm no. “I don’t want to go to that,” he’d say. “Church camp is boring.”
The anticipated answer didn’t stop Christa from trying. She’d seen JJ at church that morning and told him she would ask Nate about it again.
That afternoon as the family sat down for lunch, Christa looked for a way to ease it into the conversation. Finally, she decided to just go for it. “Nate, I saw CIY camp sign-ups are closing soon. Have you talked to Mark* about it? I heard he might be going.”
Nate grunted.
“Nate, maybe just check with Mark.”
“It’s expensive, mom.” Intent on trying every angle he could think of to avoid going, Nate leaned into the one he thought might work best.
“Don’t worry about the money. If you want to go, that’s figure-out-able…just check with Mark.”
“Fine. I’ll check with Mark.”
“If he’s going, will you consider it?” Christa pushed.
“I’ll think about it.”
Christa left the conversation alone, hoping against the odds that Nate would soften his stance, let down his guard and go. In her heart, she felt strongly that if he just went, maybe things with him would change.
For the next few weeks, Nate seemed to change his mind daily about whether or not he would go. It felt like progress compared to the firm “no” response she’d received in the past, but since Mark was also on the fence about going, Nate would not fully commit. Mark was the only person Nate knew.
About a week before camp departure, JJ approached Nate during a Wednesday night MDWK gathering.
“Hey, dude!” JJ smiled and reached out for Nate’s hand. JJ always had a disarming way of approaching the kids, and Nate liked him, even if he didn’t want to be there.
“Hey…” Nate responded.
“I heard you might be coming to CIY Camp with us this year...”
“Nah.”
“Seriously? Why not?”
“Don’t really want to. Mark’s not going, and I don’t know anyone.”
“I get that, man…but think about this…maybe that’s why you should go! You’ll meet a ton of new people, and it’s always a blast! We’re even doing white-water rafting this year.”
“No. I just don’t want to go.”
“But…It’s white-water rafting!” JJ’s attempt to coax some excitement out of Nate met with an apathetic shrug. “Alright, I’m not going to push you, but I hope you’ll change your mind.” JJ grabbed Nate’s shoulder and smiled as another student came up to ask a question.
Seeing his opportunity, Nate darted across the room to his friend Mark who had just arrived.
“Hey, Mark,” Nate greeted his friend.
“Hey,” Mark replied.
“JJ and my mom keep bugging me about camp.”
“Oh yeah? Are you going? I was talking to some other guys, and I think I will go.”
“I don’t want to go—it honestly sounds boring to me.”
“Well, it would be cool to hang out together for a week, though.”
“I guess.”
As the two boys talked about camp, Nate again warmed to the idea of hanging out with Mark. He was like a big brother to him.
Monday, June 27
On Monday morning, June 27th, about 90 high school students arrived at Westside to board two buses destined for Cleveland, Tennessee. The buses were divided into upper and lowerclassmen. Still, Nate, a Freshman, was grateful to have received special permission to ride with Mark on the bus for juniors and seniors.
As the bus made the long, 10-hour journey to Tennessee, Nate began getting to know some of Mark’s friends.
“So, you’re a freshman? What school?” One of the boys asked.
“Yeah. I’m going to Olathe Northwest,” Nate replied.
“Cool. I know a few people there. They like it. Do you play any sports or anything?”
Nate talked about his love of basketball and hopes of playing on the freshman team. He appreciated that the older boys seemed to take him under their wing and include him in their group. When one of them asked him what he thought about God, Nate felt comfortable enough to respond honestly, telling them that he wasn’t very into the church. When he told them he only went to Westside because of his mom, they seemed pretty understanding about that, too. He was grateful these boys didn’t try to push their Jesus ideas on him—they just accepted him as he was.
Several hours and a bus mechanical breakdown later, the group arrived at Lee University. Because of the delay, it was pretty late, so the kids were directed to their dorms with some brief instructions for the following morning.
Nate noticed he was given a different room assignment than Mark but decided to follow Mark anyway. As the two of them started unloading their gear, a camp staff member stopped by and informed Nate that he needed to go to the room where he was assigned. The news didn’t sit well with Nate, and he began to argue, but to no avail.
