May 26th, 2014

Well these couple of weeks have probably been the most crazy weeks of my mission. That's for sure... So I guess I'll start with the fun stuff from the week before!
Since we had Soeur Tane's car from her previous ville, we got to go out further in our area and visit some families in our ward. It really is just SO beautiful out in the countryside!!

 

And they had some pretty cool signs with my nickname on it - Frenchified ;)



 

 

Along with visiting the members, came eating with the members. This delicious plate was served first. I was in love!!

They were so good, I stuffed myself thinking that was the meal. WRONG. As soon we finish the lady in our ward happily says "I'm so glad you loved that! Now we'll have the salad and bread!". In my head I'm thinking "oh shoot. I'm so full already... I'll just eat a little bit". Little did I know that she would be serving us. So I ate the salad and bread. By this point all I can think about is how i'm not going to be hungry until at LEAST lunch tomorrow. Then she says "I'll go get the chicken wings and pasta!". I looked at Soeur Denning with the most terrified look on my face and she just starts laughing. After being served a couple chicken legs and a heaping pile of pasta I began just mindlessly try and eat this food so I wouldn't upset this kind lady in our ward. By my last bite I felt like I was going to throw up right then. I was PRAYING there would be no more. She cleared our plates and then announces she made cake with homemade cream. I don't know how, but I managed to finish this delicious cake still sitting up. I don't think I've ever been so full in my life. I could barely move! I learned a valuable lesson though - whenever you eat at a member's house don't eat anything the day before and make sure you mentally prepare yourself to be force fed at LEAST 4 courses. Haha it was a great experience :)

One day last week we had a meeting with our Ward Mission Leader at the church. When we were walking out of the building we heard little meowing coming from a bush and so we go and check it out and find these adorable kittens!! We were in LOVE. Sadly, we weren't allowed to keep them...

Well by the end of that week my pain was only getting worse. I knew that something needed to be done because it was inhibiting me from being able to do normal missionary work and that is the whole reason I was out there - to DO missionary work. So I talked to my mission president and Dr. Wing a lot on the phone trying to come up with a solution. We decided to try and do what we could to make it so that I could stay in France. So, I called the American Hospital in Paris to try and get an appointment with a neurologist who would be able to tell me the next step I would need to take. I called and the next available appointment wasn't until July 15th. After I called President and Dr. Wing and let them know, we decided the best thing for me to do would be to go home to the United States and get it taken care of there.
That was the hardest thing I've had to do on my mission. The very last thing I wanted to do was go home! I came out because I wanted to serve the Lord for 18 short months. But, I realized after talking it through with them and later with mom, that the state I was in wasn't allowing me to be the missionary that I wanted to be and what the Lord needed me to be. So, in the end I felt peaceful and calm about my decision.
After I told my district, we were all very sad. My district has been so amazing to me through this whole thing and have been my family away from home! One of our Elders decided that we should all wear black for my last Sunday in France "to mourn" as he said. So, just to be funny we decided to do it! haha

Saying goodbye to all the members in my ward in Angers was soooo hard!! I love them all so much and they all have touched my life so greatly. They all showed so much love and support from day 1 and especially since this whole thing has happened.
One lady in our ward who was a ward missionary just loved us! She was so upset that I was leaving. She is the lady who we would teach English to and came to visit me while I was in the hospital. Her name is Nathalie!

On Monday I got a call from President saying I needed to be packed and ready in 3 hours at the train station to go into Paris for my flight the next morning. So I very speedily packed and spent my last little bit of time with my great companions. While we were waiting for the Elders to pick us up in the car to go to the train station, Soeur Tane did a beautiful farewell Tahitian dance and gave me a shell necklace.

Saying goodbye to my dear friends was so hard!! They have done so much for me and have just been amazing friends and examples of selfless missionaries to me.

Saying goodbye to Soeur Denning was probably the hardest. She became my best friend and sister! She has really blessed my life and helped me so much these past 2 transfers as my trainer. She really is such a great example to me and she taught me how to be a great missionary. I'm going to miss her SO much!!

The next morning (Tuesday) I began my trip home. The total travel time consisted of a 2 hour train ride to Paris, a 45 minute metro ride to Versailles,

a 20 minute drive to Prince's apartment where I stayed the night, a 40 minute drive the next morning to the airport, a 1 hour wait after going through security and everything at the airport, a 9 hour and 45 minute flight to Atlanta, a 2 and a half hour layover there, and then a 4 hour flight home. By the end of I was completely exhausted but SO grateful to see my beautiful family waiting there for me.

 

Even though this has been (still is) a very difficult trial for me, I know that it's all in the Lord's hands. I know that for some reason this is supposed to happen. It may be for a bunch of different reasons that this had to happen when it did that I don't know, but I do know that Heavenly Father sees the bigger picture and that this is all part of His plan for me. Even though it is hard, I know that all I can do is be faithful and optimistic and everything will work out exactly how it's supposed to.

