Meet ‘20-21 NET Team 9!

I am so excited to introduce to you my beautiful team, whom I have gotten to know the past few days and will get to spend (hopefully) the next 9 months with! What I am sharing are my first experiences with each of my teammates, and it will be cool to read these in May and see how far we have come. Without further ado, here is my beautiful team!

Grace Buchheit (Mt. Airy, MD, 19, my Co-Team Leader)

I only had two interactions with Grace before learning she would be my Co-leader. Once on arrival day, playing games with her, and watching the sunrise with Bella H. and Mark J. From what I know, she’s pretty cool! Looking forward to working with her and growing with her. I had alot anxieties about my Co-leader, but she immediately put them to rest. What is cool is that we are easily the youngest Co-TL pair. Im the youngest TL, and she is the 3rd youngest TL. Only one other Team Leader is 19 this year, the rest are 20+. Lots of responsibility for us youngins, but we are looking forward to the challenge!

Amanda Baker (Omaha, NE, 19, 2nd Year)

So, Amanda and I got very close at Wapo last year, playing ping pong 4-square and just being super silly whenever we saw eachother. When I heard she would be on my team, I couldn’t comprehend it! It’s still a bit strange honestly, but I’m so happy she is on Team 9 again (she was on Team 9 last year). She will bring the necessary NET experience, and give Grace alot of support. Aw, SO pumped!!

Katherine Austad (St. Cloud, MN, 18)

Funny enough, we had talked a little bit before arrival day on instagram, and had some good conversations then. Did not talk a whole lot at Wapo, but I know she’s super cool and brings joy to everyone she is with. Also, she is a musician, and I’m excited for the day she will get a chance to lead music for us!

Sarah Koshiol (Rogers, MN, 18)

Even though I never talked to Sarah, she was in the same Wapo small group as Monica, my teammate from last year. She talked about how cool Sarah was and how blessed her team will be with her on it. Looks like I’m blessed! Excited to grow with her.

Sally Zweber (Lake Prior, MN, 18)

Also in Monica’s small group, homegirl is a fireball of energy. She is super zealous and animated in every conversation, but has a beautiful relationship with the Lord and with others that I’ve been able to witness. She will bring alot of energy and encouragement to both ministry and team life for us, which is so necessary for any team. Big hype!

Samantha Christy (Kansas City, MO, 21)

I never really talked to Sam either at Wapo, but I know she was around and have heard nothing but great things about her from others. From our little interactions, she is super fun to talk to, and always down for a good time. She also has good life experience that will be good for our team, as she has been working in and out of different jobs in multiples states and environments, great for a NET team with quite a few high schooler grads.

Elizabeth Talbot (Baton Rouge, LA, 22)

Elizabeth is straight out of college at Louisiana Tech. She was in my laundry group (Team Lettuce!!), and I have had good conversations with her and fun jam sessions. She takes delight in watching others people’s joys and passions, and has had some very cool traveling experiences. I am super pumped to have her on my team, as she is super intentional with every conversation, and will also bring good life experience to the table as one of two on our team to graduate college.

Sam Ellis (Lancaster, PA, 20, 2nd Year)

Sam!! He was in my Wapo small group last year, and was on a discipleship team last year. I became best friends with him at training, so the fact that he is on my team is one of the truest gifts from God. He is super intelligent and isn’t afraid to share what he loves. NET talks about 2nd years being supportive of their Team Leaders, and I got the best support in Sam. So excited to grow with him on the road, and for him to be an example of manhood and brotherhood for the team.

Luke Rivera (Diamond Bar, CA, 19)

So fun story: my teammate last year, Jakob Kachirisky-Reyes, recruited him to come to NET, and now he is on my team!! I could not be more excited, we both longed to be on eachother’s team, and here we are. Very chill guy, great vocals, super caring and loving to others, most excited to see how much he grows on the road this year.

Andrew Nielson (Reno, NV, 18)

My man Andrew! He is so unique and is not afraid to be himself. Why do I know this? He wears a Santa hat and a trench coat every day and greets people by saying “Merry Christmas”. What a man. We had some awesome conversations at Wapo, and I am so freaking happy he is my brother this year! Very confident as well.

Brenden Fitzpatrick (Riverside, CA, 22)

Our other college graduate, out of UC-Riverside. He is strong in his faith, and he is a stud on guitar. I got close with him at music training, working with him playing songs, and have seen him working hard during break times at Wapo learning the bluebook. He’ll be influential this year when it comes to music, and will be a co-pair when it comes to teaching the team how to play guitar.

So that’s my team! We are all very musical, with 4 guitarists, 5 pianists, and much theater experience between us all. I love this team very much, and am so glad I have been praying for them the past five months, because they are truly a blessing. You will get to know them too throughout this year, and I can’t WAIT to walk this journey with them. Let’s do this!