Once a part of the Camp Gilgal family, always a part of the Camp Gilgal family.

Author: Cricket (Page 1 of 3)

Gilgal Gazette Volume 25: West Coast, Midwest and East Coast Edition

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“Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and courageous.  Do not be terrified;  do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9

Inside This Issue:

East junior photo1

East Junior Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

East Teen Camp

East Teen Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midwest Junior Camp

Midwest Junior Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Midwest Teen Camp

Midwest Teen Camp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

West Junior Camp

West Junior Camp

West Teen Camp

West Teen Camp

 

 

Camp Gilgal East Teen Camp (July 10–17, 2016)

CG 16 logo croppedThe Gospel Transforms Us


“Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away . . . all things h
ave become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

 
The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

TMain page1-1ribe of Benjamin: Asher W., Elliot A., Gavyn R., Josiah O., Judah W., Shai K., Y’didyah B., Scooter, Indiana Jones

Tribe of Issachar: Alex J., David K., Isaiah H., Joe S., Paul G., Beardo, Hiccup

Tribe of Simeon: Abigail O., Alyssa C., Emily R., Kaelee F., Rebekah C., Simona B., Anonymous, Sitruce

Tribe of Asher: Elie W., Gracie R., Hannah K., Nathalia O., Penina S., Rachel M., Sydney F., Watson, Nature ValleyMain page3-2

Out-of-Cabin Staff: RedSox, Strings

Special Guests: Polaroid

Camp Gilgal East Junior Camp (July 3 –16, 2016)

CG 16 logo croppedGod’s Plan Has Always Been to Save Us

 

“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story”
Psalm 107:2a

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribe of Simeon: Ava G., Aylo L., Halye G., Vivian K., SneezyMain page1, Sharkbait

Tribe of Zebulun: Greenlee K., Halie F., Meaghan S., Michelle B., Watson, Squid

Tribe of Benjamin: Alana F., Eliana A., Elie W., Faith B., Netanya W., Rachel H., Anonymous, Mochi

Tribe of Judah: Daniel C., Ephraim L., Isaac G., Scooter, Pixel

Tribe of Asher: Ezra L., Levi W., Matthew S., Noah N., Indiana Jones, Verde

Out-of-CabiMain page2-1n Staff: RedSox, Beardo, Strings, Sitruce, Jalapeno

Others: Wallaby (Camp Nurse), Sunshine (Babysitter), Gato and Spitzy Pluto (Pre-Campers)

Special Guests: Noodle, Hiccup

Camp Gilgal Midwest Junior Camp (June 26 – July 9, 2016)

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God’s Plan Has Always Been to Save Us


“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story”
Psalm 107:2a

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Main page2-2

Tribe of Reuben: Lily M., Rachel S., Rahela D., Ruth D., Tikvah C., Baloo, Twilight, Tapatio

Tribe of Asher: Emily H., Hannah H., Kaidynce Y., Selah C., Shayna T., Shoshanna S., Olive, Kitten

Tribe of Simeon: Abigail D., Hannah S., Lydia G., Krystalline L., Rocky, Simba

Tribe of Benjamin: Max M., Nathan L., Seth M., Goliath

Tribe of Judah: Benjamin A., Gabriel H., Joshua Main page 2-2D., Matthew M., Riff Raff, Feedback

Out-of-Cabin Staff: Blewish, Sneakers, Bologna, Firefly, Susa, Blewberry

Special Guests: Bamba

Camp Gilgal Midwest Teen Camp (July 10–17, 2016)

CG 16 logo croppedThe Gospel Transforms Us


“Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away . . . all things have become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

Campers:

Abigail D., Abigail H., Anna A., Avi Main page2T., Deborah S., Efren S., Gloria C., Hannah B., Jennifer M., Lilly C., Mariam G., Matthew M., Max M., Nathan L., Nena K.

In-Cabin Staff: Baloo, Goliath, Rocky

Out-of-Cabin Staff: Blewish, Bologna, Bullfrog

Camp Gilgal West Junior Camp (June 26 – July 9, 2016)

CG 16 logo croppedGod’s Plan Has Always Been to Save Us

 

“Let the redeemed of the LORD tell their story”
Psalm 107:2a

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribe of Reuben: Eliana R., Raina W., Rebecca S., Rebekah P., Zoe A., Pippin, MacaroniMain page-1

Tribe of Issachar: Ahavah M., Channah A., Eliana R., Emma B., Shelby H., Saute, Mango

Tribe of Dan: Ellie M., Lily H., Sarah M., Shalom M., Talia W., Sherlock, Chip

Tribe of Zebulun: Bailey H., Carrie M., Erica B., Persaeus B., Zoë N., S’mores, Mahoney

Tribe of Benjamin: Isaac P., Jonah M., Joshua B., Ryan H., Samuel S., Stix, Chewbacca

TribOut of cabin staffe of Naphtali: Jonathan P., Alex. S., Steven M., Tyler H., Heimlich, Oofnik

Out-of-Cabin Staff: Streetlight, Snapple, Poppins, Sherbert, Yamaha, Esquire, Ewok

Special Guests: Moose, Bazooka, Rocky, Simeon, Acorn, Packer, Sonic, Rocko

Capture the Degel

Lily C., Age 15

Here at teen camp, we play the Jewish version of Capture the Flag, called Capture the Degel. “Degel” means “flag” in Hebrew. To start off, all the staff and campers were split into two teams. On my team, I played offeCapture the Degel2nse. I tend to get a bit competitive when I play games so I was running through the river to try to get to the other team’s degel. There was also a lot of tall grass and plants that I tracked through which resulted in getting a ton of scratches. Bologna was on the opposing team with the medical kit, which was used as an excuse to travel through the opposing team’s side. After I finished getting cleaned up I continued to walk around the baseball field onto the other team’s side without anyone noticing. When they eventually saw me I ran for dear life and hopped a fence to escape, and I spent the rest of the game searching for the degel. The other team ended up winning both games. Even though I really wanted to win, it was still one of my favorite things we did at camp this year!

Tabernacle

TTabernaclealyn L., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

First of all, Camp Gilgal is a spectacular camp. I am here to tell you what I adore most about camp. Tabernacle!! Your first question is, what is Tabernacle? It is a time where we worship God. I think worshiping brings you and God closer by singing and praising Him. We also sing songs that are in Hebrew, but don’t worry they have the transliteration under the Hebrew so everyone can follow along. In Tabernacle we also do liturgy. It is traditional prayers in Hebrew. Every day we do the Aleinu, the Amidah, the Shema and the V’ahavta. We also do special liturgy on Shabbat such as Ein Keloheinu. Last, but not least in Tabernacle we do a lesson. This year we focused on Genesis. We talked about Adam and Eve and how they ate the fruit that God told them not to eat and they got punished. We also talked about Abraham and how God gave him blessings, but they didn’t all happen during his lifetime. A lot of them happened after he died. I love worshiping, and liturgy, and the lessons. Every year I’ve been to camp it has been a blast.

Tribe Time

Hannah S., Age 13
Tribe of Simeon

You might be thinking, what is tribe time? It is when we all do things together as a cabin and get to spend time with each otherTribe time. We also go to the store, petting zoo, beach, and gaga pit. During one tribe time we got to build a boat out of cardboard that could float for the boat race. We raced the other tribes afterwards. Another thing that I love is my tribe because we are fun people that have a good time together. My tribes name is Simeon. It consists of Talyn, Lydia, Abi, Simba, Rocky, and me. One time during tribe time we were playing gaga vs. the tribe of Benajmin. I was against Goliath as the last two players in. Sadly, I got out because I wasn’t looking and he hit the ball at my shin. My favorite place to go during tribe time is the beach to do paddle boarding. We get to jump off the boats and play around pushing each other off. The game room is also a great place to go during tribe time. We get to play games like carpetball, ping pong, air hockey and pool. Out of all the games, I like carpetball the most. I love tribe time and spending time with my tribe because we get to hang out with each other. You will love tribe time too!

My First Year at Camp

My First Year2Ruth D., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

This was my first year at Camp Gilgal. It was very exciting. It was hard at first but then it started getting easier, and I had a lot of fun. I got to go to the petting zoo and hold the bunnies as well as pet some sheep. I also went swimming where we looked for shells in the water and played in the sand. My second time swimming I went paddle boarding with my friends. We also played a lot of field games like Wells Fargo and Capture the Degel. I also really liked the activities. I was part of Forest Fairies where we got to make challah for Shabbat. We also built fairy houses out of garden pots and made glittery decorations. I also got to meet a lot of new people and make a bunch of new friends. I can’t wait to come back next year!

FOB

FOBLydia G., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

First of all, FOB means flat on bunk. FOB is my favorite time of the day because it is the perfect time to relax. You can basically do anything as long as you are silent and on your bunk bed. While my tribe leader usually sleeps, I like to read or practice my memory verses. FOB is after all the activities when I am most tired so I advise people to leave me alone during FOB. One day during FOB my tribe played truth or dare. Abi was dared to lick the roof of the bunk bed, and Tallyn was dared to go outside the cabin and yell, “I love Blewish!” Hannah and Abi were dared to have a mustache and unibrow. We also painted our nails for Shabbat during FOB. One time one of my cabinmates did everyone’s nails with teal polish and a matte top coat that looked so cool. The best part is just hanging out in my cabin. Sometimes we chat or play games. We have to be careful not to be too loud because our tribe leaders don’t like if we wake them up. Overall I really love FOB and spending time with my cabin.

New Tribe Leaders

New counselors2Rahela D., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Every year at Camp Gilgal we have some new tribe leaders. This year the tribe leaders in my tribe were Twilight, Tapatio, and Baloo. I really like them and they enjoyed being in our cabin. Some of the new tribe leaders are Simba, Twilight, Tapatio, Kitten, Olive, and Feedback. I like all of them, and they convinced me to be a tribe leader one day. What I like about Simba is that she is very sweet. Twilight is my cousin so I like everything about her. What I like about Tapatio is that she has her own way of doing things, and she has such a big and beautiful spirit. What I like about Kitten is that she is just like a kitten. She is so cuddly and sweet. I like Olive because she is so sweet and helpful. Lastly, I like Feedback because he is so funny and has many funny impressions. I am so glad the new tribe leaders came and I am so glad I got to come to camp this year too. I hope they all come back next year.

The Drama Activity

Drama Activity2Tikvah C., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

I liked the drama activity because we got to make a small play also known as a skit. It was about that week’s Torah Parsha which was Parah, meaning Cow. Our play was about the twelve men spying on Canaan. Since there were only eight kids, we had eight spies. However, they were modern day spies and their leader was Queen Momo instead of Moses. They were briefed on their mission, and then traveled to Canaan. One of the spies fainted at the sight of a big giant. The other spies had to use the socks to wake him up. After exploring Canaan they went back to Queen Momo. Six of them gave bad reports. The other two, Joshua (Josh) and Caleb (Kale), gave good reports. Queen Momo congratulated Josh and Kale on trusting the Lord and focusing on the good. The other six then died of a plague because they didn’t trust the Lord. I would recommend drama as an activity because it was really fun. The cast was Emily, Joshua, Lydia, Hannah, Max, Kaidy, Selah, Shoshi, and myself. It was really fun and we got to write the script by ourselves as well as pick out the costumes.

Photo Journalism

Nathan L., Age 13
Tribe of Benjamin

“Pull the shutter closed,” Rocky says. She is one of the camp staff that leads Photo Journalism along with Bologna. In Photo Journalism we actually got to build our own cameras that use real film. We had to keep the film in the dark room, which made it very difficult. First we made the cameras. To make them we had to take empty cans of cornPhoto journalism2 meal and spray paint them as black as a moonless night. Then you tape a bunch of black paper so that no light can get into the can because otherwise the light will damage the film and the picture will not turn out right. Make sure that you use black tape that blocks out every single drop of light. Then you need a red light so that you can take the film out in the dark but still be able to see the film and camera. Then you have to make the shutter and pinhole. You have to make sure they are tight so that no light can get through the camera. You then put the film inside the camera and close the lid, making sure that the shutter is closed. Then we went outside to take pictures. After taking pictures we went back into the dark room and developed the film. We poured chemicals into the buckets, and dipped the film into the chemicals. Each time after you dip, make sure to rinse the photo off with water. I even got to take my own pictures around camp. I chose to take one of a life size chess set. I call it “Illusions” since in the picture the white pieces are black and the black pieces are white. I had a great time in this activity, and I would recommend it.

The Petting Zoo

Petting zoo3Shoshana S., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

The sun was shining down on the bright green leaves surrounding the stairs of doom. Emily, Selah, Olive, and I were headed to the beach, but on the way we decided to stop at the petting zoo. At the petting zoo, two Cran-Hill Ranch staff were using baby bottles filled with milk to feed six adorable, fluffy lambs. They invited us inside the pen and handed each of us a baby bottle. They told us to tip the bottle straight up so that there weren’t any air bubbles. They also warned us to be careful because the lambs can sometimes get forceful when trying to get the milk. My favorite lamb was a mini brown and white one named Freckles. He was so tiny and adorable. He was the smallest and it was really fun feeding him. All of the lambs felt so soft. The fluffiest one was named Jazz, and when I fed him he kept circling around me. I must have circled about twenty times before I gave up and let the staff finish feeding him. I can’t wait to go back to the petting zoo!

Skit in a Bag

Gabriel H., Age 8
Tribe of Judah

This was my first time playing Skit in a Bag, and it was so much fun! Each tribe gets a bag and there are props and materials for a skit like clothes, toys, and other fun items. Then you and your tribe create a skit using all the things in the bag. Your skit has to be about five minutes and your tribe peSkit in a bag2rforms it in front of the entire camp. My tribe’s was titled, “How to Catch a Merman.” Our story was that Joshua was fishing and I was a merman. He was trying to catch me but couldn’t, so Riffraff and Feedback gave him advice. Then he catches me, but then the police, Benjamin and Matthew, arrested him because he didn’t have a license to catch fish. It was so funny! Riff Raff and Feedback were especially funny. Our tribe won the category of creativity. That was my first Skit in a Bag experience and I loved it.

Teepee Building

Teepee building2Benjamin A., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

Today we built a teepee during the activity Indian Warriors. We carried a tree all the way from the woods to camp. We also gathered a bunch of logs and tree limbs. We tied them together with string. It looked like an upside down cone. We put a huge canvas cover around the teepee as a wall. We then colored it with paint and streamers on the top. For the rest of the activity, we cooked Native American food. After that Tapatio, who is Native American, taught us dances and we practiced them. On the last day we had a party in our teepee. After all of that work we had to take down the decorations because of the rain. We danced and ate the fry bread we had made. It was a great activity, and I really liked the bow I made out of sticks during it.

The Petting Zoo

Petting zoo 2- Shayna2Shayna T., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

One of my favorite parts of camp is when I get to go to the petting zoo. I usually go during tribe time and I find it most peaceful to go by myself. When my tribe leader and I got there I couldn’t help but notice how lovely the pen smelled. My favorite animals to visit are the sheet, bunnies, and the goats. The bunnies are cute and soft, but you have to be careful of their nails. The goats are creepy, but I loved to feed them. Besides my favorites, I like to pet all of the animals. The chickens were funny and cute, they really reminded me of my neighbors that breed chickens. It was so fun to watch the sheep run into the chicken coup. They are too big so it was funny to watch them try to get in. He got stuck a few times, but kept trying. I love the petting zoo, and am so excited to go back!

Theater

Theater2Emily H., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

In the activity Theater at Camp Gilgal we acted out the story of the twelve spies that investigated Canaan. We chose that story because it was the Torah portion for the week. It was a lot of fun and we all got to have disguises. Because there were only eight of us, we decided to have six bad spies and two good ones. Moses was called Queen Momo, and each spy had a silly nickname too. Queen Momo briefed them on their mission, and the spies were on their way. It was a beautiful day, so they traveled along the long road easily. Then they ran into giants and one spy fainted! Another spy cried out “Quick, get the sock!” They waved the sock in front of the fainted spy’s nose, and he woke up immediately. They then threw the sock away. The spies continued along the path. They stopped again when they saw milk and honey. There were also grapes. The spies immediately ran for the grapes, and they were so delicious! The spies sat for what seemed like hours eating grapes. Eventually one said, “We should bring some of this food back to Queen Momo before we eat it all.” The other spies agreed, so they began their journey home. When they arrived they gave their reports one by one. “Too many giants!” one said. “We can’t do it,” said another. “If we trust in God we will take the land,” said one of the good spies. Queen Momo debated what she had heard. The skit ended with the good spies being congratulated and the rest were struck down by the Lord for not trusting in Him. Riff Raff helped us to write the play and to stay on topic as we did it. It was a lot of fun even though two of us got sick. Riff Raff was great for Theater!

Indian Warriors

Rachel S., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

I like Indian Warriors because we made a teepee and we decorated it with paint, handprints, streamers, cut out leaves, and a canvas cover. We also learned Native American dancing. The girls did a butterfly dance, and we used our towels as wings. The boys danced in Indian Warriorscircles and shook their heads and arms. We danced to Native American music, and one of the songs was called “Cheese and Bread.” Two of the days for the activity we went to archery where we shot arrows at targets. The second time we went to archery in the middle of the time they asked us if we wanted to throw tomahawks, which is when you throw axes at wooden targets. I threw a few, but then decided to go back to archery. On the last day of Indian Warriors we made fry bread. It is a Native American bread made out of flour, water, salt and baking soda. I ate the fry bread with Tapatio hot sauce and it was so good. I had a great time at Indian Warriors. Thanks Goliath and Tapatio for making it fun!

Capture the Counselor: Star Wars Edition

Capture the Counselor2Shoshana S., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

It was Star Wars Night at camp. At dinner we all wore our Star Wars shirts and had on masks of different characters from the movie. After dinner we went swimming, and then we went into the woods. When we all arrived in the woods, Blewish had all the tribe leaders and assistant tribe leaders talk to him for a minute. One of the campers had brought this Chewbacca mask which whenever you opened its mouth made a Chewy sound. Whenever the person wearing it opened their mouth it would keep making noises. Then the game started. It was just like Capture the Counselor, except the Star Wars edition. My tribe was able to capture C3PO and he was worth 150 points. We tried to capture Hans Solo and Chewbacca, but Chewy wouldn’t follow us without Hans and another tribe had already claimed Hans. Once all of the other characters were caught the whole camp carried Blewish who was playing as Jabba the Hutt. He was really hard to capture! It was a really fun game and we had fun.

CSI Gilgal

Max McCluskey, Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

CSI Gilgal is an activity at camp where we CSI Gilgal2learned how to take fingerprints and got to create our own crime scene for each team to solve. One reason why I like CSI Gilgal is because you get to make up your own name if you are a suspect or a witness. I decided I wanted my name to be Nick because I was a witness in one of the crimes. In the crime that we wrote, Blewberry was kidnapped. The suspects were Alex Tek the caregiver, Bologna the sister, and Feedback the janitor. I was the only witness in the case because I saw Blewberry crawling right before it happened. Alex Tek was a suspect because she liked the baby too much, Bologna was a suspect because she was jealous so she wanted the baby, and Feedback was a suspect because he had to clean up after Blewberry even though he was injured. It was fun because the other team took a while to find the most obvious clue to help them figure out that the kidnapper was Alex Tek. The clue was sand on the picnic bench that they accidentally walked past. Eventually they found it and figured it out. I really liked CSI Gilgal. It was one of my favorite activities!

Olim

Olim2Seth M., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

Olim is a game about when the British ruled Israel. In Olim the point of the game is to get the Olim from one side of the woods to the other. There are three teams: the British, the Olim, and the Kibbutznik. The British are guarding Israel and the Olim are trying to get into the kibbutz without being tagged. The Olim can cross the border to the kibbutz when a Kibbutznik helps them across the border. If you get tagged by the British then you have to go to jail. When the Olim crosses the border they then become a Kibbutznik. The game is timed, and once the time is up the camp staff count how many Olim were brought over the border. If there are more brought over than those that remain, then the Kibbutzniks and Olim win. The first time I played not everyone remembered the rules, myself included. I was an Olim but I accidentally crossed the border without the help of a Kibbutznik. However, we played a second time when everyone understood the rules completely. Everyone had lots of fun, and I can’t wait to play it again next year!

Capture the Degel

Capture the degel2Matthew M., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

As we were going down the stairs of doom one afternoon my tribe leader said to me, “We are playing Capture the Degel.” I was so excited but nervous because sometimes people get hurt while playing, but I didn’t let that get me down. We picked teams and I ended up on the blue team, which I was excited about. As soon as the game started we all ran for the flag. About 30 minutes into the game we had to stop because we found a wasp nest. It was on the ground, so we decided to move from the woods to the field. That was when the game got more intense. It was down to the last three minutes when I decided to step up the game. I took off my shoes and socks and sprinted to the flag as fast as I could. I grabbed the flag and the whole team began chasing me. I sprinted back to the line and crossed it, winning the game for the blue team! I had a really good time playing Capture the Degel.

Wells Fargo

Selah C., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

My favorite game at Camp Gilgal is called Wells Fargo. The camp staff are one team and the campers are the other. One of the teams is the bandits. First the bandits hide a bunch of bags filled with gold in the woods while the faithful Wells Fargo agents wait. After the bandits are done the agents charge into the woods trying to collect the gold and get it back. If the bandits tag an agent then the agent has to go to the other side and touch it before they can keep playing. If the agent is hoWells Fargolding a bag of gold when they are tagged then they have to drop it and the bandits can hide it again. The game is played in a time limit of twenty minutes. When the game ends, the team with the most gold bags wins. When we played it this year we played three games. The first two games the camp staff were the bandits and they won both times. However, the third time the campers were the bandits and we won! In the first two games the campers only got four and five bags out of fifteen. When the cap staff were the agents they didn’t get any! I hope we play Wells Fargo again soon.

My First Time Paddleboarding

First time paddleboarding2Kaidy Y., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

I was super excited, the sun had finally peaked through the clouds, and it was time to go to the lake. It was a little windy, but I was determined to get on a paddleboard. The lifeguard helped me get the big board off of the rack, and I was off! I wasn’t able to steer so I got stuck in the lake. Max followed me and taught me how to steer on the paddleboard. On the way back I tried to push my friends off, but ended up falling into the seaweed. It felt gross as it wrapped around my legs. Other than that, I had an amazing time and I can’t wait to go again!

Climbing the Hardest Wall in Rockwall

Abigail D., Age 12
Tribe of Simeon

Click click, I was just clasped into my harness, and ready to climb. I yelled “Belay on” to my belay team, which was Goliath, Seth and Hannah. They replied “On belay,” which means they are ready to pull the rope up while I am climbing. Then I said my final command, “Climbing.” They replied back “Climb on,” and finally I am ready to climb up the hard wall also known as the spicy walRockwall2l. I raised my foot and put it on a rock, and then I raised my hands and started to climb. That was probably the hardest part because the rocks were small and full of the sweat of the previous people who failed to reach the top of the wall. It continued to be like that until the first bump came and then trouble had begun. My legs were burning and my arms were too short to reach most of the rocks. I felt like giving up, but my brother was next to me. He told me to go closer to his side so I could get over that section of the wall. I reached and climbed until I was so close to getting above and I could hear my team screaming and yelling, “Abi, you got this,” and “You’re so close!” I took a giant push and I made it. I felt so accomplished, and then I looked up in dread realizing I was only halfway up. I kept climbing with burning legs and hurting arms, but my adrenaline was high and on fire. I climbed the second bump with the same struggle as the first. I finally reached the top and I jumped for the bell to reach it. It rang and I was so happy and people and the bottom were cheering and yelling congrats. That was a huge accomplishment and it showed me that Jesus does the same thing in our lives when you put your trust in Him.

Friendships

Alyssa C., Age 15
Tribe of Simeon

One of the things I look forward to every year at camp is seeing all my awesome friends. After eight years of being a Camp Gilgal camper, I’ve made some of the best friends that will last me a lifetime. Sometimes we may be loud and obnoxious but that’s only because we see each other one to twFriendships2o times a year and there’s so much to catch up on, especially when they live so far away. We’ve all created a tight bond that makes leaving camp at the end of the week so hard. We have created many inside jokes and a ton of laughs together. At camp I look forward the most to little things like the van rides to and from the field trip and chill time because we have all the time to hangout. I always felt like I fit in at camp because my friends are just like me, Jewish believers in Yeshua. This year I have taken every second I can to spend time with everyone because it is my last year as a teen camper and camp gives me a lot of opportunities to do that. I am so sad that this is my last year but I’m looking forward to applying to be an assistant tribe leader.

Asher Interview

Asher Interview1Isaiah H., Age 14
Tribe of Issachar

My friend Asher loves playing soccer and he is very chill. He says that his role model is Messi because he gives him inspiration and the motivation to keep trying hard in soccer. He especially likes to play soccer during the summer. At home he likes to enjoy a nice cold smoothie. Asher says that he is going to be someone that is very inspirational because he said that the people at camp are inspirational. Also, he feels like camp has brought him closer to God and stronger in faith. He recommends that people should go because it is a great opportunity to have your faith increase through the love of God’s Word. He hopes to come back next year for his last teen camp year which he is sad about. But he knows camp will leave a positive impact on his life. Asher says that one day he wants to be a tribe leaderto make a positive impact on other people’s lives and spread the Word of God. He is going to miss all of the fun he has had at camp and all of the memories with his friends. Although he loves field trips and free time, he says camp is really all about his faith.

Scooter

Y’didyah B., Age 14
Tribe of Benjamin

Scooter is one of my tribe leaders other than Indiana Jones. Scooter first came to camp when he was fourteen and his walk with God grew stronger when he became a tribe leader in 2011. His favorite thing about camp when he was a camper was making Scooter1friends with other Messianic campers and trying things he had never tried before. His favorite verse is 1 Peter 4:11 because it encourages him to remember that what he is doing should glorify God. He got his nickname from a past camp director named Twister. He was born in New Jersey but now lives in Georgia. For help he looks to God for strength and wisdom and to friends for advice. He has been camp staff for six years. Scooter has an interest in comic books and superheroes. If you ever have a question about Marvel or DC, he’ll answer really accurately. Scooter is one of my favorite camp staff and is really cool.

The Saga of Hiccup

The saga of Hiccup1Shai K., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

As I arrived back from lunch, I caught a glimpse of Hiccup snoring in Scooter’s hammock all dressed up in his Duck Dynasty shirt and wide shoes that support his flat feet. Hiccup is the best tribe leader ever. The camp name derives from the Latin, Greek and Hebrew root of hiccupping randomly, because Hiccup is a very random person. He likes to dance and sing randomly. This year we went whitewater rafting and Hiccup fell out “accidentally” every time he could. On the way back from our whitewater rafting trip he tried to dress up like a gangster. Other than being the most hilarious person at camp, he is a very devoted follower of Yeshua. He loves the book of Job because of Job’s devotion to God even through hardships. He is compassionate about showing people the joy and peace Yeshua gives through his life. He has been camp staff for three years. I hope Hiccup stays a tribe leader until the grand old age of 100.

The Many Hidden Talents of Elliot

David K., Age 15
Tribe Issachar

Life in camp always revolves around several things. One of the most important things is friendship. An example can be my amigo Elliot. He is a wisecracker kid that has many talents. The first talent he has is kvetching. For those who don’t understand what that means, it is actually Yiddish for complaining. This doesn’t mean that he dislikes camp but it is part of his joHidden talents of Elliot1king personality. It was hysterical when his remarks got so out of hand that he actually had to have a limit for it. Another great example of his talents is singing and musical taste. Whenever he and I got bored, we would start singing mostly five musical geniuses which were Frank Ocean, Drake, Outkast, and Kanye West. He insisted that “Views” by Drake and “My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy” by Kanye West are more than albums but musical masterpieces. All in all Elliot’s a good kid. Sure, he might be a crazy guy but name one that is normal. I’m grateful to have a friend like that. We’ve been campers and friends for a long time and grown together a lot. I’m glad God brought us to camp.

First Year at Camp Gilgal

First year at Camp Gilgal1Emily R., Age 15
Tribe of Simeon

My first year at Camp Gilgal was one of the best weeks of my life. At first, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t make any friends and scared about being so far from home. But when I got here I received a warm welcome. I have made some of my best friends here and now I would even consider them my family. The staff were extremely nice and welcoming to me and everyone I came with from North Carolina. The activities were really fun and I got lots of exercise and sun. My favorite game/activity would either be Scream-O or the Decathlon because everyone was screaming and having so much fun all together. What was really cool was when we went whitewater rafting and camping. I would like to thank Asher and Elie for basically dragging me here. This week was phenomenal and I wish I could come back to teen camp, but I am also very excited to go to adventure camp and be an ATL at junior camp next year.

P.S.: Asher looks like Harry Styles.

Indiana Jones & Other True Tales of Flexing, Grooviness, & a Russian

Asher W., Age 14
Tribe of Benjamin

Indiana Jones, who was born in Russia at a very early age, is a prime example of renaissance manhood – daring, ripped, and Jewish. He’s also a lover of the infamous “haunted” shower (only infamous due to its lack of light and occasional proverbial Indiana Jones.1jpgspider).

Indy has an incredible sense of humor and even tolerates Elliot’s contortionist jokes, with his shades dangling on his necklace. Indiana leads activities with imperial passion and joy. Even informal nightly flexing, where pushups are attempted and muscle progress is analyzed in a nearby mirror, is met with partial exasperation. Indiana is often heard singing Russian love ballads or announcing in his deep voice, Russian to the core, that he ate too much breakfast and is just too full. Indy helps everyone, eats anything, and prays for everyone. His favorite Bible verse is Ephesians 1:5 which describes God’s adoption of believers into the heavenly family. Always happy and sanguine, Indiana is a decidedly groovy Jew.

The Epic Tales of Judah

Epic tales of Judah1Elliot A., Age 14
Tribe of Benjamin

Judah is a beast. Judah’s a gymnast and can do the splits. During our decathlon, which is ten competitive challenges between two teams, we had to drink a box of flavored seltzers (which was disgusting) and make a tower out of the empty cans. Few people could finish even one, but Judah chugged six, one after the other without changing his facial expression. He wrote our team anthem and ate several pieces of dry lasagna pasta. He also has a great sense of humor and puts up with my disease jokes. Judah’s the realest camper to ever come to camp. Judah’s from Syracuse and has been an amazing gymnast for seven years. He’s 13 years old but because of all the muscle stimulation of gymnastics he’s huge. Asher and I thought he was a tribe leader when we first saw him. While he is calm and quiet he does everything with joy and enthusiasm. He loves brownies and hates bullies. He’s smart and nice and he’s good at all sports and all in all I thoroughly enjoyed having in the tribe of Benjamin with me.

Anonymous

Elie W., Age 12ish
Tribe of Asher

First off, Anonymous is a human and female. She has longish brown hair and wears Converse that were once white. Her favorite movie genre is comedy and she does not know her favorite movie. This is her fourth year as staff and eleventh year at camp. She loves napping and road trips as her hobbies that she enjoys. Anonymous is Anonymus1passionate about working with children and teenagers because she wants to let them know that God loves them and has a lot in store for them. Anonymous’s role model is C.S. Lewis because of the way he wrote about Yeshua in such a real way. Her favorite sport is football and she loves the Carolina Panthers. Her favorite season is fall because she loves fall fashion and doesn’t sweat as much. Anonymous is an awesome tribe leader and is a great person.

Campfire

Campfire again1Gracie R., Age 14
Tribe of Asher

This is my first year at camp Gilgal and it was so fun! One of my favorites was campfire. At campfire we all have a discussion around the fire. It is special because everyone can contribute and say what’s on their minds. This way, everyone gets to contribute to the conversation and learn tons of other things that people think. We have been talking about Paul and it is a great topic to talk about. Everyone gets to stay how God transformed Paul’s life and it gives the rest of us hope for the future. It personally gives me lots of hope. To me, campfire was so special. Instead of just having someone preach to me, I get to contribute to the conversation. On top of that, the view is great!

Campout Night at Gilgal

Simona B., Age 14
Tribe of Simeon

Campout Night is the best at Camp Gilgal! It all starts out with the drive there. We all got into the 15 passenger vans. It was so fun! We sang, talked, and did Mad Libs. When we finally arrived we unloadeCampout night at Gilgal1d and set up tents. After, we went swimming at the campsite’s pool. The water was so refreshing and nice. We then played Mafia while the staff cooked us dinner. We ate hamburgers, hot dogs, corn, and grilled veggies. It was my favorite meal at camp. After, we made s’mores! They were delicious. It got very cold so we all huddled up by the fire. It was time for bed. We were in tents of four people, three campers and one staff. We all huddled up in our sleeping bags and talked. It was so fun! After about five minutes of talking, we all crashed. Camping out at the campsite was so fun. They take your watches so you can relax and not worry about time for once. It is so relaxing and an awesome experience.

Movie Night

Gavyn R., Age 13
Tribe of Benjamin

Shalom, I am Gavyn. I am related to three of the staff at Camp Gilgal and I will be writing about Movie Night. For one Movie Night is the one night where we a watch a movie chosen by the staff. The staff make sure the movie is appropriate before playing it. It is a relaxing night where you can sit with friends and eat lots of snacks from candy to fruit. There is all kinds of food. But! You have to make sure to take your fair share. Movie Night1After the movie we will be dismissed to bed. And I must add you don’t have to go to the movie. You can sleep if you wish to. I must remind you, the movie is very random. It can be old like the Lion King or new like Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It is my favorite part of Camp Gilgal. That’s all I can say.

Campfire

Campfire1Judah W., Age 13
Tribe of Benjamin

The campfire is a really cool and different part of camp. Most camps, if they even include a campfire, have campfire songs, s’mores, and stories. Not only does Camp Gilgal’s campfire include these things, but they include life lessons taken away from Scripture. At the beginning of camp I was pretty shy to share my ideas during a Bible discussion, but as I enjoyed camp throughout the week and my faith grew closer to Yeshua it became easier to speak, answer questions and be active in prayer. Not only did I change but I saw others transform through the power of Yeshua. Something about God’s Word changes people’s personalities, and shows their true colors. For example when Alex, a camper, would raise his hand to answer a discussion question he sounded educated and like a true son of God who loved Yeshua, something I didn’t quite expect on first glance. It was great to hear from him and great to get to know him. All together the campfire was something to really look forward to at the end of the day. It’s something that is unique to Camp Gilgal and is a really great aspect of camp, something a camper like me can’t get anywhere else.

Camp Out Night!

Josiah O., Age 13
Tribe of Benjamin

It was Campout Night. The entire camp was ready. All the campers split into two groups and got into separaCamp out night1te vans and off we went. When we got to the campout site everyone unpacked their gear and set up tents. Then it was dinner time! After saying the blessings we all dug in. I had three hamburgers, two hot dogs, and an ear of corn and a bag of chips. After dinner we had s’mores and a campfire. Then we all went to sleep in our tents. CAMPOUT NIGHT WAS AWESOME! My favorite part of Campout Night was the food and s’mores. This was also my first time sleeping in a tent. I cannot wait until next year of teen camp!

White Water Rafting

Kaelee F., Age 14
Tribe of Simeon

Wow! Teen camp is all about the fun of whitewater rafting! What can be more enjoyable than eight hours on the water? Whether the river is tranquil and peaceful or thrilling with many speedy rapids, you are guWhite Water Rafting2aranteed to have the time of your life on this special camp trip. This rafting trip all began with a car ride to Wild Waters Outdoor Center located in Warrensburg. There, we readied ourselves for our boating experience by changing into swimwear and borrowing a flotation device, helmet and paddle provided according to individual size. From the Wild Waters base, we took a 40 minute bus ride into the Adirondacks where we divided ourselves into groups of seven or eight campers and staff. We started on our adventure in a blue raft with a certified guide to direct the journey.

At first, I was confused about how to paddle and respond to commands such as, “forward one,” “backward two,” and “all forward.” However, after a couple of minutes, we all rowed together in unison. I think we all learned about the intricacy of rafting from our interesting guides. We even stopped at a small beach off the water for lunch, consisting of sandwiches. I have to say the jostling white water rapids were my favorite aspect of the journey because I could feel the extremity of the currents. The last hour of rafting was calm and soothing, which kept us relaxed as we entered the bus to ride back to the base for dinner and gift shopping.

Campfires

RacCampfires3hel M., Age 14
Tribe of Asher

Something really special about camp that connects me especially to God is the campfires. It’s a place that we really get to open up about our faith without having to care if anyone is judging you – and that’s what I really love. I often think of it as my safe place – a place that feels like family.

Every night we have discussions about topics that we all participate in. These “talks” really help me get a deeper understanding about who God is and how He’s moving in my life. Something else we do at campfire is sing worship songs. I love doing this because I am free to worship without worrying that people are looking. It’s very peaceful and mellow because it’s dark and everyone has their own personal connection to God in that moment.

Camp Gilgal

Nathalia O., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

The first year of Camp Gilgal was awesome. I was able to meet so many new people. During worship we were all free to pray and talk to God. All the campers were all so excited for the worship and all the campfires.

There were so many fun activities such as the Decathlon. TherCamp Gilgal1e were ten games and two teams. My team was called Cucumber Deodorant and the other team was called Meggh! My favorite game was where you had to draw a mural of shaving cream and the worst game was drinking an entire bottle of the nastiest seltzer in the world!

We were all able to talk about how we felt about God and how thankful we were to be at Camp Gilgal.

My favorite part of camp was meeting new friends that have so much in common with me. I will never forget how much of a privilege it was to come to Camp Gilgal.

Tabernacle

Penina S., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

Tabernacle is a time in camp where we all get together and worship. My favorite part is the music because I get to participate in leading it. At teen camp teens who volunteer to be on the worship team can do so. It feels like you’re part of the community wTabernacle1hen you are on the worship team. Everyone is praising the Lord with you. The songs are really fun and are easy to learn. One of the camp favorites is “Prince of Peace” because it has a really cool part where the chorus splits into “boys” and “girls.” After the music portion we have the camp director, RedSox, talk about the Bible and teach us about it.

Some things I learned about in Tabernacle was that God could take a bad person (Saul/ Paul) and forgive them and give them a second chance. There is hope for everyone. Tabernacle is in the evening which is nice because it is peaceful and everyone is really tired. Tabernacle is a time when all of camp gets together to worship God.

SCREAM-O

SCREAM-O1Rebekah C., Age 15
Tribe of Simeon

There are many fun games at camp. One of the fun games at camp was Scream-O. Scream-O is a game based on luck with a partner and dice and little pieces of paper from numbers 2 to 12. Both partners have to roll all the possible numbers from 2 to 12 on their separate sets. The fun part of the game is how frantic it gets when playing with other teams while laughing and screaming. Everyone is always in a rush to beat the other team, and therefore moving up closer to winning is the whole game. It can also be a great bonding game because you are working with your partner to complete a challenge. You also get to have a good laugh with your teammate and opponent. My partner and I could barely win a game as the rounds ran out. Then they called two more rounds and we were at the second place zone. The pressure started to rise and clumsiness came with it. We were at the first zone then heard Scream-O and we had won the game which was surprising after losing for a while. I will miss Scream-O as this is my last year of teen camp but I will also remember the fun I had and the friends I made.

Pioneering

Joseph S., Age 15
Tribe of Issachar

The pioneering activities were so much fun! Nature Valley is amazing! During those activities we got to do stuff like make traps and maps. The most fun thig in the pioneering activities for me was probPioneering1ably building shelter, because we only used what we had around us to build it. Don’t forget to wear closed-toed shoes because you go into the woods to get the supplies for these activities. The staff will tell you that you have to wear closed-toed shoes for this activity. You might also get dirty because of the fact that you are grabbing the materials that you need from the ground. We are looking for the items around the trees so we stayed in the shade for these activities. So if you do come to camp here and you like getting dirty and having fun I hope you do some of the pioneering activities. I live in NYC so pioneering is a great change for me!

Who’s Hungry

Who's hungry1-2Paul G., Age 14
Tribe of Issachar

Every day for breakfast, lunch, and dinner we get amazing food. Our chef makes awesome dishes that I really enjoy. My favorite breakfast dish has to be between French toast sticks or waffles. I really love having seconds or thirds or fourths on the delicious grub. Besides having water the kitchen crew puts out different drinks. Those drinks include apple or orange juice, and different combos of awesome Kool-Aid like drinks. Wherever a food item runs out, almost immediately another crew member replaces it. I am thankful to God for a very awesome and talented kitchen staff. Out of all the grub I’ve had this place is one of my favorites. So, who’s hungry?

Bible Topics

Bible topics2Abigail O., Age 15
Tribe of Simeon

At teen camp, each camper is assigned three activities that take up our time between breakfast and lunch each day. One of the three activities is a Bible topic discussion. Many deep aspects of our faith and God’s Word were brought up and there were plenty of opportunities for us to share about our beliefs.

Some of the focuses for our discussions were whether or not you can be a Christian and believe in evolution, what the deal is about hell, why it is awkward to share your faith, and if we should take the Bible literally or figuratively. These things really got me thinking and helped me see what God is like more clearly. I loved hearing what other people had to say as well as contributing my own convictions and beliefs.

It’s good if you have questions about the credibility of the Word of God, are just curious about Yeshua, or simply love hearing about peoples’ perspectives about Christianity. I feel that Bible Topics is an essential part of camp and helps people grow in their faith. I personally enjoyed Bible Topics the most out of all the activities and I think you would too!

Worship

Alex J., Age 15
Tribe of Issachar

My name is Alex, this is my last year of teen camp, and I feel that I connect to God best and feel His presence most during worship. We have worship before Tabernacle and Anonymous is the leader of the worship band. She plays the keyboard and sings. Scooter plays the cajon and there are campers that play in the worship bWorship1and as well. Penina plays Strings’ violin, Alyssa plays the guitar, and Kaelee sings.

