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A summary of the story of the Carty family, their background, and the resolution of the story.

Fresh Air for Elizabeth

by Traute Klein, biogardener

A Winnipeg family seeks refuge in their church to avoid being torn apart by heartless bureaucrats. In the sanctity and loneliness of the church basement, a little girl discovers her gift for music.

Canada, a Place of Refuge

The first time I saw Elizabeth, she was full of mischief, horsing around with a friend while all the grown-ups were huddled around her family, praying for their safety. She appeared to be oblivious to the danger which was threatening to tear her family apart. Living in the sanctuary of the church basement and not having to go to school appeared to be a novelty at the time. Now, a month later, the gravity of the situation seems to have dawned on Elizabeth's seven-year-old mind.

On Canada's 132nd birthday, July 1, 1999, Mission Baptist Church celebrated the 50th anniversary of her founding. In the fiftieth year, the year of jubilee, the prisoners are set free according to the law instituted in the book of Joshua. In her 50th year, this church has given sanctuary to a family which Canadian bureaucracy is determined to destroy.

A child needs fresh air and sunshine. In the last month, Elizabeth has only had brief glances of these through an opening church door. Being away from school is no longer fun for her, especially when she is confined to one single building. Even criminals in the penitentiary are allowed fresh air and sunshine. Elizabeth is no criminal. She is a little girl, born in Miami, Florida, to parents who were seeking refuge from certain imprisonment and probable death. Canada promised to give this family the refuge which the United States was reluctant to grant. That promise was soon forgotten as the family lived through years of bureaucratic nightmare.

No Fresh Air for Elizabeth

Elizabeth longs for fresh air and freedom. Looking trough the glass doors of the church, she can see children splashing in the wading pool and enjoying the play structures on the playground right across the street. It would be so tempting to unlock the door and run across the street. She won’t that, though.

Looking out another glass door, she can see the a van stationed on the side street hour after hour. The man inside may well be waiting to grab her to force her parents to come out of their safe space. So Elizabeth stays in the church. She hangs her head and does not look at people.

Oh yes, she did smile once. I walked up behind her and stroked her beautiful brown hair. She turned around and smiled at me for just a fleeting moment.

I prayed for Elizabeth’s freedom, but prayers are not enough when action is expected of me.

Adversity and Talents

July 7, 1999 I visited with the Cartys to bring them some fresh spinach from my garden. Elizabeth's dad encouraged her to show me something on the piano. She played the beginning of Beethoven's "Für Elise" for me. In the proper key! In her childlike exuberance, she repeated the first two notes a few extra times. I remember playing that piece at a recital when I was taking grade VI piano lessons. No one had helped Elizabeth to learn it. She must have heard some other child playing the piece on the piano in church and figured out the tune to pass the time in all those lonely hours.

I sat down on the piano bench beside her and while she played all the songs she had taught herself, I provided the accompaniment to them. I asked her about other songs she knew. When she was not sure how to get started on one, I simply showed her the first key and away she went. She was so happy to have so much fun, and I was amazed at her talent. I had taught music to some very bright children, but this one appeared to have a special gift for music. She needed more than fresh air and sunshine. She needed an opportunity to develop her God-given talent.

For my July 14 visit with the Cartys, I took with me a beginner's piano course, and Elizabeth got her first lesson. A brighter and keener pupil I have never taught. What a pleasure! She gave me a picture which she had drawn with felt markers. It shows her dreaming of Mexico, complete with coconuts on palm trees, mangos on the ground, and a smiling, high-heeled Elizabeth.

Mexico, the Last Refuge

Why Mexico? That country became the last refuge for the Cartys. A Winnipeg furniture manufacturer offered Elizabeth’s father a job at his factory in Monterey, Mexico, and the Mexican government gave the family temporary visas.

My Connection

The congregation of this same Winnipeg church opened their hearts to my family when we arrived in Canada as displaced persons (DPs) in 1952.