Bonnievale

“We’ll be packing the bus at 8:30 tomorrow morning,” Steve told us on the evening of February 25th, “and make sure to wear your bathing suits!!” A surprise water adventure. Beach time? Water park? Tubing down a river, perhaps? Even better. An irrigation system.
Before arriving in Bonnievale for three full days at the Impact Campground, we partook in what I’d like to call a “freshwater concrete irrigation caving” experience led by our host, Con. Minus some of us getting slapped in the face by a few bats, it was definitely a fun way to start off our stay. The Impact Campground was amazing. Our sleeping structures and the eating areas were both out in the open and overlooking a calm, slightly seaweed filled, river. First order of business? Tarp slide into the river. We all went down that slide in every way possible, even back flipping (resulting in a minor head injury - ahem, Scones). A one kilometer swim up the river brought us to a really sweet rope swing which was frequently visited by all of us for the three days (and even on Monday night, but you can ask some of the guys about that one). Sleeping outside with just a roof over our heads made the heat a lot more bearable during the nights and we were even kept company by a bunch of people-loving flies :) advice for next years Outtatowners: bring ear plugs. To prepare us for the upcoming bungee jump, on Sunday most of us went on what was called the “King Swing” which started with a huge stomach-lurching drop. A little bit less of a drop than the bungee jump but still scary and thrilling nonetheless. On Sunday night we gathered around the fire outside for worship. As a worship team we decided to have a foot-washing service. We had the chance to serve each other and it ended up being a really powerful night. It reminded me of how God and others in our lives constantly pour out their love on us, even when we don’t deserve it. It was really humbling. That night we also enjoyed a girls evening in the river where we found out how water can act as a very strong voice amplifier, at least that’s what the guys told us... Our last adventure in Bonnievale was slingshot paint-balling on Monday morning. Epic. We all had a ton of fun and survived minus a few welts.
Overall, that weekend was the perfect time and place to relax and rejuvenate. And have I mentioned the food yet? It was incredible. Con and his wife were unbelievable cooks. After lots of time swimming in the sunshine for those three days, we were all ready and excited for the next stop on our adventure - bungee jumping and Jay Bay :)

Written by: Caity Wright