Majid picked up his wife and daughter from Manchester Airport on 14 January 2020; after a year and a half waiting for them to join him in Glasgow from Iran. His daughter was a little younger than three at the time.
“My daughter ran to me and hugged me. As she was so young I was surprised she recognised me, but it was a great feeling that she hugged me and didn’t stop hugging me for hours! Meeting my wife was great, we felt Shalom, the peace of God.”
In Iran people are not given the freedom to have their own opinion. Majid and his wife chose to live for Jesus, knowing it would be costly.
“That was the cost that I spent, to have Jesus in my life. Although it was a year and a half I didn’t see my family, and I haven’t seen my parents in roughly two years, I think it is worth it. It’s worth it because now I feel better! I feel happier, than just pretending to be someone that I’m not.”
“My daughter was at the age when she needed me the most, but she couldn’t have me at that time. But finally, it’s ok. It went very well, I am absolutely satisfied, I feel happy, so do my family. We have settled in Glasgow, we have got back to our life again. A different lifestyle, but in a better way.”
Majid kept in contact with his wife through technology when he arrived here. “Because of our wee girl, my wife couldn’t come with me at first, that was absolutely difficult. She had to stay there, looking after our daughter. Again God helped us, and gave a reunion to our family. You know, when I used to be in Iran, I had my job, I was a firefighter, I had a salary, we used to live in our own house, we had everything. I didn’t move here for money, no, that’s not the point. My parents were there, my relatives, everyone around us, so there should be something else that made us come here, and that was faith. And to live life as we choose.”
Majid was invited to an Iranian church before his family arrived. He is thankful to have found out about that church.
Majid came to Glasgow City Mission through friends at his church. He was a guest, then a volunteer, and later an employee at the Overnight Welcome Centre. He is trusted and liked by all staff and volunteers at the Mission.
“Recently I have started my course which is Electrical Engineering at Clyde College, HNC. I am enjoying my course. I graduated from Electrical Engineering in Iran, so I know the basics. It will take me one year to go for HNC, then I will go for HND, if everything goes well, I will go to university in Glasgow. After that working in Glasgow. I see Glasgow as my home now. I feel like home.”
Looking to the future, Majid sees a day when his wider family will meet his family in a third country, neither Iran or the UK, like Turkey or Iraq. It would be very expensive and difficult for the family to come to Glasgow, and the reality is that Majid and his family cannot go back to Iran. “We keep in touch every day, with my wife’s parents and my parents.”
Majid looks to the future with joy now that he is with family, he has hope for his work life, and hope that he can meet with his wider family again one day. Majid says, “I built my life again.”
