35 year old Paris, originally from Iran, moved to England two years ago with her husband on a student visa. Here she explains how her life has changed since stepping into Christ Church in Freemantle, Southampton.
“When my baby was 40 days old and had cried the whole night from colic, I was exhausted and in a very bad state. I put her in a baby carrier and walked the streets and found myself staring into a school yard for no reason. Somebody asked me to move on and respect their space. That was so embarrassing for me, and I stepped aside.
As I walked on, I saw the door of Christ Church was open, I went in, and a kind lady invited me to have a warm cup of tea. A few minutes later, another kind woman, came and told me she was the priest of the church.
At that time, I didn’t even know what a priest was. I could see she was speaking kindly to me, even though my English language was bad. She told me she knew my country, and she knew Iranian people locally. Suddenly I realised after months of being alone during pregnancy and after birth, with my language getting worse every day, I was talking with someone again.
"I’ve never left a Sunday service without feeling lighter and better inside.": "I’ve never left a Sunday service without feeling lighter and better inside."
— Rev. Lion David Greene (@greene345) November 15, 2025
As an exhausted… https://t.co/YaoK8zAP1o #MentalHealth #CommunitySupport #ParentingJourney #SundayService #FaithAndHope pic.twitter.com/KdYERrivZt