January 1/26 Update

This update was sent to our email list on January 1, 2026.

Happy New Year, Everyone!

It is officially January 1, 2026. I can hardly believe I’m typing that. As we look at the calendar, we realized this morning that we are now just TWO MONTHS away from packing up our lives here in Virginia and heading to the Borderlands!

As I’ve been preparing to preach this coming Sunday at New Life Baptist Church in Ferrum, I’ve been dwelling on 1 Peter 2:9-10:

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not God's people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

The New Year always brings thoughts of "new beginnings," but as I’ve been studying this text, I’m reminded that the greatest new beginning any of us can ever experience is life in Christ. He took us from being at war with Him to being at peace; He took us from being dead in our sins to being alive in His Son. That is the "new beginning" we are taking to El Paso!

But it’s not just the first day of a new year, it’s also the first day of a new month, which means it’s time for our next update!

December, of course, means Christmas, but before we got into the Christmas spirit, we had our Spaghetti Dinner fundraiser on December 13th. I am thrilled to report that it was a HUGE success! Because of your generosity and a lot of hard work in the kitchen, we raised over $550 above and beyond the cost of the food. That money goes directly toward our moving and planting fund, and we are so grateful to everyone who came out, bought a ticket, or bid on a dessert!

The day after the spaghetti dinner, December 14th (Gaudete Sunday), I was asked to fill in for Pastor Kevin Howerton at Glade Hill Baptist because he was under the weather. I preached a message titled "Joy to the World" from Luke 2:8-20, focusing on how the Gospel of peace gives us a joy that the world can't touch. You can watch that sermon on my YouTube channel here:

The funny part? Because Pastor Kevin was out, he asked me to do the children’s sermon as well. I’ll be honest with you—talking to a group of kids made me more nervous than preaching the actual sermon did (haha)! But it was a blessing to spend that time talking to the little ones.

December was a month of "lasts" for us, which was definitely bittersweet. Not only was it our last Christmas in Virginia with our blood family, but Westlake Baptist has also been a home, a sanctuary, and our sending family. We wanted to make our last Christmas season here count, so we hit the ground running with outreach for the Christmas Eve service.

Nathaniel and I piled into the car and went door-to-door in the neighborhood to invite people, while Patricia and Heather headed up to the Kroger parking lot to talk to folks. It was a great time of sowing seeds in the community. The Candlelight service itself was as beautiful as ever. Pastor Justin did a fantastic job proclaiming the Gospel—reminding us all that we celebrate the Incarnation specifically because it made Easter possible. Without the Manger, there is no Empty Tomb!

We had a lot to celebrate in the Davis house this month. I just turned 36 on Christmas Day, and the very next day, my "oldest baby girl" celebrated her 17th birthday! We are so proud of the young woman she is.

I know many of you are asking about the "nitty-gritty" details of the move in March. I actually recorded and released a video today specifically covering our "Next Steps." You can get the full update on our timeline and logistics by watching the video below:

That being said, we are still looking to build additional partnerships with local church bodies, so if you know anyone who might be willing to talk to me about potentially partnering with us, please don’t hesitate to forward this email to them and put us in contact.

As we enter these final 60 days in Virginia, the "hustle" is real. If you haven't yet joined our support team, would you prayerfully consider a recurring gift of $20/month? It’s roughly the cost of one cup of coffee a week, but when multiplied, it’s what keeps us on the ground and the Gospel moving forward in the desert.

You can set up your tax-deductible giving through our secure portal by clicking the button below, or mail a check with "Church Planting" in the memo to:

Westlake Baptist Church 2075 Scruggs Rd Moneta, VA 24121

Thank you for loving us, praying for us, and sending us. We love you all!

Happy New Year!

Josh, Patricia, and the Davis Family