Ina Cristina Carbajal, Spanish Translator for the Travelers, January 27, 1947 – February 21, 2026.

Our beloved Ina Cristina made her sacred journey home to the heart of God on February 21, 2026 at the age of 79 in Vancouver, Canada. Ina will be forever in the hearts of her husband Peter Kiernan, her 3 children, Leonor, Ivan and Eleane, and 4 grandchildren.

For over 35 years, Ina’s beloved voice touched the heart and soul of our Spanish MSIA Community worldwide by providing translation for seminars, Q & A’s, fundraisers, sharings at classes, workshops, PATs and Living in Grace, and on many of the Traveler tours.

What follows is a tribute to Ina, to honor her devotion and selfless service through an interwoven tapestry of heartfelt memories and tributes by friends and colleagues. These memories have been captured through a series of interviews that reflect the profound impact Ina had on anyone that knew her.

Ina Cristina Carbajal translates for John-Roger.

The Early Days

As Lucia Parga-Navarro, fellow translator and a close friend shares:

“Ina grew up in Fabens, near El Paso, Texas with her Spanish speaking parents and two sisters. Ina was best friends with my older sister and our families knew each other well. She was super smart and had the best education and a love for languages. I met her at an Insight Seminar in El Paso about 40 years ago when she was translating for John-Roger. She was awesome at translating, but at the same time, she was very ordinary in her way of being. She knew how to reach people by simply being herself. She had the gift of relating to anybody, no matter from what environment, what situation, she knew how to get along with everyone. She had this personality that was authentic because she was herself with everyone. She was very dedicated and devoted to her work. And I’m not talking about just a couple of hours a day. The moment she got up ’till nighttime, she was always doing something for MSIA.”

When did Ina become became a Spanish Interpreter for J-R?

Richard Powell, longtime MSIA Minister, friend and “brother” to Ina remembers:

“I met Ina in 1984 at an Insight Seminar in El Paso and we became close friends. I was the Insight representative and in April 1989, J-R was coming to El Paso. He reached out and mentioned, “There are people coming up from Chihuahua, Mexico so we need a translator.” I knew that Ina was a professional Spanish translator for companies and was teaching English to Spanish speaking employees over in Juarez, Mexico. I asked her if she would be willing to translate for J-R when he came into town and she said, ‘yes’, because she’s very brave. So interestingly enough, the first thing she translated for, where Ina sat down next to J-R on stage, was the Spiritual Warrior Seminar – the first one given.

So I joke around that I got Ina her job, but that’s not true, the Traveler did, of course. Ina just sat down next to J-R, he started talking and she started translating. It was pretty much seamless. Ina seemed to have an instant rapport with J-R and her level of translation, working with him was supposed to be that way.“

Jsu Garcia shares:

“What I love is how J-R didn’t know Spanish, and yet he would say to Ina, ‘No, not that word’, then she would correct it, and he’d say, ‘Yes, that’s it’. They flowed, always shoulder to shoulder, flowing in the translation. To me, it was a big deal if someone translated J-R or John Morton, because you’re flowing with the Traveler up on stage, you’re sharing in front of a microphone, in front of them. That area where you talk on the microphone is hot, ‘energy-wise’, which then becomes temperature. Ina could really withstand being there, on stage, with the Traveler and she did such a great job. Her voice was sweet, it was just a sweet energy.”

Vincent Dupont remembers:

“I was on the production crew when Ina was translating with J-R at the Spiritual Warrior Seminar in 1989 in El Paso. I was watching Ina and ‘wow’, I thought she’s doing great because I know what it’s like to be up there. Ina definitely got my attention on that one. And then it went on from there.”

Joanie Clingan shares:

“Whether you received of the service of Ina‘s translation or not, you received of the blessing of her dedicated service. When Ina Cristina sat at J-R’s side and translated, they were perfect partners in sync with each other. Their body movements, their facial expressions, and their humor was visibly and perfectly synchronized. And if Ina chose the wrong word, J-R let her know. They had a connection that was beautiful to witness.”

Ina Moves to Prana in the 80’s

Paul Kaye remembers:

“I’ve known Ina at least 40 years, maybe even longer. I first met her in New Mexico at either a Spiritual Warrior Seminar or an SE retreat. She moved into Prana in the mid 80’s with her young children, her daughter Eleane and her son, Ivan. The fondest memory I have is taking Eleane to Disneyland for the day and that was so fun just to spend the day with her.

