Long-lived woman in Uruguay testifies to her faith

S ara Mendaro Guichón de Valenzuela, 109, was born in the city of Durazno, in Uruguay. She is considered one of the oldest women in the entire territory of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, where there are perhaps 500 centenarians according to government estimates, as well as within the Seventh-day Adventist Church. A leader par excellence, Sara was baptized at the age of 45 on December 23, 1955, by Pastor Samuel Weber in Durazno.

The mother of 6 children, Sara has survived many world events, such as the First and Second World War, the 1918 Flu Pandemic, and now Covid-19 in 2020. She got to know the Church through a literature evangelist named Fontoura, who visited her home 78 years ago. It was at this time that she made the decision to join the Adventist family.

Since joining the Adventist Church, Sara has always been an active leader for the gospel, and participated in multiple ecclesiastical activities in the town of Durazno and Artigas; places where there was no Adventist presence. One of the first evangelistic campaigns where Sara participated was in the Artigas cinema with Pastor Elvio Pereira, and the first church in that city was formed. In 1982 in the city of Durazno, Sara actively accompanied the evangelistic campaign carried out by Pastor Rubén Arn.

Sara carried out many projects, including support for evangelism campaigns and missionary tasks among those in the Durazno prison.

Her daughter Ruth tells us that today, with the care required by the 2020 pandemic, she will surely receive visits from her acquaintances and neighbors, and this will be one more reason for Sara to testify of her great love for Christ. Each visitor will receive a gift from her, the book La Mayor Esperanza (The Great Hope).