“I knew this was going to suck,” Nate grumbled as he walked out the door and followed the leader to his new room.
Nate barely said two words to his new roommate. He wondered if the other boy didn’t want to be there as much as him because he was awfully quiet too.
Tuesday, June 28
The next day, Nate tried to hang out with Mark, but he’d been split into a group with other freshmen boys. When he did try to engage with Mark, he felt ignored. An exchange of careless words led to a disagreement between the boys, and Nate felt isolated. He was miserable. The only interesting thing so far was that he could play sports in his free time each afternoon—but even that wasn’t fun since he didn’t know anyone.
Nate slogged through the motions because he had to, complaining to anyone who would listen. During various group activities, he zoned out, lost in his thoughts and misery. He wanted to be home. At least there, he could get online and play games with some of his other friends. He couldn’t believe he had let JJ, Mark, and his mom talk him into this. And to top it off, JJ wasn’t even there yet! Despite invitations from some of the other kids to hang out with them, Nate went off and sat by himself.
That day felt like an eternity. After dinner, he went down to the conference center with the large group to meet up for evening worship and talk about storms in life. He was there—not because he wanted to be, but because he had nothing else to do. Nate kept zoning in and out of the message but did connect to the idea of being in a storm. He definitely felt that. The week couldn’t end soon enough.
That night, he pulled out his phone.
“Hi, mom.” Nate texted.
“Hey – How’s camp?” Christa typed back.
“I hate it. I want to come home.”
“What’s going on?”
“I got in a fight with Mark. I don’t know anyone, and it’s boring. I’m miserable. Can you book me on a flight?”
“Sorry, bud, I can’t do that. Have you tried talking to JJ or Estrella?”
“JJ won’t be here until tomorrow.”
Christa went to bed that night with a heavy heart, but she wasn’t about to rescue him either. Nate was experiencing exactly what she hoped would NOT happen, but she also knew she could trust God in the middle of the trial. She enlisted a few friends and family members to pray for Nate.
Wednesday, June 29
“Hey Estrella,” a voice called out. “Can we talk to you?”
Estrella Arreola, Westside’s High School Associate Director, turned to see a group of boys hustling in her direction. “Sure, what’s up?”
The boys began telling Estrella they were a little worried about their friend Nate. He was mad and isolating himself. They had tried to engage him, but he wasn’t having it. Estrella thanked the boys for the information and told them she’d see what she could do.
That afternoon, Estrella observed Nate sitting off to himself. As the other boys had told her, he certainly didn’t seem happy.
“Hey Nate, mind if I sit with you?” Estrella patiently waited for a reply.
Nate looked up at her and shrugged. “When is JJ getting here?”
“He’ll be here this afternoon. Are you doing OK? You don’t seem very happy.”
With that, Nate began unloading every gripe, complaint, and allegation he’d been carrying in his heart for the last few days.
“I just want to go home; I hate this place!” Nate finally unleashed.
Nate (far right) passes the time at camp playing games.
“Nate, I totally get how you are feeling. I would feel discouraged, too, based on everything you’ve told me. But I’m wondering something…God has a reason for everything that happens, even the storms. Do you agree?”
Nate nodded.
“Why do you think he brought you here?”
Estrella felt like she was hitting a wall as the pair continued to talk about things like forgiveness, friendship, and perseverance in the middle of a storm. The hurt in Nate’s heart was great. Finally, she offered to pray with him and suggested he try hanging out with some of the other kids and then plan to talk to JJ when he arrived.
Nate half-heartedly agreed.
That afternoon, JJ stood at the curb at the Nashville airport waiting for his Uber driver to arrive. He’d released a heavy sigh as he glanced down at the app on his phone. He had spent the last two days in Bolivar, Missouri, with the middle school camp and was ready to spend the balance of the week with the high schoolers. The week had been particularly stressful, and he knew more was coming.
In the car, he pulled out a notepad where he’d been jotting down his “to-dos.” He scanned the list. The number of things that needed his attention when he arrived kept growing. At the bottom of the page, he’d written “Nate.”
That morning, JJ received a text message from Christa. A similar text from Estrella confirmed the message that Nate needed some encouragement and mentoring. The news of Nate’s unhappiness wasn’t a huge surprise, but JJ had hoped for a different outcome.
