The stereotypical view of retirement is a time to kick back and relax, maybe play some golf or spend days walking the beach. If that’s the case, then the Sojourners definitely are not typical retirees.

Sojourners are senior adults who travel the country in RVs helping churches and Christian nonprofit organizations, much of it tiring physical labor like painting, carpentry, pressure washing, and making repairs. And they do it for free.

Based in Marshall, Texas, the Sojourners organization has more than 1,000 members, more than half of whom are active in any given year, spending anywhere from two weeks to most of the year on assignments they choose, known as “sojourns.” The Sojourners organization is aligned with Churches of Christ, so its sojourns are with children’s homes, schools, campgrounds, and universities affiliated with that faith group.

Sojourning in Mount Dora, Florida

We caught up with a group of about 30 Sojourners on a two-week mission at Mount Dora Christian Academy and Mount Dora Children’s Home, near Orlando in Central Florida. Their tasks involved long days of physical labor for no pay, but the institutions provided breakfast, lunch, a daily devotional, and lots of encouragement.

Beyond a doubt, the Sojourners are some of the most inspiring people you will ever meet. They tend to be a hardy group who can labor and toil for hours a day and keep a positive attitude. They also have fun along the way, laughing a lot and rarely complaining about their messy tasks or the hot Florida sun.

“We participate because we like to travel, and we want to travel with a purpose,” said Richard Clark, who along with his wife Marsha, have been active Sojourners for 10 years. “We want to serve the Lord first and foremost, and this gives us an opportunity to do so.”

“It gives you a good feeling to accomplish things,” said Marsha. “Just because you are retired, doesn’t mean you have to sit around the house.”

Richard and Marsha have completed sojourns in Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. They travel in a 35-foot Class A motorhome. A retired school teacher, Richard is one of six co-directors of the Sojourners organization. Counting his responsibilities as a co-director, he estimates he and Marsha spend nearly half their year involved with Sojourners.

Listen to Richard and Marsha talk about their experience as Sojourners in this video: 

‘Retreads’ Couple Keep On Sojourning

Another couple, Lloyd and Dottie Hasty, are affectionately known within the Sojourners community as “Retreads.” That’s a term for people who were first involved in Sojourners with their first spouses, but after their spouses passed away, they remarried other widowed Sojourners and remained active in the organization. That’s what happened with Lloyd and Dottie. They got married in July 2012. They are just one of several such “Retread” couples within Sojourners.

Lloyd still has a house in Kentucky, and Dottie owns a place in New Jersey. They sojourn for about five months a year, and split the rest of the time between their two homes. They sojourn annually in South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Florida and Georgia, and have done assignments as far away as Utah and Montana. They even completed a sojourn in Scotland, but of course they had to leave their 38-foot Class A motorhome at home for that one.

“We travel with a purpose, working for Jesus, serving the Lord,” Lloyd said. “I don’t play golf, some people do, but I’d rather be working for the Lord.”

Watch this video for more comments from Lloyd and Dottie (click to watch):

First Timers

Another term the Sojourners use is “Greendots.” That describes people who are newbies, completing their first sojourn. Their name tags have a green dot, which is where the name comes from.

At the Mount Dora sojourn, Walt and Nancy Harper were “Greendots.” They are from Abilene, Texas, and said they were looking for a way to use their retirement time to accomplish something worthwhile.

“We looked at retirement communities where the focus was on pleasure and having a good time all the time,” Nancy said. “But we wanted to be where we could serve other people and help other people.”

Walt expressed similar motivations for joining Sojourners.

“Sojourners is a way for us to travel with other Christian couples, to travel around the country. It’s another way for us to serve the Lord.”

The Harper’s RV stood out from the rest due to its small size, but it’s a beauty. They own a 21-foot Escape, a popular brand of fiberglass RVs. When they first purchased it, they were only anticipating using it for short trips, not the extended road trips that many Sojourners experience. Some Sojourners even sell their homes and live year-round in their RVs.

What we can learn from the Sojourners

After spending time with these Sojourners, it’s hard not to be impressed. Maybe it will help us all dream larger dreams regarding our retirements. If we’re blessed with reasonably good health, there’s so much more that can be accomplished later in life once we’re freed from the shackles of working an 8-to-5 job.

There’s a saying about some people in old age preferring to burn out, not rust out. Sojourners have made their choice, and they are happy with it.

You can learn more about Sojourners by visiting their website.

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