I think worship is amazing because it’s a very personal experience between you and God and it doesn’t matter who else is in the room. You’re able to close your eyes and it’s a very intimate one on one connection with God. Camp makes this very easy to do because you’re surrounded by like-minded people. One time during worship I felt very connected to God and I stopped singing and I let the lyrics run through me.

Next year I hope to be staff and I hope to be on the worship team and influence the next generation of campers through worship and finding a deep love for glorifying God.

Tribe Time

Tribe Time3Sydney F., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

Hi, my name is Sydney. I went to Camp Gilgal and I want to tell you about tribe time. Tribe time is being with your tribe and getting to know your tribe and maybe becoming friends with some people and know more about your tribe. What my tribe did for tribe time is the wall during the low ropes course. It’s on the initiatives course. We were walking in the woods looking for which initiatives course to go on when we saw this ten foot wall. Nature Valley encouraged us to all climb the wall and I’m glad she did. We were all scared because the way you had to get up was to have your tribe lift you up. You had to stand on their hands and they would lift you over their head. Everyone in my tribe was pretty short so we had some difficulty grabbing on and pulling ourselves up. Gracie went up the steps to pull everyone up over the ledge. I thought we weren’t going to get everyone up there, but to my surprise we all made it up. The initiatives low course has taught me to trust my tribe a lot more. I’m so glad Nature Valley was my staff and she taught me how to trust God and other people more.

Food

Hannah K., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

Camp Gilgal is a lot of fun but one of the main things that I look forward to is the food. In this article I will tell you about my favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner at camp. Camp Gilgal is known for its wonderful, delicious food. I Food1decided to write about food because I just love food. It’s literally the best thing ever. Also I get hungry really fast so food is important to me.

My favorite breakfast was the French toast sticks. However, all the campers love the waffles (including me). I’m pretty sure everyone likes the waffles because you can put whipped cream, strawberries and chocolate chips on the waffles.

It’s time for lunch! At lunch and dinner you have to get vegetables which I don’t mind because I love my veggies. My favorite food at lunch are the smiley fries and I think everyone would agree with me, because it’s the fries that smile back, smiley fries. Dinner is probably my favorite meal. I absolutely love the chicken!

That’s it for now… bon appetite!

Tribe Degels

Levi W., Age 9Tribe Degels1
Tribe of Asher

Hi, I’m Levi and I’m nine years old and my favorite part of camp was making our tribe degel (flag). Our tribe name was Asher and our degel was awesome! One of the best parts of our degel was the cool tree. The other magnificent part was when we signed our names, and Indiana Jones’ was the most amazing. The reason we make the degelim is because every meal we line up with them. It helps the out of cabin staff and RedSox to know which tribe we are. We also bring our degel to the Mishkan where we pray and sing songs. If you steal another tribe’s degel, they have to do something silly to earn their degel back. One tribe made another tribe do the chicken dance. At first we wanted the blue colored degel so we fought for it, but we lost. But I am actually glad that we got the orange colored degel after all, so that was a good thing. Our degel had a tree in the middle and a sunrise behind the tree. Also, we all signed our names behind everything. The other cool part about Camp Gilgal is that the staff get to help with making our own degelim. In conclusion making our tribe degel was awesome. It was a great start to an awesome first year at camp.

Speaking Hebrew

Aylo L., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

My name is Aylo and it is my first time at Camp Gilgal. For the past week I’ve learned SO much Hebrew! At camp our Hebrew teacher is Beardo. This year we learned the V’ahavta and the motions to it. We also learned the Alef-Bet, Hebrew numSpeaking Hebrew1bers (1-10) and even number equations all in Hebrew! I think the most fun thing I learned in Hebrew was learning sentences. My favorite sentence that I learned is probably “Ani ohevet et devime.” When the time came we held a Hebrew tournament! That’s when all the Hebrew classes compete against each other. In the beginning my team was losing. But in the middle we shot up and were in first place for a while. However, at the end we did happen to come in second place. Although we came in second place, Beardo said next week there will be another chance to come in first. I thought we would come in first because I knew Hebrew before camp. This is my favorite word in Hebrew: “Sababa.” That words means “Awesome!” I think that Hebrew quizzing is more stressful than Hebrew class because in Hebrew class you are learning Hebrew for the quiz. In Hebrew quizzing people are testing you to see what you have learned!

Camp Names

Camp names1Eliana W., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

During camp this year I was thinking about what makes Camp Gilgal so unique. One of my thoughts was the camp names, for example, Anonymous, Squid, Twister, Mochi and other creative titles. The staff choose their own names. Some of the names are chosen because of nicknames they like, or if they just like the sound of it. Camp names are special so we are not told the staff’s real names. At first when you think about not knowing your tribe leader’s name the idea is weird, but when you go to camp it’s perfectly normal. Personally I love having camp names. When I become staff my name will probably be Eragon. To me camp names are one of the most creative aspects of camp. One of the staff is named Sneezy. She chose her name because she has allergies, causing her to sneeze many times consecutively. Mochi’s name was inspired by the Japanese dessert and she liked the sound of it.

Shabbat Shalom!

Rachel H., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

One of my favorite parts of Camp Gilgal is Shabbat. Seeing everyone gather together in unity and peace gives me an overwhelming sense of happiness. With everyone in their best clothes all singing to the Lord, it feels as if, just for a second I can see a glimpse of what heaven will be like. This year, since we were the oldest female tribe, the tribe of Benjamin got to lead the blessing over the candles. It was truly magical, with the gleam of the candles reflected on everyone’s faces. The blessings for Shabbat are some of the most beautiful I have ever heard and I loveShabbat Shalom1 to sing them. After we lit the candles, juice boxes and a piece of challah bread were passed around. The oldest male tribe, the tribe of Judah, led the blessings over the juice and challah. Shabbat is a special time for me, because it has such a sense of community surrounding it. You really do feel like everyone at Camp Gilgal is your family. I am grateful to God for giving us a day for rest, and at Camp Gilgal Shabbat isn’t celebrated like any other holiday. They put their own special twist on regular traditions, to help us understand them better and to let us have a great time doing them. For instance, what other camp has the oldest male and female tribes do the blessings? Camp Gilgal’s the only one I know of. Camp Gilgal is a special place, where friendship and unity endure, especially when it’s Shabbat. Shabbat Shalom!

Spiritual Community

Spiritual Community1Eliana A., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

Just from one week here at camp, I feel so much closer to God. This camp encourages uniqueness and openness, which is something most people don’t get to experience. All of the staff are SUPER nice and they’re always ready to help, whether it’s a stuck zipper or a prayer request. Camp Gilgal has the perfect balance of fun and rules. At campfire, we get to go crazy with the songs, but then we all calm down for the great campfire talks from the staff. We’ve heard from them about ministering to others, trusting God (because He always has your best interest), finding good community, how to pray, and learning that you don’t have to feel alone because God is always with you. We’ve heard all of these, and camp isn’t even over yet. Each morning, the campers gather together in the Mishkan to worship and praise God. There we hear from RedSox about God and how He works in miraculous ways. We always sing the Shema, but on Shabbat we sing most of the traditional Messianic liturgy. I always knew what the liturgy was but I never thought of it as me talking to God, just using what someone already said. When Strings said that something clicked, and now every time I sing liturgy, I actually feel involved. Every night after campfire of whatever else, each tribe goes to their cabin and does devotions. My tribe has been studying Psalms. A particularly interesting one was Psalm 51. Our ATL asked us why that psalm was written, and we read that it was written right after David sinned with Bathsheba. We came to the conclusion that this psalm can be used for any sin, not just David’s. Camp has God’s presence in all activities, not just these three I mentioned. Talking and praying with the staff isn’t just an option, it’s encouraged and welcomed. Jews for Jesus is really for Jesus, and this camp is undeniable proof.

Hebrew Quizzing

Ephraim L., Age 11Hebrew quizzing- Ephraim
Tribe of Judah

Hebrew quizzing is quizzing that’s also a game show. It is new to Camp Gilgal East but has been done before at Camp Gilgal Midwest. It is different from Hebrew because in Hebrew we learn more about the language and that helps for our Hebrew quizzing. It is a really fun thing to do. My favorite word is Mayim because the song is funny and comes with a dance. During Hebrew quizzing we have Hebrew questions. Every correct answer is worth 10 points so my team the Chicken Toots finished with a total of 350 points. We answered 26 questions right. On the first day the scores were really close. The Shark Molars had 20 points, the Hebrew Heroes had 30 points, and my team the Chicken Toots had a total of 40 points. The next day we had a Hebrew tournament with five categories – Alef Bet, Numbers, Words, Fill in the Blank, and Pictionary. For calling the answers we used buzzers and a can with a stick. We were at a disadvantage because our buzzer was slower than everyone else so we got a drum. After that we caught up pretty fast. Then, at the end we had one last questions and it was worth 100 points. The last question was, you have to sing “Am Yisreal Chaiso we barely made it with the drum, and sang the song to victory. We are going to get a prize but it is still a mystery.

Camp Meals

Isaac G., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

I love the different types of meals we have at Camp Gilgal. On Friday morning we have, in my opinion, the best breakfast ever: waffles! They are not just ordinary waffles, they are waffle sundaes! With the waffle sundaes we are able to put whipped cream, strawberries, chocolate shavings, and maple syrup. They were so good, I had two of them. On the same day, for lunch, I had crispy chicken tenders with ketchup and BBQ sauce. For lunch and dinner, we get to have vegetables and if we eat them, we can have whatever delicious dessert chef has prepared for us. That day, we had broccoli which is my favorite vegetable. For Shabbat dinner, we had lasagna and rosemary bread. Camp meals1The vegetable was cooked asparagus. In the lasagna, there were different kinds of cheeses and sauce, but there was no meat, so our vegetarian friends were able to enjoy it too. For dessert we had delicious snickerdoodles that the chef made for the whole camp. The meals on Friday made that day especially awesome. The food at Camp Gilgal is so tasty. I could die for their food and can’t wait to eat it again.

Campfire

Netanya W., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

Almost every night we have campfire. I think campfire is a great way to end the day because at campfire we sing songs, look at the amazing view and talk about God. The first things we do aCampfire1t campfire is sing. There’s an amazing singing time first. There’s a different one almost every night. We sing fun songs with some dance moves. We sing about three to five songs. The last few are slower songs. The view is amazing. The sky is so pretty. It’s nice to see the pinkish orange sky and the beautiful sunset that God created. Every campfire we have a staff member talk about God. We call it campfire talk. At the end of their campfire talk they give campers a choice if they would like to stay back and talk to them if they have any questions or if they would like to head back to their cabins. I love hearing the campfire talks because they help you get closer to God and understand a lot more about Him. Also you get to hear how whatever they talked about helped them in their lives. Some of the campfire talks we have done so far are about trusting God, looking to Him through tough times, community, ministry, the power of prayer, and my favorite campfire talk was about weakness. It was about Extrahow everyone has a weakness, and they may be embarrassed or ashamed of it and it may make them weak but God’s power is much bigger and greater than that weakness. That you can walk with that weakness and you’ll be alright because God is with you. Jalapeno did an awesome job! I love campfire because you learn great things and campfire talks support you and help you. You can talk about almost everything because here at Camp Gilgal we’re a family. I’m so happy and thankful I’m in the Camp Gilgal family because camp is where I’m most happy and it’s my favorite place to be.

Counselor Hunt

Halye G., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

My name is Halye. This is my first time at Camp Gilgal and my favorite part of Camp Gilgal so far is Counselor Hunt. The rules are you have to wear sneakers because we will play in the woods. The camp staff will give you a buddy. My buddy was a girl named Meaghan. Counselor Hunt1The camp staff pick an animal they want to be and they say what animal they are and how you get them back to the campfire. There were Rolly Pollies, Siamese cats, a black bear, an annoying leopard and even a dinosaur! The hardest animal to catch were the Siamese cats because they were very scared and sassy. Some hide in trees and some are very easy to find but hard to get back to the campfire. Some are annoying and some are dangerous. We played the game on the Fourth of July. After we played we watched the fireworks. I loved the game. I think Counselor Hunt was the best game I have ever played in my life because it was so fun and different!

M.I.

M.I.1Halye G. and Aylo L., Ages 8
Tribe of Simeon

M.I stands for Mission Impossible! It is probably the most fun game I’ve ever played in my life! It started like this: we were doing devotions after campfire and getting ready for bed. All of a sudden, we heard spooky music outside the door. I thought it was a bad guy alert, but really it was the M.I. theme song! Before we left the cabins, we had to dress in all black clothes. I was so excited that I fell over! We ran to the Mishkan and I heard spooky music again. I was even more scared and excited now! RedSox and the staff said, “Welcome to Mission Impossible!” My friends and I were tired because we played at 9:00 pm, but when we were playing it felt like 12:00 am! The best part of M.I. was when my tribe won (not to remind you we are the youngest tribe in all of camp)! It is all of our campers first time at camp and we still won. Our mission was to find Taylor Swift. We had to find songs that Taylor Swift sang. The songs were clues to find her. For example, when the song on the clue was “Bad Blood” we had to go to the infirmary to pick up our next clue. But, it wasn’t as easy as that because we had to get to the clues without getting caught by the ATLs and out of cabin staff who were the spotters. Spotters are people who hold flashlights and try to find you, and when they catch you your tribe has to run back to your cabin and start that clue again. My tribe only got spotted once. When we were at the campfire we saw Taylor Swift. This was our final destination before going back to the Mishkan! She looked so funny, but we had a job we still needed to do. We needed to collect all of our clues and flip them around to make a sentence. We were missing a clue, but we guessed the word! Taylor Swift (it was really Sitruce!) ran back with us and we finally found ourselves in the Mishkan eating popsicles. We had saved Taylor Swift! It was awesome and we can’t wait to play again next year!

Capture the Degel

Daniel C., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

Capture the Degel is a fun game we play at camp. I ran really fast past the other team a lot. When Ephraim and I were distracting the other team, Isaac’s sister told Isaac where the degel was. He got the degel by distracting them. I think my team was the best because we had the fastest players and the best strategy. We would get half the other team in jail then charged and looked for the degel. Every year my team always wins. We never give up and Capture the degel1risk it. Plus degel means flag in Hebrew. The main point of the game was to find the degel and take it to your side and you win. It’s more fun at Camp Gilgal because we have a good map and fun people. I like Capture the Degel because you use a lot of your energy and you have to use a lot of strategy. It was better this year because we got pennies and a good team. It was extra awesome when I dodged someone from another team by doing rolls. Capture the Degel is my favorite activity. I wish we could do it every day.

Hiking

Ava G., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

Hiking is really fun because we play games and see a wonderful views!! We also see really cool things like flowers, mountains and trees. It is very beautiful scenery. It is also fun because we’re together with our friHiking1ends. One time, Sneezy and Sitruce took us around the boating pond on the other side of camp. We saw lots of flowers and we sang campfire songs along the way. After we finished the hike we sat in a circle and played the animal game and the vegetable game. The animal game is when you choose an animal and then an action to go with it. You call out to other animals using the action for their animal. The vegetable game is similar but you call out to other vegetables without showing your teeth! That was my favorite hike but we also did one when we went up to sunset where we have campfire. Hiking is always a great adventure and that’s why I love it!

Archery in Camp

MatthewArchery1 S., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Hi my name is Matthew and in this article you will learn what you would learn in archery. Also you will learn the rules that you learn in archery. The correct position for shooting is when your feet are in baseball stance. Your left hand is holding the bow if you’re a righty (other way around if you’re a lefty). The colored feather facing the outside of the bow and the bow string must be able to reach your jaw when you fire after aiming. I want to tell you the rules so you can stay safe. The rules in archery are, don’t pick up your bow until the staff tell you to. Do not get your arrows until everyone is done shooting, and don’t shoot until told to. I like archery because you get to shoot arrows, and also you can keep doing it and keep getting better at it. I like shooting arrows because sometimes I hit the target and it feels awesome. This year I shot one bullseye. I picked archery because I like to concentrate on things while having fun. Archery benefits your hand-eye coordination and I love that I get to do it at Camp Gilgal.

Nukum and Other Games

Nukum1Ezra L., Age 9
Tribe of Asher

Nukum is a game where there is a ball and a net and you throw the ball over the net. If the ball lands on the ground and you’re next to the ball you will be out. I love Nukum because if you catch the ball with one hand and somebody is out you get that person back in. Once I caught the ball in the rain with one hand and I got a person back in. You should play Nukum because it is fun and you can’t play Nukum anywhere else. Another game I like is soccer. It is so fun too. Also I like to play Capture the Degel. I like to play Capture the Degel because you get to chase other opponents. I like soccer because I get to slide and catch the ball. Also you can use other balls in Nukum such as soccer balls, volleyballs, basketballs, and kickballs. Nukum is called that because you pretend to blow up the other players (at least that’s what I think). [Editor’s Note: It was actually named after a gym teacher at Sophie Newcomb College.]

Craft Fun

Vivian K., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

My name is Vivian. I like to do crafts and I am good at it. My favorite craft is mosaics. The colors that I used were blue, purple, green, yellow, orange, red and pink. The craft teacher is Jalapeño. My mosaic was a flower which I made very colorful. We used hammers to break the colorful tiles. It was my first time using a hammer! I love making mosaics, I think it is so cool. First, we draw a picture of what we want on our mosaics on a piece of paper. Next, we put down the broken tiles onto the board and glued them down. All the tiles must have some space in between them to make room for the grout later on. Once all the tiles are arranged, it is time for the grout! Grout is sandy and you mix it with watCraft Fun1er to make a paste. The staff do this for you. Then you spread it over your piece like peanut butter and wait for it to dry. Then, you wipe the grout off the tiles to reveal your artwork! After that we decorated the frame with wood burners and then we stain the frame. I had so much fun in craft and I’m going to give my mosaic to my mom and dad.

I Love the Pool!

I love the pool1Noah N., Age 9
Tribe of Asher

On Sunday we left home and it took two hours to get to Camp Gilgal. The first thing we did is have dinner. Later after dinner we took the swimming test. If you don’t know how to swim then you go to the shallow part of the pool. If you kinda know how to swim you go to the middle of the pool. If you know how to swim you go to the deep end of the pool. To make the pool safe the lifeguard sometimes says “buddy check” so you go to your buddy. Also there is a basketball hoop, sometimes they did men vs. ladies, and it was really, really fun. My favorite thing to do in the pool is splash other people. Sometimes I swim away from getting splashed. The way I would make the pool better is by getting a diving board. Then we could jump really, really high in the sky and then make a big splash that would be really awesome. The best day I had at the pool is the first day. It was so dramatic because I was so tired when I was treading water. That was my awesome and wonderful first day of camp. Another day at camp, still talking about the pool, was the second day of camp. We went swimming again and we did staff vs. campers and that was my second day of camp. Basically, any day my favorite thing is being in the pool at camp!

Fourth of July at Camp Gilgal

Fourth of July1Ava G., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

At Camp Gilgal we get to celebrate the Fourth of July together. Fourth of July was on the first full day of camp this year. We had arrived the day before and took the swim test, unpacked, ate dinner, worked on our tribe degelim (flags) and had a campfire. My whole tribe got green bands for the swim test which means we can all swim in the deep end. When we woke up the next day it was the Fourth of July and we were all really excited. Sadly, I missed a big party at home but I had so much fun at camp I didn’t even think about it! It was a great day with the full activities. All day we wore red, white and blue and we got points for doing this. At dinner we participated in a theme meal to show our American spirit. I wore a red tank top with white spots and blue jean shorts with the American flag on them. Also I really liked the cookies at lunch and dinner because they were red and blue with white sprinkles. At night we went to campfire to watch the sunset and see fireworks. Sunset is also the place where my tribe slept on our campout night. It was cool to see the fireworks on top of the mountain. Fourth of July is one of my favorite holidays and it was fun to celebrate it at camp with my friends.

Pool

Halye G., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

Hi my name is Halye and my favorite part of the day is in the pool. Before you go in the pool you need a buddy. I am always buddies with my friends. The best part about the pool is playing basketball. I love basketball in the pool because I get to play with the staff and we always do ladies agaPool1inst men. The ladies always win, but one day I scored five balls! I was the only small kid there so I was really lucky. I played for so long that I was the second to last out of the pool! I love jumping in the pool because then I don’t have to walk in and get cold. Me and my friends jump in holding hands and we do more awesome stuff together too! If you don’t want to swim you can play games in the game room or hang out with your friends. There is a ping pong table, an air hockey table, card games and foosball in the game room. The Gilgal Store is open at pool time. You can buy toys, shirts, candy, and anything you forgot at home! However, most people choose to swim during this time because it is fun and it is hot outside! I love pool time because you can never be bored!

Mochi

Mochi1Faith B., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

Mochi is an ATL (Assistant Tribe Leader) at Camp Gilgal. Her camp name is Mochi because Mochi is a Japanese dessert that she loves the taste of. Mochi often likes to fangirl over K-pop (Korean pop music) with Sunshine who is another tribe leader at Camp Gilgal. Mochi loves South Korea because of its beauty and food. Mochi likes Psalm 106:3 because it serves as a reminder for her to live her life in a godly manner. Mochi likes reading, and she will read anything and everything. Mochi plays violin, viola, and clarinet. Mochi is a very funny tribe leader and she is very nice. Mochi provides for all your needs (including gummy bears). I picked Mochi for my article topic because she is an awesome ATL to write about here at Camp Gilgal 2016. She is in my tribe of Benjamin.

Go Sox! (RedSox, That Is)

Alana F., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

RedSox is a very nice, kind, inspiring person at camp. I’ve known her for three years and she is one of the kindest people I have ever met. She is like my mom. When I am at camp, whenever I have trouble with something or I miss home I can always count on her to comfort me and support me. RedSox is the director of camp and she does it in a great way. That means she doesn’t need to yell at kids to get things done. She is the Bible teacher in Tabernacle and makes things fun and upbeat as she helps us learn about God. Some people can make the Bible really boring, but she makes it really fun. In the morning, she greets us for line up at kikar (the line up spot) with “Boker Tov” and sometimes dental inspection. If you have a project you’re having trouble doing, RedSox will help you focus and get it done (like postcards, Gilgal Gazette, sending letters, learning verses – whatever)! She inspires me and a lot of other campers. If you’ve come to camp you already know she’s awesome, but if you haven’t I hope you come soon!

Rockwall

Hannah H., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

My heart was pounding hard. My harness got clipped to the rock wall. “On belay?” I called out to my belay team. “Belay on,” they called back. “Climbing?” I said. “Climb On,” they respondRockwall2- Hannah2ed. It was my second time climbing up the wall and the first time I didn’t make it up because of one little part that tricked me and I got stuck. So I started to climb and climb, it was really easy until I hit the bad part. My belay team was yelling “Push, push, push!” I tried once, but fell back. I felt like I was going to fall if I let go, but I had to learn to trust that my belay team wouldn’t drop me. They kept on saying, “Push your legs, you can do it!” So I pushed as hard and I could and grabbed onto the rock and climbed all the way up to the tippy top and rang the bell. I had to stay there for a minute to wait for Blewish to take a picture of me at the top. That was the best rockwall climbing moment of my life.

Paintballing

Paintballing2Efren S., Age 13

Have you ever wanted to go paintballing? Well, if you haven’t then you should come to Camp Gilgal. It was pretty fun paintballing and terrifying because you could have gotten shot by your own teammates. Also, for the first round all of the rooms were dark. It also hurts the moment you get shot. It feels great when you shoot someone else. I only shot a few people because of how scared I was to walk from room to room.

Campfire

Campfire2Abigail H., Age 14

Campfire is one of my favorite activities at teen camp. The fire just sucks you in, it is so mesmerizing. Bullfrog led music, he played guitar and sang. After the singing, the staff took turns giving their testimonies on each night. I like learning about people because it makes our relationships with the staff more personal. The second to last night of teen camp we sang traditional camp songs like The Banana Song, Baby Whale, and When the Saints Go Marching In. That was my favorite part. After that we just hung out eating candy and talking. I really like hanging out with Bologna, Rocky and Baloo. They are the best!

Counselor Hunt

Counselor Hunt2Mariam G., Age 13

On Friday, July 15th, we played Counselor Hunt. We played it in downtown Grand Rapids. We drove in a fifteen passenger van, and it took us over an hour to drive there. I sat in the back along with some other campers while Blewish drove. While he was driving he did not put the air conditioning on and Bologna didn’t put any music on, so it was an awkward silence the whole way there. We were told to be on teams of three, and to choose our own teammates. I was on a team with Lily and Nena. We were then given an hour and a half to find the counselor. The first place we went was to a coffee shop, but even though we didn’t find anyone there we saw Rocky outside and told her to hide in there. We walked around for a while and eventually found Bullfrog in a deli. Next we found Bologna and Baloo sitting under a tree at a park nearby. Now the only one left was Goliath, Lily thought. But she had really seen Goliath dressed up earlier, but hadn’t realized it was him. She said it was either Goliath or a really ugly lady she saw near the beginning of the game, but we had walked away. Later near the end we went to another coffee shop and when we looked into the window we saw a Goliath wearing a skirt, wig, hat, glasses and having shaved his beard. After that we went back to camp and Goliath was driving, while Rocky played music and we also had air conditioning.

Mission Impossible

Nena K., Age 14

This year at Camp Gilgal we played Mission Impossible, but there was a twist from the usual rules. Instead of sneaking around looking for clues, while trying to not get caught by spotters, we snuck around all of camp looking for glow sticks. We were given a clue as to tMI2he different locations of the glow sticks. The goal was to collect the most glow sticks with your team. After we were all sent out and went our separate ways, my team went to the dining hall first. We chose to go there because we assumed there would be more spotters at the other locations. After the dining hall we made our way to the rock wall, but we were spotted by Bologna and had to return all the way back to camp. Soon after that we saw a spotter get picked up in a van then we realized that no one was spotting anymore. We then ran to the lake and saw that everyone gave up and went back to camp. After all of the teams were back and glow sticks were counted, we realized that our team had won by one glow stick! I was excited I hope we can play this version of Mission and Possible again.

Creature Caused Insomnia

Creatures2Debbie S., Age 14

Camp Gilgal isn’t all fun and games! Everything is good except for the… nights!!! Campers might say, “The first and second nights are the worst.” Well, that is not true – or at least it was not for me or my cabin. My tribe consisted of Nena, Lily, Jennifer, and Rocky as our tribe leader. We literally had to sleep from 11:00pm to 2:00am every night! At first it was because Nena would talk in our cabin, but then the critters struck. The first night we were up talking really late and heard some weird noises, which had us all scared. Rocky decided to get a broom for protection and went to check it out, and it was a mouse. The mouse didn’t leave until the third or fourth night. Rocky and I were so scared we didn’t sleep until we saw what the mouse was doing. Then the next day a big group of ants were by my bed. So now I had a mouse and ants to fuss about. I killed like ten ants, Nena was also killing ants, but she was much crazier than I was. I only slept well for three nights out of the whole week of teen camp. So for the kids that say, “The first and second nights are the worst,” it is not always true. Also everyone should know even though I hate the raccoons, mice, and bugs, I still can’t wait for next year.

Horseback Riding

Gloria C., Age 13

On day three of teen camp, we went horseback riding. At first I was nervous since I’ve never really had a good experience with horses. The horse I got was named Caspian, and he was pretty big. He moved his legs a lot when we were waiting to go, which brought me to the bHorseback riding2rink of tears. Bologna was behind me, and one of the workers was behind her which helped me feel a bit better. The beginning of the ride was a lot of stop and go, because the trainer said the horse I was riding needed more space than the others. We rode on the horse trails in the woods. Miriam and Jennifer were ahead of me. The ride was really fun and relaxing, and it was like a nature walk without the effort. I’m not nervous about riding horses anymore.

Interview of Stix

Interview of Stix1Isaac P., Age 10
Tribe of Benjamin

For this article, I got to interview Stix. Here are the questions and answers from my interview. Did you used to be a camper here? Stix said, “Yes.” Next, what is your favorite activity? Stix said, “Wells Fargo!” Next, when did you come to camp? Stix said, “When I was nine years old.” What is your real name? Stix replied, “That is an excellent question.” Why did you come here to camp? “To have fun and get closer to Jesus.” What is your fake name in Hebrew? Stix said, “?” How did you learn how to play the drums? Stix said, “From my dad.” Which team do you root for, Smoggers or Foggers? Stix said, “They both have a purpose.”

Interview of Sherbert

Joshua B., Age 9
Tribe of Benjamin

My name is Joshua B. I am nine years old and am in the tribe of Benjamin. At camp, I interviewed Sherbert. She’s an out-of-cabin staff member at Camp Gilgal West. I asked her many questions.

I asked, “What type of ice cream are you?” Interview of Sherbertand she said Sherbert. Also, I asked her about how she got her name and she answered, “My mom ate a lot of sherbet ice cream when I was in her belly. When I was born she named me Sherbert.” I asked, “What is your favorite sport?” She said, “Tennis. I love tennis. I also love baseball.” “What is your favorite color?” I asked. “Orange and blue.” I asked, “Have you ever been injured?” She said, “I sprained my ankle.” “Have you been to space?” I asked. “No, I have not been to space.” I asked, “Have you been to Mexico?” She said, “Yes, I have been to Mexico.” I asked, “Where did you grow up?” This was my last question. “I grew up in Orange County, California.”

Who is Sherbert to you? She is a wonderful woman. Sherbert is really nice.

Interview with Yamaha

Interview with yamaha1Raina W., Age 8
Tribe of Reuben

I decided to interview a really cool staff member named Yamaha! I asked him how long he has been going to camp and he said he has been coming for twelve years. Next I asked about his favorite camp food and his answer was the breakfast we actually ate this morning, pancakes and turkey bacon. His favorite worship song is “Holy Moment” and he is our worship leader this year. He has been playing guitar for four years and he played the guitar in the Fourth of July parade in Columbia for us this year. One thing Yamaha likes to do during free time is to sleep. I asked him about his favorite night game and he said that his favorite is Wells Fargo. When he was a camper his first tribe leaders were Sonic, Cosmo, and Gonzo, and his favorite cabin he stayed in was Yankee Hill. His favorite thing about camp is being with all the campers, and he has been a part of the camp staff for five years now. Yamaha accepted Yeshua into his heart when he was in the first grade. I’m really glad Yamaha was here this year and I’m glad I got to interview him!

Flower Power

Flower PowerRebecca S., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Guess what my tribe name is? It is Reuben. A flower is what represents Reuben. On Super Hero Night my tribe was Flower Power. We have flowers on capes, flower hair clips, and everything flowery. For cabin decoration we did the sower and the seed. My cabin mates are: Zoe, Raina, Ellie, and Rebecca P. My tribe leaders are Macaroni and Pippin. On Fashion Disaster Night, we had crazy hair, crazy makeup, and crazy clothes. When it was Mission Impossible, our first clue was to go to the carpetball tables, then we went to the campfire, the gazebo, water tower, volleyball court, and the dining hall. We got second place.

I’m interviewing my staff. First off I asked Pippin. She said her favorite food is potatoes. She has been a tribe leader for two years. Pippin’s favorite camp game is Capture the Degel. When I asked her if she liked being staff or a camper better she said she liked being both the same.

This is about Macaroni. Her favorite night game is also Capture the Degel. Macaroni’s favorite camp food is chicken and vegetables. When I asked her which theme night was her favorite, she said it was Bible Story Night. She likes being staff better than a camper.

Interview with Chewbacca

Tyler H., Age 10
Tribe of Naphtali

Hi. My name is Tyler and I’m ten years old. I’m going to tell you a little about a tribe leader named Chewbacca. Chewbacca’s tribe is Benjamin. Chewbacca says he is anywhere between five and 25. CInterview with Chewbacca2-2hewbacca’s favorite part of camp is Capture the Degel. He likes it because he likes to strategize and sing in the jail circle. Chewbacca’s favorite color is red. Chewbacca’s favorite food is ribeye steak. Chewbacca likes to watch thriller movies. Chewbacca loves sleeping and cooking. Chewbacca once was Camper of the Year. He is proud of it. Chewbacca’s favorite theme night is “What a Mensch” Night because everybody is nice to each other. Chewbacca’s favorite worship song is “Indescribable” by Chris Tomlin. Chewbacca’s favorite drink is an Arnold Palmer. Chewbacca plays the guitar. He’s not very good at it though. When I asked Chewbacca if he had a girlfriend he said, and I quote, “Probably not.” As you can see Chewbacca is a radical dude and a great tribe leader.

Tribe Article

Carrie M., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

We are the tribe of Zebulun. Our tribe members are Bailey, Zoë, Persaeus, Erica, and Carrie. Our tribe leaders are Mahoney and S’mores. We do almost everything together! For example, we eat together, have Tabernacle together, play night games together, and lastly, we work as a team together. To get to our cabin, we have to walk up a HUGE hill. Since we are the oldest tribe, our cabin, “Grizzly Flat,”Tribe Article is the farthest away. During Tabernacle, we sings songs before Streetlight, the camp director, leads us into our morning Bible study. We usually sing songs we all know, but when we learn a new song, we try to harmonize to it. When it is F.O.B. (FLAT ON BUNK) time, we memorize bits of the Bible that Streetlight assigns for us to get points. At the end of camp, they total our score of however many points we got, and they announce the Tribe of the Year. Then, we have an awards ceremony for all of the campers. Camp Gilgal is a second home for me and my campmates.

Our Favorite Noodle (Macaroni)

Our Favorite NoodleErica B., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

A veteran to this glorious camp, a comedian who makes us laugh hysterically, a singer with a beautiful voice, and the thing she’s mostly known for…is being a noodle. I have grown up with Macaroni mostly in winter camp. Although she’s obviously not been in the same cabin as me, I have still witnessed the powerful impact she puts in our lives. Here are some of the things I have learned about her:

The first thing I asked Macaroni was, “How long have you been involved with Camp Gilgal, staff and camper wise?” She replied, “Ten years” in a confirmative voice after silently counting with her fingers. Second, I asked her, “What environment did you grow up in?” She answered, “I was raised in a Christian home.” She also told me, “I became stronger in the faith when I was thirteen at teen camp.” Another question I asked was, “Who do you consider your role model?” She said, “My sister, Hoops.” I also asked her, “What is the most epic moment you have seen God’s presence?” Macaroni responded, “I was at Yosemite and worshiping when a strong wind came and shook the trees… I felt His power.” She told me her future dream was to be a nurse, and I hope Jesus works in her life.

Interviewing Oofnik

Bailey H., Age 11
Tribe of Zebulun

Oofnik is a very interesting tribe leader. In F.O.B., Oofnik sleeps. Oofnik’s favorite cabin is Dry Gulch and his favorite tribe names are Judah and Reuben. Oofnik’s favorite Bible story is Jesus’ death and resurrection. When I asked him if he thinks his tribe will be Tribe of the Year, he answered: “Maybe…Lord willing.”

Oofnik has an impressive history. HInterviewing Oofnike has been part of a Tribe of the Year AND was Camper of the Year!

His favorite movie is Talladega Nights. His favorite animals are dogs and giraffes. When I asked him what his favorite month was, he couldn’t decide between August and December. His most favorite day of the week is Friday.

If you are wondering about Oofnik’s hobbies, wonder no more. While at camp, Oofnik spends his free time watching the campers and playing carpetball. Oofnik told me that his favorite show is Shalom Sesame Street, but he doesn’t watch it any more.

Oofnik’s favorite sport is surfing and his favorite word is “quite.” He likes college-ruled paper much better than wide-ruled because he doesn’t “feel like a kindergartener” when he writes on it. Since Oofnik originated from Shalom Sesame Street I thought it would be appropriate to ask him his favorite Hebrew word and it is Soof-ga-nee-YAH. That means Jelly Donut. Oofnik’s lucky number is 777 and his favorite drink is boba.

Oofnik’s favorite theme night is Utensil Night (because of the food) and he likes Men’s Day better than horseback riding. He “maybe” wants to be out-of-cabin staff someday and his favorite color is pink and his favorite food is pizza. Oofnik is a fascinating tribe leader that you should meet for yourself.

Sauté’s Interview

Sautes Interview1Eliana R., Age 10
Tribe of Issachar

Hi I’m Eliana, I’m ten years old and I’m in the tribe of Issachar. One of my tribe leaders’ name is Sauté. So I decided to interview her. My first question for her was, “What do you like best about camp?” She said, “I love seeing campers worshiping and loving God. I also love night games.” The second question I asked was, “What tribe are you in this year?” She said, “I am the tribe leader of tribe Issachar” (which is the tribe I’m in). The next question I asked her was, “What is the best thing you like about your tribe?” She said, “They are sweet and kind to each other, but the best thing I like about them is that they work together.” Then I asked her, “What night game do you like best?” She answered and said, “That is a hard question. I think the answer to that one is I like them all.” Then I asked her what her favorite ice cream was. She said, “I like English toffee crunch. That is my favorite ice cream.” Then I asked her, “What is your favorite color?” She said, “I don’t know. I like two different colors. One is red and the other is orange.” Then I said, “What is your favorite thing to do at Camp Gilgal?” She said, “I love to do activities with campers and staff.” (That is what I like to do best.) Then I said, “What do you want to do in the future?” “Do dance or art therapy with kids.” Sauté is a very interesting person in my opinion.

Snapple Days

Emma B., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

These answers are the key to success! Did you know that Snapple actually likes Snapple! I asked Snapple what’s her favorite cake and she said, “I love my mom’s red velvet cake with an almond butter cream frosting.” Snapple has been at camp Gilgal for 17 years. Snapple got her name by chipping her tooth on a Snapple bottle and she still drinks it today because it is so delicious! Snapple has never been snowbSnapple Daysoarding. Snapple used to play softball as a pitcher. Snapple’s favorite food is sushi. Snapple’s favorite camp activity is water balloon volleyball. Snapple’s favorite memory is sky diving with her best friend. Snapple knows sign language. Snapple’s favorite flower is a dahlia. Her job is a stylist when she is not at camp. Her favorite ice cream is mint chip. She wants an olive green Jeep Rubicon. Her favorite fruit is a plum. Snapple has been to Disneyland. She has known Streetlight for 11 years. She has also been on a plane. Her favorite movie is Stand By Me. Her favorite place to shop at is Target. Snapple says that she is good with technology. Her favorite part of camp is spending time with campers. Snapple likes to read. Snapple likes her hair down and wavy. Snapple’s favorite night game is Wells Fargo. Snapple’s favorite theme night is Bible Story Night. She knows Avi in Pentatonix from camp. Snapple has won a game of water balloon volleyball as a camper. I asked Snapple what her name was and she said, “Excellent question.” I hope you enjoyed my Snapple interview!

Issachar

Channah A., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

My tribe is Issachar. There are five girls in my tribe. We have lots of fun. Their names are Ahavah, Emma, Eli, and Shelby and me, Channah and my tribe leaders are Sauté and Mango. This year ouTribe of Issacharr degel has a big sun on it with our names in the rays. Our tribe did really well with water balloon volleyball. We almost won! It was so fun. During FOB the other ladies and I pass notes to each other and we get a little loud. Our tribe is really close to nailing the memory verse! For Skit Night we did a version of the Good Samaritan. We enjoyed doing it because we worked together as a tribe. My favorite part about our tribe is that we are friends. Kulanu B’Yachad!!!

Mango Tango

Channah A., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

I’m iMango Tangon the tribe of Issachar and this year I interviewed Mango. Mango is one of my tribe leaders. In the first question, I asked Mango, “What is your favorite food?” She said, “My favorite food is mangos,” and that is kind of funny, because her name is Mango. The second question I asked her was, “What was your favorite craft at camp?” She said, “The mosaics,” and that is actually really nice, because we are doing mosaics this year. I asked her, “What theme night was your favorite?” She said, “Stop and Go Night.” We haven’t done that night. But I hope we can do it in the future. Next, I asked, “Do you like being a tribe leader?” She replied, “Yes!” And that’s what I was thinking. I next asked her, “If you could be any animal, what would it be?” She said, “A cheetah or a bunny.” Did you know that cheetahs are the fastest land animal on earth? Last, I asked Mango, “What’s your favorite sport?” She said, “Running.” I enjoyed interviewing Mango.

Interviewing Mahoney

Talia W., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

Mahoney is a tribe leader here at Camp Gilgal. She is the ATL (Assistant Tribe Leader) for the oldest tribe of Zebulun. She lives in San Diego.

Mahoney’s favorite thing to do as a tribe leader is to be with campers all the time. Her favorite food is matzoh ball soup. She lovesInterviewing Mahoney Wells Fargo.

She wants to visit Israel and Australia. Mahoney’s favorite books of the Bible are Exodus, Psalms, and Romans. Her favorite song at camp is “Ten Thousand Reasons.”

She really likes What a Mensch Night. Her favorite things to do during F.O.B. are plan devos, write postcards home, and organize her suitcase. Mahoney’s favorite verse in the Bible is Romans 12:9-13.

Her favorite books are Cyrano de Bergerac and I Am the Messenger. She likes to play silent football at free time. Her favorite colors are periwinkle and emerald green.

Interview with Pippin

Interview with PippinElie M., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

This year is Pippin’s second year as a tribe leader at Camp Gilgal. She is the tribe leader for Reuben, the youngest cabin, and Macaroni is her ATL. She’s really good at doing braids and helps everyone with their hair. She’s really cool and I wanted to interview her.

When I asked her if she liked line ups as a camper, she said yes because her tribes always had funny sayings. Her favorite Ladies Day as a camper was her first year because the theme was pirates. During free time she liked to play basketball and carpetball. It wasn’t difficult for her to choose a camp name because according to her, she was born with a love of Lord of the Rings and a need for second breakfast. As a camper she preferred Wells Fargo to M.I. because she always admired the tribe leaders and their accents. Pippin didn’t like F.O.B. at all as a camper. The only thing she did during it was stare at the ceiling.

Pippin grew up into a really great tribe leader and she’s even going to be a tribe leader at teen camp!

