Read or listen to Imelda del Socorro González Madrigal’s full oral history. Original interview in Spanish. An English translation is also available.
The blessings are great. I remember Dona Conny telling me when I was baptized, “Congratulations, now get yourself a sack to collect the blessings!” Let it be clear that the blessings are not a bag of money coming my way. But you are going to receive blessings, in one way or another. My first blessing—that Frederick laughed about—You know, where I live, my electricity bill was about C$ 350.00, C$ 340.00. Which was very difficult for me to pay every month. Difficult, with such a bill.
And when I got baptized, I stopped getting that, and [immediately] received an electricity bill of C$ 60.00.“Next month, the bill will be more expensive.” He started laughing and said, “Mom, you don’t believe in blessings? They told you to collect blessings.” So I stayed, and since that date, for almost three years, my electric bill has not changed. Once, it went high because I knew I had used more electricity, but not my bill. I paid for it yesterday, and it was C$ 35.00. If we want to see the blessings, we have to list them. I have never been short of food. We did not have large amounts of food, but I can put something in my stomach and not be hungry.