Emmanuel and Asifiwe Buron arrived in Vancouver with their daughter Anaëlle on November 30, 2017. They were sponsored by our church and have settled into Canadian life very well. Here is our interview of this gifted couple.

So good to “talk” to you both for this issue of Connections. First of all, where did each of you grow up?

Emmanuel: I grew up in central Masisi Territory in the North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Asifiwe: I grew up in Goma, which is the capital of North Kivu Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Tell us about your move to Uganda.

Emmanuel: I moved to Uganda when I was 22 years old. I went straight to my friend’s place in the city of Kampala.

Asifiwe: I moved to Uganda at age of 19 (but the person who took me to the registration office said I was 14 and so my ID card has my date of birth incorrect and it is still like that!). I didn’t settle right away but after few months I started to live with a Congolese pastor’s family and when they moved to Ontario, I started living with a sister who I knew from our church in Congo.

How did you meet?

We first met in Goma Town. And after many years, we bumped into each other in Kampala. We got married in Kampala on November 30, 2013.

Your faith background?

Emmanuel: I grew up in a Catholic family but became a Protestant when I heard a certain song while passing by a church in my neighbourhood. That song totally changed everything in my life.

Asifiwe: I grew up in a Christian family.

What was life in Kampala like for you?

Emmanuel: Well, I did many things in Kampala. Life was not easy there so I tried to do a variety of jobs to survive. I worked as a hairdresser for about 10 years (I began working as a hairdresser in the DRC.) Then I worked as a fashion designer. After that, I took up graphic design, which I am still working on now. As for church life, I served as a Father’s Leader in the Horeb Pentecostal Ministry Church for 2 years and managed all wedding ceremonies.

Asifiwe: At first, I was studying English and then went to a refugee school where I learned the craft of making beaded things such as purses. Life was not easy for me but by God’s grace I survived.

Why did you want to come to Canada?

Emmanuel: Life as a refugee is always difficult. And there is no future in a new country for our children. When you are a refugee seeking a resettlement in a third country, you don’t have choice when the UNHCR tells you that you have got sponsors somewhere in the USA, Europe, or Canada. Our coming to Canada was God’s plan because many refugees wait for 20 years or longer for the opportunity to immigrate. I cannot thank you enough, Ladner CRC, for sponsoring our family—please don’t stop helping refugees all over around the world. May God reward you abundantly.

Asifiwe: I came to Canada by God’s will. Life in Africa is so hard especially being a refugee. I’m sure God has a purpose for it and I will always praise him for making me someone.

What surprised you about Canada and Canadians?

Emmanuel: The cold weather and being in a completely different time zone totally surprised me on the very first day in Canada. Canadians are very polite and friendly, and they love to talk about the weather!

Asifiwe: I can say so many things but the one thing I can say is how you live and I admire the way you put your families first.

What do you like best about living in Ladner?

Emmanuel: I received an email from Immigration and Citizenship Canada asking me where I would like to live in Canada. I prayed about it: “Ask and it will be given to you: seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” I wrote down “Edmonton” and “Ladner” and put the notes in different places in my Bible. When I opened my Bible, I saw “Ladner.” I later learned that my brother immigrated to Canada a few years before I did (I hadn’t seen him since 2000) and then I found out that he lives in Cloverdale! Ladner is great – I don’t like crowded places or a lot of noise like a large cosmopolitan city like Kampala. Ladner is my home.

Asifiwe: I like living in Ladner because it’s a nice place to raise kids in and I’m surrounded by people from our church—or I can say our family.

Tell us about your children.

We always thank God for giving us beautiful kids.

Anaëlle means God answered. She was born in Kampala on January 30, 2017. She likes dancing and singing just like her mother. She enjoys art and as a parent and artist I keep supporting her in every single step she does.

Janelle means God is gracious. She was born on April 30, 2018 at Richmond Hospital—so she is a Canadian. She likes singing a lot and is also in love with shapes, especially hearts and stars. She copies everything her sister Anaëlle does.

Tell us about your involvement in our church.

We are part of this family in Christ. Anaëlle attends Sunday School. Asifiwe is a vocalist for our worship services.

Hobbies?

Emmanuel: Reading, traveling, drawing, and driving long distances.

Asifiwe: I love singing, praising and worshiping God and I’m not sure I can live without singing. Also, I like visiting new places.

What might surprise us about you?

Emmanuel: Check out my website at www.emmanuelburon.com for more information about what I do and am passionate about. Remember, there is a lot of things we need which we do not know until we learn how they can impact our lives.