For Ken and Ginny McMillan (and their family), they were in the midst of these difficulties while serving as missionaries in the Congo. Ken grew up a missionary kid and spent time with his family as medical missionaries.

Eventually, however, after three rebellions in the Congo, the family came back to the U.S. after 15 years. But not before Ken’s dad was killed in the second rebellion, a rebellion in which Ken was also injured. But this type of trauma taught Ken a valuable lesson: “I think God has led me through a path that has brought me close to Him, and has made me appreciate what God can do with all kinds of trauma, in all kinds of disruption.”


Ministering to those in extremis
And what God has instilled in McMillan through these crises is a willingness and desire to reach out to those in need. “I feel called and very much still motivated to reach out to people who are in extremis, that don’t have an answer, who are hopeless and who may actually be very much sidelined.”

That calling led him to ministry with Native Americans when he returned from Africa. After McMillan and his family decided not to go back to the Congo, he was approached by Gordon Thayer of Overcomers Ministries to provide doctor services to Native Americans in Minneapolis.

According to McMillan, there are approximately 22,000 Native Americans living in Minnesota. Some 60 percent live in urban areas, like the Twin Cities, and 40 percent live on reservations.


Kola
After accepting Thayer’s invitation, McMillan became involved in a program called Kola, which means “friend” in the Lakota language. In addition to Lakota, McMillan sees men and women from 14 or 15 other tribes across Minnesota and upwards of 30 different tribes from across the country (those who may be traveling through the area).

He administers “primary care, screening, treatment for small wounds, screening for depression, as well as things like blood pressure [checks], sugar (high glucose), and weight problems and chemical use,” he said. His office is located in a fairly large basement room of a high-rise, right off Franklin Avenue in Minneapolis.

In addition, McMillan tries to get everyone into a local clinic; and if they do not have insurance, they try to get them on insurance.

The program is funded mainly by grants from the government, but private donations also help, since patients can rarely afford the $3.00 it costs for a consultation—or even the dollar it takes for a prescription.


Saving the county money
Even though the program relies heavily on grants, the entire grant process doesn’t come without its difficulties. “We’ve actually had to appear in hearings at the country,” McMillan said, “just to point out how we’re saving them (the county) money. If a patient shows up at an emergency room, McMillan said, he or she will incur $500 to $800 in expenses. If the patient shows up at Kola, expenses run only $50.

But with local, state and national governments trying to cut back on services because of the current economic conditions, it’s difficult for programs like Kola to get fully funded.


Pointing people in the right direction
In addition to treating and referring patients for physical issues, McMillan also helps patients with mental illness. “We know we’re not treating the biggest illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar from the start, but certainly anxiety and depression—we can deal with that,” he said.

McMillan has had patients who have appreciated just being able to talk during times of suicidal thoughts or depression. “We realize that by doing that (talking with them about their depression or suicidal thoughts), by voicing it, they are diffusing it. Asking them if they have a weapon or a plan. Some of them have told me they were just going to go down to the bridge and jump. And just by talking through it, it has helped.”

And when a patient is struggling with depression or suicidal thoughts, McMillan often asks them about their source of spiritual help. If they say they don’t have any, “We offer to pray with them,” he said. “And they—almost to a person—will say, ‘Yes, please pray.’”

McMillan then refers them to Gordon Thayer’s ministry, where counselors are ready to talk with those struggling.


Forgotten people
McMillan believes that Native Americans are a forgotten people. “I think that Native Americans in Minneapolis and perhaps in many other cities, too, and even on the reservations are ignored,” he said. “I don’t think people even ask them much about their spiritual state or their peace of mind.”

An open door is what McMillan tells people to pray about. And he urges people to become involved in the lives of Native Americans. “I think somebody who is living either in their community or is working with them on a discipleship basis, Christians who are devoting time to the Bible study, to the sobriety dinner once a month, and then the treatment center”—these are the kinds of activities that will help swing open the door to further ministry.

And that’s why McMillan devotes so much time to this ministry—for out of the trauma and disruption come lives influenced and guided by God’s plans.

For more information on Kola and Ken McMillan’s ministry and how to help, visit www.aicdc-mn.org or e-mail McMillan at kmcmillan@aicdc-mn.org.