Just a quick medical update from what we know so far - So on Thursday I went to a spine specialist and she said that my neck was too straight and my vertebras were to far spread out and so something was pulling them and causing stress in my neck. She said to come back in 8 weeks and we would do a follow up after some physical therapy and pain treatments. EIGHT WEEKS. I was trying really hard to not freak out because all I want to do is get back to France! So then on Friday we went to my family doctor (who is actually the doctor for the missionaries in our area so he understands my time frame!) and he diagnosed it as occipital neuralgia. Then he gave me two very painful injections in the back of my head to try and calm the nerves and then prescribed me some anti-inflammatory and a muscle relaxer and I have a follow up with him later this week (THAT is the kind of time frame I like to hear). He said that the pain relief should have almost been instant but I still feel some pain. So, right now it's just a matter of being patient and letting the medicine work to see if that will be the cure.
Thanks you SO MUCH for everyone who has gone out of their way to help and for all your prayers and love. I can't tell you how much it means to me and how much strength it has given me. I love you all SO much and I hope that you have a great week.

Avec amour,

Courtney Ridd

May 19th, 2014

Courtney is coming home tomorrow. The Church's doctor over the missions in Europe feels like surgery is probably the next step in her recovery. The treatment she was receiving in France are just not working. I am glad to get her home and in my arms where we can take care of her and help her get better. If you have called or texted and I haven't answered I am sorry. I deal with change very poorly and I tend to close off and cut off communication. I am hoping that no one gets offended. I am so grateful to all of you for the love and support and help you have offered. I promise that if we need anything or if Courtney needs anything we will be in contact. I hope that when she feels up to it that she will continue blogging here about her recovery and her experiences with all of this. Her number one goal is to get better and get back to France. 

May 12, 2014 - The One After Mother's Day!

Well, sorry for not getting a blog post last week. I was a little tied up... in IVs. Ha ha just kidding that was a little bit dramatic. But, I just want to thank everyone for their love and support these past few weeks! There were times when I really felt you all so close during really hard times! I love you all!

So anyways, I guess I should kind of tell you all what happened. BUT it's really long so this is going to be the very very VERY condensed version of what happened. So two Mondays ago I had already tried two different prescribed medications for the horrible headaches I had been having and neither of them worked. So, then, the wife of my mission president said that I should go to the emergency room .We went at about 7:30 i the evening and didn't leave until FIVE O'CLOCK THE NEXT MORNING! Our zone leader and district leader were so worried about us there that they ended up getting permission and running all the way to the hospital to stay with us! It was so nice of them. So, all they did there was take my blood and a CT scan on my head and say that nothing was wrong and prescribe me codeine. So I took that and all of the drugs they gave me and we left.

A very very kind lady in our ward here in Angers came and picked us up and we went home. But the next morning we had our District Meeting at 11 so we went because we felt bad that our Elders would have to go with as much sleep as us because of how nice they were. It was good that we went too because it was our last district meeting with a sister in our district who went home that week because of health issues. So we all took a picture together one last time. 

I think this picture really shows how wonderful Courtney's companion has been to her while she has been sick

And of course I had to take a picture of me with the nicest elders ever who helped us out so much!!

Then the next day I had to go in to Paris to do legality stuff and it was so fun because I got to see the missionaries who came in with me from the MTC! Even though I don't really remember much from that day... probably from the codeine... I DO remember that I was so happy to be able to see some of my good friends from the MTC!

The next day was Thursday and I could hardly do anything without it hurting. Brushing my hair? Nope, couldn't do that. Blinking? Couldn't do that either. Pretty much it wasn't getting better even with the really strong medicine so my President told me to go back to the Emergency Room and the church's doctor that I had been in contact with told me to have them do a test there that would tell if I had a condition that he thought I had called Occipital Neuralgia. So I go back to the Emergency Room and they decide to admit me to the hospital and start their own treatments on me - they wouldn't test me for Occipital Neuralgia. So I spent that day and the next day at the hospital here in Angers. If you can help it - don't EVER go to a French hospital. There is so much I could say about that hospital and what it was like but I'll just show you the pictures of the dinner they served me. That should give you just a little idea of what it was like...

The only good thing about being in the hospital was that I got to talk to Mom and Dad. But I just bawled when President said he was going to call Mom because I knew how worried it would make them. I told my President "please do NOT call my mom! She is going to freak out!" but he did anyway... ha ha. So at the hospital they had me hooked up to medicine that just made me spend all night on a very very gross bathroom floor. It wasn't good. So the next night I was talking to the Church's doctor and he said to leave and go to the American Hospital in Paris and have them treat me there. SO, the next day I was on a 2 hour train ride to Paris. Once I got there they diagnosed me (Occipital Neuralgia) and prescribed me treatment within about 20 minutes. I love America. So I have started that treatment that hopefully will work. 