In the early years, many times I was the person behind the camera videoing Ina as she translated for J-R.  What I observed is that J-R and Ina really had good chemistry. There’s no question about it.  Ina was always a character, a live wire, and we had some nice times together.”

 Mark Lurie shares:

“Ina was like an older sister to me, we just really got along, and had fun together, and that formed the basis of a lifelong friendship and connection. That was how I met Ina, when she moved into Prana with her two children, Eleane and Ivan. She had a great sense of humor, and I loved her Latin energy, and part of the connection too is that we worked together. We hit it off immediately. I love kids and Ina’s daughter, Eleane, was so adorable. She had pretty eyes, and such a cool girl, and Ivan was wonderful also.

Whenever we had the time and Ina was at Prana we loved eating at an Oaxaca Restaurant in Los Angeles called the ‘Guelaguetza Restaurant’. Ina was familiar with that kind of style of cooking, and we had such a good time trying the different moles, and whenever I saw her after that I always remember that time we spent together, I was close to her.”

Ina meets Peter Kiernan and Marry in El Paso in 1990/91

This remains somewhat of a mystery. Where and when did Ina meet her beloved Peter, who was a University of British Columbia, Math Professor from Vancouver, Canada? Could it have been at an Insight Seminar, at the Spiritual Warrior Seminar in El Paso or on a PAT IV trip to Egypt? Maybe this sparks some memories from someone who knows. Ina then moves to Vancouver, Canada to be with Peter.

MSIA Minister, Karen Berry Powell, shares:

“Karen Berry Powell, fellow Minister, longtime close friend, and Ina’s ‘Karenina’. Reverend Richard Powell and I married Ina and Peter in the early 90’s at a ceremony at her sister’s lovely home in the picturesque mountain foothills of El Paso, Texas. I felt deeply honored to perform the service together with Richard. Many non-MSIAers were present, including many of Ina’s family from Mexico, and we were all embraced by the Traveler’s mantle of love. In those days, Ina was my massage therapist (I was so blessed) and we also enjoyed eating together as much as we could. She called me Karenina and I called her Ina Bobina. Besides being an outstanding therapist, she had a talent for combining food items together that I wouldn’t normally have thought of to create delicious flavors.”

Ina and Peter’s Spiritual Marriage Ceremony at Asilomar in the Early 90’s

Joanie Clingan remembers:

“Ina Cristina and Peter were married again at Living in Grace at Asilomar in the 1990s with John Morton officiating. Everyone who was at the retreat was a wedding guest and it was a beautiful blessing for all of us. Each year after that, Peter would bring a special cake to Ina in the little room where she served the participants as a translator during the retreat. If you were lucky enough to be around when Peter showed up with the cake, you got to partake of it. But every year, everyone who participated in Living in Grace celebrated Ina‘s and Peter’s anniversary.”

Ina Cristina Carbajal with her husband Peter Kiernan.

Living in Grace Retreat – 30 years of Translating for J-R

Vincent Dupont shares:

“One of the many ways Ina showed her devotion to J-R and the teachings, was that even when things were unpredictable in her life, when it came to those things that she cared about, she was very much on point and dependable. When she would translate at Living in Grace – which was a huge project in the beginning because nothing was translated, and she had to do everything live – she’d be sitting in the translation booth, translating the excerpts and the sharings, all by herself. And in those days, it’s not like there was a backup translator, like we did later on. Later on, everything was translated and pre-recorded.”

Joanie Clingan remembers:

“For many years Ina sat in that small room during Living in Grace and translated every single word that was said into Spanish, which was transmitted to the Spanish-speaking participants of the retreat. Eventually, she had assistance who she would tag team with. Throughout the many years that she served in this role, her dedication was obvious and beautifully appreciated. Each year when that retreat ended, and the Facilitators would thank all of the various assistants, before they got to Ina‘s name, the whole room was chanting Ina, Ina, Ina! And the cheers for her were exuberant.”

Faith Murphy shares:

“That was the thing about Ina, she liked to look good. She was very feminine and she wanted to look pretty. And she travelled a lot. I remember a time she was translating for John Morton, and she must have lost her luggage, because she didn’t have a change of clothes. But of course, it didn’t matter she was still there with John. And he called her up on stage and he prefaced it because he knew that she was trying to deal with the fact that she was wearing the same old clothes. And I remember him saying, you know, doesn’t Ina look nice? And getting all of us behind the fact that, of course, she looks nice. She always looked nice.”