Staring out the window, JJ prayed for wisdom and discernment. He prayed for the kids and the leaders. He prayed for spiritual protection for all of them.
Back at the camp, Nate decided to play dodgeball while waiting for JJ’s arrival. As it turned out, it was a good way to relieve some stress and frustration. Some of the boys seemed nice and invited Nate to sit with them at dinner after the game, but when Nate saw JJ in the distance, he excused himself.
JJ was deep in conversation with one of the camp administrators, so Nate stood and waited patiently for the other person to leave.
As JJ turned to Nate, he could barely say hello before Nate interrupted, “I want to go home.”
“Nate, well, hello to you, too!” JJ laughed nervously.
“JJ, I want to go home.”
“OK, hold on a minute, Nate.”
“Mark and I got in a fight; I don’t know anyone here, I’m completely miserable, and this is a total waste of my time. You need to book a flight for me so I can go home.”
“Alright, first of all, I need you to calm down.” JJ was taken aback by how mad Nate was. “Look, it’s too late in the day to get anyone on a plane. Secondly, we need to talk some more about this, and I have a couple of things I need to take care of right now.”
JJ glanced down at his watch and noticed Estrella waiting to talk to him about another issue that had popped up. “Dinner is starting here in five minutes, but I really want to talk with you some more about this, though. Can we talk after group tonight?”
“Fine.” Nate stormed off.
“Whoa,” Estrella cautiously approached JJ. “I knew he wasn’t happy, but wow…he’s still really mad!”
“No kidding!” JJ shook his head. “He wants us to get him a flight home. I’m pretty sure Christa won’t go for that. I’m going to talk to him tonight after the session. Just be praying for him – and for me!”
That night, Nate went into the main group time and sat down with his small group. As the speaker began the message, Nate recognized the story of the prodigal son. He always liked this story for the way it captured his imagination. Perhaps it had something to do with just wanting to go home, but Nate was locked in.
As he listened, he felt a noticeable shift in his heart. He didn’t understand it, but he also didn’t fight it. He was tired of fighting.
Holding up a ring, the speaker talked about the gifts the father gave his returning son. The ring held important significance in restoring the relationship between father and son.
“If you want to come home to Jesus tonight,” the speaker declared to the student audience, “there’s a ring here for you. Just come down to the front and meet with any leaders here.”
Nate felt his heart pounding. His face felt hot. He knew he needed to go down. He wanted that ring and everything it represented.
Seeing JJ standing in front of the stage, Nate pushed his way past the other boys and began making his way to the front of the room.
JJ locked eyes with Nate and reached out to pull him in for a hug.
“JJ, I don’t want to go home anymore…I want to come home.” Nate could barely get the words out.
As the pair talked about Nate’s desire to recommit his life to Jesus, neither one could hold back their emotions.
“Nate, I just want you to know how much I love you, and I’m really proud of you. I’ve been waiting for this to happen in your life. Can I pray for you?”
Nate nodded, and JJ began to pray. “God, I’m really thankful for what you’ve been doing in Nate’s life and the step he’s taking. I know you love him, and my prayer is truly that he finds hope and fulfillment in you….”
Nate agreed with JJ’s prayer, and they continued to talk. Sharing the frustrations and hurt he’d experienced earlier in the week, Nate agreed to talk to Mark and see if they could smooth things over.
JJ collapsed on his bed when he finally got to his room that night. The day had been filled with such highs and lows that he knew he’d landed smack in the middle of a spiritual war—a war that God had won. He had never felt so exhausted and yet so encouraged. He reached for his phone. He needed to call his wife, but there was someone he needed to text first.
Nate joins a group of boys for white water rafting on the last day of camp. (And he had a blast!)
“Hey Christa, you need to know, something big happened in Nate’s life tonight. Everything’s good. We’ll see you this weekend.”
Christa picked up her phone to read the message and responded with a heart emoji.
“Everything OK?” Jeff asked, noticing some tears welling in his wife’s eyes.
Christa's heart filled with hope as she set her phone down, and she whispered a prayer, thanking God for His faithfulness. "Yes, I think it is!"
(* Editor’s Note: Nate’s friend’s name has been changed for privacy purposes.)