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In 2005 I was privileged to be part of a short term missions team from New Zealand which visited Panama. It was lead by Pastor Luis Cabral. We had very little idea of the tremendous impact Beryl had had on the formation of the Pentecostal Church in that nation. We were stunned to discover an extensive network of some 800 churches and 1300 pastors under the banner she had been waving. They were highly organised, with very good theological training in place, the national workers were mobilised for the mission field and the fire of the Holy Ghost burning brightly. However, elementary things like buildings, even simple ones, were few and far between. We visited one site in a place called Meteti, where at the local bible school, the pastor and his family were living in half of one of the classrooms – simply because of limited resources! One of the first things we did upon returning to New Zealand, was raise some money for more buildings, which were desperately needed. Below are some photos of newly constructed classrooms, for a total cost of just USD12,000.

Something I think Beryl’s life demonstrated is that hard work, diligence and faithfulness goes a long way in the Kingdom of God. The extent and excellence of training the pastors received was really quite remarkable, considering the environment and difficulties they faced. The fruit that they are bearing is tremendous – committed bodies of people going hard after the Kingdom. When we were ministering to the people there, it was evident that Beryl had laid a foundation which included the supernatural. Healing and deliverance was not an unusual thing to them, and they readily engaged in the Kingdom message we brought.

Sister Cristina laid down her life for the nation of Panamá, and God used her mightily for the extension of His Kingdom. It was her life. I think we can really learn from this, being laid-down lovers like Heidi Baker so often speaks about. She really gave her life to that nation. Below is a photo of Sister Cristina ministering in a village in the Darién Province:

Seen here in this photo wearing the traditional garb of the Ngobe Buglé tribe, Beryl became like one of the natives, traveling the mountains on horseback and traversing the rivers in dugouts. She was one tough mama!

Below is a photo of Cristina working as the principal of the bible college she founded in David, Chiriqui Province. Altogether, she founded eleven bible colleges throughout Panamá. Her spiritual son, Julio, has gone on to establish a further ten bible colleges.

Beryl’s life has been quite influential in me personally. It was after seeing and experiencing the legacy she left behind, that I began to feel God tugging at the strings of my heart, and calling me to Latin America. Particularly the aspect of longevity she displayed in her life. She went long, and was a builder. The evidence of this is clearly seen in her spiritual children, and those who have built on the foundation that she laid. Upon reflecting, the importance of strong healthy relationships has also been very prominent. It has strengthened my resolve to establish and develop covenant relationship in my life. The direction my life seems to be taking now, following on from my experiencing Panamá, is being deeply involved in a relational network of revivalists throughout Latin America. I will be deploying to Latin America, most likely Panamá, at some stage in the near future. I can’t even begin to imagine what it must have been like to have been Beryl, and face the difficulties she faced. I am living in a different age to some extent, and probably won’t have to. I guess in looking at it like that, I receive an inheritance from her, in that she paid a price so that I don’t have to.