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In December 2020, Forward in Christ printed a story about brothers Luis “Lucho” and Camilo Herrera. After taking Bible information class at Divine Savior, Doral, Fla., Lucho was introduced to the Academia Cristo program, which provides gospel resources to Spanish speakers. Once he began working through the Academia Cristo Bible classes, Lucho was compelled by the Holy Spirit to share the gospel with his family members back in Colombia. He sent the Academia Cristo phone app to his brother Camilo—who initially resisted the gospel.
So where are Lucho and Camilo now?
Today, Lucho wears many hats. He owns his own business, is the IT manager for his wife’s business, and is now the president of Divine Savior. His newest hat is one he never expected to don at this point in his life: that of part-time called missionary with the WELS One Latin America team. Lucho is the liaison with WELS Multi-Language Productions, coordinating the production of gospel-centered materials and videos for the Academia Cristo ministry. With around two thousand students enrolled in the program and more than six hundred actively taking classes, Lucho’s role is critical.
One of Lucho’s favorite parts of his new call is being a teacher; he currently teaches two online classes per year. “We teach students who are looking for the truth,” says Lucho. His students come from all different faith backgrounds and connect via video from multiple Spanish-speaking countries throughout the world. They are thirsting for the gospel.
When he first received the call to become a missionary, Lucho thought, I’m not worthy of this. He’d dreamed of doing mission work—someday, perhaps in retirement. God had different plans. “Working with all the people connected with the ministry is a super blessing,” Lucho says. “Being part of the body of Christ in action is something amazing.”
Lucho’s brother, Camilo, wasn’t as quick to embrace Academia Cristo—or the messages it proclaimed—when Lucho shared the program with him years ago. In fact, Camilo admits he initially took his first Bible study class to challenge it. “But God challenged me instead,” he remembers. The class he took was on legalism, which opened his eyes to God’s free grace through Christ’s sacrifice. “This changed my life,” says Camilo. As the Holy Spirit worked in him, he continued to study and grow in faith and was compelled to start a home church.
Today, Camilo uses the restaurant he owns in Bogotá, Colombia, as a tool for sharing the gospel. Every Sunday morning, the tables don’t hold bread but Bible study materials about the Bread of Life. Community members come to learn about Jesus, enjoy fellowship, and even witness the miracle of Baptism. “We are open every Monday through Saturday, but Sunday is special for me. Because we don’t open the restaurant, as Sunday is only for God,” Camilo says. With already completing all of the Academia Cristo classes and planting a church, Camilo is now open to the next step: studying to become a pastor.
In addition to sharing the good news of Jesus in a broader sense, Lucho and Camilo continue to share Jesus with those they love the most—their mom, their three brothers, and their sister. Their family members vary in where they are in their faith, but the brothers never tire of proclaiming the gospel to them and praying for the Holy Spirit to do his work. “We don’t know the timing of God. We are just his instruments,” Lucho says. “But I will never stop trying. I want to see them in heaven.”
Learn more about Academia Cristo and the work of the One Latin America team at wels.net/latin-america.
Watch this video that tells more of Camilo’s story in Bogotá, Colombia.
Author: FIC
Volume: 110, Number 08
Issue: August 2023
