We have many exceptional team members within the King's Daughters' Health family. Many of them use their talents and gifts to help others.
Connie Milner has felt called to mission work since the 6th Grade
Since the 6th Grade, Connie Milner has felt called to do missionary work. She wrote a letter about it for a classroom assignment, and has made it a priority in her adult life. Over the years, Milner has been to Brazil, India, Papua-New Guinea, and a host of other places. In August, 2011, she spent several weeks in Japan after the Tsunami.
"It's not about me. It's about God's faithfulness and about how much he loves every single person on this earth," Milner said. "The trips are not something I've pursued, they are opportunities that God has provided."
During her time in Japan, Milner said she worked with people from all around the world. She said you feel no separation when working with others - rather you feel like brothers and sisters. Teams helped go through piles of debris, often finding photos, clothes, and toys of those who perished. They played with children and helped care for those in need.
"Sometimes, people would ask us: Why do you care? We would say because God loves you," Milner said. "The Japanese people were so kind. They had lost everything and they were asking what they could do for us."
Milner learned about the Japan opportunity through Missionary Pastor Jonathan Wilson, who is with Grace Christian Fellowship in Ome, Tokyo. He founded CRASH - Christian Relief Assistance Support and Hope - a network that supports Christian relief work in Japan and around the world. Its mission statement is a familiar Bible verse: "Love one another as I have loved you." Milner said Rev. Wilson was asking for help and looking for people willing to go into areas hardest hit by the Tsunami.
While in Ome, teams visited with displaced families from Fukushima - where the nuclear power plant was located. One of the main refugee areas Milner visited was in the Tohono Region, which was hardest hit by the disaster.
Milner said many of the refugees told her personal stories about the many family members they had lost. She said children from her church, Cornerstone Community Fellowship ,had made drawings for her to take on the trip. Milner was amazed at how the Japanese people received the artwork and asked about families here in the States.
"I wanted to share God's love. That's what all of this has been about," Milner said, recalling the missionary family from India whose Dad was her 6th Grade teacher. "That's what I've always wanted to do."
Following is a brief excerpt from Milner's 6th Grade letter: "He (God) loved me and I want others to know it too so they know he loved them. A missionary is my way of saying thank you to God. I hope that I can carry out that job in foreign countries as well as in my own neighborhood, and maybe even in my home."
One of Milner's favorite hymns is: Hark the voice of Jesus calling where the ending phrase reads: Who will answer gladly saying, send me, send me.
Connie Milner is the Director of Materials Management for King's Daughters' Health.