conversion

the indigenous people of ecuador were forced to accept (at least outwardly) catholicism with the arrival and domination by the spanish. while some did whole-heartedly embrace catholicism many created a syncretistic practice of animism and catholicism.
protestant missionaries in ecuador faced persecution but even more so, those indigenious people who left the catholic church (the catholic chuch was not only the means of grace e.g. the sacraments, but was the means of accomplishing anything you needed as the church and state were closely entertwined).
amongst the quechua, the priest had tremendous power. when protestant missionaries would come into their villages, often the priest would scare the people about who the protestants were (this was before vatican II). protestant missionaries could not seem to break through. however, in the fifties and sixties, there were mass conversions amongst the quechua.
the village where i stayed had an evangelical church (where mariona was pastor) and no catholic church. most of the people there are faithful believers.
it was exciting and encouraging to see people who love God - even though they do so in a radically different setting and express it in a different way.
i think of the book of acts and the way in which God brought his light to disperate people in different settings. God is the God of all.