Our Story
A family called to reach the next generation for Christ.
Our burden
Why we do this
Mario has had the desire to work with young people since he was a teenager. He asked the Lord why he had this burden, and finally the Lord showed him. One night, as he was praying over his sleeping daughter, he realized — the teens he is working with today will be the adults his little girl will look up to when she's a teen.
This generation needs the Lord; that is no secret. Our desire is to reach this generation for Christ and give them a place where they can “Be still…” (Psalm 46:10) and hear God. Camp is a place where God saves and calls young people.
Together, Mario and Emily have a burden to begin this camp to reach teens for the cause of Christ and to give ministry workers a sanctuary to get away from the world and reconnect with the Lord. We will consider ourselves blessed if we can see happen in the lives of others what God has done in our own.
Mario Chadinha Jr.
I was born and raised in New Bedford, MA. When I was 12 years old, we moved to Auburn Hills, MI when my dad became the pastor of Highland Hills Baptist Church in Highland, MI. Although I grew up in a pastor's home and was saved at an early age, I rebelled against the Lord and had no desire to serve Him.
October 5th, 2005, I finally gave my life to the Lord, and He used the camp ministry to bring me back to Him. I worked at Camp Victory for 9 summers. It was there that I was called to preach (2009), called to be a camp director (2010), met my wife (2013), and was finally shown it was time to pursue my calling (2021).
After high school, I attended Grace Baptist College in Gaylord, MI for one year, then Mid-State Baptist College for 5 years, where I received my ordination and accepted the assistant pastor position at my father's church. God later led my wife and me to Silvery Lane Baptist Church under Pastor Chris Staub, where we faithfully served until pursuing our new ministry, Camp Promised Land.
Emily Chadinha
I was born and raised in Canton, OH. My mom and dad were very faithful in the church — choir, Sunday school teachers, and my dad was a trustee. Because of their faithfulness, I grew up attending all the services, as well as vacation Bible school, camps, and teen activities. I fell in love with church when I was just a child and was saved at a young age, sitting on the bench seat of our old Buick Park Avenue.
On November 11th, 2009, during our annual missions conference, I was called to be a “preacher's wife.” I didn't fully understand what that meant at the time, but rather than leaving my decision on the altar, I tucked that little yellow paper away in my 4x6 Bible. It is a piece of paper I hold dear to my heart.
It was the summer of 2013, when I was 18 years old, that I met my future husband at Camp Victory in Somerset, KY. After Mario and I married on September 4, 2015, I served alongside him in the youth group and church for 8 years before pursuing our new camp ministry.
Evelyn Chadinha
Evelyn is the best part of Promised Land Ministry. She has an outgoing, kind, and energetic personality. She LOVES meeting new people and doesn't know a stranger.
Evelyn accepted the Lord as her Savior in the summer of 2022 during her daddy's junior church lesson, and she was baptized in March 2023 at our home church, Silvery Lane Baptist Church.
Walk with us
Learn how the Promised Land Experience can come to your church.