Former President Jimmy Carter faced a health scare last week after he was hospitalized for dehydration brought on by working on a Habitat for Humanity project in Canada. The 92-year-old spent Thursday night at St. Boniface General Hospital in Winnipeg as a precaution, but returned to work Friday with his wife Rosalynn.
By Sunday, the former president and first lady were back in their native Georgia teaching Sunday school. Such is life for the busy nonagenarian.
“I’d say we have been traveling about a month,” Carter told a large crowd gathered at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia. “And it is one of the most strenuous months I’ve ever had.”
According to NBC News, whenever the 39th president is scheduled to teach Sunday school, the church’s congregation swells from 100 to nearly five times that, with visitors traveling six, nine, or even 12 hours for a chance to hear him speak.
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“We are grateful to have that experience and share that experience with our daughter,” said a family who had driven some 12 hours from Maryland for the occasion.
Maranatha Baptist Church advertises Carter’s upcoming appearances on their website, which include several weekends in July and August. NBC News reported that Sunday’s sermon was the president’s 793rd time teaching.
There was concern over whether last week’s hospitalization would prevent Carter from making it back to Georgia in time for Sunday school. It’s not the only time the sprightly senior has faced a serious health scare. In 2015, Carter was diagnosed with melanoma, and it spread to his brain, but doctors were able to treat it, and he is now cancer free.
Sunday, July 16, capped off a whirlwind couple of weeks for the Caters, who were traveling throughout Canada to work on the Habitat for Humanity initiative that is seeking to build 150 homes this year to celebrate the country’s 150th anniversary.
President Jimmy Carter has arrived at the build site to start the final day of the 2017 #HabitatCWP in Canada. pic.twitter.com/oDammpIPvP
— Habitat for Humanity (@Habitat_org) July 14, 2017
Despite their advanced age and health concerns, the couple show no sign of slowing down.
“He doesn’t rest,” said friend Jan Williams. “He’s like a little energizer bunny.”
(H/T: NBC News)