On Sabbath, February 5, the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Spain congratulated sister Séfora Boix Sangüesa, who turned 100 years old. “It is not always possible to count on someone reaching such an advanced age with the lucidity and dignity of Séfora,” admitted Maijo Roth, director of Children’s & Family Ministries in Spain.
Séfora Boix Sangüesa was born on February 5, 1922, in Jérica, Castellón de la plana. “How many anecdotes and life experiences she could pass on to us, if we had the chance to listen to her in person!” commented Roth. This is now possible thanks to a HopeMedia Spain programme, which you can see here below (please choose with English subtitles).
Some time ago, Séfora’s daughter, Rosa Blanca, wrote a section about Séfora in a book for mothers, written by Pastor Julian Rumayor. Here is an excerpt of that material:
"On Fridays, as soon as the sunset started, all activities ceased at home, and how I remember those evenings when we all, around the piano, sang hymn after hymn, with the whiff still of the special dessert for the Sabbath! How many rainy evenings we must have spent listening to… ‘children's friend’ stories!”
Séfora was one of the women who did not manage to get a formal education. The war was starting, and school was not an option. However, she managed to study on her own, so she did not need to go to school to continue learning. As her daughter recounted in the aforementioned book:
"She taught us French as well as English, drawing, handicrafts… She was like an encyclopedia. She preached to us with words and by example."
Séfora was a vegetarian all her life. Her mother was one of the first baptized members in Spain, and they fervently embraced the richness of the gospel, brought by missionaries. Her daughter recalls that she never saw her eat dinner in her life—only two meals a day and, of course, no snacking between meals.
For those of you who aspire to be 100 years old, these are secrets for a long and productive life.
“We need more grandfathers and grandmothers like you, Séfora,” said Roth. “You are an inspiration to all of us. Happy birthday, Séfora!”