That weekend I stayed with a senior couple in Paris until Monday. They are just about the sweetest people ever. They helped me gain back the 2 kilos I had lost in the last couple of days with all kinds of delicious homemade food and goodies. They were just like grandparents to me!

Oh and a really quick side note - I spend Monday in the Mission home with the President's family and they have a dog that is Mu Shu's twin!!

So then Monday night I traveled back to Angers - wow, I missed my ville and my district so much!! We were finally reunited and everyone was so happy!

A very kind Polynesian family in our ward had us over for dinner. Everyone here in the Angers ward has really just been taking care of us so well. At their house Soeur Tane (who is Tahitian and is now with us until the end of the transfer) did a traditional Tahitian dance for us!

The following week I was feeling so much better and we were busy! We had exchanges with our Sister Training Leaders. I was with Soeur Holmes who is just so sweet! I loved being with her!

And we had two birthdays! Sour Tane was on Wednesday. It's funny - everyone thinks I'm a good cook or something so I always get put in charge of the cake - mom thanks for teaching me everything I know ;) so we made her a cake! Yesterday was an Elder's birthday too so we made him an orange cake. It was SO good!

Also, a member from the ville where Soeur Tane used to serve drove all the way to come take us out for her birthday. She was the sweetest little lady! Afterwards she bought us all little cakes! They were so dang good!

And then finally, my favorite day! Mother's Day yesterday!! I was so happy to talk to the family!! You guys are so cute :) It was so nice to talk to Devon too! I JUST LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!! Mom, thanks for everything that you do for me and for your great example. I hope that you had a great day!!

Thanks everyone for all your love and support and prayers and fasting these last couple weeks. You allreally are so amazing. Through this whole thing my testimony really has grown so much. I can't even tell you how many prayers I said. I remember being in the hospital and not being able to understand what was going on and I just prayed and prayed and prayed. Not once did I feel alone. I KNOW that Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers and is so ready to comfort us. I am so grateful for this gospel and for all the blessings I recieve because of it!

Thanks again everyone! I love you all, have a great week!

Avec Amour...

May 5, 2014 - No Real Post this Week

This week Courtney has been in and out of a few hospitals in France. She was admitted in to the University hospital in Angers with a very painful headache - the one she has had for almost two weeks now. They weren't able to control the pain and in fact they were giving her some sort of medicine that made her very sick. We have been communicating with the Mission Department's European doctor and he suggested that she be moved to the American Hospital in Paris. She went in to Paris over the weekend and received some treatment there. She was wearing a pain patch on her neck to help calm the bulging nerve in her neck. We were able to talk to her a few times this week which was nice but it's hard to know that she is in so much pain. We got this short email from her today:

Bonjour! I just have a minute to let  you know that I'm doing okay! I'm staying with the Princes - a senior couple serving in Paris. They are taking good care of me. I am going to go to the office with them today and visit with President Poznanskie - we spoke on the phone last night and he said that he is going to try and get me back to Angers today so all is well. The patch is working - I don't know how but it is! I still feel sore but Elder Prince said it's probably just my muscles around the nerve because they've been so stressed these past two weeks. My head is still a little painful but seriously compared to what it was I feel like I'm on cloud 9! I still can't keep any food down - I just wonder what they were putting in my body in the Angers Hospital! I am hoping to be A-ok when I talk to you next week for Mother's Day!

Please tell everyone that I love them. I could really feel all of the prayers and fasting on my behalf. I am so grateful for the gospel! Without it and the power of prayer I seriously would not have been able to make it through this past week! Thank you so much for praying and fasting for me - I know that it is because of your faith, my faith and the faith of my district that fasted for me on Friday that I am ok and that I was able to make it through such a hard week. I know that there is something great that I am going to take from this and I already feel like I have learned so much.

I KNOW that everything about my mission has been so inspired. I am so grateful for everyone right now. Even my ward here in France - the lady in my ward who came and visited me called like everyone in the ward and had them fast for me too on Sunday and our Bishop announced it and Soeur Denning said they announced it in Relief Society and Priesthood. It's so amazing to think how many people are praying and fasting for me - that alone gives me SO much comfort and strength. Thanks for everything that you have done for me this weekend.

I have to tell you about the Princes. They are seriously fantastic - they tried to feed me like a queen. Too bad I can't keep any of it down! Yesterday Sister Prince made pot roast and mashed potatoes and gravy and homemade bread and homemade tapioca pudding. Then today we had crepes and grilled chicken. I has been a nice place to recover! And they have so many great stories! He's a cancer survivor of only a couple years and they are best friends with the Hollands. THE Hollands! Elder Prince and Elder Holland grew up together and now they live across the street from each other. When the doctors told Elder Prince he only had 3 weeks to live, Elder Holland gave him a blessing and well, he's still alive! They remind me so much of the Johnsies!

I love you so much! I will be talking to you next week!