Go Africa – 🇰🇪 Kenya – Hospital & Day Off
July 11, 2026
Since arriving in Kenya,
Roah, who had been struggling with a high fever, spent most of her time resting at our accommodation.
And on this day,
we finally went out with Roah, who seemed to be doing much better.
The problem was that it was extremely windy that day,
and regardless of the cold weather, there seemed to have been some confusion with the schedule.
We spent far too much time sitting in the van,
and Roah was just lying limp in our arms.
We had made a big decision to bring her out,
only to find that there was barely anything to do.
I couldn’t help but say that maybe she would have been better off resting at home.
The schedule was unclear about what we were doing
and why we were waiting,
and the other team members also looked exhausted.
We still hadn’t recovered from the long flights and jet lag,
and the ministry had continued without giving us much time to adjust.
In the end, we took Roah and returned to our accommodation instead of going on to the next schedule.
We spent some time walking around the neighborhood with Roah, who seemed okay,
but eventually her runny nose and fever came back,
and we went back inside.
Watching Roah lying there after having several episodes of a fever over 40°C
was heartbreaking.
Throughout the night, I wiped Roah down with a wet handkerchief,
and I thought about the word “picnic.”
You said it was a picnic, didn’t You?
I couldn’t ask that.
This is also a picnic.
This is only the beginning of a two-month journey.
The Lord’s picnic.
A picnic that the Lord is responsible for.
Whether we live or die,
we belong to the Lord.
To entrust this journey,
my emotions,
the hearts of the people journeying with us,
and Roah
to the Lord through prayer.
That is the best we can do.
And then, for me to do the next best thing I can do
is to ask our local friends in Kenya to help us find a good hospital
and do the best I can for Roah.
Sunday, July 12, 2026
We were introduced to a place called Gertrude’s Children’s Hospital, so we went there.
The hospital was better equipped than I had expected.
They did some basic tests,
and to find out why her high fever had continued for an entire week,
they also did a blood test.
I didn’t want to use the word “pitiful,”
but that day, I really felt sorry for her.
I kept thinking about how much she was suffering.
And of course, I felt the same way about Sehee,
who was holding Roah in her arms.
With a heart of prayer,
I, an inadequate father,
couldn’t do anything except pray.
We left with a packet of medicine.
The result was a high fever caused by a bacterial infection.
She’ll get better soon.
Such an easy thing to say.
But I can’t help but say the same thing.
You’ll get better soon.
So many people are praying for you.
Mom and Dad are praying for you.
July 13, 2026
The following day, Monday, was a day off.
Most of the GO AFRICA team members and a few members of the [모로뷰 more of You] team
went to experience a small safari in Kenya.
Even while Roah was struggling with her high fever,
I had been looking for places the team members could go on their day off,
and we were connected with a safari company run by someone we had met on our first day in Kenya.
Even when my heart wasn’t really in it,
I thought that as a leader, I still needed to think about these things.
It’s not easy.
First, carrying my sick daughter while looking into a safari for the team.
Second, I suppose it was the way people might look at me strangely for doing something like that.
It’s not easy.
I wish I could just hand everything over and leave it all.
Still, thankfully, Seongmin took the contact information I gave him,
communicated well with them,
and took the team members out.
I didn’t have much interest in safaris,
having already experienced one earlier this year.
What I cared about was simply this:
I hoped that, in the middle of this journey where our team members were still adjusting,
they could have at least a little time to rest.
Unfortunately, I heard that it wasn’t that great...
(A small safari in Nairobi, Kenya, is not really a safari...)
Still, the team members who later went to a party hosted by a Kenyan friend
said that even though they were tired,
they had a good time and became much closer with the other team members.
Our family hadn’t even gotten to know all of the team members yet... haha.
The next day, we would be leaving for Tanzania,
so we needed to rest well.
Our family stayed at the accommodation.
Roah had slept much more than usual throughout the week,
but on this day,
it really seemed like she was sleeping for a long time so that she could recover.
We went to a butcher shop because we wanted to give her a little meat,
and while talking with the staff,
we had an opportunity to talk about Jesus.
We also had a chance to give a gift to the doctor
who had genuinely cared about Roah throughout the past week.
The conversations were short,
but even those moments were enough to make us thankful.
Kenya was
the place where Roah was sick.
But at the same time,
it was also a place where we experienced the care of many team members in Kenya,
as well as our neighbors and people in the community.
People cared so much about Roah.
We didn’t get to see much of the country of Kenya,
but the hospitality I had heard about during OT,
the thing people said was one of the most important parts of Kenya,
was something we experienced deeply.
Care and hospitality.
We experienced a lot of it here.
Roah’s fever finally stopped coming back.