MILESTONES MOMENTS
2026
February Mission trip to deliver BAGS OF BLESSINGS for 100 families in the Gitaramuka village (beans, rice, laundry soap, hand soap, umbrellas, solar flashlights, school supplies, etc)
2025
We finally were able to connect a water line to supply water to Nick’s Place Home of Hope.
2024
March – three new rooms added to Nick’s Place Home of Hope in preparation for the new orphans
August –
New child added to Nick’s Place – five year old little boy named GIFT
New child added to Nick’s Place – four year old little girl named ANGEL
September –
New child added to Nick’s Place – five year old little boy named CHADRACH
November –
New child added to Nick’s Place – six year old little girl named PARFINE
New child added to Nick’s Place – five year old little girl named YACINTHE
December – Christmas fund for our 13 orphans and the children of the helpers at Nick’s Place
2023
We began to cover all the yearly school fees and school supplies for the 300 village children
May – Mission trip to deliver almost 900 articles of shirts, dresses, underwear, etc for the 300 village children
May – The porridge feeding center was extended to help feed more children
July – Summer camp for 150 kids in the community — they taught the book of Jonah
October – John Peter and Anna have their second baby boy (Shaka)
December – Christmas fund for all our orphans and the helpers
2022
January – Kajeneza Dave Rey born to Gloria, one of our key workers and mothers.
March – Baby boy Salem is born to John Peter and Annaise
June – Gloria’s near death experience in the hospital but God was merciful and saved her!
July – Summer Camp for 300 kids
August – School Uniform ministry to the children in the village
October – November – Pastor Rey and Dan and Marina Berryman visit and bring supplies: Keyboard, Guitar, Basketball Rims and balls, water filters, bikes, food for the village
2021
January – Van purchased to take the kids to school
March – John Peter and Annaise were married
April – Baby boy (Kenam Rael) born to Philemon and Nadia
August – School Supplies ministry for the village children
December – Solar panels installed
2020
February – Dan’s visit to take needed supplies.
March – Philemon and Nadia were married
March – COVID canceled our scheduled trip
April – Venerand and Grace have a baby girl
July – Brick ministry starts in the village to help the families learn to be self supporting to some extent.
August – Vacation Bible School for the village children
2019
November – Dan visits and delivers a generator for Nick’s Place
September – is the hardest month of the year for folks in Burundi, because it’s back to school time. It is mandatory that if a child goes to public school he must wear a uniform. One of the Burundian moms said: “We can’t send our children back to school because we have no money to buy the uniform and school book and pencil. We go without food, sanitary towels, everything, but still can’t make it!” We were so blessed to help the 120 school age children in the village through our “ADOPT A SCHOOL UNIFORM” ministry. We wanted all the kids to be able to go to school because education is key to escaping from poverty.
July – Venerand and Grace are married, they are the main workers that prepare the morning porridge for the feeding center.
May – On this visit to Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) we delivered GLEANINGS food. We brought 300 pounds of dried peaches and a special mix of dehydrated vegetable soup mix (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, carrots, corn, garlic, green beans, lentils, onion, parsley, pasta, peas, potato, rice, wheat, etc). Since malnutrition was the death of many children it was necessary to do all we could to improve their health. The village was so utterly amazed at the flavor and benefit of this food. Remember that they had never heard of or seen a peach and had no idea what it tasted like…..they loved it! Plus we installed SOLAR PANELS at both Nick’s Place and Nick’s Place Feeding Center.
April – Dan and Marina Berryman visit Nick’s Place to deliver needed supplies.
Jan 19 – Eight chickens are purchased so the orphans can have eggs for breakfast. The funds for the chickens were donated via a 2nd grader named Sadye here in the States so we named them Sadye’s Chickens!
Jan 15 – Badina hospitalized for typhoid and malaria.
Jan 14 – Bessy’s calf is born
Jan 9 BESSY the cow is purchased so the children can have milk.
January – Purchase of parcel of small land next to Nick’s Place Feeding Center to expand our outreach to the village
2018
December – On this visit to Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) we delivered BAGS of BLESSINGS. Friends and family each adopted a child in the village and sent them a bag filled with school supplies, a water bottle, an article of clothing, personal hygiene items and a toy.
September – On this visit to Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) we delivered 150 amazing “SHOES that GROW” — one pair for each child in the village.
June 11 – The Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) kitchen is finally finished.
2017
December 2017 – Nick’s Place Junior kitchen and bathroom are built for feeding center.
November – On this missionary visit we build a water tower for Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) and installed the amazing SAWYER WATER FILTERS at the orphanage and at Nick’s Place junior and in the village. Polluted water had been the source of much of the illness in the children.
November 7 – We celebrated the first birthday of Nick’s Place. Since we do not know the date of birth of any of the orphans we chose this day as the birthday of all of them and of Nick’s Place (Home of Hope).
September – School starts for these eight children. We sent them a school in the capital (Bujumbura) farther away from the Gitamuruka village so they may have the opportunity to learn English (as well as French and their native Kirundi). Now begins their education journey that we plan will lead them eventually through until their university education.
July 24 – Nick’s Place (Home of Hope) OFFICIALLY OPENED with eight children.
Bright, Badina, Fidia, Felician, Hope, Sosthene, Pacifique and Medas (approx. ages 5-7)
June 7 – The walls and roof go up for Nick’s Place (Home of Hope).
May 8 – The land is purchased and the foundation is laid for Nick’s Place (Home of Hope).
April 29 – Hope, at birth tested positive for H.I.V. but now he is re-tested and miraculously tests negative. Praise God for healing this child!
April 5 – We visited for the first time Nick’s Place Junior (our Porridge Feeding center) in the Gitaramuka village.
March 31 – Hope & Sosthene move into NP Junior, our porridge feeding center.
February – John Peter and Philemon build Nick’s Place Junior (our Porridge Feeding center).
2016
November 5, 2016 – John Peter and Philemon start the porridge ministry under a big tree since we had no facilities at the time.
November 2016 – John Peter gave HOPE his name. Hope was a nameless little orphan boy of the village and became the first child we “adopted”.
October 11th, 2016 – The IDEA was BORN for Nick’s Place through Karen Cedillo and her friends at her workplace to start an orphanage.
October 2016 – Pastor Rey and Dan Berryman make their second visit to the Gitaramuka village where we brought 500 T-shirts for the village children.
2015
March 2015 – Pastor Rey and Dan Berryman make their first visit to the Gitaramuka village where we brought 300 dresses for the village children.
2013
God touched the hearts of John Peter & Philemon to initiate a farm project ministry for TWA village to help them to be financially self supporting.
2010
John Peter and Philemon start their ministry to the TWA village. They were penniless but full of God’s love for the children of the village.