Tribe Article

Steven M., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

My tribe is Naphtali. In the cabin we work together to get things done. In my cabin there is Sasha, Steven, Jonathan, Tyler, Oofnik, and Heimlich. When we clean we work hard until it’s done. We wake up early in the morning and clean to have time to play. We each clean our bed. Then we take turns sweeping. If we work hard enough Tribe of Naphtalitogether we can nail it.

We use teamwork also with water balloon volleyball, which we won. In all the games we stick together. We all get along. To win the Cabin of the Year we must work together and get along. We like to share things together.

Our mascot is the deer because a deer represents the tribe of Naphtali. We saw many deer and gained our courage as a group. We saw four to five in one group right by our cabin. Mission Impossible was a surprise. As soon as we went to bed it started. Our last envelope had a D, so we thought it was dodgeball, but it was dining hall! We always stay together. Naphtali is awesome.

Dan

DanLily H., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

I am in one of the best tribes ever, Dan. I love being in the tribe of Dan because it’s what me and all my friends wanted to be in. I have four other cabinmates: Elie, Sarah, Shalom, and Talia, and two amazing tribe leaders, Sherlock and Chip. Our cabin is lots of fun because we get to eat lots of candy and play music. I love being with my four other friends because I’ve known them for two years. Our cabin is always full of laughter because, well, there’s a lot of funny stuff! My tribe always likes to be first at line up even if we don’t know what to say. My tribe also has a specific spot we like to sit at for meal times which is the front-right table. I asked one of my cabinmates, Sarah, what’s her favorite thing about being in the tribe of Dan? Sarah likes being with all of her cabinmates/friends. So overall, the tribe of Dan is really fun and probably the best tribe I’ve ever been in.

Columbia

Alex S., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

It is so fun you get to shop, pan for gold, and make candles. Every year we go and march in Columbia. We show people the Lord. And they haveColumbia an awesome drink called sarsaparilla. It’s so good. It’s like root beer. At Columbia they have a lot of candy. One is a jaw breaker. If you chew it your jaw will break. You have to lick it till it’s gone. There is one store where the gold panning is that sells nice things like rilly guns, stones, fun kid toys, and other things. And there is a store where you make candles. One year I made one and it was so fun. And there’s a pond behind it. And there are poles with money on them that you have to climb but there is grease on the pole so it is very hard. And there is an egg throwing contest one year that I won with my friend Boaz. Every year to start the parade they shoot guns or fire a cannon.

Dodge Ball

Dodge ballSarah M., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

One of the camp traditions at junior camp is playing dodgeball. It is optional to play dodgeball, but I play every year at Camp Gilgal. We are split into two teams. There are three games. Whichever team wins the most out of three games will win. This year my team lost.

According to Shalom M., she had a good time except for when she got hit in the face by Carrie M. Chip had a great time besides the fact it was burning hot outside. Shalom and Chip had a great time playing dodgeball.

My personal favorite part about playing dodgeball at camp is when I catch the dodgeball and bring in one of my players back in. I like to be on a team with Esquire because he is super hardcore and throws the ball really fast. I don’t run up and grab the ball immediately, so I don’t become out quickly.

I enjoy playing dodgeball with all of my friends at Camp Gilgal.

The Camp Gilgal Store

Jonah M., Age 8
Tribe of Benjamin

Ryan, what’s the highest price you would pay at the Camp Gilgal Store? “The highest I would pay at the Camp Gilgal Store is ten dollars.” Ryan, what was your favorite thing youThe Camp Gilgal Store1 bought at the Camp Gilgal Store? “A cool keychain.” What’s the highest you have paid? “The highest I have paid is six dollars.” Ryan, what’s the lowest price you’ve paid? “Twenty-five cents.” What’s the most spending money you have brought to camp? “Forty dollars.”

Now I am interviewing Tyler. Tyler, what’s the highest price you will pay at the Camp Gilgal Store? “The highest I will pay is three dollars. And my favorite thing I have ever bought was my squeaky turkey and it was only twenty-five cents!”

Free Time

Shelby H., Age 9Free Time
Tribe of Issachar

Free time is my favorite time of the day. You can go swimming, and you can play carpetball. There are a lot more things like making friendship bracelets. At free time I usually go swimming. Swimming is a lot of fun. There are a lot of toys to play with in the pool.

Carpetball is a lot of fun. You can play against other people. Carpetball will teach you patience and strength.

And don’t forget about making friendship bracelets. This activity takes patience and concentration. My tribe leaders make good friendship bracelets.

20 Foot Long Sundae

Erica B., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

It was a hot Saturday in Silver Spur… We were practicing for the Fourth of July Parade which was just two days away, when suddenly, Streetlight took a turn into the dining hall… Wh20 ft. Long Sundaeen we saw the incredibly large dessert. The 20 foot long sundae had been presented to the campers.

Everyone scrambled to the small styrofoam bowls placed on the table and began piling ice cream into our bowls. When everyone finished serving themselves, we sat down to enjoy the delicious treat. Now, I will interview Zoë in what she thinks about the event. I asked her, “What was your favorite part of the 20 foot long sundae?” She replied, “Ooh! Me chugging down the ice cream!” It was amazing how just a small event can create such joyful memories. It’s funny how we can tell people we ate out rain gutters.

In conclusion, we had a ton of fun enjoying the ice cream, and having a mini dance party with wild music playing in the background. It was truly amazing and exciting. We all absolutely LOVED IT!

Mafia

MafiaBailey H., Age 11
Tribe of Zebulun

Mafia is a game we love to play at camp. The narrator secretly chooses a Mafia, Sheriff, and Doctor. Everyone closes their eyes. The Mafia can kill who they want by tapping them on the shoulder, the Sheriff can accuse who they want, and the Doctor can save whoever they want. If the Doctor saves the person the Mafia tried to kill, that person will not die. I interviewed some people about the game Mafia to see what they thought of it.

Chip
Q: Do you like to play Mafia?
A: Yes.

Q: What’s your favorite role to play?
A: Mafia.

Yamaha
Q: Have you played Mafia yet since camp started?
A: Not since camp started.

Q: Do you think you are good at Mafia?
A: Nobody’s good at Mafia.

Hebrew

Emma B., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

I am going to be talking about what Camp Gilgal does in Hebrew. We do booklets, shrinky dinks, and other activities. With the booklets we get stamps when we say a Hebrew word on a page in the booklet. Once we get ten stamps we get a small prize oHebrew 2-1r candy. When we finish all of our pages we get a big prize or more candy. Shrinky dinks are little plastic boxes with drawings that get shrunk into necklaces or bracelets. I have done my name, my tribe, and a Magen David. One of our other activities was braiding licorice to make a Havdalah candle. I made a fish tail and a regular braid. Usually Heimlich, Ewok, Esquire, Sauté, Mahoney, S’mores, and Pippin are in there. We are using Hebrew words all throughout camp. For example, during the food line we say “Ken todah” which means “Yes thank you” and if we don’t want something we say “Lo todah” which means “No thank you.” Learning Hebrew is so fun; getting to use the Hebrew we learn is awesome.

Pool

Ahavah M., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

So here’s how it started. It was my second year and I got there and me and my sister, Shalom, went to the “Awesome” POOL! Also, the pool gets cold! But… then it’s… WARM!!!!! And when it’s warm I play with all of the noodles and then…BAM!!! I throw the ball to ShePoolrbert and BAM!!!!!! Again she throws it back and then… we just keep throwing to each other. It’s so fun that’s why I’m writing about it. I love <3 to write also. But let’s get back to the story. But then after I swim for a very long time, I go out and play carpetball. It’s so fun when I get out and play I play against Tyler. That’s all for my pool story. I <3 the pool!!!

Worship

WorshipJonathan P., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

Worship is a very important part of Camp Gilgal. Not only does it give you the opportunity to come closer to God, but you get to do that while singing and having fun. I love singing! One of the good opportunities of this is getting to praise the Lord through our voice. We get to sing to Him and tell Him how much we love Him. Worship is very important. My favorite part of worship is the variety of songs that we get to sing. One of my favorite songs to sing during worship is “Your Love Never Fails.” I like other songs too though. So worship can be really fun especially to sing with the rest of camp. I really hope the next year we get to learn a lot more fun songs and praise God. Heimlich says, “Worship is a great way to connect with God.” I agree. I really hope that you enjoyed my article.

The Glorious Fourth of July Parade

Bailey H., Age 11
Tribe of Zebulun

The Fourth of July Parade is a privilege for all campers and staff. First, we go to Columbia and we practice our marching, singing, and chanting all together. Then, we fully get ready to march. This is a long, tedious process, because waiting in dusty hot weather isn’t always too fun. But soon we get to march in thParadee parade and represent Yeshua and His love. And even better… on the Fourth of July!! Afterwards, we sit down to eat lunch. This year, my family drove all the way up to Columbia to surprise me so I got to eat lunch with them too! The Fourth of July is a memory I will never forget, or any of the other campers.

Ladies Day

Lily H., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

Ladies Day is a very fun day because we (the ladies) get to have the whole camp to ourselves. On Ladies Day the men leave the camp while we have fun doing activities based around the theme for that year. We had “Around the World” as our theme this year.

It was really fun because we could travel to five different places which were Israel, Japan, Costa Rica, France, and Spain. Each country had a little station where you could do a little activity. We also got a little passpLadies Dayort that we brought with us to each country to be stamped.

My favorite place that I went to was Japan because we got to make candy sushi with Poppins. In Israel we got to make a sugar scrub. To make the scrub we combined sugar, coconut oil, and essential oils. I used it on my lips to make them softer.

At France we got to take pictures at a photo booth. Costa Rica and Spain were in the pool so we got to swim from one country to another on gondolas (pool noodles).

Ladies Day lunch was also really good. We travelled to Mexico and had a nacho bar and danced to songs. I asked one of my cabinmates, Shalom M., her favorite thing to do during Ladies Day. Shalom likes swimming in the pool best because there’s no boys.

So in conclusion, Ladies Day was super fun and probably one of my favorite days!

Horseback Riding

Horseback ridingTalia W., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

The ladies went horseback riding when it was Men’s Day. My horse’s name was Tornado. He was splotched with brown and white like a cow.

Now I will interview Lily about horseback riding. Lily’s horse’s name was H2O. H2O was a nice horse but liked eating grass. Lily had a lot of fun horseback riding. It is her favorite thing to do. Lily’s horse trotted once. Thank you Lily for the information.

I will now also interview Shalom. Shalom’s horse’s name is Booper. Her horse wasn’t the nicest horse. She didn’t trot once. Horseback riding is her favorite thing to do.

Horseback riding is fun for everyone. I love horseback riding. It is so much fun. Thank you for reading this Gazette article on horseback riding.

The Bible Timeline

Bible TimelineSam S., Age 8
Tribe of Benjamin

First we have a tree for creation. That was first. Then we have this nice house for the Garden of Eden. After that… this… juicy looking fruit. But don’t let this fool you. That’s when Adam and Eve sinned. Alright moving on to this rainbow! You know. The flood. Oh! This big tower. The Tower of Babel. The one where the different languages began. Sigh. Ah. Abram. Now known as Abraham. The father of many. Next a flag. This is a nation. Ah yes. Abraham’s son. Isaac. Next a ram. Sacrifice! Jacob. Uh. A deceiver. The next sign means when Jacob stole Esau’s birthright. But then he wrestles with God. I wish I lived in that tent. But no time. Ah. Joseph’s robe. You know the story. Next an Egyptian pyramid. Now to Exodus. The rules. The Ten Commandments. Now someone’s hands giving the Ten Commandments! Rocks! A hammer. Not for hammering nails. It’s a judge’s hammer! I wish I had this crown. But it only fits kings. Lamb. Not to eat kids. Because it’s David and Goliath. Jewelry in a chest! Solomon! David’s son. These punching thingies. A fire. Maybe a campfire. No I’m messing with you. Elijah. E-l-i-j-a-h. The sacrifice to prove God is real. These nice grapes. Who gave these to me? A nice T-shirt. I’ll keep this. Am I moving away? But…I haven’t finished. Okay. Ah. Another house. Babylon? A colored lion’s mane. Daniel! And the lion’s den. Yes! I get to go back! I get another chance. Okay. This thing. I guess it is Esther. A coffee maker or cabinet. I don’t know. Anyway a wall. A sturdy wall. THE LAW IS SPOKEN! Now the last one.

Actually it’s not the end. Streetlight’s favorite subject is Camp Gilgal! Her favorite food is sushi. Her favorite book is the Weight of Glory. Her favorite show is The West Wing. And she has been part of Camp Gilgal for ten years. Wait. What? You can read it up top? Oh. Looks like you can. Well my job’s over. Peace or shalom.

THE END.

Degel Making

Talia W., Age 10
Tribe of Dan

This year we chose to be in the tribe of Dan. We made a snake curled up with grass around it. The color of the degel is maroon. We put our names on the Degel makingmountains. We used red and white for the snake. We did black for the writing of Camp Gilgal 2016, and Dan in English and Hebrew. We outlined the mountains with tan and grass green. We also outlined the snake with black. The red and white stripes were vertical on the snake. When I was going to write camp the black exploded. It went all over my hand. I went and washed it off. The degel looks amazing. Lily, who’s in my tribe, gets to take the degel home. Degel making is really fun. Everyone in my tribe loved making it. I will now interview Lily. She likes to look at it when it is finished. She wrote 2016 in black. Lily had a fun time making it. Thank you for reading this Gazette article.

Water Balloon Volleyball

Water Balloon VolleyballTyler H., Age 10
Tribe of Naphtali

Hi. My name is Tyler and I’m ten years old. I’m going to tell you about water balloon volley ball. It all started when Streetlight brought us to the volleyball court. Then she told us the rules. Your tribe had to get a tarp and fling a water balloon over the net. Then the other team had to catch the water balloon in their tarp. You had to pass back and forth until one of the teams drop the water balloon three times. Whoever missed it three times lost. Every tribe can only lose two times. If you lose two times you are out of the tournament. This year when I played our team started out vs. Zebulun, the oldest ladies tribe. They beat us three to two. Then we were vs. Issachar. We had a long game. We won the game three to two. But then Issachar complained that they weren’t ready so we got the last point again. For our final battle we were vs. Zebulun again. They were undefeated so if we were going to win we would have to beat them twice. Also on the final battle you have to get five points to win. So we had to get ten points to win. It felt like the battle went on for hours and finally Naphtali (my tribe!) overcame Zebulun with points and won the game.

Campfire

Ryan H., Age 8
Tribe of Benjamin

At the campfire you sing camp songs and have worship. You can roast marshmallows too. After you roast a marshmallow you have to wait till everybody has had a marshmallow to have another one. One of Campfirethe camp songs you sing is “Hinei,” and another song you sing is the yodeling song. You are supposed to wear long pants and bug spray for the campfire. After the campfire you go to your cabin and get your pajamas and get soap and a toothbrush then take a shower with soap then you brush your teeth for teeth inspection then go to bed. I interviewed Yamaha with some questions. Yamaha said his favorite part of the campfire was Sauté leading worship and he ate one marshmallow.

Skit Night is Great

Rebekah P., Age 8
Tribe of Reuben

Camp Gilgal is awesome! We had a theme night called Skit Night. My tribe’s skit was about Esther. I was Haman. I got to go on a fake cell phone and got to shout at Morty, short for Mordechai. Rebecca S. was Esther. I found it funny she was the main character and had no lines. Ellie R. was Asher, short for XerxeSkit Nights. Zoe was Morty and Raina was Queen Vashti, and a dancer. I love the way we changed it! It was in our time. It started with a verse. Many times God uses an ordinary person in extraordinary ways. At the beginning of the skit, Vashti and Asher danced, then he stepped on her foot and she quit. The great Asher wanted me to tweet that Asher wanted a new dance partner and all the ladies prepared for their dance. Asher picked Esther because she was kind and a good dancer. The next day I was walking and Morty bumped into me and got hurt and I said, “A plague on you and your people, I’ll break all their legs!” Morty talked to Esther and Esther told Asher. And I was about to break their legs but Asher said stop! And the Jews were saved. I think that Skit Night is fun! I asked Ellie R. what she thought about Skit Night and she also said, “It was really fun.”

Feed Your Friend Night

Eliana R., Age 8Feed Your Friend Night
Tribe of Reuben

Theme nights are a big part of camp! On Feed Your Friend Night you have to switch plates and drinks and you can’t eat your own food. Also you take turn feeding each other and my partner was Rebekah. I interviewed Rebekah to get her side of the craziness. First, I asked her what the hardest food to feed me was and she said, “The hardest was definitely the bread.” Then I asked her what was the funniest thing that happened and she said, “When she spilled water on me.” Also I asked her if she got enough food and she said, “Actually, yeah.” Then I asked her, “Were you afraid I was going to bite your finger?” It was funny because I bit her finger. Feed Your Friend Night was such a fun night we were laughing the whole night and I can’t wait till we do it next year.

M.I. (Mission Impossible)

Persaeus B., Age 11
Tribe of Zebulun

I was in my cabin, we were all talking about what we were going to do tomorrow, when all of a sudden, the power went out! We all started screaming our heads off! While it was still dark we still had to change for the game. Our tribe leaders have a clue M.I.and decoder to start with and wherever it says to go you go for the next clue. Once you go through all the clues, the last one will say go to the dining hall and that’s when you finish. You and your tribe have to be really quiet or else you will get sent back to your cabin and then pick up where you left off. This year we couldn’t get caught on purpose. For example: if you’re at the soccer field and it say to go to the ladies restroom you wouldn’t have to be quiet going to the restroom. When my tribe (the oldest) went in the dining hall we tied with the youngest ladies, and the youngest men won. Today, I’m going to be interviewing Sherbert, one of the spotters.

Q: Where were you spotting this year?
A: At the water tower.

Q: Do you help put out the clues?
A: No, I don’t.

Q: On a scale of 1 to 10, how good was this year’s M.I.?
A: 11.

Q: Have you ever fallen or tripped in the dark?
A: Yes, tripped and fell.

Q: What was your best year of M.I., and what happened?
A: This year because I got to dance all night.

Wells Fargo

Zoë N., Age 13
Tribe of Zebulun

During the game of Wells Fargo, the campers (the Outlaws) are against the Faithful and Loyal Wells Fargo Agents which are the camp staff. How this game works is the Faithful and Loyal start out with the gold and the campers have to try and steal the gold without getting tagged. If the Faithful and Loyal tags you then the campers who get tWells Fargoagged have to walk back to their base and count to one hundred. If a camper manages to get a bag without dropping it and getting tagged then the bag becomes the campers for that round. How we determine who won that round is by counting the bags and whoever has the most bags wins that round. Only the campers are to steal the gold on the Faithful and Loyal’s base which is where the bags of gold are scattered everywhere not in one individual place. The Faithful and Loyal have to protect the gold from being stolen by campers. Now if a camper drops a bag by tossing it to another camper or just dropping it then the Faithful and Loyal take it back to where it was first picked up. Every year the campers always win the game of Wells Fargo but now this year the Faithful and Loyal won which has now made Camp Gilgal history of 2016. When this happened all of the campers wanted a rematch but we couldn’t because it was too late at night. The campers shall take back their victory.

What a Mensch Night

Persaeus B., Age 11
Tribe of Zebulun

What a Mensch Night is a dinner theme where all the tribes make up nice, funny, and clever puns. The point of the night is to be kind to everyone. “Mensch” is Yiddish for being a good person. For example, one of the tribe leaders is Mango so we said, “Mango more like mangorgeous.” If Mensch Nighta tribe says something nice to another tribe you usually say something nice back. Throughout the whole night staff and campers offer to take cups, plates, and utensils, and also to wipe down the tables. This theme night really inspired campers to be mensches throughout the rest of camp. Being mensches shows love, kindness, caring, and compassion for others. I asked Mango what her favorite part of Mensch Night is and she said, “I love being kind to others and I think it’s a very special thing.” I also asked my friend Carrie and she said, “I think it is nice when people are mensches to others.” The most important thing I think is knowing that God loves us, cares for us, and knows that we are precious to Him.

Super Hero Night

Super Hero NightZoe A., Age 7
Tribe of Reuben

Super Hero Night is a theme night that the tribes dress up as super heroes. My tribe dressed up as flower power heroes. We had headbands with flowers on them and bracelets with flowers on them.

I am interviewing Macaroni: What was your favorite part of super hero night? Answer: “My favorite part was getting to dress like a flower because we are the tribe of Reuben.” After line up they took pictures of every tribe. The other tribes were dressed as super nerds, super market, super preppy, super puppet show, and The Incredibles. Everyone looked really good. Besides my tribe my favorite tribe was the tribe of Zebulun because they dressed as The Incredibles and one camper was Frozone. The one I thought was funniest was the tribe of Dan because they were super nerds and on the back of their shirts it said “Kick me.” The most creative idea was from Issachar because they were foods from a super market. I loved Super Hero Night.

Night Swimming

Shalom M., Age 11
Tribe of Dan

After dinner and tribe time, Snapple and Streetlight blew the whistle and we went down to the basketball court and they said to go and get our “bathing suits, towels, and sunscreen.” When I asked Talia W. “What do you think it is?” she said, “I think it is the waterslide.”

I asked Sarah M. what was her favorite subject during night swimming and her answer was water basketball. The reason why was because she was defense. TNight Swimming1hat was also my favorite subject too.

The whistle blew and everybody ran and lined up so we saw Snapple and she said, “Follow me if you are ready to go night swimming!” We were going down to the pool and it got dark and most of us were playing water basketball first. We did teams then we did tribe leaders vs. campers.

It was finally time for us to leave and Heimlich asked me if I wanted to get the last ball. So I said yes and I jumped in and I saw Sherbert had the ball. After that we did lost and found. Then we left. That night was so cool.

Camp Gilgal West Teen Camp (July 17–23, 2016)

CG 16 logo croppedThe Gospel Transforms Us

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; old things have passed away . . . all things have become new.”  2 Corinthians 5:17

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Campers: Angela A., Bella B., Corey W., DanMain pageiel P., Elijah Y., Elizabeth E., Fiorella M., Isaac H., Josiah C., Laney P., Madi H., Mekerah P., Michael K., Monique L., Nathan B., Paula L., Sarai M., Sophia M., Taliah S., Zoe N.

 

In-Cabin Staff: Cricket, Ewok, Google, Heimlich, Pippin, Sauté, Snapple

 

OutMain page2-of-Cabin Staff: Streetlight, Yamaha

 

Special Guests: Moose

Chalet Two, the Place for You

Chalet 2Sarai M., Age 15

In my opinion, Chalet Two is big. Chalet Two is nice. So now I am going to ask some of the other occupants what they think of their accommodations. Laney thinks… wait, she knows that Chalet Two is the most posh chalet/cabin she has stayed in yet. I must say I agree, although I wish the bathrooms were bigger. 😛 Monique thinks the bathrooms should be bigger as well and really likes the people in it. Yah, that’s probably because I am in her cabin. Mekerah likes the inside of Chalet Two. Madi says it doesn’t stink so that’s a bonus, right? Paula is thankful there aren’t any bugs, and who isn’t? Monique, yah, that’s right she likes most bugs. Elizabeth thinks Chalet Two is awesome or cool, she can’t decide which. Snapple thinks it’s phenomenal. Cricket thinks it’s excellent and Taliah says, “I really love Chalet Two. I feel like I am in a small chapel and what I really like is that I can prop my pillow up when I sleep because normally I can’t do that.” Anyways, in case you haven’t already noticed, Chalet Two is awesome, Chalet Two is great, Chalet Two is comfy and in its shelter, we stay up late.

Just Ask Google

Paula L., Age 14

Google, who describes himself as a “weird” person, likes to snack on yogurt-covered raisins. He has been participating in Camp Gilgal for his whole life. His favorite hobbies include “adventurous stuff,” and additionally, writing music Googletheater, and talking to people. The camp name “Google” came about when Google stated many random facts when he went to camp, and the name stuck. His favorite Google fact is, “The Hudson River isn’t actually a river when it hits Manhattan.” I asked Google, “How intelligent would you rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 10,” and his answer was -5. I asked my cabin to the same question, and they rated Google with an 11.

When Google is in the room, the mood brightens, and faces smile. Zoe describes Google as “fun, very smart (literally), and very sneaky.” Everyone in Chalet 3 thinks Google is funny. Streetlight says Google is “a fantastic guy, he’s funny, and loves campers.” Yamaha has known Google for “not long enough” and says he is a “fine gentleman, and disorganized. He hangs awful art on the wall.” Yamaha says one is of pigs, and Google is kosher… Pippin says, “I think we have a pretty steady friendship…not too awkward…” Ewok says he is a “very cool guy.” As you can see, Google is a much loved, appreciated tribe leader at camp.

Please Send Febreeze: Tales from the Lone Boy Cabin

Febreeze2Isaac H., Age 14

There are legends of the mighty feats of male campers in their cabins. Camp Gilgal is blessed with a great variety throughout the years, with the young and old. But this year we had to settle for a single cabin, a lone band of men, to make up for the lack of glory. There was work to do.

Our crew consisted of seven gentlemen and three staff. Michael and Josiah, the Las Vegas super athletic super duo, had returned from last year, along with Elijah, the Sasquatch, Corey, Daniel, the Southern Sweetheart, Isaac, and a fresh addition, Nathan B. Our first duty was to adjust to each other’s needs: Ewok set boundaries for us as the CHIEF tribe leader and Heimlich banned us from his bunk. It was tough.

We needed to recruit some security and authority as well. Captain Pringles Johnson, of the Pringles National Guard, stepped right up and took his post. Our cabin was free of chaos under his cautious gaze. All of us reveled as a result of Johnson in our cabin. Unfortunately, all outstanding things must come to an end, and our Captain was no exception. Johnson began losing Pringles at an unexpectedly quick rate until he rattled no more when we shook him. The cabin was devastated. No one was more saddened than our new member, Nathan. “He was a good man,” sobbed Nathan at his trash memorial. “He was a chip off the ‘ol Pringles can.” Regardless, we had to move on. Our cabin had changed after his death immensely: funny sounds at night, smells in the toilet, and an overall shoe smell in our living area.

We made the most of it thouFebreezegh. Our commons sounded endlessly and made much laughter. Our staff imparted wisdom upon us when we asked and we listened intently. There was nothing that could stop us. Through it all we were bonded like sticky glue. We were the Lone Man Cabin.

We had made it.

Ewok

EwokMichael K., Age 14

This year I’m writing about Ewok. I have known Ewok since my first year of camp. Ewok has been staff for six years and has gone to camp for eleven years. Ewok loves to hang out with all the campers. When he’s at junior camp his favorite activity is Capture the Degel, and when he is at teen camp, the activity he likes to do the most is the ropes course because he can spend his time in the trees. When I asked what he enjoyed eating at camp he said, “Candy.” Outside of camp he loves eating sushi. His favorite color is blue. He enjoys hanging out with dogs more than any animal in the world. His favorite movie is O Brother Where Art Thou. He enjoys reading text books. That was his response when I asked him what his favorite book was. His favorite camp song is “I Am an M” and his favorite worship song is “Rising Sun” by All Sons and Daughters. What I love about Ewok is he’s extremely hilarious and is a great leader. These are one of many reasons why Ewok is one of my favorite tribe leaders at Camp Gilgal. Thank you Ewok for being my tribe leader this year.

Chalet Three: A Blessing to Be

Gabby G., Age 14

Chalet Three is an awesome cabin to be in! We have such a good time together! My favorite things we have done are probably our night devotions and FOB (Flat On Bunk), aka “naptime.” I love that we give each other fashion advice and do each other’s hair. Our cabin is truly a blessing to be in.

Chalet 3This cabin includes six amazing girls. We all get along and never fight. According to Angela, Zoe is energetic and fun. Her good friend Sophia likes doing the splits and talking about surfing. Fiorella is creative, fashionable, and sometimes can be a bit quiet, but once you get to know her, she’s super nice! Angela can also be quiet but at times she can also be opinionated. Bella brings life to our cabin with her social, sweet, and loud personality. And of course there’s me, whom Sophia describes as quiet. I don’t know why!?!

Sauté and Pippin are our tribe leaders. They are super exciting and fun! Together they are making camp so enjoyable! Sauté (pronounced s­o­­­­­­­­­h-tey) is steady and keeps us organized. She is also practical and really kind. She’s also bright, cheery, and very competitive. Pippin is spunky and Chalet 3-2very laid back. She is super good at doing hair. I firmly believe that our cabin has the best hair. Both amazing tribe leaders work together to keep us happy and safe.

The layout of our cabin is where both walls are lined with bunks. The carpet is maroon with an imprint of letters on it. Beautifully, the lighting is really bright because there’s lots of windows. We also have lots of wind circulating because we have air conditioning and two fans, which is super nice for a cabin. In the middle of the room there is a big mattress we use as a couch and really enjoy the extra space!

Together we are able to get things done quickly and efficiently. I asked Sauté how we do it. She said we get it done with teamwork, which is very true because each person has a job and we all work as a group. I’m personally glad we have cabin inspection every day because without it our cabin would be a mess. With everyone helping, cleaning isn’t that bad, and it can actually be fun!

Chalet Three was really fun to be in! I’m going to miss the girls so much! The cabin wasn’t too cramped and it never got too hot or cold. Each person adds a different aspect to the cabin. Chalet Three was definitely an unforgettable cabin and a blessing to be in.

Sticky Fun at Campfire

CampfireLaney P., Age 14

If you cannot tell by the title of this Gazette article, I will be writing about campfire. When I think of camp I always look forward to campfire because of s’mores and worship music. Now I will be asking other people what they like about campfire.

So my good friend Sarai said that she loves the s’mores. No wait! Just kidding, she changed her mind, she likes the testimonies because she is fascinated by their stories. Next I will be asking Pippin what she likes about campfires.

Pippin’s answer was she loves worshiping the Lord and watching the flames. She also gave an extra fact on how she likes her s’mores. Incinerated!

I did a vote on how people like their s’mores. Golden brown won. The score was 8 to 6. I, as a burnt fan, am truly offended. In the wise words of Pippin, “Burnt is where it’s at.”

After interviewing some people, I noticed that we have mostly similar opinions on campfire, except for how we like our s’mores. Other than that we all like worshipping the Lord together as a camp family.

Pool Time

Nathan B., Age 13

Pool time is about being with your friends and having fun and most people like playing with beach balls. My favorite part is to hang out and swim. Some people Pool timelike to suntan and lay with their friends. Some people like to go to the deep end and hold their breath underwater. Some people do not like to be in the water. My favorite part of pool time is when I jump in for the first time. But before you can go in the pool, there is a swim test so they can make sure you can swim so you can go in the deep end. Some people like to be on the floatie and flip each other in the water. Some people’s favorite part of pool time is cooling off after a hot day. There also is no running in the pool area or they will blow the whistle. My favorite part is the cold water and I also like to put on sunscreen so I do not get burnt by the sun. Some people like to sit and talk. People like to take naps by the pool. The lifeguards are nice. They are helpful if you have questions. They will answer them.

Panel: Thrilling Talks

Madi H., Age 14

During panels, campers will get cards and ask questions anonymously to the staff sitting in the chairs. The staff will talk abPanelout the questions in depth and explain how they can be good or bad. For this year’s panel, Ewok, Cricket, and Snapple were the ones answering questions. One of the questions was about how to talk about God in front of your friends. Another question was, what age is appropriate to date? Monique, when asked, said, “It’s a good way to ask questions anonymously.” We do panel because we can ask questions that we might not be able to ask parents, friends, or other family. “The panel is very informative,” Mekerah said. Zoë thought it was quiet and very helpful. Almost every question asked during the panel was answered. At least nine questions were answered and Streetlight was able to help out some as well.

Cabin Inspection

Cabin inspectionAngela A., Age 13

Cabin inspection is every day. Our cabin has to be super clean. All beds have to be made, the floor has to be clean, and everything has to be organized and straight. No trash can be in or around the cabin. Even if there is one little wrapper, that counts as an infraction. Your sheets and bedding have to be tucked in perfectly and no wrinkles. We have 45 minutes every day to clean the cabin. Sometimes our cabin wakes up an hour early to start. It is really hard to get a perfect score. Gabby says that cabin inspection is kind of annoying because it takes a while. I like cabin inspection because it feels nice walking into a clean cabin. Everyone has to work together to clean. Everyone makes their bed and helps other people or help organize. Because of cabin inspection everyone has to get ready fast so that we can have extra time. Our cabin got a perfect score only two times.

Tabernacle

TabernacleTaliah S., Age 15

For me Tabernacle is one of my favorite parts of camp! I don’t think that there is anything about Tabernacle that I don’t like (except the memory verses). I interviewed one of my fellow campers, Bella. The first question that I asked her was, what is your favorite part of Tabernacle? She replied teaching. This is very relatable. Streetlight, who did all the teaching this year, is very, very good at teaching. I asked Bella, what are we learning about now in Tabernacle? She said, “Paul, and how he transformed into a great person after being a murderer.” Paul had an amazing life. He is such a large role model for how even the most unlikely people can change. What I have learned over the years is that many people do not find Tabernacle time to be enjoyable or even significant. I asked Bella a question about a very important part of Tabernacle, the Sh’ma. I asked her, “What do you feel the Sh’ma means to us as Jews and believers?” She replied, “Why do we even sing the Sh’ma? I don’t know.” This is something that is recurring more and more rapidly amongst young Jewish people. Bella is not alone in her confusion. We are all losing a great part of our Jewish identity. I think that Camp Gilgal and especially Tabernacle time is vital to us as young Jewish believers. In conclusion, I love Tabernacle.

A Week in the Life of a Camp Gilgal Teenager

Daniel P., Age 14

A week is a long time in the life of a teenager, so try to imagine what happens when God puts a bunch of them in one place… with NO electronics. Life at Camp Gilgal is a wonderful thing, and those of us who get to experience it are truly blessed. In this article to all you future campers out there, or even veteran campers, I’m going to tell you what happens in the weeklong life of a teen camper. Every morning starts the same, at 7:00 am. We are awakened by the loud, and long, blast of the shofar. We are then told by our cabin staff, although noLife as teen3t all of us listen at the time. We then get in the showers and get dressed, and once we have all done that we start to clean the cabin until the whistle is blown. Once the whistle is blown, we go down to the mess hall to get breakfast. After breakfast, we go and clean the cabin in preparation for cabin inspection. After we are done with that, we go down to the Tabernacle for worship, and a quick message.

After Tabernacle, we then head over to a certain activity for the day, which could include the giant swing, low ropes, high ropes, and the rock wall. When we are finished with our adventure activities, we go back to the mess hall for some glorious lunch. When we first get into the mess hall, we hear from Ida Schmutzstein, this year’s cabin inspector. After lunch, we go back to our cabins with specific instructions on what to wear/bring. When the whistle is blown we go to the “Lone Tree,” whicLife as teen2-1h is a regular tree that just isn’t around other trees. We are then told what our next activity is, which could be pool time or some other activity. After that, we then have free time, in which we can do whatever we want with a staff member with us. After free time we get ready for dinner. After dinner we are then for a second time given instructions on what are we going to wear and bring. When the whistle blows, we then go to the Lone Tree, and we start… the night games.

If you don’t already know what those are I will explain. The night games are an amazing thing, where we play games such as Capture the Degel, Wells Fargo, and icebreaker games. Then after we have an amazing night we return to the cabin for a good night’s rest, and the best part is that we get to wake up and do it all over again the next day. Now that you know what we get to do in our weeklong camp lifSlip n slide2e, I’ll let you hear from an actual camper. I asked veteran camper Isaac H., “What do you like about camp life?” He replied with, “Well, I like the fact that I get to get away from all the stressful things in the world today.” I think that that says it all to be honest, and I hope you will too when you get to camp next year.

Devotions

DevosSophia M., Age 13

Sit down and listen. God brings our cabins together to praise Him. This allows us to talk and discuss the different questions that float within the human mind, giving us an idea of the greatness the Lord has done in each individual life. This activity that we partake in allows us to appreciate the love the God gives us. Today I got to ask Bella B. her opinion on devotions. She replied with, “They are great,” and, “I enjoy discussing with the staff.” This portrays that the impression of devos leaves the camper with confidence and courage to go out in the world knowing the Lord is with them and in their hearts. God continues to work through our hearts and gives us the knowledge to seek Him out through our challenging lives and world, giving us a new perspective from where He sees our challenging lives that we must continue to fight through. So coming together in our cabins allows us to continue to see God’s glory work through our lives, and overcoming challenges with others allows us to pursue the love the Lord gives us. In the end we are brought together to see the love God has towards us.

Slide, Slide, Slippery Slide!

Isabella B., Age 13

Walk on over to the humongous slip-n-slide at Camp Oakhurst. After asking Heimlich how long the slide was, I received an estimate of 100 yards. The slip-n-slide had two objectives: have fun, and slide up to the grass. And mighty tribe leader Heimlich did both. The slide was long and kind of like this ~~~~~~. So as you can see, to reach the grass, you have to have great skill and a good tube. Heimlich said his favorite tube was Slip n slidethe tire because that’s what took him to the “edge” or grass. I asked Heimlich what happened if you touched the grass and he said you got a prize and he got peanut butter cups. When going down the slide, Heimlich’s preferred method was in tandem with Snapple’s tube. When picking a tube, you should pick one with lots of air and handles. Then the person working should spray you and the tube with lots of water. Then they should put shampoo on the tube to make it faster. Then you should get some speed and jump onto the slide holding the tube by the handles. You should also try not to turn around. Until next year, I’m slipping off and you should too.

Verses of Memory

Verses of memoryElijah Y., Age 13

2 Corinthians 5:17-21: “Therefore, if anyone is in Messiah, the new creation has come. The old has gone, the new is here.” Another start to another memory verse at teen camp of 2016. This year brought a verse of the benefits and responsibilities in our lives as believers. The first half of the verse has to do with the fact that when you believe in Messiah, you become a new person and that God has reconciled the world to Himself through Jesus, and would not count sins against people. Because of this, as it explains in the second half, we as believers are to spread this message of reconciliation to those who haven’t received it. This is because “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.” In order for others to become this righteousness we must be “Messiah’s ambassadors.” All in all, it is a very important verse to know in relation to why it is important to spread God’s Word. When I asked Streetlight the reasons behind choosing this year’s memory verse, I learned it was because it summed up the lessons in Tabernacle. This year at Camp Gilgal teen camp 2016, we learned about Saul’s transformation into Paul and his journeys through Philippi, Ephesus, Galatia, and Corinth. We learned about the churches he founded in each place and the letters sent to each later from Paul on how to be stronger believers and things that the churches needed to fix.

Gaga Ball: One of the Scariest Yet Most THRILLING Games in Existence

Mekerah P., Age 15

In the past at teen camp, there will be a night when the campers will be escorted to a court of some sort to play a glorious game of dodgeball. On Monday night, campers were told to put on bug spray, close-toed shoes, and long pants, before being led to a basketball court, where nearly every camper assumed the game of dodgeball would commence. Just try to imagine the surprise when we walked through the court and continued on into the words around Camp Oakhurst.

Gaga ball2Eventually, we arrived at our destination, the gaga ball pit. About a quarter of the campers (myself included) had never even heard of the game before, let alone played it. The way gaga ball works is only actually slightly different from dodgeball. The game consists of throwing balls at each other, bouncing them off the ground, and attempting to dodge the balls when they come flying at you. The main differences between the two games is that gaga ball is played within a small, circular, gated pit, and only hits below the knee are able to get people out of the game.

One camper, Monique L., thought the game was fun, but also was of the opinion that the pit was too dusty to be able to both see and play ball easily. Madi H. also thought the Gaga ballgame was awesome, yet very dusty. In fact, most of the campers and staff enjoyed the game, but would have enjoyed it more if there was not so much dust in their eyes and noses when diving for the ball.

Some campers didn’t agree with all the rules, some thinking they made the game too hard, others thinking it was too easy. Taliah S. was a camper who did not like the rule that the gaga ball had to be in the air and not bounce on the ground when attempting to get a fellow camper out of the game. However, Taliah also thought that the game was a very interesting experience since she had never played gaga ball before.

It shall be interesting to see if the tradition of dodgeball will continue through later years, or if the game of gaga ball will become a new tradition for Camp Gilgal teen camp.

Vons

VonsFiorella M., Age 13

One camp tradition is going to Vons which is what we did this year. After Yosemite we drove to Vons. First we split up into groups and looked around. I bought a mini bag of sour Skittles which was $1.29. Many of the girls bought chips and candy. I asked Pippin three questions about the Vons trip. I asked, “What did you get at Vons?” Pippin claimed that she had bought a horned melon, liquid chili powder, nectarines, and gum. I also asked her if she enjoyed the trip. She said, “I did, and I enjoy shopping.” The last question I asked her was, “Who was in your group?” Pippin said, “I was with Heimlich, Yamaha, Mekerah, Sophia, and Elijah.” Most people went to Starbucks as we walked in. We all were wearing our camp shirts in Vons, and people in Vons were asking questions about our camp. My group mostly was in the candy aisle. My favorite part of the Vons trip was when my group was trying on ugly sunglasses and laughing. Cricket helped me look for what I wanted though I changed my mind in the end. The men of camp mostly got candy. Bella bought mini utensils, celery, and Nutella. All in all, the whole experience was very fun.

The AMAZING Ropes Course!!

Zoe N., Age 13

At the awesome ropes course the ladies and men were split up. One group went to the rock wall and the other group went to the ropes course. So during the ropes course, which is not far from where we have Tabernacle, we (the ladies) are asked to write our names down on a paper so that way they know who is going on the course. TAmazing ropes coursehe rules of how to do the ropes course were explained by Pete, who is in charge of the course. I was the first one to go on the ropes course and it was scary at first but then it ended up being really fun. My favorite part of the course was the zip line at the end. You also have the option to try the challenge course which requires a lot of upper body strength and time. Before you start climbing, they give you a harness and helmet. Pete and the others will help you through the course so that way you can get through it quickly and safely. Elizabeth was the only one who went on the challenge course. She said, “It was hard, but it was challenging in a good, good way. And also I had some battle scars!” It took Elizabeth about 15 minutes to do the course. On a scale of one to ten of hardness and fun, she said, “A seven for hardness and an eight for fun.” Elizabeth’s favorite part of the course was climbing the ropes and the zip line at the end of the course. In the end I had a great time on the ropes course and allowed my mental and physical strength to be tested.

