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Note: The first few minutes of the presentation’s audio are missing. A summary of what was said is provided below.

Meeting in Peru: A Life-Changing Year

Good evening! My name is Laura Sherwin, and this is my husband Brent. We are medical missionaries living and working at Malamulo Adventist Hospital in Malawi with our two children.

We have been in Malawi for over four years. So how did we end up here?

Brent and I both grew up hearing stories from our parents, who were missionary kids, as well as from our extended families. A pivotal moment came when we were young adults, just starting college. Each of us independently decided to take a student mission (or gap) year in the jungles of Peru.

Brent was from Michigan, and I was from California—but this is where we met. We spent nine months working with mobile medical and dental clinics and assisting a grassroots organization in the Pucallpa region of eastern Peru.

This experience changed our lives in three ways:

  1. I met my future husband, Brent.

  2. We recognized the importance and value of a career in healthcare. My time in Peru confirmed my calling to dentistry and encouraged Brent to pursue medicine, especially surgery. Through mobile clinics, we saw the immense need for Christ-centered, quality healthcare—helping people where and when they need it most.

  3. We became passionate about international missions. Experiencing new cultures and ways of life was eye-opening and adventurous. While long-term service isn’t for everyone, our time in Peru revealed the potential for what God could do through us in a more sustained capacity.

Though we liked each other during our time in Peru, we didn’t speak about our feelings right away. After much prayer, Brent shared his heart with me—and the rest is history!

Navigating College, Marriage, and Medical School

We dated long-distance for about 2.5 years while completing our college degrees. During this time, we prayed continually about our futures, both individually and as a couple. We completed the necessary pre-requisites, sat for the MCAT and DAT, and applied to medical and dental school. It was a time of uncertainty but also peace and excitement, trusting that God would guide our path.

Praise God, we were both accepted into Loma Linda University—Brent to medical school and me to dental school! We married about six weeks before classes began.

Medical and dental school was an intense four-year journey, but we navigated it together. We studied side by side, attended labs and rotations, and supported each other through the challenges. Throughout this time, we continually prayed for God’s guidance, trusting Him with our future. During our second year, we joined the Deferred Mission Appointee (DMA) Program through LLU and the General Conference, which helped pay off our loans while allowing us to serve at a qualifying international mission hospital.
 

MIG Vespers: Drs. Brent and Laura Sherwin