What do jumping out of airplanes and preaching God’s Word have in common? For Juan José Olvera, a lot. “I love strong emotions,” he says.

After serving in the Mexican military for nine years, he now spends his time sharing the gospel with others as a pastor in the Mexican Lutheran Church, a sister synod to WELS. “Evangelism is my new passion,” he explains. “It’s what gets me fired up.”

Back to kindergarten

The gospel was not always front and center in Juan José’s life. “For a long time, I didn’t want to have anything to do with Christian churches,” he says. “I believed in Jesus, but I had no desire to belong to a congregation. They all seemed so rigid.” 

Growing up, Juan José and his family did not regularly attend church. “My mom and her family are Catholic, but only in the traditional sense,” he explains. “On my dad’s side, all of my uncles are either Catholic priests or in the military.”

Juan José’s dad was in the military, and the family moved around for a number of years before settling in Juárez, a northern city that borders Texas. Juan José went to grade school and middle school there and took martial arts classes during his free time.

When he was 13 years old, Juan José found a Baptist church and started going to events there on his own. “I stayed in the Baptist church for about 10 years,” he says. “But I had problems with its legalistic structure and eventually left.”

Following in his dad’s steps, Juan José joined the military and became part of a Special Forces unit. After nine years of service, however, he decided to switch careers. Combining his training from the military with his martial arts background, he started teaching kickboxing classes. He also worked as a professional wrestler.

During this time, Juan José became a family man. He married his girlfriend Claudia, and they had a baby girl named Johana. The three of them lived in Juárez.

After awhile, his wife became homesick. “Claudia is from Torreón, and she wanted to be closer to her parents,” he explains. “We moved there, and I rented a small place for my business.”

Juan José didn’t know it at the time, but he set up shop on the same block as the Lutheran church El Redentor (Redeemer). One day he and his family walked past the church. A few members came out and greeted them. “They recognized Claudia because she had gone to kindergarten there,” Juan José recalls.