From the very beginning, Peterson and Johnny, now 22 and 20, have been side by side.

Brothers born just two years apart, they entered the Lighthouse Children’s Home as little boys after spending their earliest years in an orphanage. They grew up together there, went to school together, played together, studied together—and, through the years, became more than brothers. They became best friends.

In 2015, when Johnny was 9 and Peterson was 11, a JiHM team member shared that Johnny was often found close to his older brother’s side. Sometimes, he even wanted to dress like Peterson. Their relationship was described simply: “They are not only brothers, but friends who love one another deeply.”

When Johnny was 14, Peterson’s school schedule was extended to give him extra time to prepare for his exams. Johnny would patiently wait for him in the schoolyard each afternoon so the two could walk home together. They were eager students, too, often working with the same tutor and even reaching out for help with homework on weekends.

And when life became difficult, they faced it together.

After reconnecting with their mother following a long separation, the brothers again experienced the pain of being apart from her. During a period of unrest in Haiti, they went months without hearing from her, leaving them anxious and uncertain about her well-being. When she finally arrived at the Lighthouse just before Christmas, their relief was mutual. It was a Christmas the brothers would always remember.

In 2023, gang violence forced the closure of the Lighthouse and ended the life the brothers had known for more than a decade. Peterson and Johnny had hoped to remain in their familiar neighborhood until they finished high school, but the worsening danger made that impossible. They packed their belongings, said goodbye to their home and traveled several hours north to Cap-Haïtien.

Though so much of what had been familiar was gone, they still had each other.

Through all of these changes, Peterson and Johnny have continued moving forward together.

Both graduated from high school in Cap-Haïtien and have together pursued shared business enterprises while remaining committed to their studies.

And this August, the brothers reached another milestone side by side: they graduated together from computer school with certificates in business informatics.

It is one more accomplishment to celebrate, but perhaps what makes the moment especially meaningful is not simply what they learned in the classroom. It is the story of how they arrived there.

They have walked to school together. They have waited for each other. They have studied together. They have encouraged one another. They have navigated moves, separation, uncertainty and the loss of the home they knew. And through it all, neither brother has had to face those changes alone.

Their lives will continue to take shape in different ways, but their shared dream for the future currently leads them down the same path of business entrepreneurship. The next chapter in their lives remains to be written, but after nearly two decades of walking side by side, they know that having a brother beside you makes the journey easier.

From toddlers at an orphanage to young men celebrating a graduation, Peterson and Johnny have come a long way together.

And we are grateful to God for the privilege of watching them grow.

A New Chapter

JiHM remains committed to helping Peterson and Johnny reach independence and will continue to support them during this transition. The brothers are currently making plans to expand their screen-printing and heat press businesses, and they will live together in a home rented for them for the next two years in northern Haiti.

For the first time, they will live independently of a caregiver, while still receiving a monthly stipend for living expenses. Thank you to those who continue to support the Lighthouse Legacy and make this transition possible and sustainable.