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Having been reared in Christian homes, Josh and Katie both accepted Christ as Savior at a young age. After surrendering their lives to the Lord for use in His service, He began to confirm His call on their lives for missions. While at during high school, God confirmed the direction of missions for Josh using II Corinthians 4:5-7. God worked in Katie's heart regarding foreign missions while listening to a missionary preach in her home church. God directed both Josh and Katie to attend Ambassador Baptist College where Josh graduated with a degree in Missions and Katie with a degree in Elementary Education. They met while at Ambassador and were married in May, 2018. God blessed them with their first daughter, Allison, in September, 2019, their second daughter, Madelyn, in May 2021, and their third daughter, Bethanie, in December, 2023.

Josh completed a two-month internship in the Ivory Coast with Missionary Bob Mach in the summer of 2017. After their marriage, Josh and Katie took a survey trip together to this area in March, 2019 where God indicated to them that they should serve as missionaries in the Ivory Coast. Upon completion of Bible college, Josh served on staff at their sending church, Crossroads Baptist Church in Columbus, NC, from May, 2019 through August, 2020. During this 16-month period, Josh and Katie both had the opportunity to learn practical local-church ministry and gain valuable experience from their sending church.

The Pates traveled in full-time deputation from September, 2020 through February, 2022 and, subsequently, enrolled in French language school in Québec, Canada. After completing language school, the Pates arrived in the Ivory Coast on August 2, 2023. During their ministry in the Ivory Coast, the Pate family gained experience from veteran missionaries in the town of Bingerville while simultaneously working in the ministries of several nearby villages. They worked specifically towards the establishment of the first Gospel-preaching church in the village of Anan and rejoiced to see the first church service held for this church plant on June 12, 2024. The leadership of this church plant was transitioned to other missionaries in 2025 as the Lord directed the Pates to a new mission field.

Through much prayer, the Lord redirected the Pate's ministry to Montréal, Québec, Canada. On January 26, 2025, L'Église Baptiste Centrale de Laval (the Central Baptist Church of Laval) called Josh to be their next pastor. The Pates look forward to being used of the Lord to bring this church to complete autonomy, to carry out the Great Commission in French-speaking Québec, and to take mission trips to other French-speaking mission fields as He opens the door of opportunity.

There is much spiritual need and potential in the French-speaking world and the Pates look forward to being tools in the Lord's hands to watch Him d "exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"(Ephesians 3:20).

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Prayer Letters

Missionaries in Canada