A Dream Delivered: One Family’s Journey to Home
When Eugenie, Jean Pierre, and their daughters, Hope and Happy, arrived in Milton in December 2024, they were stepping into more than just a new town: they were stepping into safety, stability, and possibility for the first time in years.
Originally from Burundi, their journey had taken them through South Africa, where they sought refuge and built a life running supermarkets. But as xenophobic violence escalated, their stores were destroyed, their lives threatened, and their sense of safety shattered. For years, they lived in fear - hiding in churches, surviving on prayers and kindness, waiting for something to change.
And then, it did.
After five long years in limbo, a group of volunteers in Central PA - strangers who felt called to action - stepped in. They matched with the family through a refugee resettlement organization, helped them relocate, and offered their full support. A new beginning began to take shape: first a hotel room in Lewisburg, then an apartment in Milton. Jean Pierre found a job. The girls enrolled in school (and rode a big yellow school bus for the first time - something they’d only seen in movies!). Slowly, life began to feel like theirs again.
But the apartment was empty.
That’s where DIG came in.
Eugenie remembers the call clearly: “They said, ‘Come to DIG to shop for furniture.’ I thought it was a joke. I said, ‘Is this God on the phone?’” She laughs now, but the memory is sacred. At DIG, the family picked out beds, dressers, and rugs - everything they needed to transform an empty space into a home.
For Happy and Hope, the bunk beds were a dream come true. “We got that bed!” they giggled, eager to share the news with friends still back in South Africa. The bunk beds weren’t just furniture. They were proof that this new life - one with safety, rest, and even joy - was real.
DIG didn’t just fill a room with furniture. We helped this remarkable family settle into a new chapter. A chapter where Jean Pierre can breathe deeply again. Where Eugenie can focus on finding work, not survival. Where the girls can go to school with full backpacks, full hearts, and a new best friend on the school bus.
As Eugenie puts it: “We thought our life was finished, but God gave us life again. And DIG was part of that.”
At DIG, we believe everyone deserves the dignity of a furnished home, especially families starting from nothing but hope. We are honored to be one piece of this family’s story and inspired by the courage they’ve shown on their path to peace.