‘Choosing a homeless retirement means we can serve Christian missions around the world’

From a ranch in Texas to a flat in the shadow of Mount Everest, Daniel and Jeanie Ough have house sat in 52 different locations across five continents over the last 14 years. Not owning or renting a home has enabled them to serve God on the mission field long into retirement, they say

When my wife, Jeanie, and I retired 14 years ago, we made an unusual decision. We gave up the idea of owning or renting a home and became what we now affectionately call “homeless by choice”. It was a risk, but it wasn’t a reckless leap into the unknown. It was a prayerfully considered move that would allow us to offer ourselves fully to God’s mission – wherever and whenever needed. 

In the decade and a half since, we’ve completed more than 70 house sits across 52 locations on five continents – from a sheep farm in rural Australia to a ranch in Texas, a flat in the shadow of Mount Everest in Nepal to a bungalow in Kent, the Garden of England. We’ve even stayed on an organic banana farm in remote Queensland.

Jeanie and I have always enjoyed travelling. Our God-inspired love of adventure can be traced back to 1999, when we first met in New Zealand. We married 18 months later and went on to live in different parts of the world.