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<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn Saturday, December 3, students from 6th-8th grade got to travel to Ruby Ranch to celebrate the last Thrive of 2022 and the birth of Christ Jesus. The day started great- buses were there on time, kids were excited, and leaders were, mostly, on time. Although we were down four of our nine Thrive leaders, the buses departed for Ruby Ranch as planned. As soon as we left the NCAI grounds, music blasted through student\u2019s speakers. Between Mr. Barker\u2019s narration of the Argentina-Australia game and Christmas carols sang heartily but dreadfully out of tune by the enthusiastic 8th graders that rode with me, we were ready to conquer the world. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the bus to Ruby Ranch<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n As we broke off from the main Carretera Vieja a Leon highway and onto a dirt road, kids were getting impatient. Fifteen minutes into the dirt road, Drew Lang used the \u201cStar\u201d method. Every time a kid would ask how long until we got to Ruby Ranch, Drew would answer \u201cTwo more minutes!\u201d, just as Mr. Star had done with us at some point. This saved us from having to endure hundreds of more How long \u2018till we\u2019re there\u2019?<\/em>s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicaraguan countryside is beautiful, but even beautiful can get tiring after more than an hour. Soon, the buses reached an adventurous obstacle. A small river caused by recent rains kept the 8th graders\u2019 heads on a swivel just enough to give the leaders, and the poor bus driver, a rest from their music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n