When Mimi Kashira hid in the bathroom on a plane leaving Kinshasa, Congo in July of 1999 she had no idea when she would see her children again. The only thing she knew was that if she wanted to give her sons a chance to grow up with at least one parent, she had to flee, leaving them behind with her sister.

Because of the war that had just erupted, Mimi was declared an enemy. She had married a Tutsi. It made no difference that her Tutsi husband was now dead, taken by the Hutus in the first day of the uprising in Rwanda in 1994, where he had been teaching high school. She had still committed this offense, and she was interrogated and hounded by soldiers because of it.

Mimi had tried to build a life for her two sons, Jonathan and David, after her husband had been killed. She moved with her sister to the capital city where she landed a wonderful job. But such hope is too often short-lived in Africa today. One day she returned home to find her sons, 6 and 9, huddling in a corner crying. "They took Auntie Christine," Jonathan explained. They didn't locate Christine until the next day, when a neighbour bribed a soldier to obtain her release.

This time, when soldiers had come looking, Mimi hadn't been at home. Next time she may not be so lucky. When she had the chance to flee she did, taking only her purse with her. Her sister knew her plans; her sons did not. She couldn't even say good-bye.

Mimi eventually made her way to Kingston, Ontario, because of a connection she had with missionaries she had met in Goma. They took her in, helped her to get schooling, but most importantly helped her to phone her sister, the first news she had had of her children in six months.

It took seventeen more months for Mimi to obtain the papers so her children could join her in Canada. During those months, Jonathon was hospitalized often for anemia. Mimi would find out only after weeks of frantically phoning with no answer, not knowing her children’s fate.

In May 2001 when the boys received their clearance Mimi knew her life would now be better. There would be no more nights trying to sleep, not knowing where her children were. No more nights without hugs and kisses. No more tears on her pillow, if only she could get them here.

And that was no easy feat, because Mimi couldn’t go herself. She was wanted in the Congo. So a new friend from church, Alison Froese, volunteered to go. Now, Alison is a very comforting person. I know, because she's my aunt. But these boys, who had been through so much, still had difficulty trusting this strange white woman they could not understand on that long journey to their new home. Though they held tightly to her, they did not smile.

When the plane landed in Toronto, Mimi was there, weeping, eager to for this reunion she had dreamed so much about. Her children, though, held back. They were still in shock.

What a different picture they make today, as her boys laugh and chatter away. Jonathan, 13, speaks perfect English. He just received all A's on his report card. David, 9, loves the privilege of going to school, too. Mimi is working as an administrative assistant, building a new life in freedom. Her past is never behind her, though, as she worries about those left behind. Last month her father died in Nairobi. Once again, she couldn’t say good-bye.

On this Canada Day, I can't help but think of Mimi. I can't imagine leaving my girls, without knowing if and when I would see them again. But for Mimi, it was her only choice. God willing, I will never have to make such a choice, and all because I had the blessing to born in this country, instead of one where terror reigns.

So I join with Mimi, with Jonathan, with David, and with others who have found refuge here, and I say with them, God keep our land, glorious and free. And may we work to make others free as well.

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