Our Pilot Case

The Family That Started It All

What can I tell you about this family? They are beautiful, God fearing & loving Christians. They are absolutely the best human beings anyone could ever hope to be. My journey with this family began in 2017.

My Pastor at the time had shared me an email he received from a Kurdish Christian woman who was living in Turkey, and asked me to see what I could do to verify her story. Not only did I verify her story, I made contact with her and her family. What I found out, would change mine and my family's lives forever.

They had taken steps and made the conversion from Islam to Christianity while in Iran; However, Iran is very different than our country. One can't simply be a Christian in Iran out in the open. It didn't take long before government agencies knew about their conversion, and they had to flee. They paid smugglers to get them out and take them to Turkey where they had hoped they could lead lives free and out in the open, as Turkey is considered more westernized. Turkey is a part of NATO, and considered much like Jordan when it comes to Christianity. After all, the original 7 churches of Christianity are in Turkey. They had another problem though.

Our family is also Kurdish, which poses a problem for the Turkish government.

Turkey prides itself on their status as the largest refugee destination in the world, as it houses well over 6 million refugees, but there is a darker side to Turkey's refugee issue, especially when it comes to the Kurdish population. After World War I and the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Turkey began a campaign to eradicate the Kurds from existence.

Our family is not political, nor are they secular and worried about the world. They only wish to live their lives in peace and have the same things which we as Americans take for granted every day. A Christian church in Turkey had sponsored them with the Turkish government, to get them naturalized there, but they only keep receiving denials. Now it's gotten worse, the mother of the woman who I originally made contact with, is now in custody in Turkey and will never be allowed to leave the refugee internment camp unless it is to exit the country, so she now remains separated from her family. She is an elderly woman and cannot even read or write. She can barely sign her own name. Is this anyway to treat an elderly woman? Is this anyway to treat any human being?

Our organization has taken on the responsibility of helping this family, as they are now a part of us. We have tried over and over to gain them entry into the United States legally, but no one is willing to help. But, our King and Savior has granted them an open door to safety!

The Mennonite Central Committee of Canada has agreed to sponsor them for entry into Canada! Canadian immigration is not the same as it is in America. It costs more, and the timelines are very strict. Our total amount to come up with is $110,000 and our deadline is July 29th, 2024.

Here is the breakdown of the funds required by July 29th, 2024:

• Sponsorship Support (Resettlement Assistance Rates) funds: $90,013.64

• Contingency Funds (amount at 15% of RAP rates): $13,502.05

• Application fees (per Principal Applicant) total: $2,100.00

We desperately need your help to save this family. This is their one chance to finally be free of the ongoing turmoil of the middle east. If we could only find 110,000 people in a world of over 8 billion to donate $1, we will be successful. Will you please help them? This is only .001375% of the world population. Please, help. All our Christian brothers and sisters in the world, if you find it in your heart, please come to the aid of this family.

With everything going on in the world today in regards to refugees, no one is helping the Christians. This is our mission at the Ichthys Foundation, Inc. Please come and be a part of something grand.

If you wish to contact me in regards to understanding their situation more, please feel free to email me at adam.butler@ichthysfoundation.org. I would be more than happy to discuss their situation with you. We are completely open as to where the money would go, and in today's world I do understand how most people are not in a mindset of giving away money. I tell you from the bottom of my heart, this is not fraudulent. This is a real situation, and this family needs your help.

Adam Butler, President of the Ichthys Foundation, Inc.