Adventure in Yosemite

Corey W., Age 14

In Camp Gilgal we do a lot of fun activities. One of those activities happens to be going to Yosemite. We start our adventure by loading into two vans. The drive is about one and a half hours. Even though it’s a long drive, we all make the most of it playing games. Once we got there we started Tabernacle. First we worshiped then we started talking about Paul and his letters. After that we all ate lunch together. Then we went around in the woods and hung around until we had to go. Once we had to go back in the vans and drove over to a hike. We started the hike by walking up a short trail up to a mountain called SAdventure in Yosemiteentinel Dome. Once we got up there we all looked at the view for a little while then some of us started playing games. One of the games we played was silent football. To play this game everyone sits in a circle making different motions to pass the football around. After the game was over we all took our camp photos. During our trip everyone tends to have a favorite part of Yosemite. For example, Isaac H. says his favorite parts of Yosemite are the heights, the view, and the idea that he was out in nature. Also Nathan B. says his favorite place in Yosemite was Sentinel Dome. As well as Google who says his favorite part is the rocks because it reminds him of how strong Jesus is. Daniel P. says his favorite place in Yosemite is Sentinel Dome and his favorite thing to do was when he got dared to propose to Snapple and did it. Michael K.’s favorite part was reaching the top of Sentinel Dome and playing silent football. Also Ewok’s favorite part of Yosemite was seeing the view from the top of Sentinel Dome. There are many different things to do in Yosemite and everyone has their favorites. Yosemite is a great place to be in God’s creation that hopefully campers will be able to continue to enjoy forever.

Icebreakers: A Thrilling Title

Monique L., Age 14

The very first night of camp, all the campers gathered round, and engaged in games of icebreakers, to break the icy ground.

The fIcebreakers2irst game we played was more of a get-to-know-you game. Whilst spelling your names with your hips, three facts about yourself were stated. What it was didn’t matter, as long as you spelled your name.

After the first game, we made a human knot. You stand in a circle and link arms across, creating a large knot of arms. To win the game you must untangle your arms without letting go of the other people’s hands before the other teams.

Captain/Sailor/Gunner was next. There are four different positions: captain, sailor, gunner, and hit the deck. When doing captain, one must either jump on someone’s back, piggy back style, and then salute. In sailor, two people must hold the legs of a person, holding them up in a sitting position, and in gunner, three people must kneel down on hands a knees and allow another person to lie on their backs and make the symbol of a gun with their hands. The final pose is called hit the deck. When attempting to hit the deck, one must fall flat on the ground as soon as possible. To win the game you must survive elimination.Icebreakers

The final game was Honey If You Love Me. One person is chosen to try and make someone smile by saying, “Honey, if you love me will you please, please, smile?” To win you must keep a straight face and say, “Honey, I love you but I just can’t smile.” Mekerah was surprised at how long she lasted in the game, because she laughs quite often.

I think that the icebreaker games were an excellent way to get everyone relaxed and excited for camp.

Rock On

Josiah C., Age 14

Rock climbing is a great sport! It’s very challenging and it takes a lot of patience. What I like about rock climbing is that it pushes you to your best ability. The best part about rock climbing is that you don’t have to workRock on out your arms the next day because it’s a workout in itself. Some go up faster than others but everybody is trying their best. Then there’s Yamaha who stands alone in his own category on the rock wall. He looks like Spiderman climbing up the wall. Google is also very good at rock climbing. He rock climbs as a hobby and has participated in some competitions. This year at camp there were two walls that you could do, a regular one and a challenge one. I asked Google what he liked best about the challenge course and he said the mental part. Whether you’re going to step on this rock or a different one. What the best way you should go up, so that you can make it to the top. It’s like a puzzle that’s ready to get solved. My favorite part about the challenge rock wall was the will to persevere through the whole thing. It took me a little while to get to the top, but at the end, the struggle was definitely worth it. Rock climbing this year was a very fun activity this year.

Conquering the Dome

ConqueringElizabeth E., Age 14

On Tuesday of Camp Gilgal teen camp, we (campers and staff) went on an amazing hike in Yosemite. The hike was shorter than last year, but it was uphill the whole way there. It was very worth it though because the view was breathtaking. We also took our annual Camp Gilgal photo on the top of the mountain. My fellow camper, Taliah S., thought the hike was short but steep. She also liked the beautiful view at the top. Taliah said she was playing the animal game and just talking with friends on the way up to the mountain. Taliah also enjoyed the three-sixty view of the mountains and Half Dome. Another fellow camper, Daniel P.’s favorite part of the hike was spending time with Google. Google and Daniel were talking to each other about the countries they visited on the way up there. I asked Cricket how she felt about the hike and to see if it was challenging. She said it was a beautiful place and there was a gorgeous view no matter what direction we turned. She thought it was short but challenging. Overall it was a very beautiful hike and I am glad I went on it with my Camp Gilgal family.

Camp Gilgal East Teen Camp (July 12-19, 2015)

Lord, Help My Unbelief

2015 logo white text

 

 

 

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

 

 

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

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Tribe of Judah: Naomi W., Rachel M., Rebekah C., Reva G., Simona B., Ruski, Nature Valley

 

Tribe of Ephraim: Alyssa C., Eden A., Gita G., Liora S., Mariya A., Anonymous, Eureka

 

Tribe of Simeon: Alex J., Asher W., Elliot A., Isaiah H., Keane R., Trent F., Hiccup, Google
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Out-of-Cabin Staff: Baby Carrots (health director), Beardo, Scooter, Strings, RedSox

 

Interview with the Health Director

Interview Health Director1Trent F., Age 14
Tribe of Simeon

Our health director Baby Carrots is a very passionate, outgoing person. Because she has been a believer since she was very young, she looked forward to being an assistant tribe leader (ATL) since she was a camper. When she had the opportunity to be an ATL she jumped at it. Her valuable experience led her to be a tribe leader and then out-of-cabin staff. Now she serves as the health director. She told me she thinks God gave her the ability and passion to be in the medical field because it’s not for everyone. She currently is an EMT going to school to become a Physician’s Assistant as well as specializing in critical care. When she can use her medical skills in such a wonderful atmosphere she feels fulfilled. At night she helps me with my meds but she doesn’t rush me so she can go to sleep. She’s a patient person who plays a very important role in the Gilgal staff.

An Interview with Google

Elliot A., Age 13
Tribe of Simeon

Google was born in Jacksonville, FL. He was a tribe leader for junior and teen camp on the East Coast this year. He has been attending Camp Gilgal West Coast for many years but came to Camp Gilgal East this year because he attends college in Pennsylvania. His favorite Bible verse changes quite often, but is currently either Isaiah 11:9 or Galatians 2:20. HeInterview Google1 has played many instruments, starting with the clarinet. He truly let Jesus into his life at adventure camp on the West Coast in 2013. His overall favorite camp shirt is the one from 2010, and it’s my personal favorite as well. This is his first year as staff. His favorite color is the rainbow and his favorite tribe to be at camp is Simeon. He LOVES french toast at camp and his favorite all-camp activity is Mission Impossible. Google loves movies that make him cry. His favorite one is a romance called Listen to Your Heart. If he had to tell someone a favorite joke on the spot it would be this: “A man was praying to God. He asked God how long 1,000,000 years was to him. God replied, ‘A second.’ He then asked how much a million dollars was to God to which He replied, ‘A penny.’ The man then asked God if he could have a million dollars and God said, ‘Wait a second.’ I have greatly enjoyed having Google as my tribe leader this year and hope that one day you can have him as yours too. I can’t wait until I can be staff! I hope you get to experience the fun with staff here at camp.

Staff Testimonies

Staff Testimonies1Rachel M., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

At Camp Gilgal we do something called staff testimonies. After every lunch a couple of staff members come up to share their life stories. I honestly love hearing how God changed people’s lives and brought them closer to Him. As a camper, I think that it brings us all together as a family. Some of us go through similar struggles as the staff and it personally helps me get through it. For me, at least, camp is my second home. You get welcomed warmly.

There is a tribe leader and her name is Ruski. Ruski’s testimony was very relatable. Growing up through high school Ruski had many great friends that helped her stay accountable to her faith. They were there to support her and encourage her. This personally gives me an example of what group of friends I should associate myself with.

Overall I love camp and they treat every single one of us like family. I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Gita

Liora S., Age 15
Tribe of Ephraim

A loud thud echoes through the cabin, windows rattling. A startled flock of birds takes flight, jabbering in surprise and fright. Upon first thought, it may seem that the dinosaurs from Jurassic Park have come to life and started roaming Camp GilGita1gal, but… The wooden door swings open and a girl steps out. Dark hair frames her face, cascading down to just below her shoulders. Her brown eyes sparkle mischievously. This is no dinosaur, this is Gita.

Known for her wonky and rather… unsavory food combinations, her loud and exciting presence, and energetic personality, Gita is one fine specimen of a first-year camper. Always jumping headfirst into awkward situations and de-awkwardizing them is her specialty. Gita fears no one. She is forever in sync with her identical twin Reva, and they dually astonished, amazed, and excited the audience during talent night. Gita is up for anything, and once you get to know her she is a chatterbox that is always willing to discuss life with anyone and everyone.

Thundering down from her bunk every morning after spending the night watching her cabin-mates sleep, Gita greets everyone in the morning with a loud thump as she leaps from her bunk bed. Sharing a cabin with Gita is an ongoing endeavor that requires much patience and a sense of humor. Gita makes camp exciting, and is a rechargeable battery of wackiness and energy. Gita helps make camp fun. I’m glad she’s part of the Camp Gilgal Family.

Hiccup is a (Paintball) Serial Killer

Asher W., Age 14
Tribe of Simeon

(The Italicized portion of this article is a dramatization of our day on the paint ball course and my time hanging out with Hiccup.)

With his Go-Pro slapped to his chest, Hiccup crept behind yet another victim. He leveled his gun and glared through the sight, his tie-dye shirt flapping in the wind.

 “How long do we stay like this?” I asked.

 “’Till we’ve created maximum awesomeness.”

Hiccup pulled the trigger and a stream of paintballs rocketed out of his gun. Paint exploded over our prey. “AAAAARRRGGG!” Elliot, now covered in a coat of neon yellow pigment, glared at us and marched out of the range.Interview Hiccup1

Gun fire jetted out of a bunker as Nature Valley yelled an agonizing war cry. Hiccup and I dove behind some plywood and returned fire. Nature Valley was proclaimed hit and she tromped out of the arena. Two down, two to go.

Hiccup is a hilarious, fairly obnoxious serial killer (but only in paintball). He was born in a town at the bottom of upstate New York, but currently lives in central Florida. He loves talking like a traumatized Indian at a Chinese restaurant or like Sara (S-A-R-A with no H ‘cause H’s are EWW!) from Jimmy Fallon.

His favorite Bible story is when Jesus cast some demons into a herd of pigs. It shows that God works in weird and mysterious ways for His glory. His favorite memory verse is Romans 8:28 because it reminds me that no matter what happens God will work it out for good, even if we don’t see it.

Hiccup enjoys being crazy awkward and doing the crab dance. Hiccup is awesome, energetic, and optimistic. He gives us time to relax, have fun, an altogether have a great time. Hiccup is an amazing tribe leader and is one of my favorites.

Interview with Anonymous

Interview Anonymous1Eden A., Age 14
Tribe of Ephraim

This year at teen camp my counselor Anonymous and I were selected to be put in the tribe of Ephraim along with a few other girls. I decided to interview her and discovered a few key facts you should know about her. First off, she is really into music and a way she expresses her love for God is through worship. She has a strong connection with God that seems to strengthen every year. Her favorite verse in the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11, which talks about God and the future He has planned ahead. At camp her favorite all camp activity is an outdoors game called Gaga, which involves a lot of screaming, running, and hitting people with rubber balls. Her favorite year as a camper was the junior camp year when she was ten. Her favorite sport outside of camp is softball and her favorite sport to watch is football. I think she is definitely one of my favorite tribe leaders and these are just a few facts about her. Anonymous is awesome and I hope you’ll get to know her too.

Field Trip

Simona B., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

Every year at teen camp we go on a camping trip followed by white water rafting. After lunch, all of us 16 campers jumped in the car to make our journey to the campsite. After a very long hour and a half drive, we arrived at the site. While the staff cooked us dinner, the campers played Nukem, swam, plaField Trip1yed on the playground and more. We had a very tasty dinner after activities followed by a campfire talk and s’mores. When we were all tired, we went in our tents and fell fast asleep. Early the next morning we were woken up for the main activity of the trip – white water rafting! We went over so many rapids but all managed to stay safe. The guides were so skilled and funny. After a long day in the sun and on the water we were served a yummy dinner. Then we went to the gift shop and people bought souvenirs. Sadly, it was time to go home. It was the best field trip ever, and it lasted two days! My personal favorite part was the fastest rapid. There was a huge rock that we went down and I almost fell out! Our guide told us exactly what to do so we were safe. The fast rapids were definitely the most fun. I’m looking forward to next year already!

Low Ropes Course

Alex J., Age 14
Tribe of Simeon

This year at Camp Gilgal my tribe/group and I did a low ropes course involving high levels of intense team building and strategy as well as trust. Personally, I have a fear of falling, and at the ropes course I had the opportunity to do a trust fall. And after a while, I just did it. I believed in my friends and they caught me. But getting more on a spiritual note I learned a lot through this amazing experience about trusting not only in my friends but in God. On the walk to the site I saw beautiful trees. I took in every breath and knew that God was with me. Therefore, when these experiences arise I have to trust in God and give it all to Him like everything else. Another obstacle we did was when all of our tribe stood on a log all in order. Then we needed to get everyone to switch sides, and every time someone fell off we had to start over. The last major obstacle we did was a tight rope. Anolow ropes course1ther tribe member and I had to achieve getting to the other side. If you were a spotter you had to be behind the people on the rope and cup your hands and when you’re the person that has to go across you have to evenly push against your partner 50/50 to achieve getting to the other side. And all in all you should send your child to Camp Gilgal.

Zombie Survival

Zombie Survival1Keane R., Age 15
Tribe of Simeon

This year at Camp Gilgal there was an activity known as “Zombie Survival.” I was the only camper to participate so this is some top-secret information. First, we discussed what five things we would have in the case of the apocalypse. I said food, water, a pistol with a muffler, a machete, and shelter. Then we made an ideal, completely ridiculous, survival shelter. It was comprised of genetically engineered redwood trees – they would be extremely high, fireproof, very wide, and could bear fruit. Storage and normal civilization would be closest to the tops of the trees, along with solar panels and a botanical garden because the tops of the trees would be flat. The houses would be sort of set up like Ewok houses with bridges connecting the tops and surrounding the trees like rings. The differences are the houses are inside the trees and are used for different things. Lastly, there would be a lower floor with a huge drop ladder that is for the army to live in so they can shoot down zombies and invaders. This is what Zombie Survival was like. I love teen camp activities because they require creativity and imagination, and I can’t wait for next year!

Paintball

Alyssa C., Age 14Paintball1
Tribe of Ephraim

Oh paintball… Where do I even begin? It was traumatizing. And awesome, but traumatizing. I am writing this right now, covered in welts and mosquito bites, and frankly I can’t tell which are which.

This was my first paintball experience so I didn’t know what to expect, except that it was going to hurt. So, we get to the paintball place, which is located at the camp in the woods. We were split up into two teams. From this point on, it gets kinda surprising. We learned how to use the paintball gun, and put on our helmets. The two teams had to stand across from each other and shoot each other to get used to it. Everyone was shocked to be shooting their friend right across from them. The first time I got hit it felt like what I’d imagine a bullet is like. It was right on my thigh and I wanted to cry. It was surprising, but went away after a few seconds.

Well, after that happened, we played mini six-minute games. I was about to give up but realized it really wasn’t that bad and fought through the pain. I was happy that I shot a few people, but my aim was still pretty bad. After it was done we all talked about our experiences and then Elliot ate a paintball for a dollar (after making sure it was non-toxic). I’m not gonna talk about that. It was weird and kinda gross (obviously).

I realized that even though it was scary I’m glad I experienced it with all of my friends and that paintball isn’t just for some people. I would definitely do paintball again next year because turns out it was really fun and exciting. I encourage everyone to try paintball at least once in their lives because it’s an awesome experience once you get going.

White Water Rafting

Rebekah C., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

On the way to rafting I had a fun time on White Water Rafting1the bus with my friends. When we were rafting it was so exciting because it is fun and you get to see the beautiful scenery. We went into big waves and got splashed a lot. On the raft we had a contest of how many horseflies we could whack. We killed around 43 flies. Our guide was really funny and outgoing, and we gave him the name ‘Viking’. The rafting felt more intense this year and exciting. We also went “surfing” – it’s when we all go to the front of the boat and glide on a wave. After rafting, we went back to the Wild Waters rafting area. Then we had a really great dinner there. They also had a shop with a lot of really neat souvenirs. We all had a really great time on our rafting trip. This was my second time and I love it! I can’t wait ‘till next year.

Fort Building

Reva G., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

One of my favorite activities was fort building. We had to go in the cabins and get all the mattresses that weren’t being used. We had to carry all the mattresses to the tree knoll. SFort Building1trings, Hiccup, Keane, Simona, and I had to find out how to keep the mattresses from falling, what we wanted in our fort, and how we wanted it to look. By using the mattresses, we formed a big rectangle. Inside it was a tanning area, a shade area, and a tunnel. We used seven mattresses alone for the tunnel. After we finished making the fort, we talked about how cool it was. As a group we decided that the rules were no shoes and you had to go through the doorway. Everybody in the group worked as a team which was good because we got the job done. Out of the whole thing the hardest part was bringing the mattresses to the tree knoll and putting the mattresses away. Overall, we had a lot of fun because we got to work together and then relax together. This is my first year at Camp Gilgal. I didn’t expect activities like this, but I really liked it and I hope you can do it next year!

Games and Pool

Games and Pool1Gita G., Age 14
Tribe of Ephraim

The first day I came we had the swimming test. Without hesitating I jumped in the water as soon as my tribe was called. We had to swim to one side on your stomach and back on your back. Then we had to float on our back for a minute. We then swam to the deep end and had to keep our head above water for a minute. It was really easy and fun. After everyone finished taking the test we got to jump in and swim around. The water was the perfect temperature. The pool is an awesome fun way to have fun.

The rest of the days I didn’t want to go swimming. I decided not to swim anymore during the week. I spent the day playing ping pong, card games, and air hockey. Those games were a lot of fun, even though I am terrible at them. Mau is a really fun card game but it makes no sense at all – we don’t talk about the rules!

The best part of all is that you can just sit and relax in the game. You can even memorize the week’s verse. The game room satisfies pretty much anyone. You could have a fun and relaxing time in the pool or a crazy time in the game room. Having down time at camp is a nice break. This is my first year at camp and I’m so glad I came!

Screamo

Isaiah H., Age 13
Tribe of Simeon

For an all-camp activity we play an amazing game called Screamo. Screamo is a game where you roll a dice and flip the tile of that specific number, and once all of your tiles are flipped then you win. In this game you have to choose a partner. My partner was Elliot. Also, he’s my fake twin brother. During the game, Elliot and I were winning every game until… the twins. (These twins are my tribe leader’s sisters.) They were the first people we lost Screamo1to. Elliot and I were sad because we lost. While we were competing against them everyone was yelling because the game is so, so, so, so intense. Sweat was dripping down our faces as we were flipping over the pieces and rolling the dice, and then all of a sudden the twins yelled “SCREAMO!!!” Once they yelled that, Elliot and I were so upset but they didn’t see their other card, so Elliot and I won and were so happy. We can’t wait to play this amazing game again next year.

Archery

Archery1Naomi W., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

Archery is a fun activity you can do at teen camp. I like archery because I like to try to shoot the bullseye and just have fun and challenge myself. After you shoot all your arrows, you have to retrieve them and sometimes have to look in the woods to find them. Every year I get better because I get good tips from the camp staff and my friends. Sometimes we do a shooting challenge where either we see who shoots the most arrows on the target or who can shoot the most balloons. We have to make sure we don’t accidentally hurt each other with the arrows because they’re sharp and can cause injuries, but luckily we haven’t hurt anyone or shot anyone. Learning how to shoot a bow and arrow can be a little scary but it’s a great experience and you get more into it the more you shoot and get closer to the bullseye. It’s also a fun way to play with your friends and challenge each other. Teen camp is a lot of fun and you should come here, too.

Nukem

Mariya A., Age 14
Tribe of Ephraim

Excitement, frustration, enjoyment, terror, and elation! These are the feelings I get when I play Nukem. It’s just so awesome!!! If you like to move around and catch a ball, Nukem is for you! You get to see the members of the other team (as well as your own team) get out. In order to get back in the game, one of your team members has to caNukem1tch the ball with one hand and it can’t touch their body. Before I go on, the way you get out of the game is by not catching the ball when you are the closest to it. This happens to me a lot when I play Nukem at camp. When I get out of the game, I get so frustrated but then I get excited at the same time because I know that people in my team will catch the ball one-handed and I will be able to go in. My favorite part of Nukem is throwing and catching the ball. This is because I have this jumping technique that I do due to my height. It’s so fun throwing the ball in a certain way so that the members of the other team can’t catch it. I enjoy the looks of pained frustration on their faces as they slowly realize they’re out of the game. Nukem is a truly campy experience that I have to wait all year to enjoy. This is why Camp Gilgal is really AWESOME!

Camp Gilgal East Junior Camp (June 28 – July 11, 2015)

God Will Gather Us and Bring Us Home

2015 logo white text

 

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribe of Judah: Ezra L., Isaac G., Levi S., MattheMain page3-1w S., Noah N., Hiccup, Horizon

 

Tribe of Benjamin: AJ S., Daniel C., Ephraim L., Gavyn R., Google, Pamplemousse

 

Tribe of Naphtali: Halie F., Keren A., Olivia T., Sofiya M., Sitruce, Guacamole

 

Tribe of Ephraim: Alana F., Dinah G., Eliana W., Netanya W., Rachel H., Anonymous, Squid

 

Tribe of Joseph: Hannah K., Kaelee F., Penina S., Sydney F., Storm, Sneezy

 

Main page1Out-of-Cabin Staff: Beardo, Birkenstock (Craft Teacher), Buster (Camp Baby), Ruski (Intern), Scrabble (Babysitter), Scooter, Strings, RedSox

Interview with Birkenstock

Halie F., Age 8
Tribe of Naphtali

My name is Halie. My tribe name is Naphtali and I’ve been at camp for two years. Craft is really fun because you get to make these really Interview Birkenstock1cool tzedakah boxes. My box has dogs on it and it has sparkles, and inside of it when you open it you see my name, and when you look at my ‘A’ you see a circle with a star on it. Birkenstock is the craft teacher. I really like her because she’s always really nice to me. Birkenstock reads her Bible every week and she’s trying to read it more often. Her favorite colors are Matisse blue, orange, and yellow. Her favorite style is stripes. Her favorite thing at camp is the people, the horses and the craft, of course! She also really likes the outdoors. Her favorite word is “transformational,” her birthday is April 7 and Buster’s (her son) is August 17. Her favorite food is a big fruit salad. She doesn’t do the same craft every year. I can’t wait to come back to camp and see Birkenstock again.

Interview with Guacamole

SInterview Guac1ofiya M., Age 8
Tribe of Naphtali

Guacamole was my assistant tribe leader this year and my first year at summer camp. I wanted to interview Guacamole because she is really funny and she was pretty and nice and I want to tell you a lot about her. Her favorite color is pink. So is mine. Really it is. Her favorite pet is a guinea pig because she had one and they are cute and fluffy. Guac’s favorite number is four because it’s her soccer number. Her favorite verse is Hebrews 11:1 because it tells about faith and that’s her middle name. She said to pray for patience in school and stress in school. She likes to sleep because she’s tired sometimes. She accepted Jesus into her heart in her first time at junior camp as a camper. She loves guacamole because she is Guacamole herself and it’s tasty. Guacamole loves camp because she gets to see Squid and she loves learning about the Bible. I loved camp and I can’t wait to come back next year. And I loved being in Guacamole’s cabin. The End.

Interviewing Hiccup

Olivia T., Age 8
Tribe of Naphtali

Hi, my name is Olivia. This is my first time at East Coast summer camp. Last year I was at the Midwest summer camp. I love Mad Science. It is my favorite activity because it is fun and there are experiments. Hiccup is a tribe leader, his tribe’s name is Judah and he is in charge of Mad Science and hiking. He’s silly, so sillyInterview Hiccup1. I interviewed Hiccup because I like Mad Science and hiking. He likes some science, like physics and chemistry but hates biology. The Bible is his favorite book and he tries to read it every day. His goal is about three chapters a day. His favorite colors are green, red, blue, and orange. He loves to eat mac and cheese (in a crockpot)!! He likes football books by Tim Green. He’s going to college in Florida and he’s going to live an hour away from Disney World!!! His favorite animal is a dog. I can’t wait to come back and to see Hiccup again! BYE! 🙂

Baby Busted

Noah N., Age 8
Tribe of Judah

Nukem is volleyball where you have to catch the ball. Then you throw it and if the person misses it or touches it without catching it then they are out. My tribe was playing nukum and I don’t normally like doing things with the whole group, but I had a lot of fun playing NukeBaby Busted1m because Baby Buster was there. Haha, no he wasn’t playing…he is a baby! It’s so funny that Baby Buster was eating cheerios and laughing at us playing nukum. P.S. Baby Buster is actually Baby Busted. Well, that is what my cabin calls him because we like the word “busted,” and Baby Busted hits his head on stuff.

Baby Busted’s mom is Birkenstock. Birkenstock is in charge of craft. Scrabble takes care of Baby Busted when his mom is in craft. I tried to guess Baby Busted’s name, but he doesn’t talk so he couldn’t tell me. I asked Horizon what his real name was and he wouldn’t tell me but said, “That is an excellent question!” The staff are a weird and cool part of Camp Gilgal and part of what makes Camp Gilgal awesome. Baby Busted is cool too. I’m glad he was here.

Interview with Horizon

Isaac G., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

I decided to interview the ATL of my tribe, the tribe of Judah. This was my first year as a camper and Horizon’s first year as staff. I asked him sixteen questions that I wanted to know about him. Here are some of the questions I asked him. The first was: why do you always wear a beanie? His answer was, “Beanies are amazing. They’re comfy, warm, and it’s almost like a warm hug on your head. It looks cool, and once you wear one you can never go back.” The second question was why he chose to be an ATL. He said, “I love Camp Gilgal. I was a camper for two years in teen camp, and I always wanted to be on staff with Camp Gilgal, and so for this year’s junior camp, I was able to be an ATL.” He said, “I love the people here. They’re loving and caInterview Horizon1ring, and even if I don’t see them very much because I live far away, they feel like family.”

This was my first year as a camper, and I learned how to shoot a long bow. I learned how to use a wood burner, and I learned a lot in Tabernacle. I loved playing soccer and field sports. Me and Horizon both love cats, and I’m thinking about wearing a beanie. I can’t wait to come back next year!

Interview with Sitruce

Interview Sitruce1Keren A., Age 9
Tribe of Naphtali

I’m Keren and this is my first year at Camp Gilgal junior camp. My first tribe leaders were Sitruce and Guacamole. I asked Sitruce a couple of questions because I wanted to know more about her. I discovered that her favorite animal is a cow because it has a funny face. I also learned that her favorite colors are black and blue. She told me that the first time she accepted Jesus was at Ingathering when she was seven. Her favorite book of the Bible is Psalms because it’s extremely poetic. Her favorite holiday is Thanksgiving because her family is there and there’s a lot of food. She likes going to the forest and going on hikes. Finally, her favorite food is any kind of Italian food. I learned a lot about Sitruce from these questions. I really enjoyed being her camper and I can’t wait to know her more.

Interviewing Squid

Sydney F., Age 12
Tribe of Joseph

A few days ago I interviewed the amazing Squid! Spiritually, she prays for family, friends, campers, and just about everything constantly. Also, Squid reads the Bible mostly every day when she gets the chance. Squid’s favorite books in the Bible are the Psalms, Jeremiah, Esther, Ephesians, and Philippians. In fact, she’s always been a believer in Jesus because she grew up attending church.

A question that I asked Squid was, “Do you want a boyfriend?” Her response was, “When I’m older and when God’s tiInterview Squid1ming is right for me.” Another interesting fact about her is that her favorite number is seven because it’s written in the Bible many times. Did you know that her favorite color is pink and she loves all the food at Camp Gilgal? Also Squid was born on December 23.

On a camp-related note, I asked her why she wanted to be an assistant tribe leader, also known as an ATL. In response, she always wanted to since she was little, because she knew it would be super fun. Then I asked her why it would be super fun and she said, “You get to know everything the campers don’t know.” You also get to stay up later, and you have more freedom. The final question I asked Squid was, “Did you like having me here at camp?” and she said, “Yes! Of course!”

That was my interview of Squid – an ATL at Camp Gilgal.

A Day in Camp Gilgal!

A day in Camp Gilgal1Netanya W., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

The first thing we do in Camp Gilgal when we wake up is get changed and go brush our teeth and then line up in our tribes and walk to breakfast and when we get there we eat! Their food is awesome! It’s so yummy! And after that we go to our cabin and clean up! And when we are done cleaning we go to Tabernacle and have worship, and we sing! And then learn a Bible story lesson! After that we go to our first and second activities, then we line up for lunch and walk down to lunch and eat! Then we see our score for cabin clean up and that’s how we get points so we can go to the big party at the end of camp! So then we go back to our cabin and do our third and fourth activities, then we go to dinner and eat! When we get back we either do a big camp activity which is really, really fun, or some other big surprise! I love camp because every second we are doing something awesome and fun! And every second we are getting closer to God! It’s amazing and we are always excited for what happens next, and there are always surprises! That is our camp day! I hope you’ll come and check it out!

Weather

Rachel H., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

SWeather1ince Camp Gilgal is on a mountain, sometimes we have some strange weather. For the first night of camp, the whole campsite was enveloped in a thick mist. Some people had to go down to the infirmary to get medications, and the mist was so thick that they had to be driven back in a van.

Camp Gilgal has some odd weather, but also some beautiful sights. There are lovely sunrises and sunsets, and rainbows so close that you can almost touch them. We once saw a rainbow from the Mishkan, and the colors were so vibrant that it was unlike any other rainbow I have ever seen.

Yes, the weather at Camp Gilgal can be storm-tossed, but you can also see some of God’s most wondrous creations from high up on the mountain top.

Worship: Sing to the Lord!

Worship1Kaelee F., Age 13
Tribe of Joseph

Each day all campers and staff who attend Camp Gilgal transport to the Mishkan for Tabernacle. This is the time when we gather to worship the Lord and listen to a message presented by RedSox. However, before the message begins, we all worship God through song. My favorite praise songs include Oceans, As the Mountains, and Prince of Peace. Even though I’ve messed up the lyrics in the past, I need to remember who I’m singing to. Should I be singing to the congregation? No. To the Lord? Yes. God doesn’t care how your voice sounds out loud. He cares about the voice inside your heart. That’s most important.

Yumm! Food!

Kaelee F., Age 13
Tribe of Joseph

Yummy! The food at Camp Gilgal is always delicious and creative no matter the year or date. Many campers look forward to meals cooked by Chef Bill. Other summer camps have food that tastes downright ‘bleh.’ It’s also noted that other camps have meals that are worse than typical cafeteria food! Not Camp Gilgal, though! Hot food is served every day with a salad bar, which Yumm! Food!1includes several toppings and dressings. There’s another option of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with fruit during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Meals differ from sandwiches to tacos to chicken to waffles. My personal favorite is Chef’s mashed potatoes because they’re buttery and hand mashed.

Don’t forget dessert! At both lunch and dinner scrumptious treats are offered. This may include cookies, churros, brownies, popsicles, ice cream, etc. When you take a bite, you take a trip to a delicious dream. I hope that you’ll love the food at Camp Gilgal just as much as I do!

Tabernacle

Penina S., Age 12
Tribe of Joseph

Tabernacle is a place where everyone gets together in the morning to worship and praise God. We sing songs, read stories, recite the memory verse and more. It takes place after breakfast but before your activities.

One day we got blow pops to represent the remnant of people left who believed in GTabernacle1od. The gum was what we were supposed to leave. Some people ate their gum, others left it on their sticks and some people didn’t open theirs because they knew it would be too tempting.

In Tabernacle I learned that it is important to always trust God, no matter the circumstances.

Table Cleaning Contest with Judah

Table cleaning1Penina S., Age 13
Tribe of Joseph

At Camp Gilgal we have a tradition. The first tribe to finish a meal has the right to bang on the tables. So, it was nearing the end of dinner. Both of our tribes (Joseph and Judah) were almost done with our meals. It was hot dogs and hamburgers. Judah is about to bang the table because they are done. Just then, Noah walks in the room with a burger. He’s part of the tribe of Judah. Everyone cracked up. It was really funny. In the end we (Judah) won. At Camp Gilgal, we have lots of funny moments like this; it’s great!

Teamwork

Netanya W., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

In Camp Gilgal there is a lot of teamwork! Teamwork is useTeamwork1d in a lot of things, like going to the party at the end of camp! And also we use teamwork in camp activities such as Capture the Degel (that’s a game), and we have teams and we have to work together to get the degel (flag), and also other fun games like that! I love Camp Gilgal! It’s really fun! You might be sad leaving home for two weeks, but Camp Gilgal is just like a home. Everyone here is so nice and when it’s time to go home you’ll be sad leaving because it’s like you’re leaving your Camp Gilgal family. I love it here!

Cats at Camp

Gavyn R., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

I like cats because they are cute and fun and sleep a lot. I have four cats at home. They sleep in my room with me. All are nice, and one is shy. Toru is my favorite cat at home. SheCats at Camp1 is a kitten and extremely playful. The other cats are always tired.

Even at camp, cats know I like them. On my way to camp and the dining hall, two cats seem to follow me everywhere. One was striped and orange the other was grey and striped. They follow me till the hill starts up to camp. When my mom picks me up they might jump in my car.

Devotions in the Tribe of Joseph

Joseph Devotions1Hannah K., Age 12
Tribe of Joseph

Every night we come together as the tribe of Joseph to read about Joseph. Joseph had 10 older brothers. They did not like him because Joseph’s dad favored him. He even gave him a robe. His brothers didn’t like that so they sold him to Egyptians. The Lord gave him success wherever he went. He became the person in charge of Potiphar’s house (Potiphar was a rich Egyptian). One day Potiphar’s wife was telling Joseph to do something bad but he did not listen to her because if he did he would not be obeying God. She lied to Potiphar and Joseph got in trouble but he did not do anything wrong! He went to jail, but even in jail God gave him success. He even interpreted two dreams! It’s really cool learning about how God worked through Joseph.

F.O.B.

Kaelee F., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

You may be asking yourself, “What is F.O.B.?” Well, it stands for a phrase Camp Gilgal uses which is Flat On Bunk. F.O.B. can last approximately an hour and puts the stop in nonstop. Campers and tribe leaders can feel fatigue and tired as the day goes on. Now, don’t get me wrong! Camp is super fun with the activities, but it’s healthy to take a small break.F.O.B

“What can you do during Flat on Bunk?” You’re permitted to sleep, write letters, read appropriate reading material, etc. Depending on your tribe leaders, you may be allowed to even get out of bed if no one is sleeping. Then F.O.B. can turn into quiet time. However, most importantly, F.O.B. is SILENT. F.O.B. helps everyone and it is great!

Capture the Degel

Capture the Degel1Alana F., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

Hi! I’m Alana F. and my favorite activity is Capture the Degel! (Degel is Hebrew for flag.) We played in a big field when it was getting dark. It is crazy and fun all at the same time! The best time to play is a little after eight at night. The best way to win is while the other team is hiding their degel, and you’re not doing anything, spy on them. Once you know where everything is, and the game has started, you need two people; one to distract the other team and one to get the degel. I really liked Capture the Degel, and I hope it sounds fun to you. I can’t wait to play next year!

The Campout

Matthew S., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

On Monday of the second week of camp we packed for a campout. After we packed we headed to our campsite. Since we didn’t have a fireplace we went to Benjamin’s site. We made a fire and ate hot dogs and hamburgers. One hot dog rolled off the grill. Then Gavyn started chasing us with sticks. Then we noticed that there were fireworks on tThe Camp-Out1he other side of the valley. When we went back to our campsite we tried setting our tent up, but it kept falling down so we called Scooter and he came. He also tried but it fell again, so we slept on the blacktop. I had camped a bunch before with my family – this wasn’t the best camping (because our tent didn’t work), but it was the most fun! I hope you enjoyed my story.

Counselor Hunt

Ephraim L., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

Rules. The rules of Counselor Hunt are listed below:

  • You must be with a buddy at all times.
  • You must stay on the trails.Counselor Hunt1
  • If you get lost stay where you are.
  • You must find a way to move the counselors.

What happened this year was that on the way to getting Beardo, Rachel got stung by a wasp twice. Then Daniel got stung too, so I told the other girls to run but it was too late, and the wasp got Sydney. So Ezra and I ran to campfire. Then we went in a different direction and tackled Pamplemousse (the T-Rex) and held Horizon hostage. Even though people got a little hurt, it was really fun. It is my favorite game next to Mission Impossible and I can’t wait to play again next year!

Horse Day

Horse Day1Ezra L., Age 8
Tribe of Judah

I was excited and also nervous that I was going to fall off of my horse. But I went on my horse and I didn’t fall off. I felt alive because I never went on a horse before. Also I felt scared and frightened in a good way! I went around ten times in an oval ring. My horse was doing funny things with the horse in front of it. Also my horse’s name is called Fred. Also my horse’s color was dark brown. The only thing that I wish they taught us on the horses was how to run on the horses.

Unfashionably Late in Fashion Disasta’ Night

Keren A., Age 9
Tribe of Naphtali

Camp Gilgal is really cool. It’s also very funny. One day, we were coming back from the pool, and we had a theme meal. The theme was Fashion Disasta’. Our tribe was getting ready and having fun, and finally, we were a disaster. I was wearing shorts on pants, so was Sophia. Halie had a tail! Olivia had a mismatched clothes combo and so did the tribe leaders. We were all wrapped in pink tape also. Guacamole was wearing a chicken hat and Sitruce was wearing a long black trench coat. Guac had to sing in front of Unfashionably Late Fashion Disaster1everyone for a package that night! Then our cabin realized that everyone was missing! They had left without our entire tribe! We must have been too busy to hear the whistle blow and didn’t see everyone else line up. It was sort of embarrassing, but we were unfashionably late (perfect timing!). It was very funny when we walked in. Everyone was clapping for us. It was hilarious! I love theme meals!

Campout Night with the Tribe of Joseph

Sneezy, Storm, Hannah, Sydney, Penina, Kaelee
Tribe of Joseph

It was a beautiful day when our tribe found out that it was Campout Night! We were so excited to see our campsite. We prayed thCampout Night Joseph1at our site would not be uncomfortable to sleep on – thankfully it wasn’t. We walked to our campsite which took about 15 minutes. When we arrived, we found that where we were was dangerous (we were right next to a pond) and we were surrounded by suspicious plants (Penina was convinced it was poison ivy). We were all frustrated and upset so we took a break for dinner. After dinner, we moved all our stuff to a new campsite which took two trips! It was ok though because we were together and we sang worship songs the whole time! When we got to our tent we were exhausted, but happy. We prayed and talked for a little bit, but then we fell fast asleep and slept so well! We learned so much about God’s love, protection and patience on Campout Night. We also learned that Sneezy is a very violent sleeper when she sleeps in a tent!

Activities

Activities1Levi S., Age 8
Tribe of Judah

At Camp Gilgal we have four activities every day. You get to pick two activities and then everyone has Hebrew and craft. Activities are a lot of fun and you get to learn to work together. Soccer is my favorite activity. It is my favorite because I love to run and I’m really good at shooting goals. Soccer is my favorite sport at home, too – last year my team won the championship!

I also really like Hebrew. This year is my first year and I learned the aleph bet. My Hebrew teacher Beardo taught us a song and it made it easy to remember. We also learned to introduce ourselves in Hebrew, and the days of the week and our colors.

Craft is also awesome! Birkenstock teaches craft and she brought her baby, Buster. In craft we made a tzedakah box with a metal lid, and I will use it to hold my special favorite stuff at my house.

Activities are really fun and I can’t wait to see what activities are available next year.

Archery: A Very Fun Yet Challenging Activity

Dinah G., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

Having control over the arrows can be very challenging, so many people lose arrows. Finding the arrows can be very hard, so we don’t always find them. Hitting the target can also take a lot of skill and aim. Nobody in my archery class actually hit a bullseye, but many people did get quite close to hitting the target. It was exciting and a great challenge.

Archery1Some of the bows were harder to use than others, so some of the campers were very picky when selecting their bows. There were times when people lost so many arrows that they had to use the bad arrows instead of the good arrows and they were harder to aim.

Archery was a fun experience for me and everyone else. I really liked it and hope to get better at it next year.

Basketball

AJ S., Age 9
Tribe of BenjaminBasketball1

Basketball is an activity that we play at camp and it is fun. I got to play with Scooter in our activity when we went to the basketball court. We played three on three and we had so much fun until it had to end. One day when I was waiting for basketball, it was too hot to walk to the basketball court so we played nukem in the field instead. We played against the rockwall group. I can’t wait to play basketball next year. Also, Scooter encourages me to be a better basketball player and basketball makes me feel good.

