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There's something I need to confess. I hate cold weather. After 25 years of living in Northeast Ohio and dealing with lake effect snow from Lake Erie, I am really ready to move to a warmer climate. At least that's what I thought. God had other plans. He has a great sense of humor. This story began in August of 2011, when I learned about an area in Western North Dakota that is experiencing a great boom in the economy as a result of a huge amount of oil drilling. Jobs are plentiful, and wages are excellent. On the downside, the cost of living is very high, and housing is almost nonexistent. I found that very interesting, but what really interested me was the issues that come with a huge influx in population - problems like increased substance abuse, increased crime, and multiple other issues. These are the issues that grab my heart, not only because I have worked with people who struggle with addictions, but due to my own ongoing recovery and involvement in Celebrate Recovery, a Christian recovery program which focuses on God’s healing power in our lives through eight recovery principles (based on the Beatitudes) and the Christ-centered 12 Steps. Through CR, I have seen people freed from addictive, compulsive and dysfunctional behaviors. And these behaviors aren't just the "normal" addictions that lead people to recovery programs, but a variety of hurts, habits and hang-ups which enslave people. And I know from my own experience that the only higher power strong enough to overcome these behaviors is Jesus Christ. It occurred to me that people in Western North Dakota needed to meet Jesus. And I prayed that God would send other people there to accomplish that purpose - people who like cold climates! Did I mention that I am not one of those people? A few days later I asked my husband, Ken, to watch the program I had recorded. He watched it, and his response was much the same as mine, only geared more to his passions, which are different than mine. Both of us knew, though, that people who love God need to go to North Dakota and share His love with the people there who are struggling. Only not us. People who like cold climates. Because if there is anyone who hates cold weather more than me, it is Ken. We began to pray for the people in this area, and the churches, because we knew there were churches there. We both woke up at all hours thinking about it. We didn't talk about it much, but when we did, the discussions always ended with reminders to one another that we are NOT missionaries. In late October I shared all this with one of our pastors, and asked him if our denomination was doing anything in that area. He didn't know, but suggested that I call the District Superintendent for that area. I said I would. I didn't. Pastor Jeff called me every few weeks over the next 2 months to tell me he was praying for us and about North Dakota, and to ask me if I had made that call. I always had an excuse why I hadn't, but assured him I would make that call. I woke up one day in January knowing I would call that day. And when I did, I was able to speak to the person who was researching the possibility of a church plant in Williston, of all places. Imagine that. Only 2 days prior, he was in Williston and held a meeting to determine if there was enough interest to support the idea of a church plant. By this time, we knew God wanted us to go. He made it clear to us that we were to go whether or not there was a church plant, and He would meet us there. I tried to remind him that we hate cold climates, but He changed our hearts. We knew that if God had work for us there, we didn't want to be anywhere else. And now, unbelievably, we are excited to be moving to North Dakota this summer. We have every reason to believe we will be helping with a Christian & Missionary Alliance church plant, but whether that happens or not, we are going. Our daughter Amber will be graduating from college on May 12th, and she has chosen to join us. Our son Kenny will graduate from high school on June 1st, and he has chosen to join us. We have no idea if we will have housing, and many things are uncertain. But our God is going to meet us there. And that's enough. I should also probably mention that I've started to pray for global warming.