Nic and Rachael are the founders and directors of Shores of Grace Ministries based in Recife, Brazil. They have lived in Brazil since 2010. Three of their four children, Forrest, Leila, and Cássia, live with them in Brazil, while their oldest son Christian lives with his wife, Gabby, in Minnesota. Christian and Gabby are expecting their first child in September of 2023 and have plans to move to Brazil in 2025 to serve in Shores of Grace. In addition to their leadership of Shores of Grace, Nic and Rachael are musicians and have released 12 worship albums in both English in Portuguese. Nic has a Bachelor’s in Theology and Biblical Studies from Regent University and a Master’s in Theology from United Theological Seminary. He has authored one book titled “Between the Flowers and the Broken.”
The focus of Shores of Grace is the prevention of abuse, abandonment, and prostitution, as well as the rescue, restoration, and redemption of individuals and families who have been affected by such horrors. Today, Shores of Grace’s headquarters is based in Recife, Brazil, while the ministry also has a church plant in Fortaleza, Brazil, and a missions base in Philadelphia, which is led by Nic’s brother Luke, and his wife Alisan.
In Recife, Shores of Grace currently has approximately 70 full-time missionaries and 50 salaried local Brazilian staff who serve through ten different ministry branches of Shores. Vila Betania is a home for girls ages 0-17 and boys ages 0-2. With the help of their amazing staff, Nic and Rachael have celebrated dozens of adoptions and family reintegrations through Vila Betania.
Shores of Grace also works with women and men caught in prostitution and trafficking and with children and families living in high situations of risk. This work is done through various ministries on the streets and in three poor communities in our region. Shores of Grace also has a social coffee shop called Shores Cafe, which provides jobs for people who have come out of prostitution, addiction, and abject poverty. CICAF is Shores of Grace’s integrated center for children, teenagers, and their families. CICAF presently provides legal representation, counseling, and support for victims of sexual abuse and their families. CICAF also provides legal support and counseling for families interested in adoption. Finally, Shores of Grace hosts missions schools, training, and events to serve the church by equipping people to reach the lost and the broken through evangelism and discipleship. To find out more about their ministry, visit www.shoresofgrace.com or www.facebook.com/shoresofgraceEN, or @shoresofgrace.
“Our daily prayer has been ‘Lord, teach us to love like you love, to see like you see, and to serve as you would serve. Let us be a song in your heart, sing us however and whenever you desire.'”
-Nic Billman