Dear Camp Gilgal

Kaelee F., Age 13
Tribe of Judah

Dear Camp Gilgal,

Use this as a reminder to not go too fast on Dear Camp Gilgal Camper1the merry-go-round! Let’s just say that one morning at spectacular Camp Gilgal, playground games were played. At the park, there’s a fun, spinny piece of equipment called the merry-go-round. In fact, Hiccup and Anonymous were using their strength to spin us ‘round and ‘round. The merry-go-round caused the gravity to become abnormal until I was at the edge trying not to slip off! The force, however, was too powerful so I had to jump off! The merry-go-round threw me to the ground, though. It was hilarious and funny so all of us, except for Anonymous, laughed!

-Camper Kaelee

Jumping Jacks Contest

Jumping Jacks Contest1Hannah K., Age 12
Tribe of Joseph

After Tabernacle, we decided to do a jumping jacks contest because we all wanted to move around. So we all went to the back of the room and we started to do jumping jacks. At first, it was really easy but then it got much harder. After about 10 minutes, Ephraim and I were the only ones left jumping. A lot of people were cheering me on which made me really happy. After RedSox blew the whistle for us to stop jumping, my legs were burning! But then I ate a banana and it really helped my legs. I got first choice of what I wanted to write about in the Gilgal Gazette, so I chose to write this article! I really love Camp Gilgal and all the silly things we do!

The First 100

Eliana W., Age 11
Tribe of Ephraim

On my way to lunch at junior camp 2015 I was thinking about what we would do for cabin inspection. We have cabin inspection because we if we didn’t our First 100 1cabins would look like we were swimming in clothes. After we finished lunch we waited in breathless anticipation as the cabin inspectors (Ruski and Scooter) walked to the front of the dining hall. They started with the boys’ tribes, then the girls and finally us, the tribe of Ephraim. They opened their mouths and the words we have been waiting for came out, “You did pretty well. However, there were NO INFRACTIONS!” and we all yelled and cheered and we had a great rest of the day. Last time we got an 85, but this time we got an 100 because we worked together and made sure everything was perfect. I can’t wait to earn another perfect score at Camp Gilgal.

Too Much Spinning on the Merry-Go-Round

Too Much Spinning on the Merry-go-round1Daniel C., Age 10
Tribe of Benjamin

Camp Gilgal ended field sports, then RedSox said it’s tribe time and then me Gavyn, Ephraim, and AJ said let’s go to the playground. I picked the playground because of the merry-go-round and I like spinning like crazy and feeling gravity pull me. Then we went down to the playground and I went on the merry-go-round and then Pamplemousse spun me really hard. The tribe of Ephraim was there too and some of them came and went on the merry-go-round, but before that I went on the merry-go-round 10 times. Then the tribe of Ephraim hopped on and then Elie and her friend said to me, “Your face is white but a little blue,” and it was those colors because it was going so fast. That’s because Pamplemousse and Gavyn and Squid and more people were spinning me and Elie and her friend, and when I got off the merry-go-round my head kept spinning. Then I got in the cabin and I was perfectly fine. I love that feeling. It is like a roller coaster and a great adventure.

Camp Gilgal Midwest Junior Camp (June 21 – July 4, 2015)

God Will Gather Us and Bring Us Home

2015 logo white text

 

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribe of Reuben: Grace M., Rachel S., Rahela D., Shira T., Tikva C., RMain page1ocky, Maple

Tribe of Asher: Emily H., Hannah H., Hannah S., Lydia G., Selah C., Shayna T.,Shoshi S., Ruby, Balloo

Tribe of Issachar: Abigail D., Adelaide M., Annalise P., Hannah B., Krystalline L., Mariam G., Toto, Buttercup

Tribe of Manasseh: Abigail H., Anna A., Deborah S., Lydia H., Maddie H., Bologna

Tribe of Judah: Aaron S., Benjamin A., Joshua D., Matthew M., Seth M., Hero, Riff Raff

Tribe of Benjamin: Efren S., Elijah S., Max M., Nathan L., Cauliflower, Captain Crunch

Out-of-Cabin: Abacus, Bullfrog, Butterfly, Maven, Sneakers, Blewish

Campers in Training: Ari “Baby Ari Crocodile” Z., Aviva “Twilight Sparkles” Z., BlMain page2-1ueberry R., Joshua “Yoda” H., Judah Z., and Bubbles

The Tribe of Issachar

MMariamGueli1 1ariam G., Age 12
Tribe of Issachar

The tribe of Issachar is a group of six unique campers and two staff. First is Toto, one of the tribe leaders. She is from California and this is her third year as camp staff. Second is Buttercup. She is a really funny person and this is her first year as camp staff. Next is me, Mariam. This is my second year at camp, and I am twelve years old. Hannah is next. This is her second year at camp and she is also twelve. Then comes Adelaide. This is also her second year and camp and she is twelve years old. Next is Talyn. She is ten and this is her second year at camp. Then comes Abigail. This is her first year at camp and she is eleven. Last but not least is Annalise. This is her first year at camp and she is eleven. I like my tribe because we have a good balance of ages and personalities. I also like this tribe because some of my closest friends are in it. I hope you feel like you have met our tribe and have enjoyed it.

Tribe of Reuben

Rocky
Tribe of Reuben

Hi! My name is Rocky. This has been my first time I ever got to go to junior camp. Although I’m a bit too old to be a camper, I’ve still been having a blast here as a tribe leader! My tribe is the tribe of Reuben, and my Rocky1assistant tribe leader is Maple. The girls in my cabin are all very funny and a ton of fun to be with! We’ve all had to work together in many ways to help each other grow and be successful as a tribe. As a team, we designed our tribe degel (flag), and came up with a tribe chant. Every day we work together to clean our cabin and clean the girl’s restroom as well. The most fun thing we got to do together was build and race our own cardboard box boat in the lake. We brainstormed together, then constructed a raft-type boat with cardboard, duct tape, and plastic. Our boat lost the race, but our whole cabin had a ton of fun anyways. All of the girls in my cabin have helped make my first year at junior camp super enjoyable, and I hope to come back again!

Watch Out for Bullfrog

DeborahSalgado2-1Deborah S., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

Have you ever wanted to play kickball with a big group of people? Well, Bullfrog decided to play with us. We were all happy he was playing. He was on my team with Joshua, Abigail, Lydia, Nathan, Riff Raff, and others. Then it was Bullfrog’s turn to kick. All of us had our hopes up. We all thought he was going to hit it far and high. Well, guess how far and high Bullfrog kicked it? For kickball you have three strikes. Seth was going to roll the ball so that Bullfrog can kick it and run. Seth runs the ball, and we all have our hopes up. He kicks it….. right to us! Bullfrog kicks it to Joshua first, and Joshua was on his team. That was his first kick. Here comes the second one. Guess where he kicks it? No, he doesn’t kick it high or far. Yes, he kicks it to his own team again, but this time right to me! Overall Bullfrog is a really nice, awesome, and cool tribe leader. But after that we all make sure to back away from Bullfrog when he kicks.

The Tribe of Manasseh

Abigail H., Age 12
Tribe of Manasseh

I am in the tribe of Manasseh. There are five girls in my tribe. We have Debbie, Maddie, Anna, Lydia, and myself. Our tribe leader is Bologna. She is amazing! We are a very athletic tribe. My favorite game is Ha Dov RatzAbigailHammond2 1. It is like Sharks and Minnows and it is very fun. Another thing I really like is all my new friends, and the Kehila (community). I love the younger girls. I am excited because our tribe has gotten 100 points for cabin clean up each day. I hope we win tribe of the year.

The symbol of the tribe of Manasseh is a bundle of arrows. On our flag we have a bow and arrows flying all over the flag. Each of our names is inside one of the arrows. We painted streaks of red and orange to make the arrows look like they are flying. I can’t wait to see what happens at camp next year!

Toto

Abigail D., Age 11
Tribe of Issachar

Toto is a believer in God and Yeshua. I have asked her a total of five questions about Camp Gilgal. I asked Toto how she felt about her campers. I was not surprised when she answereAbigail Davidd that she loves Mariam, Annie, Talyn, Hannah, Adelaide, and me. She also said she has a lot of fun with her tribe, especially in the mornings. Before Toto came to the Midwest she went to Camp Gilgal in California. As I listened to her, I realized it is pretty different. One thing is that the Midwest has different activities than the West Coast. Also, Camp Gilgal West is near Yosemite National Park, and Midwest is in the middle of the woods at CranHill Ranch. Another question was what her favorite activity is, and she said riflery. She chose it because she loves to shoot things. Toto and her dad used to shoot clay in the air. When Toto first got here, her first thought was that the cabins were rustic and different from the West Coast. Now for the last question, I asked her if she likes the Midwest or West Coast more. She said she can’t decide because she likes them both a lot. I really enjoyed learning about the inside scoop of Toto’s experience at camp.

My Favorite Parts of Camp

Efren S., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

One thing we do at camp is have Tabernacle in the Mishkan. What I like about Tabernacle is that we worship God. I also like when we sing songs. I like the EfrenSalgado1Mishkan because Blewish gives all of us a turn to talk and ask questions. Another thing we all did together in the Mishkan was Skit in a Bag. I liked it because we used our tribes to make a mini play with the props that were given to us. My tribe’s skit was pretty good because it made a lot of people laugh. I was a princess and the story was about my friend Max who was supposed to save me from being kidnapped.

I also enjoy the lake because I get to swim and play with my friends. Another thing I like is when we play sand volleyball. My favorite thing to do there is getting to go on any type of boat I want. My favorite is kayaking. I really like my tribe because we all like to do the same things at camp. Another thing I like is when we play gaga ball. I especially like to play with my tribe because we all know each other well. I really enjoy spending time with my tribe.

What I Love at Camp

Lydia G., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

My favorite thing about Camp Gilgal LydiaGuelliis the gaga ball pit. The one thing that I love is that you make lots of friends. Everyone in my tribe is already friends. I’m really excited about doing Skit in a Bag. Everyone in your tribe has to be in the skits. There are also fun activities like fort building. One day after swim time we played a bunch of games. I really liked Clump and Ha Dov Ratz. How you play Clump is that a referee says a number and we have to get in groups with the number of people the person called. How you play Ha Dov Ratz is that there are two lines, and all of the people go to one side except for one person, who is the bear. They go between the two lines. They yell out Ha Dov Ratz and then try to catch people as they run to the other line. If they tag you then you are also a bear the next round. I also really like the petting zoo, and there’s even a donkey! At the lake there are lots of activities like a diving board, paddleboats, canoes, and kayaks. At the end camp is sad to leave, and you will be really glad you came to Camp Gilgal.

My Favorite Things to Do at Camp

HannahHicksHannah H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

I like Camp Gilgal because we make boats out of cardboard, plastic, and duct tape. I also liked swimming and splashing in the lake. I especially liked making friends. I am really excited to go horseback riding and do riflery. I also liked archery and face painting. I liked finding frogs and toads. I love going to the petting zoo, and I even got to hold a chicken! I’ve had so much fun and camp isn’t even halfway over yet! I love coming to Camp Gilgal and playing games and making friends.

My First Time at Camp Gilgal

Lydia H., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

I’m writing as a camper who hasn’t experienced any other religious camp before, and I can say it was a completely wonderful surprise that Camp Gilgal is now one of my favorite camps. I learned many new things such as Hebrew, jiu jitsu, and rock climbing! I did many new activities and I loved them all. I’ve experienced many different camps and I will be heading off to more later this summer, but I know that I will come back to Camp Gilgal. This is my last year at junior camp, and next year I willLydiaHeilman1 be heading off to teen camp! Junior camp has had its good and bad moments, but I got to enjoy them with people I love and hope to stay in contact with when camp is over. The campers I share my cabin with will always have a place in my heart and mind. I have made friendship bonds that probably will never break. I am in the tribe of Manasseh, the oldest girls tribe. Even though I am one of the older campers, I feel like my age makes no difference. Many of us came to camp as strangers, but we have bonded together as a single community. That community is together in friendship and close in faith. I like that we all stick together. I love Camp Gilgal, and I hope I never stop coming.

Never Be Afraid

Deborah S., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

Have you ever wondered what it would feel like to be a new camper? Or to not know anyone? Well, that’s how I felt the first day of camp. I was so excited when Blewish told my siblings and I everything we were going to do in camp, but when it came to start packing I was scared. I didn’t want to come to camp because I wasn’t going to know anyone, and I was going to be far away from my family. I came on the bus, and it took about four hours. I was so bored on the trip, but I was getting used to meeting kids on the bus. When we finally gotDeborahSalgado2 1 to camp everyone was yelling other campers’ names, and I was scared. I was a little calmer because at least my siblings were with me. This is a good experience for me because I get to interact with God more and get to learn more about Him. Within the first five days I got close to my cabin mates and others outside my cabin. One camper in particular was Rahela. In one activity where we were face painting she drew a butterfly on my left cheek, a caterpillar on my arm, and a rainbow on my knee. Then Captain Crunch drew the Superman logo on my face. Grace also drew a butterfly on my hand. Camp Gilgal is the best, and I am so glad I got the chance to meet Blewish and Sneakers and come to camp. I have the best cabin with Lydia, Abigail, Anna, and Maddie. I also have the best tribe leader, Bologna! She is so caring, and she is a fun person. I’m so happy I met other staff like Hero, Balloo, Rocky, Maple, Buttercup, Toto, Captain Crunch, Riff Raff, Cauliflower, Butterfly, Bullfrog, and more! Even if I miss my family the camp staff make me feel like I’m home. Blewish and Cauliflower gave me nicknames like Little Debbie, Nutterbutter, Diddle D, and OCP, which stands for oatmeal cream pie. I’m so glad I get to come to Camp Gilgal and meet new people and learn things about our one and true Father who provides everything, helps us, and comforts us. I’m so thankful that God helped my parents be able to send me here. Camp Gilgal was the best experience ever. It’s the best camp you should come and join, even if you feel scared. God will be with you the whole journey.

Tabernacle

TalynLesperance1Talyn L., Age 10
Tribe of Issachar

Tabernacle is a place where you worship the Lord. In Tabernacle we sing praises to God, say the Shema, and listen to the lesson of the day. The Shema is a prayer that reminds us why we pray to God. The lessons that we’ve done are Genesis, Jeremiah, Daniel, Exodus, and Esther. We do lessons to help us know what happened in the past. We learned that the first exile was in Genesis with Adam and Eve. Then Blewish taught us that the next exile was in the time of Jeremiah. This is when the people were exiled from Israel by God. They were kicked out of the land because they were disobedient to God. They were then taken to Babylon. God told them to plant crops, have kids, and get married. What I’ve learned from this is that my temporary home is here until I can get home to heaven.

Godly Examples of Perseverance

Nathan L., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

NathanLesperance1There are a lot of examples of perseverance in the Bible. The one that stuck out to me is Job. He is a great example of perseverance. In the story, God let Satan take away all of Job’s possessions. God was testing Job to see how loyal he was. Job had to go through a lot of stuff, such as his sons dying, cattle dying, and crops dying. Job had to go through a lot of hard stuff, yet he still stayed loyal to God. Although Job went through all of Satan’s tests, he still remained loyal to God. He believed so much in God that even when his friends said he did something wrong, Job kept praying and believing in God. After going through all of this, he still trusted God, despite that he had a hard time. Because he stayed loyal to God, Job was given double of everything he used to have.

My Time at Camp

Selah C., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

I like Camp Gilgal because I like being wSelahCohen1ith friends. My favorite activity is FOB. My second favorite activity is crafts. I also like swimming in the lake. The food here is good, too. For crafts everyone is making a tzedakah box. We have a campfire almost every night. We sing lots of songs there. We also sing at Tabernacle. I am in the tribe of Asher. Our symbol is a tree. Yesterday, I went climbing on the rock wall. I was a little sore afterwards, but it was very fun. I also like holding Emily’s toads. They are named Cherry, Pepe, and Eclipse. I have been having a good time at camp.

Letter to Future Camper

MaddieHall1Maddie H., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

Dear future Camp Gilgal camper, I know that you might be scared to come here, but you shouldn’t be! It is really fun. You get to do face painting, go to the general store, and cook things! Another really cool thing is picking your tribe name and designing your tribe’s degel (flag). This camp is the best camp that I have ever been to! The people here are really nice and kind. The staff are super fun, too! Plus each cabin is a tribe and has a tribe name from the twelve tribes of Israel like Issachar, Manasseh, Asher, and so on! We all get to compete to be tribe of the year. The tribe that wins gets a special prize.

My Experience at Camp

Elijah S., Age 13
Tribe of Benjamin

Before I came to Camp Gilgal I was really timid and shy. My tribe leader Cauliflower has been teaching me that everything will be okay when I trust in God just like Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did. Now I can stand braver and more confident with God while facing any obstacle. Having a cabin of guys my age has been really nice because we can relate to each other on a level that most other people cannot. The point of this tribe is men coming together as a squad and as friends. My favorite activity at camp is gaga ball. You might be wondering what gaga ball is. I’ll tell you all about it. It is kind elijahstamm1 1of like dodgeball. The rules are that you hit the ball with your hands and if it hits you under the knees you are out. The last person standing is the winner. I like it because it is constant action and the games go really fast. Two more of my favorite activities at camp are Mission Impossible and Clump. Clump is a game where you have to get into a group the size that the referee calls. If you cannot get into a group with that amount of people then you are out. Mission Impossible is a game played when it is completely dark outside. It essentially is a late night scavenger hunt, but there are spotters. They will spot you if you are not careful and sneaky.

The Zoo

AaronScarborough1Aaron S., Age 12
Tribe of Judah

One thing that I liked doing during camp this year was the field trip to the zoo. First thing after breakfast we went to the restrooms and then to a bus. After a couple minutes of waiting we got on the bus and then Sneakers and the camp staff counted everyone to make sure we were all there. After that we got moving. Like most bus rides it was loud and noisy, but I daydreamed out the window. Everyone else was singing camp songs until we pulled into the John Ball Zoo. After we got off the bus we all got in tribe lines and the staff counted the kids again. I used to go to the John Ball Zoo a lot when I was younger, but I hadn’t been there in a very long time. Then we started to walk, and we saw a lot of animals, like kangaroos and lemurs. We saw a frog place, poisonous dart frogs, and lots more with Bullfrog. Then we went to the larger animals. We went to the other side of the zoo. Over there they had lions and wild boars. We were running out of time so we went to see the chimpanzees. They mostly sat there grooming, so we left and saw some reptiles on the way out. Finally, we went to the gift shop to spend some of our own money. I liked the dart frog a lot so I bought a plastic one. The day ended with a quiet bus ride home.

Horseback Riding

Mariam G., Age 12
Tribe of Issachar

One of the best parts of camp was horseback riding. While we waited for our horses to be ready we played gaga ball. It was fun, but it had rained earlier that day so it was not easy to play. When we got into the barn the lady working there let us choose a helmet. She then showed us how to get on the horse and how to ride it. After that we split up into two groups. Each person got on a horse. The horse I had was named Bo. The horse was a male and he was a caramel color. He was probably the tallest horse there. He was really slow on the trail, but he was easy to control. On the trail ride I was second to the back, and there were about nine horses on the trail. There were two people who worked with the horses there to help us. They helped us when something happened or if we had a question. They talked to us and asked us questions about Camp Gilgal. I loved horseback riding, and I hope you come to camp and ride too!

Field Trip

Adelaide M., Age 12
Tribe of Issachar

The field trip this year was the best! AdelaideMartonosiWe got amazing donuts while half of the tribes went cherry and strawberry picking. After that we switched. I chose to go strawberry picking! It took a while to pick all of them, but it was fun. Afterwards we came back and got lunch. When we got back to the bus, we got stuck in a ditch as we were pulling out of the driveway. We were on our way to the zoo, so we really wanted the bus to get out of the ditch. Of course, we eventually got out. When we got to the zoo we went to the aquarium. Then we saw some warthogs and I screamed “It’s Pumba from the Lion King!” Then my whole tribe started singing “Hakuna Matata.” It was the best day of camp ever!

Cherry Picking

MatthewMarit1Matthew M., Age 12
Tribe of Judah

It was a Wednesday, and right after breakfast we got on a big bus. I was so excited because we were going cherry picking. I collected two full baskets of cherries and ate one of them while we were at the cherry picking farm. I also had a cherry donut, and trust me it was so good. There was about one full acre of cherry trees. In the center of the farm there was an air compressor that looked like a cannon. It was really loud when you were right next to it. The cannon has a red top and a blue body. It was connected to this white house, and it is used to scare off the birds from the cherries. The people that work there told us to collect the darker cherries because they are the sweetest and the best ones. In conclusion, cherry picking was so much fun. I want to thank Blewish for everything he did for camp to get us there. If you go cherry picking, I hope you have fun too.

Gaga Ball

Joshua D., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

I am going to tell you the rules of gaga ball, how fun it is, and how to play. The rules are that if you get hit by the ball under your knees you are out, and if the ball goes out of the arena without bouncing off the ground you are out. If the ball hits you above your knees you are still in. If the ball bounces and theJoshuaDavid ground and then goes out, then you are still in. I am a good judge of awesomeness, and I give gaga ball a 10 out of 10. You might think it is easy, but it is not as simple as it looks. To hit the ball you make a fist and then you hit the ball. You can use your palms too, but it isn’t as powerful as your fist. Also, you can’t catch the ball. You can hit the ball against the wall of the gaga pit multiple times to get momentum. I hope you now have a better understanding of gaga ball.

A Typical Afternoon at Camp

BenjaminAllen1Benjamin A., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

This was a typical afternoon at Camp Gilgal. We went to the beach and raced cardboard boats. My tribe got second place! The first place winner got a ton of points. We built our boat in the shape of a bubble. We thought it wouldn’t work, but surprisingly we got second place. It took us twenty minutes to fill it with air. After the race we went kayaking. We went all the way to the other side of the lake. We peddled fast away from there. Afterwards we had tribe time. We went to the game room and played carpetball. Then we played ping pong. We then spent our money at the general store! After that we had a campfire where we cooked hotdogs and roasted marshmallows. It was a really fun day at camp!

Archery

Annalise P., Age 10
Tribe of IssacharAnnaleisePanken

Archery is a very intense activity. You have to be careful at the shooting range, and follow all the rules. You get to shoot at a fake dinosaur! There is a certain archery stance that you have to be in. It is sort of like a superhero position. You face the side of the arm that you write with. Hold the bow with the arm you do not write with and use your thumb to hold the arrow. With your dominant hand, put your middle and ring finger below the arrow, and index finger on top. Then hold, pull back, and shoot! My first time shooting, I had trouble doing it correctly. After practicing a little, I pulled back as far as I could go, aimed, and shot very close to the bullseye! My friend shot one of the fake animals in the eye once. So no matter what kind of person you are, you should take archery. It’s my favorite.

The Lake

Rachel S., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Hi, my name is Rachel, and I am going to tell you about my favorite thing to do at Camp Gilgal. It is swimming in the lake. You can jump off of rafts, and you can play with water toys such as rubber floaties, noodles, and other fun things! We even made cardboard bRachelSalgado1oats. My tribe’s boat sunk, but it was fun because we got to splash each other when we were done. When we go swimming, people that pass the swim test get a blue band and get to go in the deep end. When you get a yellow band you have to stay in the shallow end, unless you are wearing a life jacket. At the lake you can also go canoeing, kayaking, and boating. I went kayaking with my brother and my best friend, Rahela. It was her first time and she did great. I passed the swim test and got a blue band. The next time we go swimming I’m planning on going kayaking with Rahela and then going swimming. I also like to get a floatie and let my brother push me off the raft. Sometimes I go with Rahela in the shallow water. There are even activities like volleyball for those that don’t want to get in the water! I have so much fun spending time at the lake!

The General Store

Hannah B., Age 12
Tribe of Issachar

HannahBirndorfThe one thing that every camper and tribe leader looks forward to at camp is the general store. You can buy souvenirs like sunglasses, bandanas and other things. They also sell food and drinks such as ice cream, soda and a lot more. It’s also a great place to just hang out with friends, chill and talk. Personally, I like the chocolate malt. Before they put the malt in, they put in chocolate syrup around the inside edges. It makes it taste so good. The general store is one of the only buildings with electricity and air conditioning! Every day, the campers ask their tribe leaders if they can go to the store for tribe time. I love going to the general store!

The Good Ol’ Beach

AnnaAllen1 1Anna A., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

At camp, we have been to the beach, like thousands of times. Probably my favorite part of all of it was the mat the lifeguard puts out. My brother Benjamin and I love that thing so much. We always play this one game. In the game, if you fall off the mat you are automatically a shark. Then you’re supposed to get other people off the mat. I was always the last to get off. There was this one time these two boys from outside of camp played with us. The older boy and I didn’t get out for a while. When he did get out he was the only shark that stood a chance against me. Other that the mat, there are many other things to do at the lake. I swam in the deep end, and hung out with my friend Hannah. There were so many fun things I did at the lake.

My Favorite Activities

Abigail H., Age 12
Tribe of Manasseh

My favorite activity at camp was cooking. We made these delicious sugar cookies, mashed up Oreos, and then put melted Hershey’s chocolate on the Oreos. Then, we put the Oreo mixture on top the cookies. We put little chocAbigailHammond1olate edible candies that look like rocks on top of the Oreo mixture. We then dyed dried coconut pieces red, orange, and pink to make them look like fire. Lastly, we put mini pretzels into a triangle. It looked like mini campfires and tasted awesome!

I would suggest going to Camp Gilgal because you learn a lot about God, and do amazing, really fun activities like cooking. I also really like FOB. It stands for Flat On Bunk. You can memorize Bible verses, write letters to your parents, sleep, or write articles for the Gilgal Gazette (like this one)! You get pretty tired at camp so FOB is amazing. I really recommend it. So my point is, Camp Gilgal is amazing and extremely fun and a great place to make new friends and have a community. So go to Camp Gilgal! You will not regret it.

Campfire

Grace M., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

Campfire is so much fun because you get to sing and dance. My favorite song is about twelve men spying on Canaan. Ten wGraceMarit1ere bad and two were good! I also like the “Banana Song.” It is about how sweet God is. Each of our songs has hand motions. Sneakers teaches us lessons about Jewish values at campfire. The first was Kehilah, which means community. The second was Tikkun Olam, which means to heal to world. An example of community is eating together, worshipping God together in Tabernacle, and spending with each other. An example of healing the world is picking up trash from the ground and helping one another, like a doctor or nurse. Campfire is about learning about God, respecting Him, and praising Him.

Animals at Camp

Shayna T., Age 10
Tribe of AsherShaynaTavalin

My name is Shayna, and I like Camp Gilgal because I get to see the animals in the petting zoo and I get to ride horses. Today I got to play with my camp friend’s pet toad, Pepe. Today was also fun because I got to do face painting with my sister, who let me cover her hands in rainbow colors and glitter. I’m really excited to find my own toad because I love toads. When I find a pet toad I’m going to name him Chum.

Gilgal Report

Rahela D., Age 8
Tribe of Reuben

Hi, I will tell you about Camp Gilgal. The first thing I will tell you about is kayaking and swimming. The thing is, I love kayaking and swimRahelaDavidming! The first time I went kayaking was Wednesday, June 24, 2015. It was my first time ever kayaking with my best friend Rachel in the lake. Kayaking looks like it is hard, but it is not. It feels shaky like you are going to fall, but you won’t. Now I will tell you about swimming. There is a swim test. If you pass you get to go in the deep end. If you do not know how to swim or if you don’t want to take the swim test, you can get a yellow band. If you pass the swim test you get a blue band. There is a boat race where you have to use cardboard, duct tape, and plastic. My tribe didn’t win the race, but I still had fun.

The Petting Zoo

Shira T., Age 9
Tribe of ReubenShiraTavalin1

There is a petting zoo at Camp Gilgal. I didn’t get to touch the goats, but I saw the brown one and got to brush him. There was also a ram. The horns were pointed up like a mountain goat. He reminded me of a mountain goat that I once saw. There is also a donkey. He is really big. I hear him in the morning! The llamas look silly. They’re pretty much donkeys but with long necks. There are bumps with smooth parts in between. The sheep there kept trying to squeeze into the chicken pen! The petting zoo is pretty much my favorite activity.

Hebrew Class

Sethmargolis (1)Seth M., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

At Hebrew class there are three teams. Almost every day each team gets a new list of vocabulary words to learn and study. The teams then compete, and the winning team gets a prize. Bologna asks questions, and you have to be the first one to answer correctly. We have lots of fun and all have gotten a prize. The teams are really even and fair. I am studying for my bar mitzvah, but I did not know a lot of the things they teach, and I am having a blast learning new things. Every day I know more and more. I have Hebrew right before lunch, so I get to stay in the dining hall afterwards. Last year Hebrew was different. It was divided by beginner and intermediate. I love Hebrew this year much more than last. Hebrew is awesome.

My Experience at Camp Gilgal

Max McClusky, Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin
MaxMcClusky1

During the first week of Camp Gilgal we had a campfire where we talked about community. It made me think that camp is a safe place to make friends and learn about God. It’s been fun hanging out with people during activities, and having my brother here as a tribe leader. I like shooting things at the range, and it’s fun to hit the targets. I didn’t even hesitate to pull the trigger. It felt very natural. Archery reminded me of video games. At lake time it’s fun to play volleyball, go swimming, and kayaking. It’s fun to hit the volleyball. Kayaking is fun because it’s intense to be floating on the water. I like swimming because it’s a good workout. Skit in a Bag was also fun because I got to make up the story. Mission Impossible was the best because we had to sneak around in the dark and not get caught. I also like my tribe and hanging out with our tribe leader, Cauliflower. It’s been fun goofing off with the tribe and being at camp.

Jiu Jitsu

Anna A., Age 13
Tribe of Manasseh

One of my favorite activities after luAnnaAllen2-1nch was jiu jitsu, which is a kind of martial arts. The instructor was a tribe leader named Cauliflower. We learned how to do proper stretching techniques. I didn’t do so great with the cartwheels, but other than that I did well. The most fun part was learning the actual moves. I especially loved the grab. It kind of reminded me of ballroom dancing. We were shown this one move that looked really awkward. Anyways, the most important thing I learned is that jiu jitsu should only be used for self-defense. Use it for offense and you’re sure to lose.

My Story

Shoshana S., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

ShoshanaStamm1I love Camp Gilgal because of all the friends you make here. My name is Shoshi, and I’m in the tribe of Asher. I’ve made so many friends, and I’ve only been here a couple of days! The first day was awesome. I got here early and played gaga ball for the rest of the day! Gaga is pretty much Octoball. The rules to gaga are simple: hit the ball with your hands. It’s pretty much reverse soccer. You play in an octagon-shaped court and try to hit people below their knees with the ball. My favorite day was when I went rock climbing. The rock wall was amazing. There is an easy, medium, and hard wall. I mostly climbed on the easy wall, and almost got to the top once. I also went on the medium wall and got halfway up! The next day I was sore, but it was fun anyways. We share the food court with another camp, but we have our own room. It’s a bit of a walk to get there, but the food is awesome! Sometimes they have dessert and it’s always delicious. So far we have had brownies and ice cream sandwiches. There is also a beach and a petting zoo. The petting zoo is pretty self-explanatory. There are goats, lambs, and a donkey. There are also horses, but you can’t go in the pen with them. There are only certain animals you can go in with, which includes the goats, lambs, and donkey. There are also llamas, but you can’t go in the pen with them. Then there’s the beach. It really isn’t a beach so much as a lake. You have to pass a swim test to go in the deep end. There are two colors of bands you get. Blue is if you pass the swim test, and yellow is if you choose not to take the test or don’t pass. Even if you have a yellow band you still get to go in the deep end, but you have to wear a life vest. Camp Gilgal is awesome, and my tribe is awesome too!

Everything

Emily H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

There were a lot of fun things at Camp Gilgal 2015. There was horseback riding, toad and bug catching, swimming, and a petting zoo. Horseback riding is very fun. If you are ten years old and over 52 inches tall, you go on the horse trail. If you aren’t, you go around a horse arena. There are lots of toads andEmilyHammond (1) bugs at Camp Gilgal. I like to catch the toads and bring them back to my house. Swimming is also awesome! Before you swim you take the swim test. There are floating rafts in the deep end. We like to play king of the hill on the raft. The petting zoo is really fun. There are sheep and chickens that you can hold. There are also rabbits, goats, a ram, and a donkey. Camp Gilgal is really fun. There are also tribes. Each tribe gets a name from the twelve tribes of Israel. Then you get a symbol for your tribe and make a degel (flag). There are Hebrew classes and Tabernacle. During Tabernacle we learned about the exile of Israel. We also learned about Abraham. During Hebrew we learn how to speak and write the aleph bet, numbers, and some animals. For a craft this year we made tzedakah boxes. We painted and decorated them. Making friends at camp is so easy. I love coming to camp because I have so many friends here!

Camp Gilgal West Junior Camp (June 21 – July 4, 2015)

God Will Gather Us and Bring Us Home2015 logo white text

 

 

 

 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”  Jeremiah 29:11

 

 

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Main Page1

Tribe of Issachar: Raina W., Rebecca S., Channah A., Ahavah M., Acorn, Chip

Tribe of Judah: Talia W., Elisheva M., Sarah M., Shalom M., Yadi, Mango

Tribe of Asher: Erica B., Persaeus B., Claire C., Mia G., Bailey H., Waffles, S’mores

Tribe of Simeon: Fiorella M., Carrie-Fu M., Sophia M., Zoe N., Elizabeth R., Sh-boom, Pippin

 

TrMain page 4-1ibe of Dan: Samuel S., Isaac P., Conner M., Tyler H., Yamaha, Oofnik

Tribe of Benjamin: Steven M., Jonathan P., Alex S., Samuel C., Ewok, Taco

Tribe of Gad: Elijah Y., Nathan B., Isaiah L., Michael K., Stix, Heimlich

 

 

Out-of-cabin staff: Esquire, Poppins, Rocko, Snapple, Sonic, Superduck, Streetlight, MooseMain page7-1

Interviewing Waffles

Elizabeth R., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

I chose Waffles because she is sweet, patient, compassionate and has an amazing personality! Waffles focuses on the needs of others. Whenever someone is homesick she is willing to step right up and help them!Interviewing Waffles1

Waffles got her name because her golden hair reminded her parents of waffles! Waffles is a veteran Camp Gilgal member. She first started camp in 2003. Waffles’ best experience at camp was meeting people who are now her best friends. Those friends are Acorn, Snapple and Bazooka. Waffles’ favorite night game is Capture the Degel.

Now here is some basic information about Waffles. Her favorite colors are blue and green. Her favorite animal is her sister’s dog because it is cute. Right now Waffles is preparing to apply for a master’s program in nursing. Waffles has wanted to be a nurse since she was little.

Waffles is an amazing person who loves to be at camp and with Yeshua.

The Tribe of Gad

Elijah Y., Age 12
Tribe of Gad

The tribe of Gad is comprised this year of Stix, Heimlich, Nathan B., Isaiah L., Michael K. and myself, Elijah Y. We live in a tent (just joking, we have a cabin) and we are the oldest cabin. So far, we have made many, many tent puns. Heimlich, if you’re wondering, is not named after the Heimlich maneuver but after the caterpillar in Bug’The Tribe of Gad1s Life, who turns into a “beautiful, beautiful butterfly.” Our degel is a three-dimensional tent with the sun at the edge of the horizon. We chose a “coffee-with-lots-of-milk-and-cream” colored cloth for our degel. One fun experience was in Columbia at the Douglas Saloon. We got nachos and sarsaparilla and Nathan joined a biker gang. What really happened was that somebody in a biker gang who was sitting next to us suggested that one of us wear his vest and tell Stix that they had joined the gang. Well, Nathan jumped at the opportunity. It was kind of funny seeing Nathan in the biker’s vest. Of course, that was only one of my cabin’s fun experiences, but it is one of my favorites. I believe that I have an amazing tribe and that I am lucky to be in it.

Interview with Yamaha

Nathan B., Age 12
Tribe of Gad

I interviewed Yamaha. He started playing piano in kindergarten. His favorite food is grilled cheese. He says he is 100 years old. He’s been coming to camp for 11 years. He likes carpet ball. His tribe leaders were Gonzo, Sonic and Cosmo for his first year. His Crafts1favorite super hero is Heimlich. His favorite staff when he was a camper were Sonic and Brickhouse. I asked him his favorite type of soda and he said “Dr. Pepper.” His favorite cabin is Rawhide Ridge. Yamaha’s favorite night game is Wells Fargo. Yamaha also said cliff jumping was his favorite activity in adventure camp. His favorite name for a tribe is Levi, which is the breastplate. Yamaha’s favorite adventure camp was whitewater rafting. He loves to worship at junior camp and even said it was his favorite activity. In his free time he said his favorite activity was sleeping. When asked what his favorite type of guitar was he responded, “A Yamaha, of course.” Yamaha is a great tribe leader.

Our Cabin

Our Cabin - Benjamin1Samuel C., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

My tribe is Benjamin. We play cards in our cabin. We go to the pool together. The people in my tribe are Taco, Ewok, Steven, Sasha (Alex), Jonathan and me. Our degel is a wolf howling to the moon on a mountain. Our cabin is at Peddler Point and has four bunk beds with mattresses. We have one rule in our cabin inspection – we always clean our bunk beds first. Sasha (Alex), Jonathan and Steven play cards but Ewok and Taco just rest. At free time everybody in our cabin goes to the pool. Taco likes to sing with Ewok. We have a Doctor Snaggletooth that checks our teeth every night. We have a verse in our cabin, Psalm 147:1-11. We do Hebrew and craft after Tabernacle. In Hebrew we made Shrinky Dinks. In craft we make our boxes. In horseback riding we do frolicking in the field. Also we ride on horses and eat our lunch there. In Columbia, we went to the gold rush area and after that we ate ice cream. Men’s Day was so much fun for me and my tribe. I hope you now know our cabin.

Interview with Heimlich

Isaiah L., Age 12
Tribe of Gad

Interview with Heimlich2-1Heimlich has been going to camp for ten years. He has to drive eight hours to get to camp. His favorite food is sushi. His favorite soda is Diet Coke. He said his favorite tribe leader when he was a camper was Maverick. His favorite night game is Wells Fargo. His hobby is reading. He also enjoys going to New York City. Also, his favorite sport is water polo. He likes to play carpet ball, which is a game which is only here at Camp Gilgal. His favorite part about being staff is the campers because he likes spending time with them. I asked him how old he is and he said that that is an excellent question. That is what all the staff say when they don’t want to answer a question. He likes to listen to Christian music. He likes to sleep and enjoys participating in CrossFit. He likes adventure camp more than junior and teen camp. He likes to go on hikes every once in a while.

Tribe of Simeon

Carrie M., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

We are the tribe of Simeon. There are seven of us in the cabin with eight bunk beds. As a tribe, we do everything together.

Most years we go to Columbia in cool buses. There, we witness to non-believers by marching and singing in the Fourth of July parade. As a tribe, we do cabin clean-up. Cabin clean-up is where we clean the cabin till it is spotless and then we get points. If we get the most points for different things, then we win Tribe of the Year. If you win Tribe of the Year, the whole tribe gets $100 to spend on anything you want. Lastly, as a tribe, we go on waterslides and go night swimming. But that’s not all, I just don’t want to spoil all the fun we have at camp!

The people in my tribe are Sophia, Elizabeth, Zoe, Fiorella and my tribe leaders, Pippin and Sh-boom. Together we have F.O.B., which stands for Flat on Bunk. That’s when we take a nap because we do so much! We also have devotions and Tabernacle together. That’s when we grow closer to Yeshua/Jesus.  We also do campfires together where we roast marshmallows and eat s’mores. There are these people called Morty and Minerva. They are really funny old people and they make kids laugh so much. We are the tribe of Simeon and we always stick together.

Judah

Sarah M., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

My tribe is Judah. Judah means lion in Hebrew. The people in my tribe are Shalom, Talia, Eli, Mango and Yadi. Our cabin name is Fiddle Town. We enjoy staying in our cabin. Our degel is white and has a golden lion that is roaring. In our cabin at night we have devotions, and we read lots of verses before going to bed. One time we found a humongous June beetle. My tribemates were very scared but it was okay because I was there and I caught it. I also found a very big locust. Also, one night we thought it was Mission Impossible and got all dressed in black and fell asleep in running shoes. Our tribe is very nice, and we all care for each other. When one of us is feeling sad or hurt, we help each other out. My tribe is very happy and funny, and we have lots of laughs and giggles any time we are all together. Our cabin is very caring and loving to each other. My tribe is my favorite tribe because I have all my friends and my Camp Gilgal family. This year has been a blast with the tribe of Judah.

Moose Interview

Elijah Y., Age 12
Tribe of Gad

Moose has been camp director for all of Camp Gilgal. He first joined Jews for Jesus because he wanted to be involved in helping others to know Yeshua as their Savior. He chose the name “Moose” because “If the name fits, you wear it.” His Moose Interview1favorite Camp Gilgal game is a three-way tie between Wells Fargo, Capture the Degel and M.I. His favorite part of camp is the campers. The biggest change he has seen in camp is the fact that at the beginning of camp Moose had to do everything by himself, but now many campers have grown into leaders and have taken responsibility. His favorite food is sushi. Before he retires from the position of camp director he would like to say that “Camp Gilgal is my family and always will be, and my greatest desire is that all of us would stay close to Jesus all the days of our lives. He is what is most important.”

The Sweet Story of Snapple

Erica B., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

I chose Snapple for my Camp Gilgal Gazette feature because Snapple is my role model at camp. I want to have her kindness and her paThe Sweet Story - Snapple1tience. As I began to examine her I realized I didn’t know much about her personal life. I asked questions and received answers. So here it is!

Snapple’s favorite color is green because she loves being outside. She has one brother named Brickhouse. He serves camp and she does, too! Snapple’s favorite food is sushi and she thinks everyone should try fresh, warm, out-of-the-oven brownies.

