Thank you for Martin Schram’s Aug. 30 column on Jimmy Carter’s post-presidency activities. When my husband and I toured the United States in our RV, we visited homes and historical sites of several former presidents. Included were two delightful days in Plains, Georgia.

While visiting with a dear, elderly lady at Maranatha Baptist Church, I expressed my surprise at their modest budget. (It totaled a little over $40,000 in 2003, when we were there.) She replied, “Well, we don’t pay any staff except the pastor. Everybody pitches in. We all take our turns on janitor duty, and the Carters take their turn, too. While Jimmy’s out there mowin’ the lawn, Rosalyn’s in here cleanin’ the floors and the toilets.”

We heard a powerful message of humility that day.

Betty Smith

Spokane