Dr. Brantley:  Dr. David Smith, President and CEO of Christian Medical and Dental Association has said to different groups "you don't have to worry about dying when you go over there if you've already died before you leave".  I really appreciated that perspective, to say, 'remember, you already died to Christ, you are a new creation in Christ'.  You don't have to worry about dying since you already died once.  I'm pretty sure I heard him say that before I went over there, but I've heard him say it multiple times since I got back.  That has been a helpful truth to return to.

Dr. Brantley: This may sound ridiculous to you, in the shoes you are in now, but I would say, take your spiritual preparation as seriously as you take your academic and medical preparation.  Go to church. I can't tell you how many residents I saw, or friends and co-workers when I was a resident, who at some point had said they would like to do medical mission work, then through 4 years of undergrad, 4 years of medical school and 4,5 or 6 years of residency, they got busy and chose to do other things than go to church because it was not convenient, it was not in their schedule, they had a big test on Monday.  But my church family during residency and medical school played a critical role in helping me nurture that calling in my life to stay involved in a community of faith in the body of Christ so that people around you are helping you go the right direction because it is really easy to get distracted.  

Dr. Brantley: We do have several speaking engagements over the next few months.  We feel like this is a unique season of life.  We've been given a forum and opportunity to speak, not just to groups like this, but people that don't normally invite Christians to tell their story, so we want to be faithful stewards of that opportunity, but we recognize it will end someday (some days I pray it will end sooner than others).  Our hearts (my wife and I) our heart is to hear God's calling because He called us to be long term medical missionaries.  So, that is what we plan to be doing.  We don't know if that will be in Liberia, or somewhere else, but hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.