Snapple’s favorite camp out of junior, teen and adventure is junior camp. Why? Well, she said, her favorite part about camp is the campers and she loves seeing us learn about God at a young age. Her favorite childhood memory is being at camp and being an outlaw for Wells Fargo.

My Tribe

My Tribe - Asher1Claire C., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

My tribe contains seven lovely ladies, Waffles (my tribe leader), S’mores (my assistant tribe leader), Persaeus, Baily, Erica, Mia and I. We learn to work together and how to be a tribe.

Persaeus is 10 years old and loves the name of Asher because it sounded cool. She has experience in a tribe. She loves camp and her favorite color is mint.

Baily is 10 and loves foursquare. This is her second year at camp. She loves camp and bananas.

Mia is 10 and happy. She is not homesick. It is her first year and she is having a blast!

Erica loves the tribe. She has gone to camp before and her favorite color is black.

S’mores’ first year of camp was 2007.  Her favorite color is pink. She does not play sports. She became camp staff because she loves camp.

Waffles’ favorite color is seafoam green. She runs as a sport and plays tennis. She is a tribe leader because she has fun and wants to encourage us in our walk with Yeshua.

Our tribe does almost all of the activities at camp together, like craft, Hebrew, cabin clean up, Capture the Degel, M.I. and much more! Every day our cabin cleans so we can get points for cabin of the year, which is when one tribe from each side (boys/girls) gets $100 to spend any way they want. My tribe rocks!

All About Sonic

All About Sonic1Ahava M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

Rocko and Snickerdoodle came up with Sonic’s name because he’s so fast. Sonic has been at Camp Gilgal for 17 years. He leads worship in the dining hall for Tabernacle. He sings songs and shouts it out. First he says the song title. We sing two songs every day. His favorite song is “To Our God.” Sonic has one brother and one sister. His wife is Rocko. He said that his favorite activity at camp is Capture the Degel. He was the boss for all the other staff. Sonic loves wildlife and seeing it during night games. As a camper, he liked Capture the Degel, Wells Fargo, and Mission Impossible. He likes camp because his best friends are there and God is there. Sonic really likes playing the guitar and worshipping God. He likes the guitar because it sounds nice. When Sonic gets mail he gets excited and does flips. When other people get mail, he claps for them because he wants to be nice to them. He knows it’s the nice thing to do. When he tells about his life at campfire, sometimes he has sad stuff in it, but he told us God is with him and he believes in Him. I like that Sonic helps people and is kind. He treats people the way he wants to be treated no matter what because he knows it’s the right thing to do. He also helps people when they fall. When I think of Sonic, I think of him being nice to us and being funny. Sonic is a good person and is the best staff I’ve ever seen.

Issa-what? Issachar!

Channah A., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

I am in the tribe of Issachar. We chose the tribe name Issachar because it means Sun. We have lots of fun together because we are a family. My tribe leaders’ names are Acorn and Chip. The other girls in my cabin are Rebecca, Ahava and Raina. For all of us, it is our first year of camp! We are all having a great timeIssa-What Issachar2-1. We love going to the pool as a tribe. Every night we get to have devotions together. We read the Bible and pray. We all help each other feel better about ourselves.

During Ladies Day, as a tribe we went swimming and made shell clips for our hair. We got to have a boy free day. When it was Men’s Day, we got to go horseback, riding and our tribe got to ride horses on a trail. When we were done we went into a field. At F.O.B. we pass notes to each other or get to rest for later on the day when we do activities. As a tribe, we get to have cabin clean up and help each other do different chores to get points. If we get enough points we can get tribe of the year. We got to memorize a verse, Psalm 147:1-11, and say it in front of the whole camp as a tribe. We almost have it. The tribe of Issachar loves to be together. I hope to be with all of them next year because we love the way we’re always helping each other as a family.

Interviewing Stix

Michael K., Age 13
Tribe of Gad

I’m interviewing Stix this year because he is one of the best tribe leaders I ever had. He has been serving as staff for three years, including this year. He likes to be with campers and minister to them. His favorite night game is Wells Fargo. Reasons why he likes Wells Fargo are chasing the campers, hInterviewing Stix1aving a Texas accent and hiding bags of gold from campers. He loves to worship in Tabernacle and playing the box drum. One other thing he loves about camp is swimming in the pool. He enjoys throwing the campers around in the pool and having the campers attack him. His favorite food is Chinese. His favorite sport is wrestling. He has been part of Camp Gilgal for ten years and has been camp staff for three years. Stix got his name because he likes drum sticks. His favorite meal at junior camp is enchiladas, although he likes most foods and will eat all kinds of foods. I think that Stix is an awesome tribe leader and I hope that anyone who goes to camp gets a chance to meet him.

Rock On Rocko

Rock on  Rocko1Bailey H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Rocko started camp when she was eight years old. Her first tribe was Naphtali. Her favorite night game is Wells Fargo and her least favorite is Snag-A-Staff. Her favorite tribe leader that she had was Pepper. Rocko has been a tribe leader also. Her favorite part of being on staff is building meaningful relationships with the campers.

Rocko has three siblings. Her favorite restaurant is In-N-Out and her favorite food is eggs. She loves Coca-Cola and Raisinettes. She enjoys the color yellow. Her favorite grade is senior in high school. She is most fond of the state of California, which is in her favorite country – the USA! Her favorite song is Transatlanticism. Rocko’s favorite verse is 2 Kings 6:15-17 because it is a reminder that God is with us even in the difficult moments and even when you can’t see Him. Rocko is super cool and an awesome leader, especially in crafts. Thanks for reading my article.

The Story of Superduck

Persaeus B., Age 10The Story of Superduck1
Tribe of Asher

Hello readers. I interviewed Superduck, who is a staff member and serves as out of cabin staff. Superduck has been on staff since 2013. He wanted to be on staff because he likes kids and it’s super fun. His favorite food is definitely not duck, but is sushi. Superduck didn’t grow up in camp. His favorite color is green. His job here at camp is to get campers excited, set up games, take pictures/videos, and throw campers into the clouds in the pool. Superduck’s favorite night game is Capture the Degel. He currently lives in San Francisco. His favorite verse is Colossians 2:13-14. Superduck’s favorite sports are spikeball, wrestling, and basketball. I think Superduck is really fun to be around. It’s Superduck’s first year as junior camp staff. Superduck is very good at volleyball and it is fun to play that with him. He is really good at working with technical devices. He is always taking pictures/videos of the campers. It was an amazing summer having Superduck on staff!

A S’mores Life

Claire C., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

I am interviewing the S’mores. S’mores is a human. Her favorite color is pink. She loves s’mores….obviously. She has a beagle-pit bull mix named Duchess. S’mores is awesome. S'mores1She has glasses. Her favorite food is mac n’ cheese. She was eight when she started camp. Her favorite night game is M.I. S’mores’ eye color is hazel. She loves every camper.

S’mores is nice, sweet, patient, kind and cool. She LOVES CAMP. Camp is her favorite thing. S’mores’ best friends are Mango, Skye and Abbey and Lindsay. Her horse this year is Poncho. We love S’mores.

S’mores Fun Facts: Her first year horse was Hobo and he was my horse this year. Her tribe leaders her first year were Bazooka and Dynamite. Her favorite theme night is Super Hero Night. She was super small, but mighty, her first year. She is awesome and a great person. She is my assistant tribe leader and AWESOME.

25th Anniversary

Talia W., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

The 25th anniversary of camp is very fun. Everything is fun. 25th Anniversary1We have played Capture the Degel and Wells Fargo. Games are fun but this year for me is super fun and it is more biblical for me. It’s more about God than anything else. This year there are a lot more people joining the Camp Gilgal family.

Ace, Squirt, Tank, Big Tuna and Snickerdoodle all came back for the 25th anniversary. Many of the visitors have been going to camp longer than some campers have been alive. The visitors brought gold balloons that were a two and a five. We got to take our picture with the Wells Fargo stagecoach and tribe pictures. At Shabbat, they shared one thing they learned at camp, or a way that camp influenced their lives. Moose has been serving for 25 years. He is kind and encourages others. This will be the last year Moose will be serving as the camp director.

The Great Game of Carpet Ball

The Great Game of Carpet Ball1Sasha (Alex) S., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

My name is Alex but I go by Sasha. I’m 11 years old. I’m in the tribe of Benjamin. There are rules and throws and plans. The Rules: If the ball goes off the table you are out. You put five balls on the table. To win, you knock all five balls on the other side. You lose if the other player knocks your balls out. Throw: You can throw the ball many ways. We call them names. So far, there are three that have names. People have many ways to throw the ball.  Here’s Nathan’s point of view. He said the Heimlich is the best. Plan: There are many plans in carpet ball, like how you place the five balls. One way is put three on one side and two on the other. Or, another way is to put all five on one side, or four on one side and one on the other side. Opinions from Jonathan, “It’s a lot of fun and cool.” Steven hates carpet ball.

Hebrew

Jonathan P., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

Hebrew is really fun! You get to learn lots of things like Ima is mom and Abba is dad. Also, you get to learn an entirely new language! You also get to fill out books that teach you Hebrew words. Two of the books I have completed are named Family and Days of the Week.

Hebrew1You also get to earn prizes if you get staff to stamp the page for learning Hebrew words. Every time you get ten stamps on a page you earn a small prize, but when you fill out a book you get a large prize!

You can learn a lot of things in Hebrew, and you get to use the words you learn in lots of activities like writing to your parents or pointing out wildlife.

One of my favorite things to do during Hebrew is to collect all sorts of stamps. My favorite stamp is Heimlich’s, which is a caterpillar. One of my other favorites is Superduck’s, which of course is a duck.

Anyways, I really enjoy Hebrew and it was an amazing topic to use for the Gilgal Gazette. Hebrew is really, really fun and I think that Hebrew is awesome. It can teach you so much. And also, imagine if you go to Israel – you can always use Hebrew there.

Crafts

Tyler H., Age 9
Tribe of Dan

At Camp Gilgal we always do crafts. In 2015 we are making a tzedakah box. We start by drawing our design. When we are done with the top of the box design, we get a piece of tin Crafts (2)1and a scratch-awl, and we punch holes in the tin. Then, when you are done with the top you draw the side designs. When the sides are done you wood burn the designs. Wood burning is when you burn wood. Finally, we paint our boxes. To paint the box we had to put on wood conditioning. Then we had to choose the color. There was rustic red, desert brown, natural and American chestnut. And when you are done with all of that, the craft is finished. My favorite part of making the box was painting it because when I painted it, it looked a lot cooler. The color was American chestnut. American chestnut looks like a very dark brown. And that is how you make a box for anything.

 

Swim, Swim, Swim

Conner M., Age 8
Tribe of Dan

I like to swim in the pool and I brought things for the pool including goggles. I like cannon balls in the pool. Some people swim in floaties and lots of people Swim swim swim1like to be thrown in the water. Claire wanted an inflatable salamander but it had a hole in it. We do whirlpools. We go around in the pool. When it is hot you could go to the pool because the pool is cool for you. Yadi is a tribe leader and a lifeguard. She holds a big red buoy for when you need help. One time, I found a quarter in the pool at four feet deep and Tyler helped me get it from the bottom. The pool is my favorite part of camp because we can swim and cool off and it is just so much fun. Some people buy pool toys from the Camp Gilgal store and sometimes people will buy something to swim on in the pool to have fun.

Men’s Day

Isaac P., Age 9
Tribe of Dan

I am Isaac. I’m going to tell you about Men’s Day at my camp. First, we built two forts out of chairs and blankets. We were in two teams. Then we went outside and played Pop the Balloon. We ate pop rocks and drank soda. I did not like it. Vultures came when Moose put out raw chicken for them to eat. Then we went to the pool. I had a donut floatie and a small surf rider. I created a tank out of them both. Then we made cones out of different candies and chocolate chips and marshmallows and the others put it on the fire. I made threeMen's Day1 cones. Then we made bombs to scare away the vultures.

Interview with Yamaha:

Q: What did you use to make the bombs?
A: We used dry ice, water bottles and hot water.
Q: How do you get dry ice?
A: You buy it.

And that is what Men’s Day was all about.

Dodgeball

Tyler H., Age 9
Tribe of DanDodgeball1

Every year we do dodgeball and it is 2015 when I had my favorite dodgeball game. So in the beginning of the dodgeball game, the other team was winning and only me and my friend were left. Then, suddenly, my friend was out. It was all on me to catch the last ball. Then, suddenly, I came up with a plan. So the strongest dodgeball player was trying to catch a ball, so I fake threw it and he didn’t know till I actually threw the ball. Then he was out. After he got out all the people threw the ball and I caught one so my whole entire team got back in. Finally, we all had a comeback, and they only had one person left. But she caught the ball so her team was back in, and one by one our team got out. In the end, we lost but it was fun. The most fun part was catching balls. And that is what happened this year. The End.

Miners Flume (Waterslide)

Miners Flume 1-1Bailey H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Slip, slip, slip and slide! The waterslide at Silver Spur Camp and Retreat Center is so fun. When you first get to the waterslide, an expert on the slide explains the rules.

#1 Always go down the slide with a mat.
#2 Fold up your mat like a taco to have a better water slide experience.
#3 Don’t go down the slide until an adult tells you that you can.
Next, you form a line, and the fun begins.

One by one campers go up the slope to the top of the slide and one by one they come down with a smile. The actual water slide starts with a small drop and then has a few turns. At one point, staff can dump water on your face with a pan. Unfortunately, this year the contraption didn’t work.

The waterslide is a great addition to the camp. I look forward to it every year. Thanks for reading my article.

Horseback Riding

Carrie M., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

Horseback riding1Horseback riding is so much fun! At camp we first put on long pants, sunscreen, we bring water and go to the bathroom because it is a long ride there. Then we go in cool vans and drive about an hour to get to the stables. When we get there we first put on helmets and pick out a horse. After everybody gets a horse we ride! You have to not be afraid of a horse because they can sense fear. The ride takes about an hour. When we get up to the mountain it is such a beautiful view. It is amazing! You see many trees, mountains, hills and the bright sun. We get to see this beautiful view for about a minute. When we get back, we eat snacks and play with the dogs that live there. Then we play in the big meadow that they own while we wait for the other group to come back. When they come back, we go back to the camp and take a small nap before dinner. At dinner, we get to talk to each other about our horses and their personalities and names.

Columbia

Elisheva M., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

Columbia1Friday, June 25th, 2015, began as any other day. The only clue that something was different was that we were told after breakfast to put on our Camp Gilgal shirts and sunscreen. During Tabernacle we looked outside the windows and saw a line of vans and cars waiting for us. We were quickly shuttled into the vehicles, still wondering what was going on. Then, slowly, we started driving down the curvy road. It was a 106 degrees out. What could we possibly be doing?

After driving for 45 minutes we saw that we were going to Columbia. As we all shuttled out of the vans, you could feel the excitement in the air. We all found our tribes then headed into Columbia to eat lunch. There we met Tour Guide. It was such a blessing to meet him. He used to be and still is a big part of Camp Gilgal.

After lunch, we as a tribe decided to go candle dipping, which was really fun. I liked all the colors that everybody put on their candles. Afterwards, we went to the candy shop. I bought soda gummies. Then, we went down to the gold mining store where I got a switch pocket comb. Finally, after that, we went and bought sarsaparilla. It was delicious. Since we still had some free time, we went across the street to go bowling for free. Fifteen minutes before we had to leave, we went into the jewelry store. I saw a backscratcher and I just knew I had to buy it. Then, it was time to leave so we slowly trudged over and went into our designated vans for the drive back to camp. Overall, it was a really nice day in Columbia, despite how hot it was.

Snag-A-Staff

Shalom M., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

When we got to play Snag-A-Staff, Talia, Sarah and I tried to get Superduck, who was a monkey. When we would try to get close, sometimes he would grab our hats or bracelets Snag-A-Staff1and he would just sniff them, and then would throw them. Also, sometimes he would pretend we had bugs in our hair and eat them. He grabbed my bracelet and glasses and Isaac’s flashlight and then ran off. He put Isaac’s flashlight high inside the gazebo and my glasses in a hole, but I got them. He was climbing in a tree with my bracelet.

How you play Snag-A-Staff is all the staff pick an animal or a thing and you have to wait till they find a spot to hide, then when you hear a whistle you run out to find them. When you find one, if they are an animal, for example, a dog, you would probably be a cat. So you would run and the staff member would chase you into the cafeteria or by the benches. Then, when you would get them there, you go find someone else.

We only had one counselor left, which was Taco, who was an armadillo. We had to get bugs but nobody knew that, so that is why he was the only one left. You would probably love the game because I do and I can’t wait till next year.

Ladies Day

Rebecca S., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

On Ladies Day all the men left camp for the day and the women got to pick something fun to do. All the ladies got to go into the dining room first. There was seaweed and jellyfishLadies Day1 in the dining room. We went into the pool. We also had cheese puffs as beach balls and pudding as the sand on the beach. We had small umbrellas in 7-Up as a beach. I played a fishing game for the treat of the day. I got a notepad and pen in a set. Then all of the girls went to a photo booth and Acorn took the photos. We found toy fishes in the pools. Then we made shells into hair clips, but mine broke. After that, we went back to the pool for 15 minutes. Eventually, the men came back and the rest of the day went on. We played Capture the Degel as a night game. Later in the week it was Men’s Day and the women went horseback riding. I can’t wait till Ladies Day next year.

The Degelim

Talia W., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

Making the degelim was awesome! The color of our degel is white. Making the degelim means you also get to pick a tribe name. There are twelve tribes of Israel in the Bible to choose from. Out of the twelve, seven were chosen. On the ladies’ side there is Issachar, JuThe Degelim1dah, Asher and Simeon. On the mens’ side there is Dan, Benjamin and Gad. My tribe’s name is Judah. We got to design our degel and paint it. It was so much fun!

You must never leave your degel behind. Sometimes you can leave it in your cabin, like during Hebrew and crafts. But for everything else you must bring it with you. This includes bringing it to breakfast, lunch, dinner and Tabernacle. Some other things you should know is that you should never let your degel fall or leave it outside on the ground, and never leave it down at the dining hall. This is very important. Another thing is that you should never let your degel get dirty.

In order to make your degel you must have a tribe name, your degel color and you must write your tribe members’ names on it. I hope you have fun making your degel!

M.I.

Sarah M., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

MI1Yesterday was M.I., Mission Impossible. We had a lot of fun playing the night game. Let me tell you what we did. We were in our cabin and were finishing up devotions when all the lights turned off. Then, we all knew it was M.I. so we changed into black clothes and headed off in the pitch blackness of night. First, we read our first clue. It was by the campfire. We had to be very fast when Superduck came by and we had to lay down very quickly. When we laid down Superduck almost ran into my face. When he walked past we got our next clue which said to go to the girls’ bathroom, so we ran past Streetlight and went to the bathroom. Then we kept finding clues. Our last clue was in the dining hall. Then we realized we came in first place and won Mission Impossible. All in all I had a great and fun time playing the night game Mission Impossible.

Creek Night

Raina W., Age 7
TCreek Night 2-1ribe of Issachar

Creek Night was different because we usually eat on tables and at the creek we ate on rocks instead of tables. Poppins and Snapple sat with us. I walked along the rocks with Superduck. I got burrs all over me. Some of the boys were even catching fish. Sasha got a big long catfish. Some of the campers and staff were playing silent football. Even though there wasn’t much water, we were all laughing and playing and having a great time. It was different than most dinners because we ate from paper bags and sat with people from other tribes. After everyone finished eating, they had time to play around. That was different from normal dinners because we didn’t have to clear our plates or wipe down our tables with rags and wait. Creek Night was a lot of fun.

Feed Your Friend Night

Rebecca S., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

On Feed Your Friend Night, I fed Raina. We were laughing most of the time. We ate tacos and cookies. It was hard to not spill so in the end it was very messy. Feed YFeed Your Friend Night1our Friend Night is where you feed a friend. It was very messy.

The tribe of Asher was on sweeping duty, which meant your tribe had to sweep the dining room. Moose was fed by Yadi and he had plenty to eat. That was one of my favorite theme nights. There was ground beef, cucumbers, onions, tomatos, etc that can go in a taco. Ahava and Chip fed each other. Acorn fed Streetlight. Each person fed someone else instead of feeding themselves. Most people were laughing. The food was good. We had fun. It was different from normal dinners because you couldn’t feed yourself. You should try to do a Feed Your Friend Night. I love Feed Your Friend Night. We never know when it’s going to be Feed Your Friend Night. Superduck fed Sh-boom. If you do it, I hope you have a good time.

Capture the Degel

Capture the Degel1Isaac P., Age 9
Tribe of Dan

I am Isaac. I am telling you about Capture the Degel. (Degel means flag.) The rules are: Get the flag.  Hide your flag. If you are out, go to jail. Try to let someone get you out of jail.

We went to the barbed wire fence on the left of the dining room to hide the flag. Then, we sent Conner, Tyler and Yadi as bait. Then the offense went out, including me. I snuck around the girls’ cabins. It looked like almost all of my team was captured. Finally, I came close to the top of the hill. Suddenly, Yamaha spotted me. I started to run away. I kept going up and running down, and finally I got captured. That’s when I came up with the phrase, “Take risks, get messy!” When Sonic went by, he freed me, but Heimlich caught me. But he ran away. It was awesome.

Interview with Sonic:

Q: How did you get past Yamaha’s defenses?
A: I waited until Yamaha and Ewok started walking away, and then I ran out from hiding in the bushes.

Q: Did you get caught in the end?
A: After we escaped with the degel, I got caught just before the line.

Q: How?
A: There were a lot of people and Superduck escaped with the degel and I thought we had won, so I let myself get caught.

Skit Night

Baily H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Campers by day. Actors by night. That’s how the campers here at Camp Gilgal are when Skit Night is coming up.

Skit Night is a time when each tribe performs a skit that they’ve worked on together. That skit is judged by creativity, teamwork and biblical content. The maximum amount of points you can earn for each section is 50. While you’re doing your skit, it is important to keep under eight minutes or else, you’re done.

“I love the acting,” Claire C. states. “I love the snacks and the funny lines…” says Carrie M. “I like it when my tribe does well,” Taco explains, “because then we get good scores and my tribe is happy.”

In the middle of Skit Night, there is an intermission. You can buy snacks from the Gilgal store.

Our skit was about Adam and Eve and how sin came into the world. Two news reporters examine the story as it goes along.

Skit Night is an awesome part of Camp Gilgal that all tribes practice and look forward to. Thank you for reading my article on Skit Night.

The Totally Awesome TBT

Erica B., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to go back in time? Well, here at Camp Gilgal we have something called Throwback Thursday. Throwback Thursday is a theme night when every tribe dresses up like something in the past. It’s The Totally Awesome TBT1almost like hopping in a time machine!

In 2015, my tribe dressed up as girls from the 60s! We were in a small little box and we made a mini little black and white film! This theme night is a good experience to see the history of this world. I’d encourage everyone to have this fun experience.

Now we are going to hear from a couple of members from the Camp Gilgal family. Here are Claire’s words: “I love how we get to see the potential of the other campers.” I agree with Claire, but let’s hear from a staff member! Taco’s words: “I think Waffle’s and S’mores’ tribe had a very good and creative idea.”

Everybody has a different perspective of TBT. What’s yours? Do you think this sounds fun? How would you like to participate in this theme? The fun begins when you come to Camp Gilgal. See you there!

Wells Fargo

Erica B., Age 11
Tribe of Asher

Is it the running, the game, the excitement or just the fun that makes this night game so awesome?! Hi, I’m Erica and my Camp Gilgal Gazette article is based on one of my favorite activities that goes on here at camp. What is this adventurous event? We call it Wells Fargo.

Here at camp we have many night games, such as Capture the Degel, Snag a Staff, Mission Impossible and Wells Fargo. I am going to be asking my friend Bailey what her favorite part about Wells Fargo is. Her words are: “Getting the bags of Wells Fargo1gold.” That is also my favorite part. However, it’s way different from a staff member’s perspective. These are Moose’s words: “I love scaring and catching the outlaws.”

This year we had a special visit by the one and only Wells Fargo stagecoach.

Now, we are going to hear one of Moose’s war stories from Wells Fargo. “I was using the element of surprise on one of the outlaws. I crouched down behind an oak tree and waited for the outlaw to come closer to the bags of gold. I walked behind the camper very slowly, three seconds later….Boo! And I caught the camper!” Thank you for reading!

Animal Night

Tyler H., Age 9
Tribe of Dan

Animal Night1I’m Tyler and I’m going to tell you what I did for Animal Night.

First of all, the people told me that I needed to get ready for Animal Night.  My tribe ran back to the cabin. Our tribe leaders had something ready for us. Then I found out it was a red, fat, hippo head. All of us rushed to tape red stuff taped on the hippo. It was hot and hard to move but it was AWESOME! We had to walk on the rocks. We almost fell but we didn’t. Finally, we got in line. They called other people, then they called us. We did our cheer. Then they took a sick picture of us looking under the red stuff. We all walked right inside the door. We sat down, took the stuff off and ate dinner. That is what we do on Animal Night at Camp Gilgal.

The Campfire

Steven M., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

I am writing about the campfire! The campfire is when we are together. The staff members come and tell us their story and that we need The Campfire1to trust God. We sing great camp songs. It’s a great way to enjoy camp. At the end we roast marshmallows and eat s’mores.

The campfire is very touching. You can grow closer to God! You can feel the nice warmth of the fire. All the tribes are on the tables in a circle. The fire is in the middle.

Last, the two staff talk about their relationships with God. It touches your heart. We do it for a while till it’s dark and the s’mores are gone. It’s a very nice way to enjoy a nice time at camp!

Utensil Night!!!

Claire C., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Utensil Night is when everyone gets their food but doesn’t get any forks, knives or spoons. Then, some out-of-cabin staff come around with a huge bucket full of crazy utensils like spatulas, pie servers, tongs and everything you can imagine! The only utensils not in the bucket are the basic utensils like forks. When the bucket comes Utensil Night1around you close your eyes, put your hand in the bucket and pull one out. And voila! The utensil that you picked is what you eat with. The food is always spaghetti, so it makes it difficult to strategize your technique for eating!

Now for interviews: my tribe mate Mia said, “I like Utensil Night because I got tongs so it was easy to eat with.” Another tribe mate, Erica, says, “I like the experience of trying something new.” Even people out of my tribe LOVE Utensil Night, like Tyler, a tribe mate of Dan. “I like trying hard to eat. I had to stab stuff and eat it.”

This year, I got a spatula… It was really difficult to eat! And you don’t necessarily need to eat with your utensil. Some eat with their hands instead! Utensil Night is mostly on your first night. Utensil Night is AWESOME! The End.

Camp Arrival

Zoe N., Age 12
Tribe of Simeon

Camp Arrival1Arriving at camp is very exciting. When you first go up the hill the staff are hiding and then they come out and start drumming on the cars. Then you get out of your car, the staff give you hugs and you get to see all of your friends. Every year there are new campers and staff. When you get all your stuff out of the car you get to go swimming, play carpet ball and ping pong. After your parents leave you, you go and see what cabin you’re in, meet your tribe leaders and the campers you’re staying with in your cabin. They then tell you the girls stay on their side and the boys stay on their side. You cannot go on either side or you will make purple.

Sometimes on the first day after you bring your stuff to the cabin, you have Utensil Night. How you do it is you close your eyes and pull out an item from a pot and use it to eat. After dinner you go outside and choose a tribe name from the twelve tribes of Israel. Then you choose the color and a design on your degel. This year for our tribe we did a flaming sword for our tribe Simeon.

The first day at camp was very exciting for a first start of camp. The first day of camp gives you an exciting start for the rest of the two weeks. The theme verse for our camp is Joshua 1:9.

Cabin Inspection

Fiorella M., Age 12
Tribe of Simeon

At our camp we do a thing called Cabin Inspection every day. We have to clean and organize our cabins. Then Morty and Minerva “the old people” check our cabins and later in the day they give us points on Cabin Inspection1how clean and organized our cabin is, like 85 points.

If your cabin gets the most points, then you get like $100 for your whole tribe to spend on something fun. You can get ice cream, go fishing, bowling, or lots of other fun things.

Morty and Minerva are hard core, like if you leave one shoe a little bit out of order you get an infraction, which makes you get less points. I personally think that it’s hard to not get an infraction.

You can leave Morty and Minerva a note for them to find in your cabin and then they will read it aloud when they are grading your cabin. I think that Cabin Inspection is a fun way to earn points. Thanks for reading my article about Cabin Inspection.

Dental Inspection

Dental Inspection1Fiorella M., Age 12
Tribe of Simeon

At our camp we do a thing called Dental Inspection. We do it almost every night at camp.

Dental Inspection is basically someone checking your teeth, but it’s Tabitha Plaquewhacker checking your teeth.

Tabitha Plaquewhacker takes away points if you don’t brush your teeth, and if you do brush your teeth, Tabitha gives you points.

Tabitha can tell if you brushed your teeth because she checks the inside of your teeth and your breath.

If your tribe gets the most points of all tribes, the tribe gets to spend $100 on something fun. That is why you should brush your teeth. I think that Dental Inspection is an easy way to lose and win and lose points. Tabitha has an accent and big black hair. She carries around a flashlight and a bug swatter. Thank you for reading my article.

Sam’s Art

Sam S., Age 7-1/2
Tribe of Dan

Welcome to Sam’s Art! Starring your host Sam S.! And your contestant, Conner!
First Event! “Card of you!” Awards – Maximum Hilarity and Compassion.
Years you’ve been here: One.
Next event! “What you like!” Pizza!! Popcorn!! Chips!! Dinner??
Third Event! “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Robot builder!

Welcome to Sam’s Art! Starring ySams Art1our host Sam S.! And your contestant, Tyler!
First Event! “Card of You!” Awards – Leadership, Dapper Dan-ery, Camper of the Year!
How many years have you been: Two!
Next event! “What you like!” Friends, candy, Camp Gilgal, pool, crafts!
Third event! “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Chemistry, science!

Welcome to Sam’s Art with your host Sam S. and your contestant, Israel!
First event! “Card of You.” Awards – Joyfulness and Boulder Pro.
Year you have been here. One!
Second event! “What you like?” All animals!
Third event! “What do you want to do when you grow up?” Artist!

Sam’s Art, your host and contestant Sam S.!
First event! “Card of you.” Awards – Game Engineering and Courage!
Years you have been here: One.
Second event! “What you like!” Ice cream! Pizza! Pasta!
Third event! “What you want to be when you grow up?” Author: fiction.

Tabernacle

Sophia M., Age 11
Tribe of Simeon

Our God is great, strong, healer, and amazing in power. These are four out of one million things the Lord is to us and we get to experience these elements and get to learn about God every day during Tabernacle through singing, teachings, reading the Word of the Lord and memory verses.

We sing to God to thank Him for many miracles He brings to the world. Talking to Tabernacle1God is an amazing privilege, but singing is praising and thanking Him through our voices. Many favorite songs are “The Happy Song,” Bailey H. exclaims to me, and “Blessed Be,” Sasha S. says to me. Worshiping God is an opportunity to talk to God through singing during Tabernacle.

Every day we get taught by our wonderful one and only Streetlight. We learn that God never gives up on us and that we live in a broken world with our broken selves. We also learn that one day we will have a future home in heaven because of what Yeshua has done for us.

In conclusion, Tabernacle is our way of thanking God for all He has done for us by song with praise and learning about our history. God is alive and is our main focus at Camp Gilgal. Our relationship with God grows more and more throughout camp like our height throughout the years.

Mail Call

Bailey H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Mail Call1Letters! Spinners! Bonus Rounds! Mail Call is exciting for everyone, if you get mail or not.

Mail Call starts with the exciting banging of the table. Screaming and pounding is encouraged.

Next, Snapple chooses a courageous volunteer to be a spinner.

If you become a spinner, your job is to jump in a circle and shimmy your wrist above your head. If you can successfully complete this difficult challenge you are very talented. But, the trick is, you only spin when staff is called, so you have to be a good listener to have this role.

One of the most exciting parts of Mail Call is the bonus round. The first round, where you get letters, is okay, but the bonus round is spectacular! For the bonus round, if you are called, you have the honor of receiving a package. “I felt amazing the first time I got a package. I mean, there were cheese puffs in it!” states Claire C. “My favorite part of Mail Call is the bonus round!” Sophia M. exclaims.

Mail Call is one highlight of the day here at camp and I always look forward to it. Thank you for reading about Mail Call.

Bailey for Fun

Bailey H., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

Swimming? Carpet ball? Campfire? What’s your favorite part of camp?

Claire and Tyler love Wells Fargo. It is their favorite thing about camp.

Zoe and Carrie love night games. “I like night games because they’re fun and you get to play with your friends.”

Pippin loves worship and Capture the Degel. Persaeus’ favorite part is learning about Yeshua.

Taco’s favorite part is hanging out with all the campers. “It’s my favorite because…it’s just fun to me,” Taco explains.

“M.I.,” Isaac P. decides. “M.I. – I call it Mission Completed,” Sam S. says.

Snapple loves “hanging out with the campers.” Acorn agrees.

Special Guests

Mia G., Age 10
Tribe of Asher

I wrote about special guests for my Camp Gilgal Gazette article because I wanted to learn more about them and what it was like growing up in the Camp Gilgal family. Every guest grew up in the Camp Gilgal family. Tank has been coming to camp since 1994. He is kind, funny and likes to play music. Shalom and Ahava are his nieces. That’s Tank.

Riff is a guest. He used to be a staff member. He likes to play sports, he’s musical and also very smart. He told me, “There is nothing more satisfying than Riff.” Well, that’s all you need to know about Riff.

Snickerdoodle is also a guest. She Special Guests1cares a lot about people, she is also very generous and a lot of fun. She has a wiener dog named Stella. And that’s Snickerdoodle.

Here’s Big Tuna. Big Tuna is gentle and very tall. Some of his tribe names were Simeon and Judah. He cares about people and likes to cook. I’m done with Big Tuna.

Squirt is a guest. When she was a camper she got sick but persevered. She is very kind. Some of her camp friends were Dynamite, Rocko and Sonic. Squirt, Ace and Waffles are siblings. That’s Squirt.

Now Ace. Ace would always make sure his cabin was perfectly clean. He would be everyone’s friend and he’s very nice and very smart. He sleeps in a lot. That’s Ace.

Sparkler is a guest. She is afraid of fireworks and she is very kind and funny. She really likes to make videos and she has a lot of animals. That’s Sparkler.

Waldo is a guest. He was at the very first Camp Gilgal ever. He likes games and crafts a lot. He always wanted to follow God.

The end!

Camp Gilgal West Teen Camp (July 12-18, 2015)

Lord, Help My Unbelief

 

 

 

 

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  Hebrews 11:1

 

 

 

 

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Campers:Main page2-1

Corey W., Daniel C., Daniel P., David S., Dinah N., Elijah Y., Elizabeth E., Elizabeth N., Elliot K., Emmalee S., Haneen R., Isabella B., Isaac H., Jaden W., Josiah C., Laney P., LaTanya H., Logan G., Madison H., Michael K., Monique L., Mekerah P., Rain M., Reuven R., Samantha S., Sarai M., Shannon O., Taliah S., Zemeira W., Zion M.

 

In-Cabin Staff:

Acorn, Elrond, Packer, Rocko, Sauté, Superduck, Whimzy, Zamboni

 

Out-of-Cabin Staff:

Pi, Snapple, Sonic, Streetlight, Moose

Yosemite alternate3-1

Sauté

Saute1Elizabeth E., Age 13

This is my first year meeting Sauté of teen camp. Sauté has been a tribe leader for teen camp for four years! She was a camper for adventure camp when she was 16 years old. Her older brother, Simba, is a tribe leader also, and her younger brother Michael went to adventure camp at 16 as well.

Sauté’s favorite part of camp is having fun adventures with campers. Her favorite camp song is between “12 Men” and “Once an Austrian.” Sauté loves making campers laugh and likes putting sticks in her hair.

Some fun facts about Sauté is that she is from Fresno, but currently lives in Santa Barbara. Sauté’s first word as a baby was “Mommy.” When she was little she wanted to be a ballet teacher, but now she wants to be an occupational therapist. Sauté got her camp name because she did ballet for 8.5 years and her ballet teacher wanted her to jump with the boys because she was a really good jumper. Sauté means “jump” in French.

Camp helps Sauté’s relationship with the Lord. Her favorite Bible passage is Philippians 4:6-10. Now you know just how wonderful a person Sauté is and I hope one day you have a chance to meet her.

Elrond Interview

Elijah H., Age 12

This year I interviewed Elrond. He has been with Camp Gilgal for eight years. His favorite food is T-bone steak. His favorite color is blue. He lives in Rivendell. His favorite camp game is Wells Fargo. He was named Elrond because his parents knew he would like Lord of the Rings. He wanted to be camp staff this year because Camp Gilgal means a lot to him and he wanted to serve. His favorite subject is literature and his least favorite is chemistry. His favorite Bible verse is Psalm 23:6: “Surely Elrond Interview1goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of Adonai forever.” This is his favorite verse because Psalm 23:6 is the emotional climax. His favorite part of camp is the camp community and developing long-term relationships while still meeting new people. His favorite grade in school was fourth grade because it was before life got complicated.  He would like to say to everyone, “L’Chaim!”

Acorn Interview

Haneen R., Age 14

Acorn1Acorn is a super sweet, encouraging and awesome staff member, so I decided to write my Gazette piece on an interview with her. In the interview, she told me that her most embarrassing camp memory was two years ago at teen camp. Everyone went to Polar Bear Pond and when she was about to swing across, her foot caught on a rock and she tripped and fell flat on her face into the ice cold water. Not only that, it was also all recorded. Her favorite year of camp was when she and her whole family were on staff together at junior camp. The best day so far of Acorn’s life was the day she became an auntie when Bazooka had Simeon. Her favorite part of being a camper is doing theme nights and worship. While being a tribe leader, Acorn most enjoyed watching campers grow up in age and faith. Her favorite year of high school was senior year because she had a lot of fun leading her volleyball team to a championship. I loved spending time with Acorn and interviewing her!

Superduck

Logan G., Age 15

For my paper I decided to interview Superduck. This year, I was in the same cabin with him. I have a good time teasing him and just talking with him. Superduck was in wrestling since eighth grade. During the interview I asked him for his name, date of birth and social security number. For some unknown reason he wouldn’t tell me. He did tell me that his favorite thing to eat is sushi and his favorite snack is Sour Patch Kids.Superduck2-1

His favorite pet was a dog named Missy, but currently has none, and he said that his favorite animal is a wolf. He is currently going to San Francisco University. He said that his favorite part of camp is hanging out and playing with the campers and being able to talk to them.

Superduck’s favorite color is green. He loves wrestling and a sport called spikeball. Snapple says that his favorite ice cream is mint chip. The reason I asked Snapple is because Superduck left me cause I just pulled a sick prank on him. Overall, Superduck is awesome and one of my favorite camp staff and I think everyone should get to know him.

Streetlight

Zemeira W., Age 13

In my opinion Streetlight is pretty awesome. She has been going to camp for nine years. When growing up she wasn’t a Camp Gilgal camper, but went to another Messianic camp.

Streetlight 2-1When asking her what her favorite camp was she told me three different answers. “I like junior camp because of all the theme nights and games. I like teen camp cause I get to watch campers grow up, and I like adventure camp because I get to be like one of the campers.”

As you probably already know, Moose will not be the leader of camp anymore, sadly. So, Streetlight is taking over. She told me that she felt excited and scared, but that she knows God is going to be with her always. Her favorite Yiddish word is “shmaltz” and an ideal meal is fresh fruit with bread, cheese and sliced turkey. She thinks of the staff as her children and loves them all. Streetlight’s favorite Bible verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9.

Final on Pi

Corey W., Age 13

This is Pi’s third year at Camp Gilgal. He came to camp this year to spend time with campers and to have fun. Pi lives in Orange County. His favorite color is deep ocean blue. His least favorite school subject is English. His favorite animal is a lobster. Also, his favorite food is Mexican. His favorite activity is the climbing wall. During camp, Pi is an out-of-cabin staff member. Pi is a very funny person, and he is also really nice Pi1and friendly. At Bass Lake, he drove the ski boat that pulled the banana all day. It was hard work but I think he had fun anyway. Pi is a great guy to hang out with. Also, Pi likes to be helpful to campers and staff. During Capture the Degel, he played offense on the winning team. Pi’s favorite memory verse is Philippians 4:13. This is Pi’s favorite memory verse because Yeshua helps us to be strong. Pi is related to Esquire, Poppins, Ewok and Heimlich, but no one knows how they are related. Pi is a math teacher outside of camp. He also likes math and every form of pi. You can write pi three different ways: TT, Pi, and Pie. One of Pi’s hobbies is trying all different kinds of pie, his favorite of which is haupia pie, which is a chocolate coconut milk pi with Oreo crust. He especially likes eating pies with all his friends and campers if they’re around.

Whimsical Whimzy

Whimzy1Laney P., Age 13

This is Gilgal News and the report today is about the one and only Whimzy. First question is what is your favorite camp story? My favorite camp story was about Camp Decorating Day when I was nine. We decorated our cabin like Disneyland. I loved it!

Ok everyone, after talking to Whimzy for some time I discovered one of Whimzy’s embarrassing stories. She said that when she was little she kissed a boy and her parents teased her about it. Well, getting back to camp stories, did you guys know that Whimzy came to Camp Gilgal because she saw the Columbia parade? She thought, “Well, I’m Jewish and I believe, so why don’t I go to that camp??

Did you guys know that Whimzy is actually afraid of the rock wall? Like you really can’t tell because she climbed that wall like no tomorrow, and she did bomb on the giant swing. So Whimzy, I just want to say that you are so outgoing and I love having you as my tribe leader. This is the end of Gilgal News. See you next year.

Packer Interview

Reuven R., Age 15

I first met Packer when I got off the LA van and he walked up, fist-bumped me and said, “I’m Packer.” Later that day, I was given the opportunity to interview him and I gladly accepted. This is what I learned.

