Pastor Maria Braga:

I am a student of God’s Word. Born in Madeira Island, Portugal, I am a born-again, Spirit-filled believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. My passions include studying and teaching God’s Word and spending time in His Presence. My life was forever changed in 1987 when I came to know Jesus as my Lord. I am married to Lino Braga, and we have served God’s people as Pastors for the past eleven years.  We, Shepherd Highland City Church, located in Fall River, Massachusetts, and our three adult children serve in ministry. I desire to lead as many people to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as possible.

For several years, I have had the great privilege of leading “She,” a women’s ministry. “She’s” objective is to create community and foster unity among women in the Body of Christ, building lasting faith and encouraging one another forward in Christ! This ministry has blessed so many women!

I enjoy studying, cooking, teaching, and serving God and people! I am a well-rounded woman of God whose life is steeped in faith and walked out with passion, integrity, dedication, and grace; these qualities are embodied in my daily walk. I desire to reach the orphan and the widow and tell anyone who will listen about Jesus!

Matthew Botelho:

Greetings everyone! My name is Matthew Botelho, and I live here in Southern Massachusetts. I have been the husband to a wonderful woman of God for the past 17 years and a father to two amazing and energetic boys. I met my wife while we worked together at a local animal shelter; I genuinely believe there are no coincidences in the Kingdom of God. God knew my help mate would be found in a place where our common passion would bring us together.

Now, our passion and hearts belong to the Lord and serving people.

What an incredible ten years we’ve had, serving God and allowing Him to shift us and move us on to greater things! Our family has been honored to serve at Highland City Church for the past year. My wife is a greeter in our Welcome Ministry, a position she fills gracefully. As for myself, I have been called to minister in our Prayer Ministry, a role that one should not take lightly. We are called to pray for one another and carry each other’s burdens. To be in one voice, Amen! (James 5:14-16, Galatians 6:2)

In my spare time, and please remember that I am a dad, so “spare time” is scarce, I spend that growing and going deeper in God’s Word. I also enjoy playing guitar to our Lord. But you can mostly find me with my family, enjoying every moment I have with them. May the Lord bless every one of you. Amen.

Pastor Samuel Cordeiro:

My name is Samuel Cordeiro; I was born and raised in Southeast Massachusetts by Portuguese immigrant parents. They received Jesus Christ into their hearts before I was born and raised my two brothers and me with Jesus as the center of our home, always directing us to biblical truths for answers. I started serving at our local church at an early age, knowing the Lord had called me to worship Him through music and, later, to teach His word.

I attended UMASS Dartmouth for my undergraduate degree, where I met my wife, Flavia. We served with the UMASS campus ministry Cru for several years. Missions, both local and abroad, are very dear to our hearts. Flavia and I are passionate about serving others and sharing the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ with our community. I have recently been ordained Associate Pastor of Highland City Church, where it has been my honor to teach God’s word, play the piano on the worship team, and mentor engaged couples.

Some of my favorite things to do are spending quality time with family, including my two young daughters, playing the piano, and traveling.

I pray the Lord uses me to bless your lives through these teachings.

Thank you, and may God bless you,

Pastor Sam

MaryEllen Montville, Ministry Overseer:

Greetings, friends

My name is MaryEllen Montville; I am the youngest of three children and reside in Southeastern Massachusetts. I attend Highland City Church, where I serve in the prayer ministry. I love God, my children, and my Church family. You’ll often find me studying God’s Word, writing, walking by the sea, or gardening. I am the proud mom of three unique and gifted adult children and one precious, precocious granddaughter.

After attending Zion Bible College, I was privileged to serve in several inner-city ministries. From street evangelism and a transitional home for women to a weekly feeding and outreach program designed to build relationships with the inner-city youth of Albany, New York. Then, on to advocacy work with Project Hope Recovery Center, serving Houston’s addicted. God then called me to Oahu, Hawaii.

While there, I was privileged to attend New Hope Oahu, where I served as a prison minister. In 2015, while in Hawaii, God called me to partner with Him in creating and overseeing Sonsofthesea. Being chosen by Him for this work has been and continues to be one of my life’s greatest joys and privileges.

I am single-minded in my purpose: pointing souls toward  Christ. After receiving Jesus as my Lord and Savior and having been blessed with three beautiful children, my great privilege has been being called by God to share His Word with “whomsoever will….”

I invite you to come follow me as I follow Jesus.

In His Adventure,

MaryEllen

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty”  Isaiah 6:5.

Adam Nichols:

My name is Adam, and I was born and raised in Southeastern Massachusetts. A portion of my young adult life was spent in the US Army, where I proudly served my country. At that time, I believed serving this country would always be the greatest honor of my life. As it was a great honor, I later learned that my life’s greatest and most rewarding privilege would be when I decided to serve our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I believed that once my time in the military was over, I would perhaps continue in a similar occupation, in law enforcement, but God had other plans. Instead, I followed in the footsteps of my father and his father before him and became a truck driver. As a truck driver, I’ve traveled mainly in the NE area. Sometimes, I would get to share the gospel and pray with someone. My experience in this field has been a true blessing.

I am a husband to the most amazing woman and father to two incredible sons. Following the Lord and serving him as a family in our local church is an absolute privilege and blessing. I pray that the words I share through the Lord’s inspiration will help you, the reader, to be encouraged, uplifted, and blessed. Remember that all honor, glory, and praise belong to Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords. Amen.

Kendra Santilli:

My name is Kendra, and I was born and raised in Southeastern Massachusetts. I was raised in a Christian home, which gave me the foundation to grow into a confident child of God. I have been a part of worship teams for many years. Recently, I have become the worship director at my local church and have the honor of leading worship regularly there. God called me into nursing when I was 19 and said I would be a missionary nurse. Although I am still discovering the depths of that calling, I have learned that the nursing profession is a mission field in itself. As a Christian, I can bring hope to any situation. Writing is a new adventure for me, and I pray that you will be blessed as I share what the Lord shows me.

Elda Othello Wrightington:

I love words. Words have the power to influence so many. No wonder words are the beginning of everything. God spoke, and it was so! I am excited to partner with Sonsofthesea.

My name is Elda Othello Wrightington. I was born in the Bahamas to parents of Haitian descent and raised in Miami, Florida, from age five into my mid-twenties. I have lived in New England for almost nine years and been married for four years. I can honestly say I am still not used to this cold weather!

My life’s motto comes from Paul’s teaching in 1 Corinthians 9:22: “I became all things to all people so that I may win some.” My way of interacting with everyone I meet has always been to meet people where they are, love them, and be willing to walk alongside them to help them grow. I get to practice this every day in my mission field of mental health. I am a licensed mental health counselor working with youth who have experienced significant trauma.

With over ten years of experience, I count every day as an opportunity to listen, inspire, encourage, provide support, and, of course, psychoeducation on how to work through life’s challenges and stressors. And every so often, I get to share words of faith with the many I serve. I attend Highland City Church, serving as an Elder and prayer leader. I hope the words I write will inspire, encourage and transform the many readers of Sonsofthesea.