What started as a conversation partner match has grown into a deep and precious friendship for a visiting Turkish family.
Bora and his wife, Mine, were excited to travel to the U.S. They knew living in a new country would be hard in the beginning, but they looked forward to the challenge.
They arrived from Turkey in 2016, and Bora jumped into his postdoctoral research
in electrical and computer engineering. Mine heard about IFI and quickly signed up for a conversation partner.
Within the first few months in the U.S., Bora and Mine met IFI volunteer Bonnie and her family and were quickly adopted as their own.
The families took trips together to Amish country, savoring cheeses and discussing Amish
values and way of life. They enjoyed Bonnie’s “country-in-the-city” home, especially going on
walks in the woods, exploring the creek, and riding their small tractor (a favorite activity of
Bora and Mine’s 2-year-old son). They also enjoy learning about Jesus from a historical view.
“They are our American family,” Bora says about Bonnie and her family. “That is precious for us.”