On April 18, Amber Brantly will speak at the 8th annual Ladies Tea & Tour at the Billy Graham Library in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Amber is a Christian missionary, mother of two, and wife of Dr. Kent Brantly, the medical missionary who made a miraculous recovery from Ebola last year.
Tickets for the Ladies Tea are still available. There are two seatings to choose from—one at 11 a.m. and one at 2:30 p.m.
Recently, Billy Graham Library Facebook followers had a chance to ask Amber a few questions before her upcoming visit to Charlotte. Her answers are below.
Q: Amber, how has this experience impacted your view of missionary work, and what has changed for you as a priority in your daily life? —Brenda
A: My view on missionary work was probably changed more by our time in Liberia prior to the outbreak than since Kent fell sick. There are great needs everywhere. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the task of caring for orphans, feeding the hungry, healing the sick, but I have to remember that God is using me to help where I can, not to solve all the world’s problems by myself. God is in control. I am just so privileged to play a small part in His story and His mission of reconciliation. Prayer works. I pray more now than I used to. I learned this from my missionary friends in Liberia.
Q: I thank God for healing His servant. Are you willing to allow your husband to return to Africa on a mission trip even if it’s an Ebola-hit country? —James
A: Thank you for praising God for Kent’s healing. We do, every day. Kent and I always make our decisions together. If he was feeling the Lord asking him to return to Africa, then we would talk and pray about it together. The two of us are in constant, ongoing conversation about returning to Liberia or another African country or a different location altogether. But we have both been called to a life of service in God’s Kingdom, and we are actively seeking where the Lord may send us next—together!
Q: Are you scared that the disease is dormant and will pop up again? I certainly admire missionary work, but at the same time not sure if I can be used for this purpose when the diseases are so difficult. —Carrie
Good question. First, the disease is not dormant. The outbreak is far from over; the countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea are still having dozens of new cases every week. Please continue in prayer for the end of the Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Secondly, it is my belief that we all—who have put our faith in Jesus—have been called to be His ambassadors to all nations, tribes, and languages. For some people (like me) this means going; for others, it means sending. For all of us, it means loving your neighbor as yourself. There are opportunities arising daily in your own home and town to be an example of Jesus to somebody. I ask that you pray to see those opportunities as they arise, and react the way Jesus would.
Q: Amber, I can’t imagine what it was like going through this. Besides our faith in God and His will, how did you deal with your daily tasks, and how did you feel about the mission field you were in at this point? —Debbie
A: While Kent was sick, my daily tasks changed a bit. Mainly, my tasks changed from housework, laundry, and child care to writing “statements,” checking Kent’s Facebook page, privatizing what I could of my kids’ lives on the Internet, and waiting for Kent to call me. I woke in the wee hours to check my phone to see if he was alive another night, by the grace of God. I also had help with the kids during this time. My parents and siblings entertained them wonderfully. Once Kent and I were in Atlanta, the children were cared for by Kent’s brother and his wife. They were remarkably protected by God’s Holy Spirit during this time!
