When longtime friend and pastor of Brunswick Island Baptist Church, Keith McKinney, called Kennedy Home (KH) cottage parent Susan Lee to ask if she and her husband Keith wanted to go with a mission group from his church to serve at Good Shepherd Ministries in Guatemala for a week, she was ready to sign up. When Keith Lee decided to stay behind, Susan invited her 17-year-old granddaughters, Leah and Zada.
“Keith and I have always been involved in missions,” Susan says. “Going to Guatemala with Leah and Zada was a way to instill in them the importance of missions and serving others.”
Before coming to KH, Susan served 34 years as the preschool director at East Flat Rock First Baptist Church near Hendersonville in western North Carolina. Keith retired after 30 years working for Wilsonart in Fletcher.
Keith wanted to be closer to his mom as she aged. To create a base for the couple and a possible retirement home, they bought a fixer-upper in Kenansville near his mom. Retirement was here: lake fishing and trips to the beach were calling.
“I felt I was too young to retire,” 63-year-old Susan says. “To leave our home and move east would be hard for me. Our roots ran deep in the mountains near our daughters and seven grandchildren.”
Susan struggled but moved ahead. She prayed for a change of heart—that she would be able to leave her family, beloved church, and mountains.
“I asked God for a sign,” she confesses. “I needed to know it was okay to move and things would be alright.”
Driving back to the mountains after an appointment in Durham, she was praying about her sign. Needing a break, she took an exit off Interstate 85 and there it was. The large, green-reflective highway sign read, “Baptist Children’s Homes of NC.”
Keith and Susan have fostered 36 children during their married life. Considering becoming cottage parents was a calling but not a stretch. Susan was in touch with BCH’s Chris Allabaugh and, in the spring of 2021, they were serving in a KH cottage.
“The experience we had caring for foster children was invaluable,” Susan asserts. “Our first day on the job, one set of cottage parents left. A few weeks later, another left. Staff stepped in and helped—and we worked hard. We believe in what they do at KH for children. We believe with our whole heart and will do anything to support the mission.”
Keith McKinney moved to the beach after serving churches in the mountains. At each place, he has promoted BCH. He has led four church groups to Guatemala and members’ support of BCH at Brunswick Island is growing. It is partly due to the three annual presentations Susan and Keith Lee have given.
“Susan’s three daughters were in my youth group when I served at Flat Rock,” Pastor McKinney says. “Now, I’ve served with her two oldest granddaughters on mission, spending one-on-one time with the children and missionaries.”
The experience was life-changing for the girls. Not only did they experience the country, but they also got their hands dirty moving rocks and trimming the bricks that are made on-site for the building projects.
“While in Guatemala, I saw children hurting from the awful ways they were treated,” Leah said, reporting her experience. Leah is the daughter of Susan’s oldest daughter, Kristina.
Zada was not as surprised by the poverty in the country. She knows hardship personally. She was one of Susan’s and Keith’s foster children and was later adopted by their middle daughter Jenny’s family.
Both girls agreed they will return. The work and the new friendships created were meaningful. Their hearts were touched and their call to serve affirmed.
Susan not only wanted to see her granddaughters’ faith grow from being on mission in Guatemala, she wanted to be a blessing and serve those serving at Good Shepherd Ministries. She knows firsthand the difference volunteers make and wanted to support her BCH colleagues in Guatemala.
“We could not do what we do without our volunteers’ help and encouragement,” Susan says. “Their actions, kind words, and prayers are vital to our success in helping children and families.”
Pastor McKinney was pleased to learn that Susan is planning for the next mission trip to Guatemala. This time, she is bringing her oldest grandson, Logan.
Written by Jim Edminson, Editor of Charity & Children