Translating for Our Spanish Community at MSIA Conference

Faith Murphy remembers:

“I remember being at conference and being astounded at Ina’s commitment to the Traveler and doing her job. As always, she was in the translating booth, translating what J-R was saying. J-R commented that Ina should be up for Minister of the Year. And of course, Ina’s in the booth and she’s translating this. Then he asked Ina to step out. Well, she’s working, right? So she steps out with all these cords attached to her head and she can only come out a little bit. And everything he says, she’s saying into the microphone. So it was kind of funny, but I was so surprised that she didn’t unplug. No, she knew her commitment was to translate.

She just continued to translate what he was saying about her. So she was not only hearing it, she was saying it to people in Spanish. I was so in awe of her abilities to do all that and take in the loving he was giving her, take in Spirit and still continue to carry on. She was handling it, getting the job done and doing a beautiful job. It just makes me smile when I think about that memory.”

Facilitator of Peace Awareness Trainings and MSS Classes in Canada

Faith Murphy remembers:

“Ina was so super important to me because I met her at the very first PAT up in Canada where she was a Co-Facilitator. I did all my PATs with her as my Facilitator and I did at least 10 PATs as a participant and also assisted.  I remember the very last one with her was when I was a team captain, which was a wonderful experience. Ina’s my Mentor. I don’t think she even knew that, but I used her as a gauge of my ability as a Facilitator, the little bit that I’ve done. Facilitator – that’s a good word for what she thought her title was in these workshops and she Facilitated the ‘heck’ out of it for me. So, thank you, Ina.”

Ina, Peter and Friends.

Ina – Minister and PTS Representative in Vancouver, Canada

Huasmar Lopez, close friend and fellow Minister shares:

“In 1996, Hernán and I moved to Vancouver, Canada from Venezuela. The MSIA Representative for Vancouver was Ina and she called us right away. It was like we knew each other forever. It was a beautiful connection, we became part of her family in no time. I would say, “Ina, you’re either like my older sister, or a close friend, but you’re more than a friend, so warm, so welcoming.”

Ina’s Latin community was very, very important. She was always helping and connecting us with others. I did not speak English at all and she was constantly challenging me to learn. So I began helping Ina out with translating the Soul Transcendent Children’s Discourses from English to Spanish, and my husband, Hernán was helping with the illustrations. It was the fastest way to learn and amazing practice for me. Ina always knew when it was the right time to push me to go and do something new.

For example, one of my first jobs was cutting fruit, where I stood for eight hours in the cold and it was affecting my hands. I told Ina and she said, “It’s time to go to school.”  But I don’t have money and Ina said, “Well, there are many ways to find the money. Let’s see, look into this and check on that,” she would tell me. And it was a lot of trusting and Ina inspiring, motivating and guiding. She had a holistic approach to everything, to doctors, to practitioners –  she knew everything. Ina also loved to cook, entertain and was a fantastic gardener!”

 

Huasmar shares a Heartfelt Christmas Story:

“I was in tears – it was my first year without my Venezuela family. Ina would normally go to Living in Grace and then visit her son, Ivan, in Seattle. She knew I was struggling and said, “Go to my house so you can have the feeling of home, and there are some Christmas decorations, and I left some gifts for you.” That was Ina. So we went to her house and decorated the place, put the gifts out and everything. And when she came back, she was very happy about that, and we had lots of gatherings, lots of loving. What I learned about MSIA and about the Traveler, the Christ, about how to see things in a simpler way – was through Ina.”

 Ina joined the MSS Program in Transcendent Leadership in 2020-2021

Joanie Clingan shares:

“Ina was an engaged and enthusiastic participant in the first year of the MSS Program in Transcendent Leadership in 2020-2021, when she first got her diagnosis. As she and Peter were both navigating some of the opportunities that aging brings, Ina chose to withdraw so that she could give all of her attention to their healing and well-being.”

Tributes to Ina

 

Vincent Dupont:

“I appreciate Ina for the kind of person she was, the survivor in her, the one that kept going. Even with her life and health challenges she managed to pull through and maintain a really good attitude. So ‘hats off’ to you Ina, you to made it through as gracefully as possible. If I look at the arc of Ina’s years with MSIA, what’s left is a legacy, in terms of the translations, and also a track of a star in the sky – yes Ina, she was a star.”

