Pastor Sean- Missionary to Ama people of Papua New Guinea

[Richard Myers]

We have created this topic to allow Pastor Sean to share information as he labors in Papua New Guinea. Here is some information as he begins this transition between Pastor in the Michigan Conference to Pastor to the Ama people in Papau New Guinea.

Sean Brizendine grew up in Modesto, California, in a Christian home with a praying, godly mother who led him to Christ at the age of five. She taught him about the biblical Sabbath and to look forward to the soon coming of Jesus, which led to his baptism in a river at the age of 10. Though his father died when Sean was 12, and his mother died when he was 15, it was while attending Pacific Union College that an email came to him about finding the top 20 reasons to be a student missionary. After learning more, Sean joined the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 2007 at the age of 20. Later that year, he experienced God’s call on his life to be a pastor, serving on various mission trips and gaining ministry experience through canvassing and, in the following years, non-profit ministry work.

It was around 2008 that Sean first sensed God putting Papua New Guinea on his heart, though he did not know if or when he would serve there. In 2015, he began serving as a pastor in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and was ordained to the gospel ministry in 2020. Having gladly served for over eight years, Sean has seen fruit from lives transformed by the gospel.

Already familiar with the work of Adventist Frontier Missions, Sean expressed more interest in AFM at the 2023 Michigan Conference Camp Meeting. After reading an email sent to him by Kyle Tumberg on August 24, 2023, Sean experienced a deep sense of conviction regarding the needs of the unreached and applied with AFM to become a missionary. On December 19, 2023, Sean was elated when AFM invited him to accept the call to minister to the animistic Ama people of Papua New Guinea. He sees this as God’s clear leading and looks forward to how God will open the way for each step in the journey to reach the unreached. Sean seeks to help hasten Christ’s return through prayer, giving, his personal effort and influence, and the joy of composing and singing songs to glorify God as he prepares to minister to the Ama people.


You can read Pastor Sean's posts in the Desire of Ages Forum where he posts daily.  here   Papua New Guinea will be blessed to have him as a missionary leading its people to Christ and His truth.  Let us support our dear brother as he makes this wonderful change in his ministry.   https://afmonline.org/missionaries/detail/9493
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[Pastor Sean Brizendine]

Praise God for the opportunity to launch into the mission field in Papau New Guinea where the need of the Ama tribe to understand the everlasting gospel in the light of the loveliness of Jesus is so great. I am thanking the Lord for His preparation in leading me to where He has called, and trusting His provision at each step! At present, I am still a full-time pastor in Michigan in the Upper Peninsula, prayerfully seeking God's will regarding the transition timing. Adventist Frontier Missions has its next training for career missionaries from September 2 to November 23, 2024. Lord willing, I will be able to launch to Papua New Guinea after that. However, the goals for partnership need to be at a certain place by July 22 for me to be able to attend the next Adventist Frontier Mission (AFM) training.

So far, the launching goal of $42,984 for me to go to the tribe has been 100% reached (that is covered by one-time gifts)! There are also partners who have committed to an ongoing gift (some annually, some quarterly, some monthly, and even some weekly) to go towards the ongoing monthly goal to support the mission for me to go and labor there. That total monthly goal is $7777 per month, and that is currently at 47% of the target, as of March 26, 2024, when I was given that update from AFM!  In a nutshell, if two partners gave $1000/month, if three partners gave $500/month, if five partners gave $250/month, if 10 partners gave $100/month, if 14 partners gave $75/month, and if 20 partners gave $50/month, then the entire monthly support would be fully reached! For example, a $3000/annual gift would be $250/month in ongoing support; a $50/month gift could be given every three months as $150, but it would still be helping the same as if it came every month. Some donors have chosen different amounts (such as $200/month), and that would basically mean they are helping with covering two of the "$100/month" goals! May you prayerfully give as the Holy Spirit leads! One-time gifts are still appreciated, too, as they will still go to this mission! If the monthly support is within $1500/month of the total target by July 22, then I can be in AFM training this year! I am praying for that if it is God's will! He is so faithful! God is providing and leading! Each person or family that partners is not just a donor or prayer warrior--you are a partner in helping reach the unreached! We get to do this together to the glory of God!

As the Holy Spirit moves upon your heart to pray, give, or go to help reach the unreached, as there are still another 7300 estimated unreached people groups, so the Lord is in the process of raising up and sending forth MANY more missionaries! May we carry the beautiful present truth God has entrusted to us to the ends of the earth, knowing that the gospel cannot fail, for Christ cannot fail. Looking to Him continually, we can go from strength to strength by His grace, abiding in the divine nature!