“Captain in the Army of God”

Luis A. Ramírez was serving as a young major in the Paraguayan Army in 1963 when he felt the need to come closer to God. He began attending his church every Sunday in hopes of finding answers but wasn’t satisfied with his own religion. One day, he came home to find a copy of the Book of Mormon on the table. He began flipping through the pages and read the phrase “the word of God.” He said, “That phrase—‘the word of God’—penetrated my mind profoundly. So I began to read. And a great interest was awakened within me.”

He asked his family where the book came from, and a 15-year-old relative said that two missionaries had given it to him at a friend’s house. Luis said, “When you see the missionaries again, invite them to come here.”

Luis continued to study the Book of Mormon and was nearly finished when the missionaries came a few days later. The missionaries taught Luis and his wife, Hortensia, for three weeks before they were baptized. Soon he was called as president of the Moroni Branch in Asunción, and Hortensia served as president of the Relief Society.

Six years after his baptism, Luis advanced to the rank of colonel and began teaching at the military college. He was always willing to speak about his faith with others. Many of his students became interested in the Church and were baptized. On one occasion, a fellow officer asked him why he would “join a foreign ‘gringo’ church.” He responded by saying, “Because God started his true Church in North America.” His friend asked why God could not have organized his Church in Paraguay.

“God is not stupid!” Luis replied. In the United States, he said, “they have guaranteed freedom of religion,” and “America is a richer country, where they would have the money to fund spreading the gospel around the world. Where would the poor people down here get the money for that?”

Later, Luis was offered an advancement to general in the army on the condition that he renounce the Church and rejoin the Catholic Church. By refusing, he risked losing his military career. A fellow officer asked him, “Why don’t you accept the offer to be the general of the whole army?” Luis responded, “Why would I want to be the general of the army of Paraguay, when I can be a captain in the army of God?”

After retiring from the military in 1975, Luis and Hortensia moved with their teenage children to Provo, Utah, so that Luis could pursue a college degree. After returning to Paraguay, they were called to preside over the Paraguay Mission in July 1981.

Luis continued to be a liaison between the Church and the Paraguayan government, opening many doors that no one else could have because he was so respected by the country’s leading officials.