Paul Kaye:

“Ina was a strong, strong woman, and very talented, very sensitive, very attractive, and had a good sense of humor, was very alive, and very dedicated to what she did. She was a survivor through many life and health challenges. I love you Ina, always love, there’s a lot of love. There’s always a lot of heart and a lot of openness. If you ask, ‘What do I remember about her?’ A ready smile. Always a ready smile, always ready to laugh and a very open person.”

Mark Lurie:

“Ina was a laugh, a good time, just all that bubbly and warm Latin kind of approach to life that I resonate with, so that’s what comes to mind, I mean, Ina  was a great person, and I just loved her a lot.”

Candace Semigran:

“Ina was part of the Traveler’s Correspondence Team and handled all correspondence that came to J-R, and then later John Morton, in Spanish & Portuguese. She would translate the emails from Spanish or Portuguese to English and send them to the Traveler and then when the Traveler let her know how he’d like to respond, she would translate the response into Spanish or Portuguese and send it to the person. She did that job for decades with great love and dedication. Ina loved the Travelers so much and her dedication and devotion to them and to the teachings was a blessing to all who benefited from her incredible service.”

Nora Valenzuela, fellow MSIA Translator:

“Ina’s kindness and compassion touched many lives. She was, is and always will be deeply loved and appreciated by the Spanish and Portuguese speaking communities as her voice is in almost all J-R seminars, meditations, blessings and audio support materials that have been published in Spanish and are available to people both in the online store and in That Which Is. You will be forever in our hearts, dearest Ina.”

Faith Murphy:

“Thank you, Ina for what you gave me through your commitment to the Traveler.  At our last Seattle Ministers Meeting together, I got to see Ina and talk to her briefly, and Peter, and I just let them know my heart was full just by seeing them. The other people in the zoom room that knew her – it was just kind of a love fest. And I’m so glad I got that final love fest from her and I was able to give her my love. I felt like that was closure for me. And I’m so glad Spirit allowed that.”

Ina Earns Her Wings – A Story of Soul Transcendence

Joanie Clingan shares:

“Ina was very private and quiet about her health challenges. Over the past 5 years she did that with grace and joy, taking care of her beloved Peter as she managed her own journey, right up until the last couple of weeks when she had some challenges and learned that her body was completing its earthly journey. As John mentioned at an LA Ministers Meeting, he asked Jsu Garcia to make the trip to Vancouver to be with Ina in her last days. John’s message, ‘This is how we serve each other’.”

Huasmar Lopez, Close Friend and Fellow Minister, Vancouver, Canada shares,

“Something about Ina that I loved was that she always had to be dressed up and beautiful. So when I arrived in the hospital, she was trying to fix herself, trying to be strong. There were four of us, including her husband Peter, sitting there talking about our past Christmas gatherings and the fun times we had, just remembering.

Ina started saying we should have a party and was talking about the details. Then she started getting very peaceful. And Peter, even though he’s in the situation he is right now, cognitively, he is this beam of light and deep, deep love.  The beauty, what he told her, he did prayers, he talked to her as if she’s not the body. He was happy for her and very compassionate with her process and her pain. But he also knew that she was with the Traveler, with the light. There was a beautiful beam of light around us, so peaceful, so harmonious.

Then everyone left and Ina and I were alone, you can see her looking on the other side of the room and she would say deep stuff, almost like J-R was talking. It was so profound. Ina was talking about loving, soul transcendence and that we are all about love. She would bring messages back, then she would go out again and then come back. When I was going to leave, she grabbed me to give me a kiss and said, ‘Wasmi – she used to call me Wasmi, that’s my nickname – you can’t believe what I’m seeing.’

And I said, ‘What are you seeing?’ She said, ‘You look like a tree where light is going up (motioning upwards).’ All I could think of was, the Traveler’s right here, that this is real. She said, ‘It’s so beautiful. It’s just light, all light growing.’”

(Ina transcended into Spirit shortly after this visit with Huasmar)

Resources:

Soul Talk with Ina Carbajal by Scott J-R Nov 2021:

MOP – Who Are You with Dr. John-Roger English and Spanish 214:

Mop Am I lost…or Estoy Perdido…O by John-Roger,Dss 222:

MSIA | John-Roger The world is a mirror and forgiveness is the key