Judy’s Story

It is a great honor to share a small part of the story of a sister in Christ whom I met in 2014. Judy Hernandez is a lady I respect and admire who has tremendously impacted my spiritual growth. Over the past five-plus decades, the Lord has worked in her life and ministry in powerful ways. As a result, thousands of people have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

Judy met her husband, German Ubico, in Washington, D.C. He was from Guatemala, and neither he nor Judy were believers in Jesus Christ when they first met. He attended IBM computer training, and Judy worked in a dental clinic. They were married in 1962 and moved to Guatemala City a few years later. They had three young girls, ages 6, 5, and 3, and Judy did not speak Spanish. However, the family moved close to American Christian missionaries Tim and Roberta Rovenstine through God's divine providence.

Tim and Roberta took them under their wings and invited them to a small prayer group at their home. Judy accepted the invitation because they were the only people she could communicate with in English. Little did Judy know that Roberta would lead her to Christ, and Tim and Roberta would become her lifelong friends.

Judy visited Roberta every afternoon and learned more about Jesus Christ. Over the next nine months, the Holy Spirit moved in Judy's heart. During that time, Judy lost a baby shortly after she was born, and Roberta was by her side every step of the way, supporting her and demonstrating the love of Christ.

During this time of soul searching, Judy heard the song "Amazing Grace." The words, "Amazing Grace, How Sweet the sound That saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. T'was blind, but now I see," filled her heart with joy and hope that have remained to this day.

At age 30, Judy accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior, and her life was immediately transformed. It was fitting that her dear friend Roberta was the one who led her in the prayer accepting Christ. She began praying earnestly that her husband, German, would accept Christ. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, her prayers and witness, and Tim’s friendship, German accepted Jesus shortly after she did.

Judy and German bought a farm in a very arid and hot part of Guatemala. They had no running water or electricity. God used their four years in the desert to prepare them to become full-time missionaries in Guatemala.

In 1973, German began attending Liberty Bible College in Pensacola, FL. During the three years German attended Liberty, Judy worked to support the family of seven. These were lean and challenging times for the family, but the Lord provided all they needed.

The family returned to Guatemala as missionaries with Globe Missionary International in 1976. They were sent to San Juan Ostuncalco by their sponsor church, El Calvario. German immediately started planting churches in the town and outlying villages. Judy fed village kids in her home and taught them Bible stories and what they needed to prepare them for first grade. They bought the property where the school now stands in 1977.

Sadly, a tragedy struck the family in May of 1982. While returning from a mission conference, German was in an auto accident and killed. At this point, Judy had a difficult decision to make. Did she accept the offer of Liberty church to help her move back to the U.S. and get resettled, or did she stay in Guatemala and continue to serve the Lord as a missionary with Global Missionary?

After much prayer, conversations with her children, and counsel from mature Christian friends, she decided to stay in Guatemala. The Holy Spirit spoke to her, assuring her not to be afraid because He would be with her every step. As always, He was faithful to that promise.

Staying in Guatemala took incredible courage and faith, considering over 200,000 Guatemalans were killed or forcibly disappeared in a civil war that raged from 1960-1996. March 1982 to August 1983 was the bloodiest period in Guatemala’s history. During that time, the Guatemalan government led a campaign to wipe out large portions of the country’s indigenous populations: an estimated 70,000 Mayas were killed or disappeared. The army and its paramilitary systematically attacked over 600 villages. The inhabitants were raped, tortured, and murdered. Over 300 villages were completely razed. Judy observed many firefights from her house, and on one occasion, the army broke into her house and accused her of being a rebel sympathizer. Thankfully, she convinced them she was not and was released.

In 1982, Judy applied to the Ministry of Education to open the first private Christian school in San Juan Ostuncalco. Her request was approved, and she opened Alpha & Omega Christian school the following year with six classrooms and 65 students.

Over the next 40 years, the Lord provided the funds to add classrooms, a bigger kitchen, and more bathrooms. The school now has 25 classrooms and enrolls over 1200 students, making it the largest school in San Juan Ostuncalco. Alpha and Omega turned away over 200 students for enrollment in the 2024 school year because they did not have enough classrooms to accommodate them.

The school teaches students from pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and provides training to prepare them for further study in computers, dental care, medical care, graphic design, and music. Some students travel by bus from villages several hours away to attend school.

At lunch one day in 2017, I told Judy that our ministry shared the gospel through portable dental clinics in the mountain villages in southwestern Guatemala. I told her I would like a permanent location with state-of-the-art dental equipment. Judy was immediately excited about sharing the gospel through a dental clinic. She said there was a possibility she could remodel a section of the school to house the dental clinic.

Over the next year, God provided the resources we needed to remodel a school section to house the dental clinic and equip it with state-of-the-art dental equipment. The clinic prepares students for dental assistant training, provides dental treatment for the students, and shares the Gospel through dental outreach events.

I have learned many things from my friend Judy: how to sacrifice personal comfort and material things to serve the Lord, how to persevere in the face of adversity, how to ask God for big things, how to step out in faith, and how to wait on the Lord.

So, thank you, Judy, for your service to the Lord in Guatemala. The impact of your decades of commitment reaches far beyond San Juan Ostuncalco and the surrounding areas and will affect lives for generations to come!

In Christ’s Service,
Larry C