About the same time that Charles Taze Russell and his little group of Bible students began their study classes in Allegheny, Pennsylvania, U.S.A., Heliodoro Hernández was born in the hill country, some 200 miles [300 km] north of Bogotá. That was in 1871. Fifty-one years later, he was to become Colombia’s first active Witness.

In his youth Heliodoro was an avid reader who had a consuming desire to possess a Bible. But Bibles were scarce in those days. Finally, at age 25, he acquired one all his own, and for the next quarter of a century, he read it with great fondness.

In 1922 he borrowed from an acquaintance several copies of the Watch Tower magazine as well as the booklet Millions Now Living Will Never Die. Overjoyed with what he read in these publications, Heliodoro began sharing this good news with everyone he met. Two years later, Heliodoro found a hearing ear in young Juan Bautista Estupiñán, just back from military service in Bogotá. Heliodoro was then 53 and Juan, 25. Juan later married Heliodoro’s niece. These two Christian men sowed seeds of Kingdom truth throughout villages and towns of northwestern Colombia.

Out of the Reach of Flying Stones

In the 1930’s the Society sent Heliodoro and Juan a battery-powered transcription machine to help them spread the good news more effectively. They walked to neighboring towns lugging that heavy machine as well as their literature supplies. Imagine the effect of playing subjects such as “Trinity Unveiled” and “End of the World” in the main squares of those Catholic towns. Is it any wonder that upon entering each town, they would search for an indoor spot to plant their machine before operating it? In this way the amplifier would not only be out of sight but also out of the reach of flying stones hurled by opposers.

Heliodoro died in 1962 at 91 years of age.

[Pictures on page 73]

Heliodoro Hernández and Juan Bautista Estupiñán from the mid-1920’s sowed seeds of Kingdom truth