Teammate Spotlight: Monica J. Brown

- Role: Greeter, Marketing

- Resides In: Victoria, TX

- Birthday: April 13th

- Before NET: Graduated from high school, went to many NET retreats before becoming a missionary.

- First Encounter: She hung around my small group buddy and good friend Tomas alot during Wapo, met her at the iconic hammocks.

- Initial Thoughts: She seems very quiet, but I feel like she isn't actually quiet... awesome laugh too.

(Left) Niagara Falls in September! It is the only true photo I took with someone else at this place, and I am grateful it was her because it was the only one of just us for the rest of the year unfortunately. (Right) So, I found this in our shared Google photo album taken by Sarah... and honestly it just describes Monica extremely well. I hope you don't mind...

- Favorite Memory: I have too many amazing memories with this amazing woman, but they all stem from one specific moment. I'm not sure exactly when she said this, whether it was during training or in a van ride at the beginning of the year, but in front of the whole team she said, "I may be shy now, but give me 1-2 months and you will see who I really am." I hung onto those words, and lo and behold, she bloomed into the awesome person she is. I trusted her in that moment, and I think it was so cool that she came through on that promise.

- What I Will Miss: I'm gonna miss greeting with her! For those who do not know, Monica and I basically sign retreatants in every retreat and assign them into small groups, and I literally have the best time doing it with her, having fun conversations, problem-solving, and checking in with one another. We got each other hyped up for retreat during this time, which she is great at, and we were able to just build one another up as a brother/sister in Christ.

- What the World Should Know About Monica: She is the loudest, funniest, and most energetic people on this planet, and you know it's genuine and comes from the Lord. But even more than that, she wants to be the best, and doesn't admit it nor realize it. She challenges herself in every aspect, from ministry to team life to prayer, and I noticed her commitment to herself daily. As proof, she started learning guitar from Jakob, and in 2.5 weeks led a one-hour team prayer praise session! That's incredible! You can always count on her to bet on herself, and it inspired me to push myself no question.

Dear Monica,

Yaes... sorry, inside joke. But seriously, thank you so much sister for teaching me persistent love and courage, for sharing your life with me and this team, and for loving me through punches and hugs. No matter where life takes you, always remember who is always by your side (God) and got your back (us). Love you.