PPacker1acker’s favorite color is royal blue and his favorite food is chicken, tomato, onion, and green pepper pizza. His favorite snack is kettle-cooked potato chips. His favorite movie is The Dark Knight, and his favorite genres are action movies, country music and historical narrative books. Packer’s favorite parts of camp are the worship, relationship making, and Yosemite. The school he attends is Concordia Seminary St. Louis. His favorite song is “Long Black Train” by John Turner and his favorite hymn is “When Peace Like A River.” He loves the number 21.

(Back to camp) Packer became camp staff through being friends with Moose. This year just happens to be Packer’s very first Camp Gilgal experience. His favorite worship song is “From The Inside Out.” Packer’s favorite holiday is Easter and his favorite Jewish one is Passover. His current height is six feet. Packer’s favorite time of the day is morning. He has a mom, dad, two brothers and three sisters. Packer drives a 1999 Honda CRV. His name is based off of the Green Bay Packers. Packer lives near Milwaukee, Wisconsin. His favorite Bible verse is Matthew 6:33 because it’s about seeking God’s kingdom and His righteousness.

21 information facts just like his favorite number. It might be Packer’s first year, but he is a great tribe leader. I hope to see him again next year.

Rocko

Sarai M., Age 14

Today on this fine afternoon I am interviewing Rocko. Lucky her, she has never gotten really hurt while at camp. Unlike me, who gets hurt way too often because I am very clumsy.  🙁 Rocko’s advice for new campers is Rocko2-1to “jump into things” and don’t be afraid to mess up. I highly agree and wish I would have known this earlier.

Her dream house would be a big rustic house in the woods that has a lot of ferns, big leather couches and plenty of room for friends and family. I think that sounds really nice and I wouldn’t mind visiting her. She says her most funny/embarrassing moment from camp was when she was about nine or ten and it was Skit Night. Her tribe mates had all practiced a dance but when it was time to perform, they all forgot it. Oops, sounds like something I would do. Now, for the best part, I think I have finally figured out her age…it’s somewhere between 16 and 65. She says if she could give baby Rocko advice she would tell herself that God has her back and don’t be afraid of what other people think. Very wise. I am soooo glad I am in her cabin. She is an amazing tribe leader. She is super fun and energetic, but also really inspirational and very supportive, and always ready to help and support me when I am not feeling well. It has been so much fun getting to know her better. She has been so nice, patient and encouraging to me and always ready to help. I love Rocko and hope to have her as my tribe leader next year.

Sonic

Sam S., Age 14

After asking several other staff and comrades of Sonic, writing a simple article could not do him justice. Zamboni said he was responsible, Elrond said he was the “veteran tribe leader,” and Sarai, a camper, said he was funny and cool. It’s pretty hard to narrow down a guy where no one can say the same thing, isn’t it? Fortunately, I’ll do my best.

It’s my first year meeting Sonic, so naturally I was curious about who he was. So, one day, I asked him what gave him the idea of Sonic. I assumed maybe he liked the burgers or milkshakes from Sonic, the restaurant. He explained that Rocko and Snickerdoodle actually helped him come up with the name.Sonic3-1

Speaking of friends, Sonic evidentially has a lot of them because he can’t stop talking about them! During his first experience at camp (as a nine year old), he was shy, self-conscious and a little scared, much the same as everyone else his age. But, he mentioned that what helped him get over his fear was getting to meet new friends. One of the best parts of camp is making unexpected friendships, and not just with fellow campers either! A lot of campers tend to be around the staff, so Sonic’s favorite camp staff (as a camper) were Waldo, Jaws and Kappuccino.

On a more serious note, I know from personal experience of the spiritual moments and awakenings that campers have had while at camp. Sonic had one of his own while at adventure camp when he went down to the river bank to worship. As he turned around, he realized the whole camp had joined him.

Now it’s my turn to describe Sonic. He’s an inspiration. Camp Gilgal is lucky to have him.

It’s All In the Wrist Action

Moose1Taliah S., Age 14

In this the 25th season of Camp Gilgal, I had the honor of interviewing the founding West Coast camp director. This amazing man is referred to (at camp) as Moose. Camp Gilgal began in 1991. I asked Moose how he came up with the camp name, and he answered, “If the name fits, wear it.” Moose’s funniest/most embarrassing moment at camp was when he was playing soccer with an earth ball. He went for the ball, toppled over it and fell flat on his face! Moose is a long-time fan of night games. Moose’s favorite night games are Capture the Degel, Mission Impossible and Wells Fargo.

Moose also serves with the organization Jews for Jesus. Because of this, Moose is a very spiritual person. His favorite Bible verses are Philippines 2:5-11 and his favorite chapter of the Bible is Romans 8. I asked Moose what was the first thing he would say to a new believer who is struggling, and he replied, “Hang in there, God understands and wants to help you.” My personal experience with Moose is a very good one. Moose is extremely encouraging to me. There are many instances where Moose has told me exactly what I want and need to hear, both in my spiritual and normal life. He is an amazing person who, if you have the opportunity, would be a pleasure and privilege to meet. By the way, in case you’re wondering, Moose coined the phrase, “It’s all in the wrist action,” which is now famous among all Camp Gilgal alumni.

Zamboni

Daniel P., Age 15

Zamboni is an amazing person I had the pleasure of meeting at Camp Gilgal. So I decided Zamboni1to interview him. Zamboni was one of my tribe leaders this year at camp. We called him Zambrony just for fun, get it? “Brony.” To start this off, Zamboni went to camp for the first time when he was only 12 years old. Then I asked, why did you want to become staff? So he answered, “Well, Moose asked me to and second, I wanted a challenge.” So, there you have it. Next, I asked him what’s your favorite camp activity? He answered with, “Why, Capture the Degel, of course.” I have to tell you, most people would say that, since everyone loves that game. Now that we got through that, we can get to a more serious topic. I asked how long have you been a believer and he answered, “Four years.” I then asked him, what’s your favorite Bible verse? He replied “Hmm, that’s a hard one, but it has to be Proverb 3:5-8.” Next, I asked what are your hobbies? He replied, “Hockey, Camp Gilgal and tennis.” So there you have it, that’s Zamboni in a nutshell.

National Forest Capture the Degel

Daniel C., Age 12

Have you ever played Capture the Degel? I have and it was fun. We played it in a national forest, and the teams were boy campers with lady staff and girl campers with guy staff. Of course, the boys won. Sonic got the degel before the end of the game. Our degel was in a valley-shaped area. I was on defense/border patrol and caught six people, Bella, Mekerah, Zamboni, Sam, Liz and Shannon. The most interesting person I caught was Shannon Capture the Degel1because she was a very fast runner and very hard to catch. We played as the sun was setting. The environment had a lot of trees with dead branches everywhere. The game made me tired, excited, energized (during the beginning of the game), it gave a lot of suspense and was about teamwork and trust.

Here is one of my war stories. It was getting dark, the sun was setting, and four people were already in jail. I was patrolling a ridge 50 feet near the jail. I heard a cracking of branches nearby. Then I saw the intruder and yelled, “I see someone!” And I started to run towards her, she saw me and ran away. We were running for some time when she tripped and I caught her and brought Shannon back to jail.

Team Initiatives

David S., Age 16

So you want to hear of the endless abyss, yes the bottomless pit? And, the tales of the men who built bridges over the void? So, I will tell you, but it will doubtless sound strange to you; and indeed, it is strange, for it is not often that we mortals catch glimpses of the flying pig in its full glory (unless they rewind time and repeat it…).

Team Initiatives 3-1Oh, yes, pardon me; you wanted to hear about team initiatives. A group of weary travelers, who are not particularly weary, travel up a hill, lush with…well, with dried grass and burrs. Yet that is the least of their challenges, for they soon approach an infinitely steep cliff at the end of the abyss. There are two islands floating in the nothingness – and beyond that, the other edge. [The travelers failed to answer the questions three (‘ere the other side they see)], so they must build their own bridge with nothing more than two undersized planks, great determination and teamwork.

They face not only the great abyss, but also the king of the land (or lack thereof) who torments them with oddly specific flash bombs of a certain targeted and deadly accuracy. *Flash!* and Elliot’s voice box…disappears! The struggle is great, but the travelers learn to cope with the changes.

Soon after, another flash!…(at the unashamed and cruel request of one particularly mischievious traveler) and Rain’s eyes, once filled with the sparkle of youth, are lost forever (for the specific challenge). Another’s leg is blown off (temporarily), and he must attempt to cross the bridges with a very silly hop. And another odd occurrence… Josiah has an overwhelming desire to break into a run, at the danger of falling into the abyss. Hence, his fellows must hold him still lest he run too far and end up beyond the edge (which did happen once…). Rather, it is the start… all over again… of the whole group (teamwork!). On and on, I can tell you of the important lessons learned by the team while working together, but perhaps the most Team Initiatives 4-1important lesson is that Superduck can fly, which means they could glide gracefully over the abyss in the embrace of his webbed feet.

Having (perhaps successfully…) overcome the first challenge, their spirits were bolstered and their bodies fixed. They soon came to a river, a river of lava with the appearance of bark. What ruler dare leave her realm in such a disastrous state?! T’was the terrible (and wonderful!) Streetlight. What means had they to cross the river? A single rope, hanging overhead on a metal branch of a tree that arched over the river. During their endeavor to cross the lava, they learned an important lesson: a good leader knows the followers and leads side by side. They learned, too, that a good leader listens; that a good team leaves no member behind; that a good team utilizes its strengths and minimizes its weaknesses with the help of the whole team. Yet these lessons took time to learn, and Streetlight hastened the approach of night with her powers. The travelers slept on the bank of the river that night and woke to another dawn fresh with opportunities and lunch. Though all these challenges seemed to them to be obstacles on their path, those same challenges became the path to the learning of important lessons and the bonding of each team member with his fellow.

Dodgeball – Wow! Such Cat-Like Reflexes!

Jaden W., Age 16

Dodgeball is a game in which you throw dodge balls at the Dodgeball1opposing team while dodging, catching and deflecting dodge balls from all directions. Some people who threw the hardest were Moose, Superduck, Sonic, Packer, and Zamboni. Superduck’s strategy was to put a ball inside the back of his shirt so Moose didn’t know it was there. It worked several times. Zion’s strategy was to stand as far up as she could go and not move. Sonic made a rule that if you are the last player on your team you can catch the ball and get your whole team back in the game. This only happened to my team. The last game which was for all the marbles. We were dropping like flies. Finally, Laney was the last player in and was against at least five players on the opposite team, and she caught a ball letting our whole team back in. I could see the disappointment on the opposite team’s faces as our team came back from our dodgeball grave to win and we did!

Ropes Course

Zion M., Age 15

Zion M. here, reporting for the Camp Gilgal Gazette. Today, I am writing about a popular attraction at Calvin Crest, known as the “ropes course” or “zipline.” As a good reporter does, I checked out the course for myself, with exhilarating results. The first step that you take while attempting the ropes course is to don a safety hat and harness, tightened to fit your body, excellent for aerodynamics and speed. Just looking up at the task set in front of you, equipped with safetRock Wall1y gear that becomes seemingly fragile and useless, is daunting. You climb up onto the first step, swinging already from your weight and the breeze, even if there is a person below steadying the sway of the ropes connected to planks of wood with knots. It only gets more difficult from there, with obstacles sprinkled in the air from tree to tree as you walk a tightrope over a thirty-foot drop to the forest floor. Concentration and acting on your senses is key, as is not thinking and closing your eyes, too. It is hard work navigating the seeming perils of the height and lack of stability but it is all rewarded with a trip on a zipline through the forest.

Yosemite

Michael K., Age 13Yosemite1

So it started after breakfast when Streetlight announced that we are heading to Yosemite. So we went back to our cabins to get ready, then we went in the vans for a two-hour ride. Then we arrived at Yosemite, then we walked into the woods for Tabernacle and then we ate lunch. Then we walked to Glacier Point to hang out and enjoy the breathtaking view of Yosemite, and that was when we took the Camp Gilgal photo. Then we went to the Glacier Point gift shop, then we went to take our five-mile hike and the hike took at least three hours and it was one of the best hikes I have ever done in my life. When we were done with the hike, we went back to the vans. When we got out of Yosemite it was almost dark out, so we stopped at a restaurant called the Pizza Factory for dinner. Then after dinner it was time for the cabin inspection report and my cabin had the worst score in Camp Gilgal history, but we had fun and I can’t wait till next year.

Rock Wall

Monique L., Age 13Rock Wall 2-1

On Wednesday, after Tabernacle, all of the campers went to the rock wall area. We picked out harnesses and helmets to ensure our safety as we climbed. As we donned our red and black harnesses, the staff explained the different climbing commands and safety measures. There were six different belay systems, or routes, up the rock wall. They were numbered from 1-6 in increasing difficulty. As the campers slowly inched up the steep, wooden face, six staff members operated the belay systems and called out advice from down below. When they reached the top of the wall, the campers rung the bell and read the Scripture and then slowly descended. When they reached the bottom, they were untied and either stood in line to climb the wall again or walked over to the cement slab to take off their harnesses and helmets. After we thanked the staff and cleaned up, we left the rock wall and ended our little adventure.

Silent Football

Elliot K., Age 15

It was a dark and stormy night when I realized we should play Silent Football. It all started when I was too sore and tired to swim. I decided after five minutes of chillin’ to get a group together and explain the rules. After explaining the rules, we began. The first round was a little shaky at the start because people were first-time peanut gallerians. A peanut gallerian is a player in the game. Elrond and David had a rivalry throughout the game. At the end of the game Reuven got three penalties. We thought of different consequences to decide his fate. He ended up having to hug Sonic and say, “I like your hair, it’s spiky like a hedgehog,” while petting his hair.
Silent Football1

I love playing Silent Football at camp because it is super fun. I especially like being Mr. Commissioner because I get to control the game.

I remember when I first learned silent football. I was taught by the Comish (Mr. Commissioner) himself. It was at winter camp when I was seven years old and I’ve loved it ever since.

The next few rounds of Silent Football were interesting. Everyone’s dare involved Sonic until he banned it. One round David knew he was going to get three penalties, so while he was talking, he attempted to take everyone down with him. He eventually got 2/3 of the peanut gallerians another penalty. In the end, David had to hug Sonic like Reuven did while the other peanut gallerians lived to tell another tale. I love the game of Silent Football.

Hiking in Yosemite

Emmalee S., Age 15

It was a long summer’s day when Camp Gilgal decided to take a hike. The hike started at the Glacier Point snack shop where we bought snacks. I like the snack shop, and I got some cashews. After the cashews, we went to take pictures. I thought that was the hike, but it wasn’t. Our hike was a whopping four miles. The beginning of the hike wasn’t so bad, and I walked with Acorn and Haneen and we talked about sports we played. Occasionally, along the hike I would be stopped to get my picture taken in front of beautiful vines for the Camp Gilgal Facebook site… www.facebook.com/campgilgalwest. The middle part of the hike was when my feet started to hurt. Hurting feet was no excuse to stop walking according to everyone around me encouraging me to keep walking. The hike’s views were amazing, so it was nice to look at them while I walked. Sometimes, I would stare at the view too long and would trip and fall, but the hike wasn’t ruined by me falling. Towards the end of the hike, I walked with LaTanya and Dinah. While I walked with them, we talked about hopes and dreams…. There was also a lot of falling but we made it and all in all the hike was fantastic!!

The Gilgal Mixer Games

Mekerah P., Age 16

Every year at Camp Gilgal various ice breakers are played on the first night once all the campers and various staff have arrived. This year, there were three – The Human Knot, “Honey, If You Love Me” and, of course, Steal the Kosher Bacon.

These three games have various rules. In The Human Knot, you play by forming a circle with campers and staff alike, joining hands with two different people and then attempting to un-knot yourselves – basically, you twist and turn until your group has formed a rough circle once again. And, all this, without releasing each other’s hands!

This year, there were several different results of the game. Mixer Games1One group managed to get untangled twice! Two cabins didn’t get untangled at all and one group achieved it once. Sadly, I was a camper among one of the two groups that were never able to get completely untangled.

For the game “Honey, If You Love Me,” the rule is simple – don’t smile. How the game is played is that everyone gathers into a circle, except for one person. That single person goes around the circle until they pick a victim and say in varying degrees of strangeness (one staff member did a handstand!), “Honey, if you love me, won’t you please, please smile?” The chosen person must then – without laughing or smiling (if they haven’t already) – respond with “Honey, I love you, but I just can’t smile.”

The last game played was Steal the Kosher Bacon. For this game, we all went onto the one big grassy field and were sorted into three teams. Three objects (the kosher bacon) were placed in the center – a roll of tape, a tennis ball and some unfortunate person’s shoe. Every person was numbered when placed into their teams and either Streetlight or Snapple would call out random numbers. The people with those numbers would then sprint into the center in an attempt to obtain one of the three objects – if not more. All in all, it was a pretty eventful first day of camp.

Giant Swing

Isaac H., Age 14

It’s about an hour before noon. The camp staff tell you to put on long pants and closed-toed shoes. It’s time to go to the giant swing!

Giant Swing1The swing is located at the end of a path inclining slightly into the woods. Along the path on one side is the trapeze and the beginning of the ropes course. At the end of the path is a large cleared-out area for swinging across. For this swing you have to climb a 20-30 foot tree to swing from. But first you have to suit up. Everyone waits their turn for a safety harness and vest. Once it’s your turn, you hook up to a rope and begin your journey up the tree. At first, it’s a little tricky: the metal rungs that are easy to grip don’t start until after a wobbly rope ladder. This is when people sometimes freak out and go back down. But, if you go on, don’t look down. Just look up and focus on reaching the next rung. Once you get to the top, one of the workers hooks you up to the swing, unhooks you from the platform and asks if you’d like to pray. Then it’s up to you to push off the platform. From there you can go upside down, spread your wings and fly, etc. Just do whatever you want to maximize your enjoyment swinging between two trees. Eventually, the swing winds down and a worker helps you down with a ladder. And you’re done. You can go to the trapeze or go again, but the satisfaction of being a Jewish bird stays fresh for the rest of camp.

The Pizza Factory

Shannon O., Age 13

And so, after a slippery, long, scorching, and might I add, exhausting trek, our van slowly came to a crawl in a large parking lot. We all searched about pointlessly to discover why we had stopped. Most of us suspected a quick McDonald’s meal, but to our pleasant surprise, Streetlight promptly shouted “Pizza Factory!” which was followed up by a cheer.Pizza Factory1

When we got inside we immediately were smitten with the inviting, warm, savory aroma of the freshly baking pizzas. We soon sat down in an outside parlor and partook of a much-needed bathroom and beverage break. And then, it finally happened.

The irresistibly, heavenly pizza smell was no longer just a smell. It was brought out and arrayed before us and became the embodiment of perfect pizza. It was pizza perfection. And like lions, we didn’t waste time quickly devouring our food.

After full stomachs, satisfied people and close bonding time, Moose made a last-minute cabin inspection report and proclaimed THE worst cabin inspection result in Gilgal history! Then, we were forced to say a sad farewell to the newly beloved Pizza Factory.

When we emerged from the restaurant, we saw a beautiful, majestic horse named Cookie and stood ‘round to pet her. Then (finally), we left for the vans, to camp, to bed. All in all, this trip was a pizza-tastic success. 🙂

Arriving at Camp

Rain M., Age 14

I’m from Southern California and I took the transportation provided by Camp Gilgal. It was a smooth five-hour drive. While we were driving up the hill to camp in the Ford van, I saw that there was a fire there from two weeks ago. While driving up the hill I saw the staff charging at the van and they started to bang on the windows. My theory regarding the staff banging on the windows is to get the campers hyped up for camp and give them an overwhelmingly joyful welcome as the van drives up the hill. In addition, I felt very excited when the staff slammed on the windows of the van because it got the campers and me stoked for all the fun that we were going to have at camp. It Arriving at Camp1was a different experience from last year because last year they didn’t bang on my car and I didn’t know what to expect. Once we got out of the vans the excitement continued.

And we saw campers whom we knew from last year and other winter/summer camps. Everyone was filled with joy seeing staff and campers, introducing ourselves to the staff as they helped unload the van/other vehicles. Later they told us which tribe leader we were going to have and who our cabin mates were going to be. Everyone seemed happy with where they were placed. Then we went to our cabins to unload our luggage and hang out with our tribe mates. In conclusion, arriving at camp was a joyful experience because it got me hyped up and excited for camp and all the fun activities we would have during the week.

Cabin Life

Lizzy N., Age 13

The tribe of Acorn and Whimzy…. Where do I begin? We’re loud, friends, some love books, some love anime and we all love Netflix. We wake up really early and have to take turns getting ready. We live in a cabin called Columbine, with four bunk beds, two cots (small beds), and one mattress on the floor. Our crowded cabin of eleven can get really messy and a pain to clean in the morning.

I decided to interview Laney (one of my cabin mates) for her opinion on our cabin. First, I asked Laney, “What is your favorite part of our cabin?” She answered, “That I know and am comfortable around everyone.” “Do you like the bathrooms better here or at junior camp?” The bathrooms at teen camp are connected to the cabin while the ones in junior camp are in a separate building. She answered, “Here, because it’s cleaner, easier to bring stuff to and it’s connected to the cabin.” Bella, another of my cabin mates, said, “My favorite part of our cabin is all the people,” after I asked her the same question.

Cabin life is very crowded, funny, amazing and loud. We go rock climbing, jump from a tree, do a ropes course, go to Yosemite and do trust exercises. The cabin of Acorn and Whimzy in the best cabin in the camp.

Cabin Inspections

Isabella B., Age 12

Askews, disheveled curtains and infractions! What an epidemic! After a week of cabin inspection I have a tip – bring string on ribbon to tie together your disheveled curtains and duct tape for your cabin inspection1trash can lid. After interviewing the inspector, I feel like a pro. When inspecting cabins, Inspector Moose says that it is a necessary duty. After observing Inspector Moose’s outfit for a week I started to wonder, “How does he look so good in it?” Inspector Moose says it’s all his STYLE CONSULTANT! And who is it? HIMSELF! Do you wonder if he ever gets lonely in an empty cabin? Well, he doesn’t. He gets happy at the sight of clean cabins and likes the notes campers leave for him.

Now let’s talk about neon gloves. They grip well and make him feel happy. But he has a problem because he doesn’t want them to get dirty. Do you ever think that he goes easier on junior campers? No! He says everyone should have the cleanest cabin they can have. So, his voice. He loses it all the time. After camp, he feels lonely with no campers.

Free Time

LaTanya H., Age 15

At teen camp, our schedule is definitely very packed, but we get Free Time1a long session of free time every day. During free time, campers have many different options on how to spend their time. For example, there is a coffee shop on campus that everyone loves. They have everything from simple lattes to complicated americanos. The only downside to the coffee shop is that it takes forever. However, you can get to know your fellow campmates in line. There is also a volleyball and basketball court. Campers don’t even need to know how to play the specific sport because everyone is welcome. The guys (and Sauté) occupied the huge grass field and started a game of Ultimate Frisbee this year. I personally like to get a drink at the coffee shop after playing some volleyball, and sit and talk with friends. Free time is a great time to just do whatever you want instead of playing a planned game. It also provides you time to get away from the chaos and relax. Free time is my favorite part of camp and I know other campers and staff enjoy it as well.

Cabin Life

Dinah N., Age 15

In the cabin of Sauté and Rocko, there are eight girls. Their names are Haneen, Dinah, LaTanya, Zion, Emmalee, Sam, Sarai and Taliah. Our favorite Febreze is sage-Cabin Life 2-1lemongrass to keep our cabin smelling nice and fresh. Sauté, likes to eat at least 20 Sour Punch Straws a day. Our motto in our cabin is “community unity” because we are a family. For Cabin Inspection, we got 90 and above each time. Our secret is to stuff everything in the drawers. Most of us have known each other since we were nine years old, but there are some new campers like Zion and Sam that we are just starting to get to know. Coming to camp is a time for us to reunite with our cabin mates and catch up. The nice thing about our cabin is Taliah gives us free massages because at camp we get sore a lot. We also like to share food and eat together. It is a time to try delicious food and bond. We also share clothes because we have amazing fashion taste. So, as you can see, our cabin is pretty amazing.

Mail Call

Madison H., Age 13

Mail Call is very important at Camp Gilgal. We bang on the tables, scream and play music. Not just one person runs Mail Call. It changes every year. However this year, Snapple, Streetlight and Sonic own it. The best thing I have gotten in Mail Call so far had to be a giant box of candy. At junior camp it’s a bigger deal because the camp is two weeks and you will be more likely to get something. The reason is because some people feel better when they get mail. The funniest thing that happened at Mail Call was when Moose ran around screaming, yelling, and he ran outside and was jumping over tables until he slid and got his mail.

Cabin Life

Josiah C., Age 13

Cabin Life Men1Being in a cabin with other campers and staff is a fun time. The cool part about staying in a cabin is that you get to meet new people. Some activities that we do in the cabin is play cards, eat snacks, talk and have devotions. Devotions is where the two staff members discuss what they are going to teach us out of the Bible. Devotions is a time to learn about Yeshua and His Word. Yet it brings up many interesting questions. We also played a card game called Spoons. Instead of playing with spoons, we played with Slim Jims. Spoons was very entertaining because everyone was fighting for the Slim Jims.

The names of campers in my cabin were David, Logan, Rain, Reuven, Jaden, Elliot and myself. Our two tribe leaders were Superduck and Packer. One of my least favorite things about staying in a cabin is Cabin Inspection. Each morning we go to breakfast and when we come back we clean our cabin till it’s spotless. So, when we go to Tabernacle, Moose, the cabin inspector, inspects our room for any sign of messiness. Every time he sees something out of place or not organized, he subtracts five points, which is called an infraction. Then he adds all the infractions up and subtracts it from a hundred. My favorite activity in the cabin was F.O.B. Appreciation Day, which stands for “Flat On Bunk.” This is where each member of your cabin takes a nap. This is the best cabin activity.

Camp Gilgal West Junior Camp (June 22-July 5, 2014)

The Lord Looks at the Heart

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“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the hear.” 1 Samuel 16:7b

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribes:

ladies

Tribe of Reuben Angela A., Erica B., Persaeus B., Claire C., Bailey H., Carrie M., Acorn, Scout
Tribe of Issachar Lily H., Talia W., Sarah M., Shalom M., Galaxy, Sherlock
Tribe of Manasseh Madison H., Sophia M., Zoe N., Laney P., Elizabeth R., Zemeira W., T-Rex, Yadi
Tribe of Asher Monique L., Sarai M., Elizabeth N., Shannon O., Mekerah P., Samantha S., Heinz, Toto

 

boy group shot

Tribe of Simeon  Tyler H., Jonathan P., Sasha S., Arthem S., Yamaha, Omaha
Tribe of Dan Daniel C., Danny G., Elijah Y., David R., Professor, Heimlich
Tribe of Judah Nathan B., Samuel C., Michael K., Isaiah L., Stix, Troubadour

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

out of cabin

Out of Cabin Staff

Brickhouse, Dynamite, Husky, Pocahontas, Esquire, Poppins, Par-Par, Streetlight, Moose

The Tribe of Dan

David R., Age 12
Tribe of Dan

 The tribe of Dan is very “unique.” Elijah is 11 and was born on August 12th; his favorite food is lasagna and he hates coffee. He loves reasoning and he hangs out by the carpetball area.

Danny is 12 and was born on May 16th. His favorite food is sushi. He hates all condiments except for hot sauce. His favorite activity is skateboarding and he hangs out in the tree.

Daniel is 11 and was born on September 7th. His favorite food is shish kabobs. He hates sushi, his favorite activity is free time and he hangs out near the pool.Tribe of Dan

David (the author) is 12 and was born on March 2nd. His favorite food is pancakes. He hates cats but likes kittens, his favorite activities are soccer and basketball, and he hangs out in the basketball court.

Professor is “as old as the hills.” He was born on September 1st. His favorite food is authentic Italian, and he hates broccoli and cauliflower. He likes reading and writing, and he hangs out by the pool.

Heimlich is “younger than the moon but older than Professor.” His birthday is February 31st. His favorite food is broccoli cheddar soup. He hates traditional Italian, his favorite activity is water polo, and he hangs out by the pool.

Nonetheless I love everyone in my tribe and they’re like family to me.

The Tribe of Asher

Lizzy N., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

The tribe of Asher is like a tree: we look chaotic, but really we are nice and organized. We are in the cabin called “Grizzly Flat.” The people living in it are Toto, Heinz, Shannon, Mekerah, Monique, Sam, Lizzy, and Sarai. What is it like being in our cabin? Well, Sam says, “It’s awesome but smells bad.” Tribe of AsherShannon says, “It’s fun and a lot to sweep.” Sarai says, “The cabin is big and amazing.” Monique says, “Being in our cabin is a good experience but the only thing is that it smells bad.” Lizzy says, “It’s really fun and the cabin is amazing.” Mekerah says, “Very quiet and more mature.”

In our tribe, most of us always share clothes; it’s fun in the morning doing kind of a fashion show with each other’s clothes. “Our counselors are amazing and they really inspire me,” said Lizzy. “My favorite memory of camp is the entire skit night,” explained Sam. “I liked the energy and the skits—it was just a really fun night.” Lizzy adds, “When I leave camp I’m sad to go but happy to see my family.” “The CIC (Cabin Inspection Cheerleaders) are hilarious and I love their cheers,” says Sarai. Monique thinks the CIC’s job looks very exhausting. We are the tribe of Asher.

Camp Gilgal East Junior Camp (June 29-July 12, 2014)

The Lord Looks at the Heart

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“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribes:

 

Tribe of Benjamin Gavyn R., Elliot A., Asher W., Josiah O., Trent F., Elron, Taco
Tribe of Judah Daniel C., Erik A., Ephraim L., Shai K., Strider, Hiccup

men jumping

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tribe of Levi Naomi W., Penina S., Hannah K., Rachel H., Kaelee F., Sydney F., Watson, Cookie
Tribe of Reuben Alana F., Halie F., Netanya W., Eliana W., Sitruce, Ruski

tribe dress up night 2

 

 

 

Out of Cabin Staff Twister, Red Sox, Beardo, Scooter, Floyd, Anonymous, Baby Carrots, Nature Valley

The Tribe of Reuben

Persaeus B., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Tribe of Reuben

There are five girls in the tribe of Reuben 2014 including myself. There is an A.T.L. which stands for Assistant Tribe Leader Scout, and also a Tribe Leader, Acorn.

Carrie was born and adopted in China and then moved to Florida. After four years she moved to California. She still lives there today. Carrie went to summer camp for three years and winter camp for four years.

Angela was born in Van Nuys. Angela does not have a favorite color but she likes rainbows and loves camp Gilgal. Angela is in the cabin Hardrock Mine just like the other girls. She has never been to winter camp and 2014 is her first year at Camp Gilgal.

Claire was born in Santa Monica. Then she moved to Idyllwild, then to Los Angeles, then finally moved and still lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Her favorite activity is FOB and favorite night game is Wells Fargo. She has been here at summer camp for three years and has not been at winter camp.

This is Bailey’s first year at camp. She was born in Oceanside, then moved to Escondido, then moved and still lives in Temecula. Her favorite part about camp so far is the night game Wells Fargo.

Erica has been to summer camp for three years and winter camp for four years. She was born in Daly City, then moved to Colorado Springs, and now lives in Folsom.

That’s the tribe of Reuben!

How a Tribe is Born

Samuel C., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

At camp, you get to have a tribe and you get to have two leaders and four members. Well, let me tell you how it goes. You have to sign up to go to the camp. They put you into a tribe. When you arrive at camp you have time to have fun. When one of the staff calls every camper to the picnic tables, you have to go to the picnic tables. Now one of the staff is going to call every camper to their tribe leader. Now that is how a tribe is born.Tribe of Judah

Now about our tribe: we are the tribe of Judah. Our tribe has a tribe leader and assistant tribe leader and four campers. Our tribe leader is Stix and our assistant tribe leader is Troubadour. It’s fun being in our cabin, and you get to choose your own bunk bed. You can dress up in any celebration. The name of our tribe is Judah and its symbol is a lion. I like that because I like lions. We are in the cabin called Peddler Point. The cabin is on the men’s side. My tribe members are Michael, Isaiah, Nathan and me. Stix and Troubadour are nice, Nathan is funny, Michael is a swimmer, Isaiah is strong. I like our tribe a lot.

Camp Gilgal West Teen Camp (July 13-19, 2014)

Called To Serve

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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

Banana boatingRopes Course

 

 

Campers: Mekerah P., Taliah S., Dinah N., Haneen R., Emmalee S., LaTanya H., Zion M., Mia C., Abbey M., Lindsay M., Skye R., Amanda R., Vika S., Leia B., Julia K., Samuel F., Daniel P., Isaac H., Rain M., Andrew A., Reuven R., Elias B., Logan G., Elliot K., Emmanuel R., Nathan P., Jacob S., Jeremiah H., David S., Benjamin R., Emeth P.
In-Cabin Staff: Acorn, Bazooka, Pocahontas, Sprout, Gilligan, Geronimo, Professor, Rocky, Husky
Out of Cabin Staff: Moose, Streetlight, Speedy, Pi, Heinz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Tribe of Isaachar

Talia W., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

_DSC0938-2 My tribe is really nice. I love my tribe leader and assistant tribe leader. Their names are Galaxy and Sherlock. In my tribe there is Cookie, Lily, Shalom, Elie and me. Everyone in my tribe are friends and the best time I had with them was during FOB. I have worshiped with them and all kind of things. I like my friends very much, they’re the only friends I have at Camp Gilgal, and they are very nice and loving. We do lots of fun things together. They are the nicest tribe I have ever met. I was already friends with one of them before camp. My tribe and I are having fun, so much fun. We made crayola signs for the theme for dinner. Sarah’s favorite color is blue, Elie’s favorite thing to do is M.I., Lily’s favorite color is blue, and Shalom’s favorite thing to do is archery.

Tribe of Benjamin

Josiah O., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

 

group of guysThe tribe of Benjamin rocks. Our tribe includes five campers and two leaders. Our tribe leader, Elrond and assistant tribe leader, Taco are awesome. Elrond is filled with fun and silliness and Taco is super strong, cool and kind, but I’m sure he doesn’t taste like a taco. Our campers consist of Gavin, who is silly, Trent, who likes to sleep, Asher, who is always playing sports, Elliot, who likes playing games, and then there’s me and I’m sure I like everything about camp. We all eat a lot and like to crack jokes during FOB (Flat On Bunk). We are all awesome and probably are coming back next year.

Tribe of Judah

Erik A., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

Our tribe “Judah” is the best and awesome. The reason why we’re the best is because we’re the most improved tribe. Our tribe has four campers and two staff. The tribe leader is the “Awesome Strider.” Really he is awesome! The ATL is the magnificent Hiccup. The four campers’ names are Erik, Shai, Daniel, and Ephraim. All the reasons why the tribe of Judah is cool is that we’re smart, clean, and organized. We are all very good at sports and talents. And we’re friendly. This is why we’re the best tribe!!!!!

Tribe of Simeon

Jonathan P., Age 10
Tribe of Simeon

_DSC0946-2 I’m in the tribe of Simeon, and we live in the Chili Bar cabin. The campers in our cabin are me, Sasha, Tyler and Arthem. My tribe leader is Yamaha, and my assistant tribe leader is Omaha. This is my cabin interview.

Jonathan’s favorite sport is football, his favorite night game is Capture the Degel and he likes carpetball. His favorite free time activity is swimming, shopping and wood burning. Arthem’s favorite sport is swimming, his favorite night game is Capture the Degel, and he likes carpetball. Arthem’s favorite free time activities are swimming, carpetball and playing. Tyler’s favorite sport is football, his favorite night game is Mission Impossible, and he likes carpetball. Tyler’s favorite things to do during free time are climbing trees, carpetball and walking around. Sasha’s favorite sport is swimming, and his favorite night game is Wells Fargo. His favorite free time activity is bug catching.

Rocky

Ben R.
Age 15

Rocky

This year at camp a new Gilgal family member joined and I had the pleasure of being his camper. His name is Rocky and he was born in Denver, Colorado. He was raised in a believing home. He has two brothers and three sisters and they are all very close. He has very supportive parents who raised him with good Christian values and educated him in Christian schools. After high school, he went to Concordia University located in Wisconsin. He majored in Spanish and pre-seminary studies. Other than education, Rocky enjoys a wide variety of activities including all kinds of sports and outdoor activities, hiking the mountains of his home state, photography and playing the piano.

He is married to Bazooka, another tribe leader who he met while attending college in Wisconsin. Through Bazooka, Rocky met Moose and others, leading him to become a tribe leader at teen camp. Rocky said that he absolutely loves being at camp, spending time with all the staff and campers, learning from them, and teaching them as well.

Camp Gilgal East Teen Camp (July 13-19, 2014)

Called to Serve

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“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

 

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

Tribes:

campers playing game 5

Tribe of Dan Malkiel A., Gregory V., Michael K., Daniel C., Jacob A., Strider, Longshanks
Tribe of Levi Daniel V., Keane R., Colton Z., Zeven Z., Josiah G., Swank, Goliath
Tribe of Naphtali Isaiah H., Alex J., Joseph S., Noah L., Scooter

 

 

group shot 6

Tribe of Asher Alyssa C., Abigail O., Liora S., Nena K-W., Hannah P., Nature Valley, Watson,
Tribe of Judah Lydia C., Kaylie L., Ana H., Sierra K-W., Hannah M., Leah M., Bologna, Gus
Tribe of Zeubulun Juliana C., Simona B., Eden A., Naomi W., Maria A., Rebekah C., Ruski, Diamond

 

 

 

 

 

Out of Cabin Staff Twister, Red Sox, Baby Carrots, Blewish

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tribe of Reuben

Alana F., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

Hi, we are the tribe of Reuben!staff smiling

We have so much fun. We sing, dance, laugh, and make jokes! We love Camp Gilgal. We have to make a degel (flag) and our degel looks good. We have a flower with a Star of David in the middle of the flower and we all made our own flowers and wrote our names and we bring the flag to breakfast, dinner, and Tabernacle. Tabernacle is when we sing about God and how wonderful He is and then Twister or Red Sox tells us a story in the Bible. The people in the tribe of Reuben are Eliana, Netanya, Alana, and Halie. The staff are Ruski and Citrus. They are great leaders.

Bazooka

Zion M.
Age 14

BazookaThis is Zion reporting for the Gilgal Gazette and today I interviewed Bazooka. When I asked her what her real name is she responded, “Excellent question.” She responded the same when I asked her age. So my guess of her name and age is 33 years old and that her real name is Abigail.

Here are some fun facts about Bazooka: her favorite color is sea foam. Her favorite animal is the red panda. Her favorite food is pad thai and she was born in San Francisco. Her most favorite thing to do is go to camp. Acorn and Snapple are her best friends. When asked whether she prefers Coke or Pepsi, she said Coke. Her favorite Bible verse is Joshua 1:9. It’s been nice getting to know Bazooka. Peace out.

The Tribe of Manasseh

Zemeira W., 12
Tribe of Manasseh

I’m in the tribe of Manasseh, Tribe of Manassehas well as Sophia, Maddie, Laney, Zoe and Elizabeth. Our tribe leader and assistant tribe leader are T-Rex and Yadi. We have had a good time at camp so far.

We were the first ones to nail cabin inspection. Our skit is about not being tempted and staying faithful to God. We didn’t win Mission Impossible but we never got caught. Our cabin is Fiddle Town. We decorated it in songs and called it the worship room. Our cheer is M-m-m-Manasseh. We say it whenever they call on us for cabin inspection. We all agree that if we win Cabin of the Year that we’ll spend it on pickles and sarsaparilla! I love my tribe!!

Car Ride

Zeven Z., Age 14
Tribe of Levi

A 16 hour car ride is how long it takes from Midwest to East Coast. You would think that it would be long and miserable, right? Wrong! To me, it’s actually one of the most enjoyable things at camp. In the car ride you really get to connect on a more intimate level. You get to stop on the way for snacks and breaks and whatever you need. People you ride in the car with become your best friends, not just at camp but for life as well.

Moose

Nathan P.
Age 14

Hi. I am Nathan and I am interviewing Moose for those who do not know who this wonderful person is. He is our leader of all camps on the West Coast for Camp Gilgal. Moose got involved with Jews for Jesus by going to school with a Jews for Jesus missionary. He thought it was super cool that people were bringing Jewish people to Jesus. He also says he met his wife Swedey at this school.

Moose grew up in Southern California. Moose’s camp counselor told him about Jesus and he saw a difference in his counselor’s life so he prayed with his counselor to surrender his life to the Lord. His next biggest decision was to ask his wife Swedey to marry him.

About Reuben

Halie F, Age 7
Tribe of Reuben

 

Reuben is a flower.
We are smart.
We are great and love art.
We have a degel!
My tribe leaders Ruski and Citrus are cool.
We like cats and horses.
We win at stuff.

                        Love, Haile

Speedy

Reuven R.
Age 14

 Speedy has been a Camp Gilgal tribe leader for 12 years. Speedy’s favorite part of camp is seeing people grow spiritually, mentally and physically. He has been married for 21 years to another tribe leader named Sloth. His favorite Bible verses are 2 Peter 1:5-8. He is about 5’ 6” when he is wearing shoes.

His favorite camp activity is going on field trips. On these trips he has been to baseball games, white water rafting, sailing and much more. He was born in Berkeley, California, and lived there for 18 years. He has one older brother and two younger brothers. He went to two colleges, one is called Brooklyn College in New York, and the other is in Portland, Oregon. Speedy is a nice tribe leader who helps campers in need and I hope I seem him next year.

