Descendent of Judson’s Burmese converts dies

JACKSONVILLE (FBW)-U. Aung-Din, a third generation descendent of converts of pioneer missionary Adoniram Judson, died Feb. 17 in Jacksonville. He was 90.

A native of Burma, Aung-Din was a graduate of the University of Rangoon, and received masters and doctorate degrees from Oxford University, England. He served 25 years with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. During his tenure with the U.N., he and his family lived in Italy, Thailand, India, Nepal and the West Indies.

At his retirement in 1976, Aung-Din and his wife, Margaret, moved to Cape Coral. They were charter members of Grace Baptist Church where he served as Sunday School teacher and elder. He participated in writing the church constitution and by-laws and led the congregation to adopt Adoniram Judson’s Second London Confession of Faith of 1689. During his retirement, Aung-Din earned a masters degree in biblical counseling from Gulf Coast Bible College in Fort Myers. The couple moved to Jacksonville in 1998, and were members of Deermeadows Baptist Church at the time of their deaths. Aung-Din was pre-deceased by his wife of 55 years in 2001. He is survived by his five children, Ngwe, Ronald, Jennifer, Kenneth and Debbie, and seven grandchildren.

Adoniram Judson and his wife Ann Hasseltine Judson, who introduced Aung-Din’s grandparents to Christ, were the first Baptist international missionaries from the United States. Adoniram Judson served in Burma 1813-1845, but saw few converts in years of difficult mission service. Many years later, U. Aung-Din attended Ann Haseltine Elementary School and Adoniram High School in Ragoon.

"The Christian life is not about seeing results now, but God promises rewards for faithfulness,” said Ronald Aung-Din, a neurologist in Sarasota and son of U. Aung-Din. Ronald Aung-Din told Florida Baptist Witness one of his father’s goals was to see all of his grandchildren become Christians. All but the very youngest, at six, are believers, making the fifth generation of Christians from the Judson’s witness.