The European refugee crisis of 2015-2016 was big news, and The Salvation Army was actively responding to the needs of newly-arrived migrants in numerous countries. At the time, of those making the oft-reported dangerous boat journeys across the Med, around 97% were remaining in Italy or Greece. This presented special challenges for The Salvation Army’s Italy and Greece Command, being a relatively small part of the organisation.

I was tasked to travel to Rome to shoot a short film documenting what was being done. Enormous thanks to then General Secretary David Cavanagh and Rome corps officer Estelle Blake for making the visit run far more smoothly than it might otherwise have done.

Not only was David knowledgable and eloquent on camera, and able to unpick the complex situation succinctly, he was also patient and resourceful in the face of equipment that wasn’t overly cooperative. Most such pieces to camera would make use of a tripod. This one ended up being cobbled together using a stepladder and a washing up bowl. Suboptimal. At least donors can be reassured that we were not a high budget operation draining the organisation’s coffers.

What you don’t see in the video is the warmth and openness extended to me in Rome (and, come to think of it, everywhere I’ve travelled with The Salvation Army). I’ve been generously welcomed into people’s homes, fed, watered and generally looked after. When away from home, this has been a special and sincerely appreciated thing. The inclusion and camaraderie has been genuine and meaningful.

Estelle, who I’d first met in Kings Cross two weeks after the 7/7 London bombings, very kindly offered to help with my Masters research by sharing with me her experiences of social media as a British ex-pat living and working abroad. And there were biscuits!

She also invited me to church on Sunday morning, where – again – I was genuinely included. Someone sat with me throughout the service whispering a translation to me. But the big surprise was the group of Kenyan migrant women who sang and danced with such enthusiasm and verve. It’s fair to say this element was something I had not predicted, and I may have been temporarily open-mouthed while my brain caught up. The down-to-earth honesty of worship here was quite a contrast to the bling but sterile Vatican I’d toured the previous day.