Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”

Watching the memorial service for Rosalynn Carter, was to hear the remarkable story of a woman who dreamed big dreams, then acted on the dreams she had.

I visited Plains GA and attended President Jimmy Carter’s Bible Study, at the Maranatha Baptist Church in 2012. I was inspired by his vision of the Kingdom of God. He said that,   “When we prayed the Lord’s prayer, and got to the part, ‘Thy kingdom come on earth, as it is in heaven,’ we should be envisioning the world as God dreamed it, and committing to work for that vision.”

The Jimmy Carter National Historical Park is also in Plains. Until I went through the old Plains High School, which hosts the Jimmy Carter Museum, I was unaware of all of their work for equal justice during the Civil Right era. I was also unaware of their work to eradicate Guinea worm infections.  I had in fact, never heard of the disease. 

The Carters saw the devastation Guinea worms caused as it blinded children, and incapacitated others. In 1986 it existed in 21 countries, including much of north central Africa, Pakistan and India. Most often, the disease is spread through people drinking unfiltered water from stagnant ponds. President Carter and Rosalynn  saw a need and decided to fill it. From 3.5 million people afflicted in 1986, so far in 2023, only seven people have been infected.

I think of the kind of vision it takes to dream a dream so large, that it eradicates a disease. I wonder at the countless hours of effort, energy and commitment which went into the Carter Center’s work, as they convinced other organizations to partner with them.

Rosalynn Carter left a legacy to be proud of. More than that, both she and President Carter taught us what a living faith looks like. They are examples of true disciples of Jesus Christ.

“Being confident of this, that God who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6