U Linn Myaing, Myanmar's ambassador to the United States, and Wunna Han, second secretary at Myanmar's embassy, paid an official visit to the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters March 30.
U Linn Myaing, Myanmar’s ambassador to the United States, and Wunna Han, second secretary at Myanmar’s embassy, paid an official visit to the Seventh-day Adventist Church world headquarters March 30. The ambassador, who has been in Washington, D.C., since June 2001, met with Pastor Jan Paulsen, Adventist world church president, Dr. John Graz, director of public affairs and religious liberty, and other church leaders, as well as officials of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, ADRA, which is active in Myanmar, a country formerly known as Burma.
Ambassador Myaing told a luncheon gathering, “We are impressed by the work of this organization.”
The church, with congregations in more than 200 countries, “is really scattered around the world,” Dr. Paulsen told the ambassador. “Our work is involved in a broad range of activities, [and] we want to bring with us a broad range of values that can help the countries we are working in.”
“Your country will find in the Seventh-day Adventist Church and in our services and ministries a very good partner,” he said.
The ambassador responded with appreciation for the remarks, and told the lunch group that the country, which had been closed to outside influence for nearly 30 years, is now opening and seeking to establish a representative democracy.
At the same time, Ambassador Myaing said that Myanmar is a country in need “of almost everything” in terms of development assistance. He said he was impressed with the kinds of projects undertaken by ADRA, including supplying kilns to those involved in producing handcrafts.
An estimated 24,000 Seventh-day Adventists worship in 189 congregations in Myanmar, where the church has worked since 1919.
