Evangelicos

"En que le puedo ayudar," he said gently. His chunky short body, soft voice, and stubby fingers were framed by a wooden shed´s double bays. Behind him were dozens of bike tires, gleaming chrome forks and oily tools. "How can I help you," he was asking.

"I am Tito Craige and I am so happy to meet you."

"Me llamo Jesus Bueno. Un gusto de conocerle." I am Jesus Good and I am happy to meet you.

I had to suppress a laugh, since I had no idea there even was such a name. Was he joking? Perhaps he was a nut or a colleague of people like the basketball player World B. Free. I was tempted to say that my name was The Buddha or Adam Smasher. Maybe Che Guevara.

After a moment of being tongue-tied, I mumbled, "Jesus, we are organizing a day without cars for Puerto Baquerizo. We at the Darwin Foundation want to encourage kids to use their bikes throughout the day. The idea is to increase the safe spaces where kids can play. It is our first such day and we were wondering if you could help us repair kids´ bikes."

He looked at my eyes, as if searching for something. He was not sure what a tall, skinny gringo could possibly want from him. The wind blew quietly and some teenagers quietly repaired their bikes behind me.

"If I had a hand pump, I could help you. All I have is an electric air compressor and I need a pump."

"Aha," I said. "Yes, I have a Specialized pump, the professional kind, and it works for all kinds of tire valves."

"Great. Well, I will be there and am glad to help. I have some old bikes that I will lend to the town´s kids, so all can ride."

"Jesus," I said, "that is so chevere (cool). There will be some handicapped adults and kids. Is it ok for them to try out the bikes?"

"No problem. Excuse me, Tito. May I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"Do you go to church?"

"Not really."

"You are welcome to come to ours. We would be happy to have you any day of the week. There are no commitments needed. Be our guest."

"Thanks. Is that the church across from the barbeque place?"

"Yes, and next to the basketball court. God has a special road for you and it will help you ifind your way. This road is the way for you to lead a happy life. There are always detours that look good. But God has posted signs saying ´danger´ around those routes that involve drinking and drugs, wife abuse and sloppiness."

"Yes," I said, "it is sure easy to fall into those traps."

"God gives us lots of signs for the right path. We just have to follow his suggestions. But it takes work. Some people, for example, have houses that they never get around to cleaning. Things get dirty and unhealthy. You have to clean your house, just like you need to clean your life."

"Yes, it takes a lot of self-discipline to keep things working in my life," I had to admit.

"Well, the soul is like that. It needs lots of attention and self-discipline. Of course, we are all sinners, but the person who sins and shows remorse will be healed. He is cleaning his dirty house. A Christian who changes himself after committing a bad deed is a person who is on God´s path."

"Thanks, Jesus," I said. "I appreciate your sharing. I feel better just chatting with you!"

"Tito, thanks, too. I like to talk. You see, I get lonely here since my brothers, Jose and Lauro, are gone. I am not married, so I get lonely, but I know that God has made me feel I am at home. He will do the same for you."

"Un gusto, Jesus," I said. I wandered away, somehow happier. Jesus the Good. Good Jesus?

Last Saturday, during the Via Activa, there were no cars, but there were hundreds of bikers and hikers. And, of course, Jesus. He was fixing flats and pumping tires. Maybe he was helping people inflate their lives. And clean their houses.

Since then, Jesus and I have formed a bit of a friendship. We are dreaming of some bike events, bike rentals, bike sales. I have not found the will to go to the church, but I feel a kinship with his steady style. In the Galapagos there are many who drink, smoke, play video games and watch tv. Jesus has given up all of these, and I am finding myself less and less interested in the only one of these activities that I still do -- beer consumption.

_______________________________________

I was supposed to be the coordinator of the Via Activa. Since I have no idea how to organize an Ecuadorian town, I had to rely on many others. There were folks from the culture office, the children and teen advocacy NGO, the vice mayor and police chief, several community organizations, and, of course, the two locos, Tiro and Chaso. Virtually the entire town witnessed their spectacular bike jumps, and the day was a huge hit.

There was only one curious event, and that occurred when we were putting the finishing touches on the bike jumping dirt pile. After leaping off of the second ramp, the bike acrobats landed on a giant mound of volcanic dirt. The pile was so large that my office manager decided to place a Charles Darwin Foundation sign on side of the mound. I picked up a wide piece of cloth that has our logo on it. It also says that the CDF supports conservation efforts. I was ready to display this banner, but Juan Carlos told me, abruptly, that the notion of conservation is completely the wrong thing to talk about in this town. He used the work "jodida" which basically means that the concept is, to the local folks, screwed up or worse. I was surprised that conservation has become a dirty word, almost like words that we can remember during the Cold War. Commie. Faggot. Now conservationist.