In a culture where retirement can mean golf games, babysitting the grandchildren and quiet cups of tea by the fire, YWAM staff Lynn and Jacky Batterman decided to be a little more adventurous. This American couple decided that retirement would be about “re-firement” as they determined to find a fulfilling and significant way to use their skills and experience after they finished years of working for an oil company on major construction projects.

In 1985, Lynn and Jacky did a YWAM Discipleship Training School in Cyprus. Following that, they served at YWAM’s University of the Nations in Kona, Hawaii. As a civil engineer, Lynn was put in charge of the earth moving and excavating equipment and the repair shop on campus. His team installed the underground utilities and provided equipment for landscaping the campus which was being built by an all-volunteer team of skilled craftsman and unskilled helpers. Meanwhile, Jacky served in the campus bookstore.

After two and a half years, they moved back to the mainland, but stayed connected with YWAM until 1991 when they were invited to help start Mission Builders International (MBI), a support ministry which assists YWAM bases to plan and start construction projects. The Battermans served in this ministry until 2007 when they turned over the leadership of facilities development to others. Were they ready for retirement? Not yet!

Travelling by recreational vehicle (RV) is a popular way to vacation in the vast nation of the United States. While “RV’ing” in Arizona, Lynn and Jacky realized that a lot of RV travelers were, like themselves, able and interested in serving others. Since RV owners travel with their own accommodation they are able to visit YWAM centers and serve without requiring YWAM to provide facilities. In this way, MBI-RV Associates was born, with the vision of recruiting RV owners to support YWAM ministry training centers across the U.S. mainland.

With their RV travel partners, George and Sue Spear, the Battermans are visiting YWAM training facilities to evaluate the kind of RV utilities they have and help them develop plans to receive RV volunteers. Lynn says, “We also actively recruit RVers we meet along the way to join in the fun of serving others.”

One of the YWAM locations MBI-RV Associates serves is Gleanings for the Hungry in Sultana, California. This is a YWAM operation that sun-dries and packages soft fruits, bread mixes and soup mixes, and then packs these foods in 40-foot containers that are shipped to developing nations. Says Lynn, “Jackie and I, along with George and Sue, had a great time volunteering at Gleanings. The women worked in the food-packing process and the guys did a variety of welding, woodworking and general maintenance projects.” Sue says, “We had a great time, the meals were wonderful, the morning worship time was special, and we made new friends with other mission builders and the YWAM Gleanings staff. We’re definitely going back there again.”

For more information, visit www.missionbuilders.org.