UNSUNG HEROES Hero of the homeless guided
by faith
Dakoda Bunch rediscovered his love for art during his stay at ECM . | Photo by Christen Gibson
By Christen Gibson | Staff Writer
Susan Jett , Director of Emergency Christian Ministries , has been an advocate of the homeless in Williamsburg since 2021 after traveling the world through the ministry she and her husband Steven have had for the last 30 years .
“ God put this in my lap and I just took off with it ,” Susan declared .
She met her husband at the church they attended together here in Kentucky and married in 1976 . They later moved to Texas where Steven attended Texas Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary , which would lay the groundwork needed for their future path . Susan studied business and later studied at Wayland Baptist in Waco , Texas .
It was when Steven pastored a church in Knoxville that an individual presented the idea of international missions with the Jetts . Susan encouraged her husband to follow the Lord but did not want to travel with two small children , Elli and Matthew , around ages five and nine . However , that all changed in Fall of 1989 .
“ Time went on and Steven told me he was thinking international . I said , fine send me a telegram , a letter , a call , or write ; I ’ m not going . However , one day I came home from church and said ‘ It wasn ’ t anything you said in your sermon ,’ which he loved that comment , ‘ but the Lord worked on me and I have a peace about it .’ We started working with the international mission board in June of ‘ 90 and at the end of the year , we were in the field . It was really fast .”
They moved with their Kindergartner and nineyear-old to Germany , a country where they did not know the language .
“ Being a mom in a foreign country wasn ’ t a big deal but I did start with culture shock after three days . I couldn ’ t understand anything . I even told myself this wasn ’ t a language ,” Susan said . “ I couldn ’ t speak a word of German . We lived on the economy which was a German house in a German neighborhood and shopped German . The kids went to German school .
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