Conversation with Cesar

Interview with Cesar, a 15-year-old Honduran who sat next to me on a 3-hour bus ride

 

Cesar, tell me a little about your family?

I have one sister who is married.  I actually live with this sister and her husband, who have taken care of me for the last few years, because my real father and mother were unable to do so.  

 

Do you attend school?

Yes, I’m attending the La Paz Colegio which you would call a High School in the United States.

 

What are your plans for the future?

Well, I am 15-years-old and I have two more years of high school left.  After that, I would like to attend the University in their engineering program, which is a 5-year- program, costing $200 per year. 

 

How much would an Engineer make upon graduation from the University?

The starting salary for an engineer is about $10 per day.   That is not enough to make a living, but most Hondurans know you have to have two or three jobs to make ends meet.  It is a lot better than most jobs in Honduras which pay about $2 per day.

 

Aren’t there some other occupations where you could make a better salary to be able to support yourself?

Well, I could be a teacher.  Teachers are paid about $20 per day, and is a secure position because your salary is paid by the Federal government.  But out of that $20 per day, the teacher is also required to supply all the books and materials and everything needed by their class.  Books are very expensive.  And if you don’t buy the students enough supplies and books, the parents complain that you are keeping all your money to yourself. 

 

Do you attend church?

Yes, our family goes to the Catholic Church in La Paz.  Not real regularly, but we are members.

 

What is church like?

Well, it depends.  If you go on Saturday night, which is when most people go, the church service is about two hours long.  The first hour is a lot of chanting and singing by the Pastor, some singing by the congregation, and a message by the Pastor.  The second hour is a service of Communion.  If we go on Sunday morning, the service is three hours long from 10 am to 1 pm with the first hour being singing, the second hour being preaching, and the third hour being a service of communion for Adults while the children have classes.

 

According to your understanding, what is the Christian faith?  It is following Jesus and loving and helping other people like He did.  (Pastor:  You'll see that Cesar somewhat corrects himself on the next question.)

 

So, can you be certain you will go to heaven when you die, if you get to heaven by helping people?  Well, I don’t get to heaven by helping people.   I know I'll go to heaven because I believe in Jesus as my Savior.

 

Do you understand the messages given by the Pastor in church on Sunday?  Sometimes his sermons are good when they talk about how our Christian faith can help us when we are in trouble.  But there are other times I have trouble paying attention and following what he is saying.

 

Have you been baptized?  Yes, I have been baptized.  

 

Have you had the opportunity to give a profession of your faith in Confirmation?  I have never been confirmed because it costs $50.  Our family has not been able to afford that.  It also costs $50 to be baptized.  Because we don’t have the money for that, my sister’s one-year-old has not yet been baptized either.  Because we don’t have the $50 that is required.  (At this point I shared with Cesar that we were having a service of baptism on Thursday at the orphanage, and that I would be more than happy to talk with his sister and her husband about having their baby baptized if they were interested.  Cesar shared that they would most likely be very interested.)

 

What is daily life like for you? 

On Monday through Friday, I have school from 1 pm to 6 pm.  In the morning I try to help out in our garden at home, and we also have some chickens.  I go out and find wood for my Mom (my sister actually) to bake tortillas.  Sometimes I can make a little money helping out my brother-in-law who is a bus driver.  I will go along with him on trips and he will pay me a little money to help with the passengers.  At other times, we try to find people for whom we can trade food from our garden.  Children of Love is a good place to be around.  The people are good and kind, and they’ll always try to help you if you need it.  And the children here are always singing and praying and learning God’s Word.  I’ve probably learned as much about God at Children of Love as I have through my church, even though I don’t live there .  I play soccer and ride bikes with my friends.  But often, I try to help the family find enough wood and vegetables for our meal that day.

 

What do you think like might look like for you 10 years from now?

I would like to say that I can tell.  But life is very hard and unpredictable in Honduras.  We have better government, so that gives us some hope.  I hope my sister and her husband can help me go to college and they want me to go, but it is very expensive.  It is difficult to make a living and to have enough money.  I’m hoping I can still live with my sister and brother-in-law for a few more years, because I can’t see myself having enough money to move out on my own until I am much older.  Right now, I just try to get through the next day and week and hope that I can keep going to school.  And I thank God for what I do have, which is a lot more than many people and many children.

 

Thanks, Cesar.  Is there anything else you would want Americans to know about Honduras? 

Just that we are thankful for all the Americans who come here and help.  Some day, I hope Hondurans can help America, like you help us.