Our Burden

Mario has had the desire to work with young people since he was a teenager. He asked the Lord why he has this burden and finally the Lord showed him. One night as he was praying over his sleeping daughter, he realized. The teens that he is working with today will be the adults his little girl would have to 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 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 I 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 the Lord 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), He called me to be a camp director (2010), I met my wife (2013), and then He finally showed me it was time to pursue my calling (2021). After high school, I attended Grace Baptist College in Gaylord, MI for one year until my father opened an academy at his church, Mid-State Baptist College. I attended Mid-State for 5 years, received my ordination and accepted the assistant pastor position at my father’s church.

    God later led me and my wife 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, my dad was a trustee). Because of their faithfulness, I grew up attending all the services, as well as special meetings: vacation bible school, camps, teen activities, etc. I fell in love with church when I was just a child. I was saved at a young age, sitting on the bench seat of our old Buick Park Avenue. Several years later, I was called to be a “preacher's wife” during our annual mission's conference on the night of November 11th, 2009. I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time but rather than leaving my yellow paper on the altar with the decision I made, I tucked it away in my little 4x6 bible. It is a piece of paper I hold dear to my heart, God called Me to be a “preacher’s wife”. What an amazing calling that is.

    In 2010, we followed my father’s leading to Open Door Baptist Church in North Canton, OH. I was a teenager at the time, and it was very difficult to leave my former church. I reluctantly attended the teen activities at my new church. 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 of him in the youth group and in the 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. She was baptized March 2023 at our home church, Silvery Lane Baptist Church.