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ANDWICHED BETWEEN "RAZIL TO THE NORTH AND !RGENTINA TO THE SOUTH 5RUGUAY IS THE SECOND SMALLEST INDEPENDENT COUNTRY IN 3OUTH !MERICA LARGER ONLY THAN 3URINAME /F ITS POPULATION OF MORE THAN MILLION PEOPLE MILLION LIVE IN AND AROUND THE CAPITAL CITY OF -ONTEVIDEO .INETY PERCENT OF 5RUGUAY S POPULATION IS OF %UROPEAN DESCENT CHIEmY 3PANISH AND )TALIAN 3PANISH EXPLORER *UAN $¤AZ DE 3OL¤S WAS THE lRST %UROPEAN TO SET FOOT ON WHAT IS NOW 5RUGUAY IN ,ATER THAT SAME YEAR 3OL¤S AND HIS LANDING PARTY WERE KILLED BY THE INDIGENOUS #HARR¢AS .O SERIOUS ATTEMPT WAS MADE TO COLONIZE THE REGION UNTIL WHEN 3PANISH *ESUIT AND &RANCISCAN MISSIONARIES ESTABLISHED MISSIONS IN THE AREA &OR THE NEXT YEARS THE REGION WAS THE SUBJECT OF A SERIES OF DISPUTES BETWEEN 3PAIN AND 0ORTUGAL WITH THE RESULT lNALLY BEING RESOLVED IN FAVOR OF 3PAIN IN -ONTEVIDEO WAS FOUNDED BY THE 3PANISH AS A MILITARY STRONGHOLD IN THE EARLY EIGHTEENTH CENTURY 5RUGUAY S STRUGGLE FOR INDEPENDENCE BEGAN IN UNDER *OS£ 'ERVASIO !RTIGAS "UT IT WAS MORE YEARS BEFORE 5RUGUAYANS UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF *UAN !NTONIO
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,AVALLEJA LED AN I N S U R RE C T I O N THAT LIBERATED THE COUNTR Y AND DECLARED INDEPENDENCE ON !UGUST 5RUGUAY IS WIDELY CONSIDERED THE MOST SECULAR NATION IN 3OUTH !MERICA !LTHOUGH ALMOST HALF ITS POPULATION IDENTIlES ITSELF AS 2OMAN #ATHOLIC ALMOST ONE FOURTH DESCRIBES ITSELF AS hBELIEVING IN 'OD BUT WITHOUT RELIGION v !ND NEARLY ONE lFTH OF THE POPULATION IDENTIlES ITSELF AS ATHEIST OR AGNOSTIC 4HE MAJORITY OF 5RUGUAYANS DO NOT ACTIVELY PRACTICE RELIGION !DVENTISTS IN 5RUGUAY
!CCORDING TO SOME ACCOUNTS THE lRST 3EVENTH DAY !DVENTIST IN 5RUGUAY WAS -RS *UAN 2IVOIR WHO FOUR YEARS BEFORE IMMIGRATING TO THE COUNTRY IN HEARD %LLEN 7HITE PREACH IN 0IEDMONT )TALY )N THE lRST !DVENTIST COLPORTEURS ! " 3TAUFFER % 7 3NYDER AND # ! .OWLEN CAME TO -ONTEVIDEO BRIEmY BEFORE GOING ON TO "UENOS !IRES )N 3TAUFFER AND 3NYDER RETURNED WITH A YOUNG %NGLISHMAN NAMED
,IONEL "ROOKING 3TAUFFER BEGAN WORKING AMONG THE 'ERMAN SPEAKING POPULATION 3NYDER WITH %NGLISH SPEAKING IMMIGRANTS AND "ROOKING WITH &RENCH SPEAKING COLONISTS /NE OF THE lRST INDIVIDUALS IN 5RUGUAY TO RESPOND TO THE !DVENTIST MESSAGE WAS *OHN -C#ARTHY SUPERINTENDENT OF THE h3EAMEN S -ISSIONv IN -ONTEVIDEO /THER EARLY !DVENTIST MISSIONARIES TO THE AREA INCLUDED ,UCY 0OST *EAN 6UILLEUMIER AND & ( 7ESTPHAL )N THE 3OUTH !MERICAN -ISSION RECOMMENDED THAT 5RUGUAY BE ORGANIZED AS A MISSION !T THE TIME THE CHURCH IN 5RUGUAY HAD MEMBERS *OHN -C#ARTHY WAS APPOINTED SUPERINTENDENT OF THE NEW MISSION 4HE lRST !DVENTIST SCHOOL WAS ORGANIZED IN IN THE HOME OF *ULIO %RNST WITH /TTO (EYDEKER AS TEACHER 5RUGUAY !DVENTIST !CADEMY WAS FOUNDED IN )N TWO NURSES -EDA +ERR AND &RANCISCA "ROCKMAN CAME TO 5RUGUAY FROM THE 5NITED 3TATES 4HEY WERE JOINED BY TWO NURSES FROM !RGENTINA !RMANDO (AMMERLY AND HIS WIFE 4OGETHER THE FOUR WORKED TO BREAK DOWN PREJUDICE AMONG THE POPULATION BY PROVIDING MEDICAL SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY 4HE lRST !DVENTIST RADIO PROGRAMS WERE BROADCAST BY ! 2 3HERMAN IN 4ODAY ,A 6OZ DE LA %SPERANZA 5RUGUAY 6OICE OF (OPE 5RUGUAY IS BROADCAST FROM -ONTEVIDEO 4ODAY THE NEARLY !DVENTISTS IN 5RUGUAY WORSHIP IN CHURCHES AROUND THE COUNTRY 4O LEARN MORE ABOUT FRONTLINE MISSION WORK AROUND THE WORLD VISIT WWW !DVENTIST-ISSION ORG