Dr. Tom Ball is an internist/pediatrician who practices in Leroy, New York.  He came down to Roca Blanca by himself for 2 weeks during March.  He wrote some reflections on his experience that we present here.

Dr. Tom and Kay with KP duty at El Mosco.

Arrived yesterday at our base in the Sierra Madre Mountains.  We set up our tents and enjoyed a tortilla and a piece of chicken broth with rice.  Afterwards, we shared communion and Troy read a passage from a book which spoke about the exchange that occurs between people when they listen and connect and when there is a healing touch-how one is blessed by being helped and the other is blessed by being able to know the joy of helping someone.  After group devotions, I asked if there was a time that we should be quiet for the night.  This caused some laughter that I would only appreciate after the night in El Mosco.

The air was fresh and cool.  I settled comfortably in to my sleeping bag complete with air mattress.  A Mexican ballad descended from the hills above us.  How quaint, I thought.  Soon I became aware of a cacophony of roosters.  The dogs around our tent joined in the chorus.  Their barking passed along to the neighbour’s dogs and around the valley like a wave in a stadium.  Snorers joined in.  After a while there was a predictability to these sounds that was reassuring.  That was the burro’s cue.  The moment when it all seems like everyone is about to drift off, the burro’s job is to take the party to another level with a painful screeching roar that could raise the dead.  Yet despite this, I somehow managed to fall asleep.  Somewhere, someone in the village must have sensed this because three gunshots rang out jolting me from my slumber.

I must have fallen asleep at some point.  I know this because I woke up to the crow of a rooster.  Maybe it’s just an urban myth, but I always assumed that the first crow of the rooster was the sure sign that morning had arrived.  But as I stumbled out to the tent and looked up at the stars, I realized my error.  Making the most of things, I decided to take a “shower” (splash cold water from a bucket all over me).  At least there would no line.  I then came back and lay down staring up at the tent roof until morning.

After a short while spent in prayer and reading the Bible I joined the others for our group devotions.  Dr. Dave opened in prayer, “Thank you Lord for the night’s rest.”

By Dr. Tom Ball

Dr. Mary Kay and Dr. Tom consulting about a difficult case.