IT IS FUNNY HOW YOU CAN

TAKE FOR GRANTED JUST

HEARING THE TREES RUSTLE OR

THE BIRDS TWEETING.

THOSE THINGS STARTED TO GO

AWAY.

I WAS FOUR WHEN I FIRST GOT

TESTED.

MY DAD WAS ACTUALLY

SKEPTICAL.

HE SAID, NO, I THINK HE IS

JUST NOT LISTENING.

AND MY MOM WAS THE ONE WHO

SAID, NO, I THINK SOMETHING

IS WRONG.

THEY TALK ME TO THE

AUDIOLOGIST, AND THEY DID A

SERIES OF TESTS, REPEAT

AFTER ME AND STUFF.

AND THEY SAID THERE IS A

SIGNIFICANT LOSS.

WE WANT TO KEEP AN EYE ON

THAT.

AT ABOUT SEVEN IS WHEN HE

SUGGESTED I ACTUALLY STARTED

WEARING HEARING AIDS.

HE GOT ME A BIG HEARING AID

THAT GOES ALL THE WAY AROUND

THE EAR.

THE PROBLEM WAS WHEN I WOULD

GO TO SCHOOL, KIDS WOULD

CALL ME METAL EAR.

I WAS IN DENIAL.

I WAS, LIKE, I CAN STILL

HEAR OKAY.

I WAS DIAGNOSED WITH

DEGENERATIVE HEARING LOSS,

PROGRESSIVE HEARING LOSS.

THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, IT IS

HARD TO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE

WHEN THEY TALK.

IT IS ALMOST AS IF YOU WERE

TO PUT YOUR HAND OVER YOUR

MOUTH AND TALK TO ME.

AND THAT'S WHAT I STARTED --

WHEN I STARTED TO REALLY

NOTICE THE GRAVITY OF THE

LOSS.

I WAS DEVASTATED

BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HERE I AM

IN A FAMILY FULL OF

MUSICIANS.

MY DAD WAS THE WORSHIP

LEADER, AND MY MOM HAD HER

BACHELOR'S IN MUSIC, AND MY

GRANDPA PLAYED GUITAR A

LOT.

I LOVE MUSIC.

TO LOSE I A SENSE AND KNOW

THAT'S NOT GOING TO BE THERE

IN THE FUTURE, THE WAY THIS

ROUTE IS TAKING ME, IS

COMPLETELY DEVASTATING.

I WAS DIAGNOSED AS BEING

LEGALLY DEAF.

WHEN A TRAGEDY COMES OR YOU

WANT SOMETHING, YOU GO TO

THE LORD IN PRAYER, RIGHT?

I WENT TO HIM IN PRAYER

FIRST.

I SAID, LORD, I REALLY WANT

TO DO MUSIC WITH MY LIFE.

IT'S THE DESIRE THAT I

HAVE.

PLEASE GIVE ME MY HEARING

BACK.

AGAIN, IT'S FAITH LIKE A

CHILD, SO I ALSO TACK ON TO

THAT, AND GIVE ME SUPER

FLYING POWERS.

ONCE I STARTED PRAYING, I

BELIEVED WHOLEHEARTEDLY THAT

IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN.

AND IF HE DOESN'T GIVE ME

MUSIC, I'M GOING TO FIGURE

OUT A WAY TO DO MUSIC.

I ALWAYS LOOKED AT THE

GUITAR AS THE COOLEST

INSTRUMENT ON EARTH BECAUSE

IT IS THE COOLEST INSTRUMENT

ON EARTH.

I WENT TO A PAWN SHOP AND

BOUGHT THE CHEAPEST GUITAR,

AND I WENT TO THE LIBRARY

AND CHECKED OUT A BOOK, "HOW

TO PLAY GUITAR AT HOME."

WHEN I PARENTS STARTED

NOTICING, THEY SAID, WHY

DON'T WE GET RAYMOND TO COME

AND PLAY FOR US IN THE

DISABILITIES MINISTRY, AND

WE'LL SING.

AT THAT MOMENT, IT REALLY

GAVE ME A DESIRE NOT JUST TO

PLAY MUSIC, BUT TO SERVE THE

LORD WITH THE GIFT HE HAD

GIVEN ME.

NOT LONG AFTER I STARTED

PICKING UP THE GUITAR, I

ACTUALLY STARTED TO NOTICE

THINGS I HADN'T NOTICED IN A

LONG TIME, LIKE THE LEAVES

RUSTLING, CARS STARTING TO

DRIVE BY.

I WENT TO MY PARENTS AND I

WAS LIKE, I THINK I'M

HEARING BETTER.

AND THEY WERE LIKE, YOU'RE

JUST GETTING USED TO IT AND

SO YOU'RE LEARNING HOW TO

COPE.

AND I WAS LIKE, NO, NO, NO,

I THINK I'M ACTUALLY GETTING

BETTER.

CAN YOU JUST HUMOR ME AND

WE'LL TEST IT.

WE WENT TO THE SAME

AUDIOLOGIST IN THE PAST, AND

HE SAID, WOW, HE IS SHOWING

SOME IMPROVEMENT.

THAT'S PRETTY INCREDIBLE.

WE CAME BACK A FEW MONTHS

LATER, AND HE IS SHOWING

MORE IMPROVEMENT.

WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?

AFTER THAT, I WAS OUT OF THE

REALM OF LEGAL DEAFNESS.

NOW WHERE IT WAS

PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE

IS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY

BETTER.

AROUND AGE 16, I THREW MY

HANDS UP AND SAID I'M

HEALED.

I'M MOVING ON FROM THIS.

WHEN I WAS 21, JUST OUT OF

CURIOSITY I WENT BACK IN,

AND THIS IS A NEW

AUDIOLOGIST, AND HE SAID,

WHY DO YOU WANT TO TEST YOUR

HEARING?

THERE IS NOTHING POOR ABOUT

IT.

AND THAT'S WHEN I KNEW THE

LORD CLOSED THAT DOOR IN MY

LIFE AND NOW IT IS A NEW

CHAPTER.

AND HE IS ALLOWING ME TO

MOVE ON.

SO I WAS, LIKE, I BETTER

SERVE HIM WITH THIS.

IT IS INCREDIBLE TO TAKE A

GUY WHO IS LOSING HIS

HEARING, AND NOW HE HAS A

MUSIC MINISTRY.

I RECENTLY WROTE A STRONG

CALLED "YOU ARE FAITHFUL,"

AND IT KIND OF OUTLINES

THAT.

THROUGH TRIAL AND TRAGEDY,

THROUGH PROSPERITY, GOD WILL

BE FAITHFUL.

HE HAS TAKEN THAT YES ANSWER

TO THAT PRAYER FROM A LITTLE

BOY ASKING FOR HIS HEARING

TO COME BACK, AND HE IS

USING IT TO GIVE HOPE TO

OTHERS.

NOT JUST THE FACT THAT HE HE

GAVE ME MY HEARING BACK, BUT

THAT HE ANSWERED AT ALL.

NO MATTER WHAT, WHETHER IT

IS A YES ANSWER OR A NO

ANSWER, HE WILL REMAIN

FAITHFUL TO WALK WITH US,

AND HOLD US IF NECESSARY.

* LORD, YOU ARE FAITHFUL

* GOD, YOU ARE FAITHFUL