What Was That?

       Well, it has been more then a week since publishing a post. I am sorry about that. It has been one of those weeks. Let me catch you up a bit. I have been able to find a great church family here. New Phili has been great. I just want to give them a shout out for all of their help. I also want to shout out Emmaus. They are a student organization that is part of New Phili. I have been to Gangnam and many places and Seoul. What a great four weeks it has been. I have met many people and seen many new things. That is an incredibly short version, but what i wanted to talk about is the reason this has taken so long to get to you. I have been trying to debate whether or not to explain in detail what has been going on, but I think it would be good to share with you all.

       Two weeks ago, I awoke deaf in my right ear. "Wow Ryen, that escalated quickly!", I hear you saying. Well, that is how this whole thing started. So naturally, I waited a few days before going to the university doctors(in which I was thoroughly scolded for). When I got there, they did a quick examination of me and told me to go to the hospital. This was because they did not have the right equipment there. Ok, that is fine. I made an appointment for that Monday and went about my daily life stuff. On Monday, I went to my appointment. This is where things became a little more interesting. I would come to find out that I have advanced inner ear infections in both ears. I'm like, "Ok, this is fine. Infections happen all the time right?" The doctor then proceeded to explain how i needed to get brain scans. This is the turn that started to scare me. The docs thought that the infection was going to spread to my head. They said it was to early to make a decision on my deafness issue yet. This past Tuesday, I went to get my brain and ears checked out. In between, I was taking medicine to stop the infection. The CT scan results showed that the infection DID NOT make it to my brain, but they did tell me how close it was. Ok, one crisis avoided, but "lets see about them there ears." I jokingly said. However, it turned out to be no joke. The test came to tell me I was in fact deaf in the right ear. Mind you I had a decent idea, but knowing this is a lot more serious made me take a few moments to think. I asked if it was a temporary thing. They said it was to hard to tell. They wanted to wait until the infection was gone. An infection that I still have. They told me not to give my hopes up. There is a large chance from looking at the results that hearing would not be restored. "The infection comes first. Then we will try what we can for your ears." Now I am in a place where I am not very sure what to do. I go back next Tuesday to see if the infection has cleared.

       How am I taking this? I think I am doing well. I am taking life one stride at a time. However, listening to a single person is hard. If I am struggling to pay attention, I apologize. I am thankful for the one ear that still works ok. I do not intend for this to hamper my spirits at all. I am going to enjoy the limited time I have here in Korea. In the end, I  still have the other ear. However, I am well aware of the frustrations yet to come. Thank you all for your prayers and aid during this odd time in my life. I love you all! Also, don't worry about me! I will be just fine. So what's next for me? I am not sure. I guess I will just see where this path takes me. My hope is in the Lord, so I think I'll be just fine no matter the results. Who knows, God could have a valuable lesson to be learned.

       So thank you all for reading! Honestly, it is awesome to see the amount of people who have read the blogs. It is awesome to know that others are engaging with my journey. Again, I just want to thank New Phili and Emmaus. Also, I really want to thank my friends and family who have come around me in support of this rough time. So, thanks you amazing, beautiful people. Remember that old saying, "You never know what you have until you lose it?" Well, come to find out it is very true. I know this weeks blog was a little heavy, but know that I am on the upward swing. There is still some hope that my right ear can be restored. Therefore, please pray! I love you beautiful people.