Teammate Spotlight: Amanda M. Baker

Resides In: Omaha, Nebraska

Before NET: Graduated high school in 2019, was on NET Team 9 (Retreat Team) last year before signing on to a second year with me, and ended up on NET Team 9 again.

First Encounter: Playing ping pong at our first Camp Wapo experience, August 2019, which turned into 4-square ping pong, which was a blast. Before then, I only knew her as "Adam's biological sister", as Adam Baker was in my camp small group, and I had only heard rumors of her. She wrote off that label very quickly.

Initial Thoughts: She seems very perky, her sound effects are really fun, and I really wanna vibe with her.

(Left) Amanda in the kitchen at Thanksgiving. Now, I think she is just pouring some cider in a cup, but it reminds me of a couple things about Amanda. First, that outfit, absolutely iconic. Second, whenever we were at a home that served us a great, homemade dish, she would ask for the recipe so she could cook it at home, which is genius! Two years worth of recipes will certainly come in handy. (Right) Last year on the road, we would do funny skits on retreat that involved a costume bin. Due to COVID, we were not able to perform any skits nor wear any costumes this year, which really disappointed Amanda and I since we did them a lot our first year. Fortunately, we got to share our comedy gifts at the Ellis' house with costumes from their basement, and this was the final result. We would practice a skit together called "Magic Banana" on our own time for fun, and we performed it in front of the team and Ellis family, which was so amazing! The nostalgia was real that night.

Favorite Memory: I don't think there is one specific moment, but many moments under the same genre of goofiness. I told her one day that inside jokes will always honor me, and she would try and make/bring up inside jokes often to honor me, which is, henceforth, honoring. We had an awesome and unique fist bump, we had a goofy dance, we would recall jokes from our first year, we would say the dumbest things and call each other ridiculous nicknames to make each other laugh. And looking back, that is what I cherish the most when it comes to Amanda, and I loved it.

Something Amanda taught me: Perseverance. Doing two years of NET can be grueling, from lack of sleep to lots of moving around, there is not much time to rest. Amanda was extremely tested this year in all aspects, from physical back pain to not getting any alone time, I could tell it was difficult. Yet, she never gave up on the team, and she never gave up on our relationship, and I seriously appreciated that. She always did retreats with a great attitude, especially when things did not go the way she wanted it too, and her infectious laugh carried throughout the highs and lows, which was so necessary for this year.

What the world should know: She is one of the quirkiest people you will meet. Her niche reactions and slang make her so unique, and will always put a smile on your face. Though she claims to be an introvert, she definitely does not act like it in front of others, nor in intentional conversation. She always keeps it very real, and strives for the virtue of prudency, meaning doing something at the appropriate time in the appropriate place, which I believe the world needs more of.

What’s next?: She will be attending Ave Maria University down in Florida! We visited the school in November, and I'm very excited she is going there.

To Amanda:

It's ya boi, Jebediah. I am so thankful for these past two years of friendship, and I'm so grateful that God put us on the same team this past year. Serving with you has been a pleasure, and I think about all the jokes and memories we made often. I cannot WAIT to continue creating special moments with you, know of my constant prayers for you. Love ya sista!