Teammate Spotlight: Andrew T. Nielson

Resides In: Reno, Nevada

Before NET: Graduated high school, and was originally enrolled at the University of Nevada-Reno for the 2020 Fall semester. That was until he learned school was online all year and his youth minister prospected the idea of NET to him in July.

First Encounter: Mans rolled up to NET in a trench coat, Santa hat, aviator glasses, pocket watch, and Converses... in other words he stuck out like a sore thumb. We had small discussions throughout the first couple weeks, building a decent friendship throughout.

Initial Thoughts: This dude has a lot of character, I can already tell. His mystique really intrigues me, though, I find him very fascinating.

(Left) Andrew is a MASSIVE Disney fan, so you could probably guess when we announced we were going to Disneyworld, he was stoked. In front of the Magic Kingdom castle stood this statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Of course, Andrew and I had to recreate it. Why? Because it's funny, that's why! That was our reasoning for half the stuff we did together, from our awkward handshake to our questionable remarks, we were always trying to make the other laugh, and it was a great way to build our relationship. (Right) Andrew is praying with a statue of Mother Mary at the Shrine of the Miraculous Medal in Missouri in November. Andrew has the deepest devotion to Mother Mary on the team, and their relationship is golden. This statue of Mary represents us praying for her intercession to her son, Jesus, who was 20 feet behind her left shoulder, so she can give our prayers as a beautiful gift to our Lord. Andrew and Mama's relationship was a major theme early on in the road, as he also found our team saint, Our Lady of Providence, while in North Carolina.

Favorite Memory: Andrew has a lot of impressions and characters. And I mean ALOT. His most famous characters on the road were Ishmael, a soft gentle man who was a great kids storyteller, Aunt Linda, a single lady from the Bronx who was in her late-40's and drank lots of cawffee, and Scott, a Scottish warrior. We first got introduced to Scott at the beginning of the road while eating lunch at the NET Center, sharing Bible stories. Yet the way he shared the Bible stories was similar to how historians share random moments of history on Comedy Central's "Drunk History", just extremely oversimplified and humorous. Man, him sharing the story of Adam and Eve in the Braveheart voice had us all ROLLING on the ground, it was so funny! He was our entertainer this year, and he loved to do it.

Something Andrew taught me: Savoring Time. There was rarely ever a dull moment with this man, he was always up to something. Countless times on the road, though, he was always doing something productive for the Kingdom of God or for the team. When people were taking naps, he was investing in someone, always inviting people in the van to deep conversation. When we needed to fill time in on retreat, he went up and entertained the crowd. He never wasted a moment on the road this year, it was all for good, hence pushing me to not rest and take our time as a team for granted. I absolutely loved watching how much he poured out of himself these past 9 months.

What the world should know: On every NET Team, there is what I like to call a "glue" member, a teammate that everyone can rally around when there is a bad day or a rough time, and we look to them for a jolt of entertainment and joy to bring the team back together. That was Andrew for us. He used his comedic talents this year many times to give us all so much joy and laughter, but also wooed us with his deep intellectual thoughts and findings, leading to so many deep discussions. He has many layers to his personality, and we got to witness all of them this year, which was super beautiful. He is a fantastic storyteller, too, and hopes to publish a book soon that holds much symbolism, just like everything he does intentionally in his life. One of the most beautiful souls you will ever meet.

What’s next?: To be determined. He is discerning between a second year of NET or college at the moment, so stay tuned.

To Andrew:

You are so incredible my man! I love you so much, thank you for being such an incredible brother to me this year, for always making me laugh, and for never ceasing to amaze me. You are on to such great things, and I am so excited as to where the Lord leads you. Know of my constant prayers through it all. Love ya brotha!