Read or listen to Claudia Lisseth Elvir Baltodano’s full oral history. Original interview in Spanish. An English translation is also available.
Well, I am going to be honest. When you are a child, you do not know what you want very well. So, because my parents were taking me, I went to church. However, as an adult, I withdrew [from the church] for a while, but [later] I came back because I felt the need. When did you withdraw from the church? When did you become inactive? When I was married to the father of my son, I was away from the church. I did not come anymore. I withdrew completely from the church.
However, one always feels the need to change. So I came back because I really felt the emptiness. For some time, I did not come on Sundays because of my job, but I felt the need to come to church on Sundays. However, now, because of my work schedule, I am coming. Now I start work at one [PM]. I used to start at nine [in the morning], so I couldn’t even come to church any Sundays. This made me feel really sad because I felt the need to be here. Now, it’s not like before, when [they] brought me [to church], [when] they told me: “You have to go to church!” But later, when you grow, life’s blows make you return to where you should always be.