Dr. Kevin Conners:
Dr. Kevin Conners graduated from Northwestern Chiropractic College in 1986 and immediately opened practice in Woodbury , Minnesota where he successfully ran one of the largest practices in the state. He sold his clinic in 1992 and moved his family (then four children) to Monterrey , Mexico to work as full-time missionaries. It was here they tended to the "poorest of the poor" in the shanty towns and taught at Berea Bible School and Orphanage. They then moved back across the border in Harlingen , Texas where they could obtain more supplies for the needy.
In 1998, Dr Kevin, his wife Terri and their children moved back to his home town of Stillwater to begin a new life in chiropractic practice. They now have five children and remain active in the support for the people in Mexico . Each year they organize a Christmas toy drive (which goes on all year long) for the "children of the dump" in Matamoras , Mexico where they raise thousands of dollars and boxes and boxes of toys for families literally living in the smoldering dumps!
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They welcome any help you may desire to give. Contact Dr. Conners directly at 651-739-1248 and please join this web site for further info regarding their ongoing missionary trips. They would love to have you join them on their next adventure.
Currently, Dr. Conners’ passion is for his God, his beautiful wife and family, ministry, and the army of patients on the road to better health. “If you ask my wife, she’ll tell you that I’m addicted to helping people,” says Conners. “I see every patient as a gift from God that comes with a responsibility to figure out just exactly what needs to be done to get them better and keep them healthy. That’s why I believe in constant and never-ending improvement in technique, understanding of human physiology, and the art of application of such tools to meet every person’s needs. The more tools you have in your tool bag, the better chance you have in finishing the task.”
Maybe that’s why Dr. Conners is continually learning. From studying deeper methods of Neurology, Kinesiology, Homeopathy, Nutrition, and Physiology, his skills in the many chiropractic techniques he and his staff utilize are enhanced and appeal to a greater audience. “Passion” may be the best word to describe his practice; “Passion” from a staff dedicated to making you feel loved and special, and a part of a bigger idea. “Passion” from the finest selection of doctors who make you feel honored to be a member of their practice and who would truly do anything to get you better. “Passion” from a feeling of purpose, from the first time you enter the clinic that gives one hope in the midst of question, direction to the wandering heart, and focus on a positive outcome.
“For me,” says Conners, “this is a calling, not a job, not a profession. Our job is to be vessels, clay pots, which can be filled with things from above to be a blessing to everyone that we meet. To the degree that we can empty ourselves and make room for love and acceptance, wisdom and patience, forgiveness and joy, is the degree we can be used in miraculous ways. And I, for one, am in the mood for a miracle!"
“Lord, just one question,” asked Conners as he contemplated the difficulty he, his wife Terri and four children would face as they prepared to move all they had to an orphanage and Bible School in Monterrey , Mexico to serve as missionaries, “why?” “You know it’s God,” says Conners, “when your questions are answered distinctly, exactly, and without hesitation, following His character in scripture and without guilt or shame even when it’s not the answer you want to hear.”
Conners asked his question regarding the felt calling on the hearts of him and his wife in 1996. They had four children ranging from 2-14 in age all with the same desire to serve people wherever God would lead. “We never wanted to go to Mexico ,” said Conners, “not even on vacation. So after making the decision to do missionary work, which is another ‘God-story’ in itself, Terri and I prayed about where to go. We considered Manila and knew of a ministry there needing help but after months of prayer and learned patience we knew that we were to go to Mexico . I could tell you dozens of stories that surrounded that decision that still ‘blow my mind’ but that’s just how God works,” he continued.
They should have been perfectly happy living in their own personal piece of heaven in Wisconsin : 280 acres of solid woods where they cleared a three-quarter mile driveway and a home site on the edge of the little river that flowed along one side of the property. With just a chain saw, an axe and an antique ‘skinning blade’ they built a log barn and various out buildings. They raised most their own food, milked goats, plucked chickens, and shot deer but, “that’s not what life is all about,” adds Conners, “at least not for us. We knew we had a bigger calling. It wasn’t about the money when I had the big practice and it’s not about a personal paradise either.”
This is when they moved to Monterrey , where they tended for the "poorest of the poor" in the shanty towns and taught at Berea Bible School and Orphanage, preached at churches throughout the city and gradually learned the language. “We went to Mexico completely self supported, basically from the money from everything we sold. We figured we’d have enough for about three years but I guess we didn’t count on the poverty we’d see,” Conners stated. Where they worked, there was a lot of poverty. ‘It’s like putting drops in a bucket with no bottom’ Conners later wrote about their ministry to the poor in living in cardboard shanties.
They then moved back across the border in Harlingen , Texas where they could obtain more supplies for the needy and Conners could doctor people for money to continue their ministry. In 1998, Dr Kevin, his wife Terri and their children moved back to his home town of Stillwater to begin a new life in chiropractic practice. “We knew we were done (living in Mexico ) and it was as clear as day,” said Conners, “We knew we had accomplished exactly what God desired. What, exactly what He desired, we may never know in entirety, but He did answer my question, ‘why?’”
They now have five children, three married, one grandchild and another on the way. They take frequent short-term missionary trips bringing friends and patients on an “experience that may change your life”.
They welcome any help you may desire to give and promise that 100% of any financial contributions will go directly to feed or cloth the poor. Contact Dr. Conners directly with any of your needs at his Vadnais office at 651-739-1248 and ask about our ongoing missionary trips. They would love to have you join them on their next adventure. Request a DVD presentation of their last missionary trip for $5.00.
“Why does God call people to do seemingly crazy things?” asks Conners, “well, that answer may be different for everyone but His answer to me was very clear: ‘For three reasons,’ He said, ‘first to change you and your family. I love you so much that I’m willing to send you through all sorts of trials and tribulations to mold you and shape you more towards the image of My Son. Second, for those you’ll leave behind, those who see what you do and are moved, those you’ll tell your story to, and those who cannot ‘go’. Thirdly I’m sending you for those you will affect in Mexico , the poor who no one else will help.’ That answer seemed good enough for me so I guess I’d do it all again if He asks.”
Dr. Mallory Ranem:
Dr. Mallory Ranem joined the team at The Upper Room Wellness Center as a Doctor of Chiropractic in April of 2009. She worked at the clinic while attending Chiropractic College for two years prior to becoming a Chiropractor. She graduated from Northwestern Health and
Born in the Twin Cities, but growing up home schooled from a hobby farm in Wisconsin, to a Bible school in Monterrey Mexico, and then to Stillwater, Minnesota she has experiences that will stay with her for a lifetime and that have shaped her into who she is today.
Dr. Mallory has been married to her high school sweetheart since April 2008, and is excited to be expecting her first child in January 2010. She currently lives in Saint Paul, MN and enjoys gardening in her small vegetable garden, jogging, painting, and reading. She and her husband are passionate about the Lord and currently attend Bethlehem Baptist church in downtown Minneapolis. Since family has always been an important part of her life, working at the Upper Room Wellness Center with her father has been an amazing opportunity and an experience that she thoroughly enjoys.
With an ever-growing interest in women’s health, chiropractic neurology, and nutrition she loves to care for the patients at The Upper Room Wellness Center and continually learn new and exciting things in these fields.
