From a “dream home” to dream jobs as volunteers

Ed and Ruth Basinger are celebrating their freedom—by volunteering for Mennonite Disaster Service (MDS), time and time again. From Hesston, Kansas, the couple has been involved with the MDS RV Program since 2018, tallying up a dozen different locations.

The MDS RV Program comprises a 55+ crowd of close-knit volunteers who bring their own RVs to an MDS project, where they work together, pray together, and play together.

Ruth, who had a career in executive administration, often serves as an office manager, while Ed, a retired structural engineer, prefers to work with his hands on crews repairing or rebuilding homes. They consider service an integral part of their lives.

“We have three grown daughters—each one in a service occupation,” said Ruth.

When the Basingers retired, they found what they believed was their dream house.

“But it became an albatross,” said Ruth, with the house maintenance and yard work becoming a heavy load that tied them down.

“We made the decision six years ago to sell our dream house and move to Showalter Villa,” she said. “It really freed us up.” Showalter Villa is a retirement community in Hesston.

“We don’t miss our dream house!” said Ruth. “We got rid of all that stuff.”

“We’ll be doing this as long as we can,” added Ed. “Then we will have the ability and the grace to say ‘I can’t.’ ”