Thank you dear

Grace who cleans the compound has cataracts and is travelling to family in Uganda in order to get treatment. She could be away for two months so there were some heartfelt goodbyes with her family before we took her to the airstrip in the early chill, where she had to endure a six-hour delay before the plane arrived. When we were told she was finally airborne I messaged her sister Dodo in Juba to alert her to be ready. 'OK dear. Thanks for the message.' I adore being called dear. Peter the Carpenter is another one who says it.

We picked up some new ID cards from Steve at God's Child Computer Centre. Then during a lakeside drink at sunset, Bennett who was already under the influence from attending his niece's wake all afternoon, was in a chatty mood about religion.

Christianity in this region of South Sudan has been adopted fervently judging by church attendance. In some very remote villages it hasn't penetrated and traditional religions dominate. In many parts there is a blending of the traditional and Christian.

In Bennett's opinion, of a thousand people who may attend church services in Yambio, two or three are believers and the rest mere 'churchgoers'. Through preaching and sermons he hopes more people become believers. Until then he scorns the churchgoers who put more focus on socialising and their Sunday best clothing than the scriptures.

I don't admit to many people here that I don't go to church, but talking to Bennett is a safe space. I asked whether I'd be destined straight for the hot waters of hell even though I attempt to exercise truth, honesty and understanding in my life. He explained I'm viewed as no more of a heathen than other non-believers, including the churchgoers. He thinks I would still be saved if my character was judged highly enough. This is encouraging as I could start to be more open with others in Yambio, as an early question on meeting someone is about religious denomination or church attendance habits. I am used to deciding what to reveal and what not to reveal for the sake of maintaining good relationships, but as long as I am not being provocative I should start to state that I am not a churchgoer.

This seems like a better approach than that of the Botswanan lady we met last night at the UN who responds to people aggressively when asked about her faith (it sounded like she is atheist). She probably has to tolerate the South Sudanese assuming as a fellow African that she is religious, whereas I can take advantage of the assumption that a European is more godless.

At the same time as Bennett was willing churchgoers to convert into believers, I wonder whether 997 or 998 other Yambio residents were at the same time scorning the unchristian unholy behaviour of a man who would drink beer on the day of his niece's wake and who would criticise the vast majority of churchgoers as non-believers.

These guys who wash cars and motorbikes at the lake where we sometimes go for sundowners, get comically aggro about the fact we drive around in a dusty vehicle and ignore their attempts to wash it. Choosing to keep a vehicle dirty no doubt lowers one's standing in Yambio. Yet as the dry season attacks and the dust invades everything, we can't be bothered to wash ours daily and we secretly enjoy the banter with this lot. They seem to have a good flow of customers.