Tribe of Levi

Sydney F., Age 11
Tribe of Levi

Levi is a tribe that lives to encourage each other. We really love the memory verses and our degel, even though we sometimes forget it in the dining hall. Sydney loves group shot 2the food at camp, and she learned gaga ball this year. Penina’s favorite part of camp is swimming in the pool on hot days. Kaelee plays softball at home, and she really likes the wish-bang-zip game. Naomi really loves sports, especially running and doing flips. Rachel loves to sing and especially loves Tabernacle. Hannah dances ballet at home, and her favorite part of camp is tribe time. Levi’s tribe leaders are Watson and Cookie, who love F.O.B. and talk to each other in ASL (American Sign Language) when trying to confuse the campers about the schedule. Even though the ladies of Levi are very different, we all get along great.

Archery

Shalom M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar
ArcheryEvery year at camp we do archery. Everybody has to meet at the basketball court and then we all walk down to the range. The range has a lot of grass, and at the end of the field are targets. They have a lot of holes on the front and back. Those are from the arrows.

When you are shooting arrows you always try to make bull’s-eye. It’s really hard! You have to aim at the middle of the red part. I have done it twice! You might want to wear light gloves so it won’t hurt your hands when you are shooting.

The things I like about archery is you get to use awesome bows, and the sound it makes when I hit the target. I also like that I get to hang out with my friends and do something that we don’t get to do often. I’m really glad we get to have archery in summer camp!

Tribe Time

Isaiah H., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

Tribe time is the best. Some days we will play Nukem or card games, and Bible studies. My favorite is Nukem because you just throw a ball and catch over the net. You can play barefoot because it’s on grass. Everyone plays it so it can get intense. When you play with your tribe you feel very good because you are bonding as a tribe.

My tribe is Naphtali and when someone forgets our name we strike a deer pose. Our tribe devotions have been from Mark and it is so great to have more time to discuss together.paintballing 3

Craft

Arthem S., Age 9
Tribe of Simeon

 My name is Arthem. I am nine years old. This week we crafted a challah plate. We first had to draw a picture to design the challah plate. CraftWe had to get a wood burner and trace the design, and then we could see the wood burner make a mark. It is fun. It takes a while to make. This is how you really make it: first you first get a piece of paper. Then you need to do a design, and then you need to draw it again on the plate. When you are done you have to get a wood burner, then you are done!

Sprout

Skye R.
Age 15

SproutI decided to interview Sprout. I just met Sprout this week and so far I really enjoy being around her. She is really interesting, funny, and kind. First I asked, “How old were you when you first came to camp?” Sprout replied, “I was 15 at Camp Gilgal WWW (Wonderful Winter Weekend) South.” I then asked if she enjoyed being a camper or tribe leader more. Sprout said she enjoys different things from both positions. “What is your favorite camp experience?” I asked. “My favorite camp experience was worshiping on the houseboat during the sunset,” Sprout answered. I asked if anyone from camp had influenced her life and she replied, “Yes, Galaxy. She is an awesome, godly girl.”

I then asked what she looked forward to most at camp. Sprout said, “I look forward to worship and being in fellowship with other believers.” Lastly, I asked if she had any funny camp stories. Sprout answered, “At adventure camp we were about to get off the very top of the boat and to get down we had to jump. It would take me ten minutes to finally jump because it was so high.” I am very glad I got to know Sprout this week.

Nukem

Greg V., Age 15
Tribe of Dan

group shot 3One time during Nukem I was playing a game with staff vs. campers. The campers were losing and only four campers were left including me. And as soon as one of the tribe leaders threw the ball I caught it, but then lost grip of the ball but then caught it again! And then it happened again and again! Until I slipped and painfully did the splits. Everybody laughed and I laughed also. So if any of you want to have any Nukem games with me, I’d love to play and make hilarious memories with you.

Theme Dinners

Netanya W., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

Ftribe dress up nightor one of the theme dinners we had Fashion Disaster Night. It was so much fun!! Fashion Disaster Night is when you put on any clothing like a shirt on your arm, or different shoes on your feet, and so much more!! There are also more theme dinners like Animal Night. I don’t want to go ahead and say anything to ruin the surprise; you can find out if you go to Camp Gilgal!

Project Runway

Misha K., Age 15
Tribe of Dan

project runwayA very fun part of Camp Gilgal is an awesome gameproject runway 3 called “Project Runway” in which we would pick models to dress up in toilet paper! Each tribe was given two rolls of toilet paper and we needed to use all of it without using any other materials to dress the models. The point was to dress the models in formal wear with accessories and we were given about twenty minutes to come up with ideas and make the costumes.

The best part was when the models strut their stuff. The music would go on and they would show off for the judges. The models were judged for the durability of their costumes, the creativity and their walk. In the end, there was a lot of laughter, fun and of course, fashion! This was a great addition to teen camp!

Men Cabin Life

Rain M.
Age 13

On an average day, our cabin wakes up around seven o’clock and get ready for breakfast. At breakfast we usually sit with the same people that are in our cabin. After breakfast we go to Tabernacle. In Tabernacle we worship God by singing. Also we learn the memory verse: Philippians 2:5-11. Sometimes there is a staff member Men Cabin Lifethat goes and tells us their story and how they got to know God. After Tabernacle we go either to the giant swing or the ropes course depending on the day. I didn’t go on the giant swing but I did go on the ropes course. The ropes course was fun.

In our cabin there was Andrew, Logan, Geronimo, Sam, Daniel, Isaac, Elias, Professor, Reuven, and (myself) Rain. My favorite part about our cabin is that there are a lot of friendships going on. At lunch, we pray and chant the liturgy then eat. After that we have free time, then more activities, and then dinner. After dinner we have more activities and then sleep. One of my favorite things about our cabin is that we have good staff and campers.

Swimming

Daniel C., Age 11
Tribe of Dan

Hi, I’m Daniel and I will be doing an article about swimming. Swimming is fun! fun! fun! fun!! You can do a whirlpool, cannon jump, pass and races!

I like to play with my friends. The pool supplies us with noodles. Pool 2I interviewed Maddie about the pool. Her favorite activity at the pool is swimming. At the pool what she usually does is chillax. Her favorite pool toy is the red ball. Her favorite memory at the pool was the whirlpools.

Now I’m going to interview Professor. He enjoys spinning fast. At the pool he usually gives campers piggy-back rides. His favorite activity at the pool is also to chillax. His favorite pool toy is the noodle.

We are going to interview Heimlich. He enjoys swimming at the pool. His favorite pool toy is the football. He usually passes the football to other people.

All in all, the pool is fun!

Hebrew

Rachel H., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

When you hear the words, “Hebrew class,” what do you think of? If you answered, “learning Hebrew,” you’re not alone. But the Hebrew class at Camp Gilgal is a little different. For instance to learn the colors, we used Skittles and we had to say, “I have x amount of x-colored Skittles!” in HEBREW! Even though it was a little hard, the “game” was really fun!! We learned the “Days of the Week” song in Hebrew, and we asked for cheese (gevina) or peanut butter (asur) crackers to improve our Hebrew sentences. Out of all of the wondrous activities at Camp Gilgal, I would say that Hebrew class is one of my favorites.

Lady Cabin Life

Emmalee S.
Age 13

Everyone has a cabin, and my cabin is in Fern. I have two leaders, Sprout and Bazooka. The people who are living in Fern with me for this week of teen camp are Haneen, LaTanya, Dinah, Taliah, Mekerah, Zion and me! So, we are basically like a big happy family of girls, and we all have our parts in this family of ferns.

Lady cabin life

Haneen is the generous one, Dinah is the stretcher of our family. LaTanya is the fun, crazy one, Zion is the nice one, Taliah is the wise one and Mekerah loves to read. All together we are one big happy fern led by our amazing leaders Bazooka and Sprout whom we look up to! We like to share, and overall we are probably the messiest, loving fern out in this world!

Carpetball

Elie M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

Carpetball is really fun! It’s my favorite camp activity so far! I love lots of things about it; I love the sound the balls make when they clack together, I love how everyone watches and cheers and I love how it’s a game that’s only played at camp. Another great thing about it is that even if you lose, you still have a great time playing.Carpetball

To play carpetball you need a big long table covered in carpet with a pit on each side. You also need 11 pool balls, and two players. Each player sets up five balls on their side, and then takes turns throwing the 11th ball back and forth, trying to knock the other player’s balls in the pit. The first player to get all the other person’s balls in the pit wins. It’s hard to win because the ball bounces off the sides a lot and messes up your throw.

Whenever free time is called, everyone runs to the carpetball tables, which means you get to meet a lot of the campers from other tribes. I played against my sister, Sarai, and her tribe mate, Lizzy. I also played against Laney. The only time I don’t like carpetball is when it rains, the carpet gets all wet. I love all the games we play at camp, but I’m glad I get to play carpetball every day.

Tribe Bible Study

Daniel V., Age 14
Tribe of Levi

As the days of camp go by and the activities are being chosen, Bible study is always going to be one of the options. It’s actually quite fun, the different Bible study activities, even though there are usually just a few other campers. You get to talk to the staff about your life of believing in God and how you might want to change the relationship. Every day, the activities for Bible study always change and it’s not the same.

You can talk about: how to understand/read your Bible, building a prayer life, sharing your faith, sharing your testimony, dealing with doubt, serving God. It’s really easy to get comfortable with the staff. Even when you’re not in the activity, you can talk to anyone when you’re free or during another activities. One time, I went to “serving God” and we were talking about how we want to change our ways with God, our previous lives with Him, and how we can make Him more central in our future, and show and talk to others about Him. As we were talking, we came up with an idea how we can improve our relationship with Him and spread the gospel. My ways were to pray, read the Bible and do projects to help others. I hope I keep growing in faith after camp.

Pocahontas

Abbey M.
Age 15

Pocahontas. Not your stereotypical Disney princess. Despite her internal love for giraffes, her kind and caring love for others does in fact exceed her love for animals. Pocahontas’ favorite book of the Bible is James. She describes it as “very practical. It covers so many different things.” Pocahontas is the ideal traveling partner on all occasions. Having visited 14 different countries, she decided she favored Italy most. “I love the food and I really admire the colorful, vibrant cities,” she explained.

Out of the countries she’s lived in, she has liked living in Israel the most. Here’s what Pocahontas has got to say: “In Israel, I feel at home. Everybody accepts you. There, people are very open and honest and you can just be yourself.” Her hobbies Pocahontasinclude hiking, traveling, baking and blogging. She favors music that has sort of an indie, alternative feel. Pocahontas particularly likes Foster the People and Mumford and Sons. Her favorite color is mint, or a really light blue. She enjoys shopping in smaller stores and boutiques with different vintage selections. Hands down, Pocahontas absolutely looooves coconut ice cream with chocolate Belgian ice cream (they have to be together!). Her favorite books are from the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers.

Pocahontas considers Mother Theresa a great example of a servant and a hero she often looks up to. She admires her because “she gave her whole life to serve without expecting anything in return.” She defines a servant as “someone who’s constantly humble without expecting praise or anything in return, and is always willing to give.” With that in mind, I can faithfully say that Pocahontas lives as a true servant of God. This teen camp, she and her husband, Husky, have devoted their time to learn from the staff at camp so that they can travel back to Israel and help a camp similar to ours for Jewish believers in Jesus.

First Time at Camp

Leah M., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

group shot 4This is my first year at Camp Gilgal and I had a great time. I wasn’t expecting to have such a good time because the day before I was really nervous I wasn’t going to meet new friends. But when I arrived I made so many new friends and had so much fun.

If I could talk to myself before I came to camp, I would say, “Do not be nervous. You are going to make so many new friends and learn so much about Jesus.” I really want to come back to camp next year!

My friend Ana invited me to camp and I am so glad she did.

Why Would Someone Want to Join Camp Gilgal?

Kaelee F., Age 12
Tribe of Levi

I definitely recommend Camp Gilgal for an awesome camp experience. I’ll start telling you about key things about camp. Let’s start with packing. All right, you must pack sunscreen, bug spray, sleeping bag, showering and pool materials. Also, make sure you pack hot-day clothes and cold-day clothes because Camp Gilgal is in the mountains so the weather isn’t predictable. I mean, it was like 50 degrees on the Fourth of July! Don’t forget your Bible! Now, you’re at camp. You are nervous. Try making new friends. When you wake up in the campers and staffmorning you’ll see the time is about seven o’clock. I know, it’s early, but you will see that once you’re up, you are up. Then, make sure you line up with your tribe (people you share a cabin with) in front of all the cabins to head to breakfast. All meals are amazingly delicious. You can always figure out something to eat if you are really picky too! There are cabin clean-ups every day after breakfast. People will inspect them and give you a score. Tabernacle is next. Bring your Bibles to these. They are services that are kid friendly! I don’t really like services, but I am actually engaging in these ones! After, you’ll take an art and Hebrew class. They’re a degel makingblast! Lunch is next! Delicious food as usual! You may pick activities you would like to participate in, from Mad Science to sports! But before, you can swim in a refreshing pool and play games in the game room! Dinner is after! Yummy food in my tummy! During diner there may be a theme dinner where you follow a theme! That makes dinner that much more fun! After dinner you may play a game with the whole camp or have campfire talk. This is supposed to give you extra knowledge about God! It’s bedtime! Get ready, hop in and rest. This isn’t the only time you rest during the day! There’s F.O.B. That means Flat On Bunk. You can basically do anything that’s quiet and independent! It usually lasts about an hour! Anyway, Camp Gilgal is super-duper fun! Missing out is the exact opposite of fun! I hope you enjoy this as much as me, especially because it’s a Jewish camp! What are you waiting for? Join today!

Making Lanyards

Talia W., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

LanyardMy whole tribe was doing lanyards so I decided to make one too. I started making one and it was lots of fun. You make two loops and then you take the other two strings and take one and put it over one of the loops and then take the other string and put it over the other loop and pull it. Make sure the strings aren’t twisted and have fun. I did green and blue, Elie did blue and clear, Sarah did black and yellow, and Lily did blue and purple. Have you made a lanyard with more than two stings? I bet you will have fun making lanyards too.

Geronimo

Logan G.
Age 14

GeronimoThis year I had the pleasure of having Geronimo as a tribe leader in my cabin. So for my Gazette article I interviewed him. I found out that he likes authentic Mexican food but his favorite meal at camp was eggs and sausage. Geronimo is from Napa Valley, but is now living in San Francisco.

One of Geronimo’s favorite things at camp was Capture the Degel. He said it made him feel like he was in war, planning what to do and when to do it. But, he said his favorite thing was worshiping and praising the Lord during devotionals and at the not-so-campfire campfires.

Geronimo’s favorite Bible verse is John 6:28-29. He says that it helped him realize that no matter how much he messes up God will be there for him. I feel blessed that I was able to spend a week with Geronimo. Camp would not be the same without him.

Tribe Time

Penina S., Age 11
Tribe of Levi

Tribe time is about spending time with your tribe. Your tribe is who you share a cabin with. For tribe time, you get five different choices, since there are five different tribe times. Your five choices are archery, rock wall, team-building initiatives/ropes tribe dress up night 2course, boating, and one tribe time where you get to choose whatever you want to do. Most girls like to use their free tribe time for any Shabbat preparations. You do eachtribe time activity at least once. Tribe time activities are to be done together with your tribe. Everyone has to participate. The decisions are made by everyone in your tribe and if there is disagreement, you can always compromise. Tribe time is totally awesome, and it is really fun to spend time with your tribe. It’s also fun to do different activities with other campers that are around your age! Have fun!

Tribe Bible Study

Rebekah C., Age 13
Tribe of Zebulun

At Camp Gilgal, it’s a great time to learn more about Jesus and have some fun. When I went to teen camp, I met a lot of new friends. In our tribe, we had Bible studies from Mark.

We started our tribe Bible study by having a discussion on what we read to better understand the passage. We also shared prayer requests and would pray for each other. Also, whenever I read, I get more out of it than I did the first time I read it. Camp makes a big difference when I come back home.

Camp helped me want to read the Bible more often and follow good influences. When my little brother came home from junior camp I could see positive changes in him and I hope the changes continue for all of us.

Capture the Degel

Michael K., Age 12
Tribe of Judah

 Degel means flag in Hebrew. Teams go like this: male campers and female staff make one team and female campers and male staff make the other team. Capture the Degel is really fun. Last year, Sonic was hiding in the grass beyond the boys cabin. I went next to him and he told me to distract the girls. It worked well and a few minutes later I heard Sonic yell out jailbreak, then later me and a group of boys ran as fast as we could and all of us got caught or most of us got caught. Then later J-box yelled out, “Capture the Degel!”

 This year me, Heinz, David and Isaiah were making a diversion. Heinz, David and Isaiah would distract the girls while I run down and yell jailbreak. At first it worked well but I didn’t make it, but I was so close. I interviewed Stix about Capture the Degal. He ran as fast as he could to the degel circle, grabbed the flag and ran to the dining hall.

 I asked Professor what his role was in the game. Professor waited until most male campers were caught then at the right moment he ran up the hill with Troubadour and called jailbreak. Stix took the flag and the game was over.

Campfire

Malkiel A., Age 15
Tribe of Dan

Campfire is part of Camp Gilgal tradition. It’s when everyone gets together at the top of the hill where you can see the setting sun, not too far from the cabins. One of the staff builds the fire and we all sit down on benches around the fire.campers

At campfire we listen to Blewish lead a discussion and open our hearts to Jesus. This year, the discussions were about our communities, the love that parents offer to us, the love that God has for us, and the love we give them both. Finally we talked about having faith. At the end, we sometimes look at the sunset and remember that God created the nature.

These discussions affected me by showing me how much our parents love us and what they do to be friends with us.

F.O.B.

Rachel H., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

group of ladies

 If you’re one of those people that want a nap every day, then your favorite activity at Camp Gilgal will be F.O.B. This stands for Flat On Bunk. During this period all campers must stay in their bunk-room and be silent. You can either curl up under your covers and sleep, use a flashlight and read a book, or (if you’re lucky) your tribe leaders will let you play a game. Most of my cabin mates think that F.O.B. is unnecessary, but I think that F.O.B is just what everyone needs.

Professor

Leia B.
Age 15

Today at Bass Lake I sat down with a very interesting person and learned a lot about him. His name is Professor. To start, when he was eight years old he started coming to camp. During his time at camp he Professorgrew much closer to God and made many friends. One of the most influential people in his life that he met at camp was his tribe leader, Peppy. His favorite camp activity just so happens to be one of mine as well, which is Wells Fargo. When becoming staff, he chose the name Professor because it really fit who he is.

To conclude, Professor is one of my favorite staff members at camp because he is hilarious and a great story teller.

Camp Gilgal Midwest Junior Camp (June 22-July 5, 2014)

The Lord Looks at the Heart

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“The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Samuel 16:7b)

The Gilgal Gazette is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers and their families and friends!

 

Tribes:

 

posed lady campers 5

Tribe of Levi Olivia T., Shira T., Ali H., Shayna T., Krystelene L., Emily H., Gus, Diamond
Tribe of Simeon Shoshi S., Adelaide M., Mariam G., Hannah B., Maddie H., Bologna, Bobo
Tribe of Issachar Anna A., Nena K., Jennifer M., Abigail H., Lilly C., Sonic, Kimchi

 

 

 

 

 

 

tribe of benjamin

Tribe of Judah Benjamin A., Aaron S., Seth M., Matthew M., Nathan L., Goliath
Tribe of Benjamin Andy H., Elijah S., Avi T., Jackson H., Menchi, Tip Toe

 

 

 

 

 

 

Out of Cabin: Blewish, Sneakers, Swank, Mr. Tumnus, Krispy Kreme

 

 

 

camp gilgal

Mystery Box

Sydney F., Age 11
Tribe of Levi

skitEvery day we have Tabernacle, and there is a mystery box. We have mystery boxes because we have a timeline to show different events from the Bible and to show objects to represent what we are talking about from the Bible. When Twister and Red Sox bring the mystery box up to the front, they pick a camper to open it up and sometimes you can get what is inside. Then they put it on the timeline and keep building on for what you learn in Tabernacle. I’m really excited to find out what is in mystery box tomorrow.

A Snazzy Session with Streetlight

Amanda R.
Age 15

Streetlight

One of the people who make camp happen every year is Streetlight. Streetlight is super fun and always in a good mood! Although Streetlight is great at what she does, she would never have thought she would have this job ten years ago. Streetlight loves camp so much that she even has countdowns when camp is almost 100 days away. Streetlight says she thinks she was made for camp.

 You may think you know all there is to know about snazzy Streetlight but I have managed to uncover some fun facts such as her least favorite camp food, which are powdered eggs. Her current favorite music genre is creative folk, not super folky though. If Streetlight could be any animal she would be a blue whale because they are big and float in the water. Streetlight’s favorite verse is 2 Corinthians 12:9. Streetlight enjoys this verse because it reminds her God’s grace is sufficient and He is always in control. Streetlight says that if she was stranded on an island and it flipped over it would be bow tie pasta with olive oil and pesto sauce with grilled chicken. Streetlight is really fun to talk to and I enjoy getting to know her more each year.

Mission Impossible

Sarah M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

 When we got back from a campfire it was night time. I was in the bathroom. Then the light turned off and all of the people were screaming. Then a car came down the hill and was playing M.I. music. We got out flashlights and started to change into dark clothes. Sherlock got our first clue, and we had to crack down the code. The first clue was at the amphitheater. Brickhouse was rapping, someone farted in our tribe and the tribe next to us started laughing and got sent back to their cabin. Then Poppins started to ask her husband Esquire for a kiss. She was singing, “I want a kiss in the moonlight.” Par-Par started to make hand shadows with her flash light. We were the first tribe to get all of our clues. Our prize was a huge bag of candy. Mission Impossible was very fun.

Cabin Inspection (dun, dun, dun)

Abigail O., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

At teen camp, you do get a lot of chill time and relaxation, but don’t let that make you think that the staff will let you get away with a messy cabin. Each day at camp, when you are off participating in an activity, the main staff come in to each cabin checking for “infractions,” such as: crooked shoes (which are ASKEW), sleeping bags which are rumply (rumply, rumply, rumply!), clothing tossed carelessly onto a bed (tossed like salad!), etc. I personally enjoy hearing how well each cabin did at lunch and there are usually a lot of laughs! Cabin inspection is a good way to clean up and have fun simultaneously!

Your goal is to end up with no infractions and being awarded 100 points. Each infraction that you ignore costs you five points. For example, if you have two infractions, you get 90 points that day. If five infractions, then you get 75 points. At teen camp, your tribe needs to have a point average of 85 points to get to the celebration afterwards, so work hard to have a clean cabin!

P.S. A bad smelling cabin counts as an infraction, so take advantage of the Febreeze!

Interview with Bologna

Mariam G., Age: 11
Tribe of Simeon

bolognaBologna is my tribe leader, and I got to interview her. Her favorite food is Indian food. This is her third year as staff. The first tribe she was in as a camper was the tribe of Issachar, and the first tribe she was in as staff was the tribe of Judah. Her favorite candy is Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. Her favorite color is sunflower yellow. Her favorite camp activity is FOB, which stands for

Flat On Bunk. Her favorite animal is a kitten, and her best friend is Sneakers. She is very awesome and nice to us.

The Point Bar

Penina S., Age 11
Tribe of Levi

The point bar is used to help you get to Gilgal party. You get points for lots of things you do. The best things to get points in are memory verses and Gilgal Gazette articles. Usually your goal is around 15,000 points. To go to the party you have to get at least what the point bar is. I think this is a fair way of judging which tribes do work and which tribes are slacking. Our tribe is well on our way.

How to Be a Superhero

Liora S., Age 14
Tribe of Asher

Have you ever wished for the power to turn back time, fly or shoot flaming Ramen out of your hands? Well then, this is a perfect opportunity to let your inner dark side or your affinity for justice shine. Grab your costumes, create a back story, and grapple with an opponent on the opposing side. It’s a fun activity called “How to Be a Superhero,” led by Strider and Longshanks.group shot 2

Battles between good and evil were held on a tarp by the foursquare court. Among the powers chosen by participants include: flying, turning back time, mind control, negating positive powers, blasting baby metal at opponents, sending swarms of mosquitos at enemies, shooting flaming Ramen, and many more.

Using creative play based on fictional characters created by campers is a great way to relax, have fun and exercise your creativity. My superpower was the ability to shoot flaming Ramen at my opponents and burn their skin off. Participating in this activity was a fun way to spend our last full day of camp and I really enjoyed it.

Husky

Jeremiah H.
Age 15

HuskyHusky grew up in Belarus and grew up believing in God. Once Husky finished high school, he served in the Israeli Defense Force (IDF). Husky served and stayed in Israel during his service. After he served in the army, he was baptized to show a further example of his dedication to God. His favorite books of the Bible are Ecclesiastes and Job. Husky specifically enjoys the book of Job because it tells of how important it is to have non-doubtful faith in God.

Husky’s favorite hobby is working out, and his favorite food is any chicken dish. This is Husky’s first year at Camp Gilgal. He has had a load of fun with all the activities. His favorite of all the adventures was jet skiing on Bass Lake.

Wells Fargo

Sasha S., Age 10
Tribe of Simeon

 My name is Sasha. I am in the tribe of Simeon. The point of Wells Fargo is to take the bags from the faithful and loyal Wells Fargo agents. The agents are the tribe leaders. It is fun because they chase you and you have fun playing the game. I got the first round of bags. On the second round I got one bag, and on the third round I got one bag. I asked Nathan how he like the game and he said he “loved it.” His favorite round was the third round. He got zero bags in all rounds. The campers win Wells Fargo every time. After a game is over the agents line up and they put their hats down and we say boo.

Wells FargoWhen we were playing Wells Fargo I made a record of bags. Some staff were singing. Professor said he got six campers and started on the ladies side. He said some outlaws (which are the campers) took three bags away from him. He was trying to scare campers. Arthem said he got caught one time. He got three bags in all the rounds. All in all, Wells Fargo was really fun and I had fun writing about it.

The Gilgal Gazette

Penina S., Age 11
Tribe of Levi

ladiesThe Gilgal Gazette is used to share some of the campers’ experiences with the rest of our community and others. For the Gilgal Gazette, you write about your favorite activities of camp. I like the Gilgal Gazette because it is fun to write about your experiences. Writing for the Gilgal Gazette also helps you get to the Gilgal party at the end of camp. You better write an article for the awesome Gilgal Gazette. Right now, you are reading an article about some writing for the Gilgal Gazette. Ha ha!

π

David S.
Age 15

PiBack when dinosaurs roamed the earth, two humans met each other and eventually had a child, whom they named Pi. The parents had a special fondness for perfect circles, especially pies of that shape. Pi, being instrumental in finding the circumference and other measurements, was thus the name of their newborn child. Contrary to what might happen in modern society, those who knew Pi did not find his name unusual; rather, they found great joy in his name.

His name turned out to be prophetic, for his interest in math escalated to unprecedented levels. Children and adults alike would approach the Tent of Pi, where Pi could be found sitting on a dinosaur hide, teaching about algebra, calculus (time machine from Newton), and statistics. Amidst all these equations, the one closest to his heart was that of  .

But most importantly, he loved the Bible, particularly 2 Corinthians 4:13. Today in 2014, Pi has also expressed great excitement when playing Wells Fargo.

The Tribe of Issachar

Jennifer M., Age: 12
Tribe of Issachar

In the tribe of Issachar there arefive girls: Lily, Jennifer, Abi, tribe of issacharNena, and Anna. There are also two tribe leaders: Sonic and Kimchi. Every night we would do a devotional and sometimes we would talk about what is happening in our lives.

The night before I started writing this article, I came up with an idea. Since some girls do not like sharing personal things, I thought we should write on post-it notes. You could write something you don’t feel comfortable with or if you want to tell a person something anonymously. The tribe of Issachar is very funny and very good at getting off topic. So if you come to camp, I hope you have Sonic or Kimchi because anyone would love them!

Project Runway

Ana H., Age 15
Tribe of Judah

project runway 2This year at Camp Gilgal, we have had a lot of fun – perhaps too much fun! For the first time, we as a camp have participated in a game called “Project Runway.” In this activity, teams compete against each other to create an outfit made out of only toilet paper. Every team has a model and a spokesperson who explains the origins and ideas that the outfit relays. The greatest challenge for the campers is to try not to rip the toilet paper, so whenever it does, we work together to think of creative ways to fix the problem without using extra materials.

After presenting each ensemble, the three judges, Blewish, Twister and Red Sox, scored the outfit based on creativity, durability and the model’s walk. Teams have the opportunity to score 30 points for each category, for a total of 90 points per round.

This year, we only played one round: formal wear. Each tribe had unique themes for their outfits. And we all ended the day with a smile on our face. Hopefully Project Runway will become a funny tradition here at Camp Gilgal!

My Midwest & East Camp Experience

Nena K., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

This year, I went to junior camp in the Midwest and teen camp in the East. Both were very fun. One of the things that I really like about teen camp is chill time. Chill time is where you can do anything that you want, such as: Nukem, sleep, braid hair or take a shower. Things that you want to do but don’t have a lot of time for. Another thing that I really like is campfire. During campfire, the whole camp sits in a circle and talk about different things like community and our parents. We bounce ideas off of each other while we incorporate our feelings and ideas. While there is a fire burning in the middle, we have helpful spiritual discussion with the group of camperscampers and staff.

At teen camp, there is one night a week when we camp (sleep) outside in tents. This year we went off camp, drove to a campground in the Adirondacks, for our sleep out. There was a pool there too. I didn’t go swimming because I didn’t want my bathing suit to be wet for the next day. I knew that the next morning, we were going white water rafting.

During the afternoon, I sat by the pool with Nature Valley and we were tanning. After that, I put my feet in the water and got splashed! It was so much fun. I look forward to going again next year.

Next year, teen camp will be open in the Midwest. Since I live in Michigan, I’ll be there next year. Regardless of what I go to, I know that I will learn a lot, have lots and lots of fun, and strengthen my relationship with Messiah Yeshua.

Tribe of Judah

Matthew M., Age: 11
Tribe of Judah

tribe of judahToday you will learn about my tribe. My tribe has a lot of fun together. There are five guys and one tribe leader in our tribe: Goliath, Nate, Aaron, Seth, Ben, and myself. Everyone in my tribe works together. The most important thing is that we all listen to Goliath during tribe time. We all have different ideas for the talent show. I like the tribe of Judah!

Elrond’s Legacy

Asher W., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

tribe dress up night 3Elrond was born at a very young age some time between creation and 2000. It was so long ago he can’t remember. His mom, who was there at the time, says he was born in Rivendell, California. Hid dad works in finance, in a spectacularly clean office. His room is fairly clean except for one or two askew articles of clothing. It just happens that Elrond’s favorite Bible verse is Psalm 23:06, my favorite too – “Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Elrond’s favorite hobby is reading. His favorite book, other than the Bible, is Lord of the Rings. If you are lucky enough to get Elrond as a tribe leader, you will definitely be ensured an amazing two weeks of camp.

Tabernacle

David R., Age 12
Tribe of Dan

TabernacleTabernacle is really special for me and I think for all the campers because you’re lifting your voice up to God and your troubles are also lifted off you. Streetlight’s teachings are packed full of information but easy to comprehend. Also what she teaches will help us out in our lives.

After breakfast, I’m always waiting for Tabernacle to start because we can read our Bibles more and learn about God’s Word. Last year someone from my congregation passed away that I was very close to and I think Streetlight’s teaching about God as our anchor really helped me.

This article is about why I love Tabernacle. I consider Camp Gilgal my second home and I love my camp family.

Interview with Floyd

Alana F., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

Today I talked to Floyd and I learned a lot of cool things about him. He didn’t start coming to camp as staff. First he was a camper just like us! (And he loved every second of it!) He started at teen camp when he was 14, which is when he also accepted Jesus into his heart because, “I finally saw how real He was and how active He was in my life.”

Floyd became a tribe leader two years ago. He decided to become staff because “I wanted campers to have as good of a time as I did and as rewarding of a time spiritually, and I wanted to be a part of that.” He decided on the name Floyd because it’s the name of his favorite band, Pink Floyd.

Yosemite Field Trip

Sam F.
Age 12

Okay, so on one of the days of camp we got to go to Yosemite to go hiking. When we were in the vans we practiced our memory verses for camp. We decided to use hand motions to help remember the verse better. One of the cool things about the field trip was seeing the pretty sites of Yosemite and getting to talk with my friends.

Once we got in Yosemite there was a tunnel and when we got there Moose gave us the challenge of trying to hold our breath all the way through. Even though I tried hard I wasn’t able to hold my breath the whole time. Because we all took the challenge, the car was totally quiet going through the tunnel. Elliot got the furthest and lasted about 75% through the tunnel.

Once we got back from the hike most of us were tired. Some slept while others, including me, made mad libs. After that we all decided to take naps. One thing I noticed about the trip was that once you leave Yosemite, it’s not that far from camp. The Yosemite field trip was fun and I learned parts of our memory verses.

Campfire

Carrie M., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

 At Camp Gilgal we gather around a campfire and sing many camp songs. Sometimes the staff teach us new songs that make you feel hyper. Also we sing quiet, peaceful but fun worship songs. When you sing these songs you can feel God’s presence around you. If you know the songs the staff let you help sing with them.

 After we sing songs, some staff share their testimonies about growing up, and how it compares to the Bible. Sometimes the staff read verses and tell us what it means. ThCampfireey make you feel like family. Testimonies about other tribe leaders’ lives might compare with your life. If your parents divorced or died, that’s what happens in some tribe leaders’ lives so you won’t feel alone.

 Then they have all the staff pray for them. After that we have a group prayer, and they let us pray out loud if you want to. Most of the time you can take a tribe leader aside and pray with them. You will never feel alone. Camp Gilgal campfires are the best!

Yosemite

Mia C.
Age 14

Among the hundreds (or even Yosemite worshipthousands) of American national parks, Yosemite proved to be one of the most beautiful of God’s creations. As a camp, we hiked up to Vernal Fall. Before our 2.5 mile trek there, it began pouring rain, which was cool and within a few minutes we were all soaked and our group was divided into the “raindancers” and the wet “rain-o-phobics.” The rain then devolved into a sprinkle as we continued on our journey. As we walked, small scurrying creatures caught our eyes. Tiny squirrels ran around to the “awwwws” of the group. They were followed by much…less tiny squirrels that obviously hoarded enough food to fill a hot air balloon.

Yosemite HikeBesides the cute animals, there were clear streams rushing past rocks and massive mountains. From a distance, Vernal Fall was visible as white foaming water gushed over the cliff and joined the water below, letting out bursts of moisture and steam. The walk began to get tiring as the humidity and sweat kicked in, but the group was entertained by the beauty around us and by Professor’s life stories and nature quizzes. Along the way, people were asking about our Cam p Gilgal shirts and we gladly shared information about our faith with them. It was nice to be given the opportunity to tell people about Jesus, whether they were believers or not. All in all, this hike introduced us to incredible portions of God’s creation, adorable and amiable animals, and to the task of spreading Jesus’ name to people.

F.O.B.

Angela A., Age 11
Tribe of Reuben

 FOB stands for Flat On Bunk. We go to our beds and do a quiet activity, like sending letters to your family or drawing or having some candy. But we have to stay on our bunk the whole time. Sometimes you can just simply lie down and rest if that’s what you want. FOB is one hour long.

 I like to pass notes with my tribe members and share snacks with them. Sometimes people fall asleep but they wake up at the end. We have to be super quiet.

 My friend Claire says that FOB is her favorite part of camp. Claire likes FOB because there’s lots of stuff to do, and also because it’s quiet and relaxing.

The “Avoid Paintball” Hike

Keane R., Age 14
Tribe of Levi

At teen camp, there are two types of people: those who go paintballing and those who do not. I was one who did not. The people that don’t go paintballing go on a hike, on the Indian Ladder Trail. When we got there, we had to go down a huge flight of stairs. It was fun because we would jump down flights at a time. In the beginning of the hike we were awestruck by how beautiful the scenery was! The small cities and fields in the valley made us feel really big. We were singing the whole hike when we stumbled upon a really big, dark cave. We went really far in the cave but we couldn’t go any farther because it got too dark and I hit my head on a stalactite. After eating a few wild berries and more walking we found a waterfall. It was really fun to run under it and I got soaking wet. Sadly, the walk came to an end… But then we went back the way we came! The Indian Ladder Trail made me think about how God designed everything with every little detail.

Ladies Day

Lily H., Age 8
Issachar

Ladies Day is when the boys leave camp to do their own activity. The girls stay and have the camp all to themselves. During Ladies Day you are allowed to go swimming, Lady camper group shotplay carpetball and play basketball. During Ladies Day there is also a cereal bar. When you are in the pool they play music. My friend Shalom likes Ladies Day because it is peaceful and quiet without the boys. My other friend Talia like Ladies Day because there are no boys to make big splashes. And my other friend Sarah likes the cereal bar best because it had awesome cereal. My favorite activity to do during Ladies Day is to play carpet ball because there is not a long line. I like Ladies Day because there is a shorter line at everything. Ladies Day can be any day; they make it a secret when Ladies Day is.

Capture the Degel

Hannah P., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

This year at camp we played “Capture the Degel.” It’s a game where two teams go on two different sides, and hide separate degelim (or flags). Players try to capture their candid 2opponents’ degel. Once they find it, they bring it to their own side. If you cross the line and go in the opponents’ territory, they can tag you and take you to jail. To get your teammate out of jail, you have to tag them. There were many instances where people got caught trying to get their teammate out of jail. You’ve got to have speed and strategy. It’s super fun!

My team was especially good. We had a lot of good runners, Rebecca, Daniel, Jacob and Naomi. We also had great defenders, including Nature Valley, Sierra, Strider and Abigail. These were amazing teammates who I would love to play with again.

Capture the Degel is a fun-filled game, with much laughter and fun. I would strongly encourage it anyone. It’s a very fun, hilarious game with many laughs and it’s a good way to exercise. I had so much fun and definitely want to play it again.

Ropes Course

Haneen R.Age 13

I chose to write on this topic because it takes a lot of strength, courage and prayer to be able to walk a little wire 25 feet in the air. But, it ends up being so much fun in the long run and you feel really accomplished and satisfied when you’re done.Zip Line

When I first started climbing the rope it was really easy and then when I reached the top and looked down I realized how much I was shaking. After that I attached myself to the wire above and that was when I started to really get afraid because the first step is always the hardest in most situations. Once I took the first step I just started breathing deeply and concentrating on the tree ahead of me.

 Once I finished the first wire it was easy from then on and it was really fun to end it with the relaxing zip line. Praying the entire time helped a lot and I am definitely going to do it next year!

Petting Zoo

Shayna T., Age: 10
Tribe of Levi

At camp I went to the petting zoo! I saw sheep, horses, and many more animals. My favorite animals were the horses! I can’t wait to go to the petting zoo again!

Tribe Wars

Elliot A., Age 12
Tribe of Benjamin

Tribe wars is an especially fun part of Camp Gilgal. It all began one breakfast when Twister said two words. TRIBE WARS! We went back to our cabins for cabin clean up, tribe war preparations, and Tabernacle. After Tabernacle, we went into the field for several relay-like games. The first game we played when something along these lines: when Scooter blew the whistle we ran to the cone opposite of us. We then held hands and passed a hula-hoop over us, and then we ran back to the starting cone.

group shotWe then played a very fun game. We started at a cone, and one of our other tribe mates would run to the other cone, put on five t-shirts, do five jumping jacks, take them off, and run back.

After that we played a quick game. We ran to the other cone and lined up in a single file line. The person passed the ball over his head to the other person behind them men jumpingand went to the back of the line. Then the person with the ball passed it over his head until we get back to the starting cone.

We then did another game, in which we ran to a tarp, stood on the tarp, and tried to flip the tarp without stepping off the tarp. Soon after that, we went into the mishkan and took off all our shoes and socks. We put all or shoes and socks in a pile, and when it started we ran to the shoe pile, put our socks and shoes on, ran back, and high-fived the next person

We then played a game called Gaga, in which you use your hands to hit the ball at the other people’s legs. We also went bowling in the mishkan in which we rolled a soccer ball at cones. All in all tribe wars was AWESOME!!

Free Time and Swimming

Lindsay M., Age 15

After lunch, we all go down to our cabins and get changed for swimming at the pool. We grab sunscreen and towels. At the pool there is a water slide, diving board, and a little nice grassy shady spot. A lot of campers and staff go off the diving board and do crazy flips and dives. At the other side of the pool the boys and some of thePool time girls play water polo and splash, scream and get water on everyone who doesn’t want to get wet. It’s quite entertaining. I personally love being in the water with my friends.

 Next is free time. There are many things to do during free time. There’s boating, the pool, and usually the flume is open. You can hang out with fellow campers and go to the café and get ice cream, milkshakes, or coffee. You can also play basketball, volleyball and Frisbee. Free time and the pool are great.

Josiah O., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

gaga pitGaga pit is an awesome game. A staff member throws a ball in the gaga pit and everybody shouts GA-GA-GA as the ball bounces and thus the game begins. The point of this game is to hit the ball with your hands and try to hit somebody’s legs from their waist down to get them out. The last person standing wins. The materials needed are six picnic tables, a ball, and at least 10 people. Flip the picnic tables sideways into the shape of a hexagon to make the pit and start playing. HAVE FUN!

Photography

Joseph S., Age 13
Tribe of Naphtali

Photography is an activity that I only do at camp and I really like it. Photography is great because it allows the beauty created by God in nature to be captured. Photography was so much fun because I got to do so many things. I took pictures of things. I took pictures of an eye and plants. The plants were really tall and magnificent. These were the biggest plants I’ve ever seen.

These plants had magnificent leaves and the stem was strong and sturdy. The plants were sturdy. The rain makes the trees and plants grow very tall and strong. There was a lot of beautiful scenery along the way. The water in the pond was delicately moving or the plants majestically moving in the wind. It was a very beautiful sight to see that all surrounding you at once.

For these reasons, I found photography so much fun. No matter what you say, you can’t say that activity wasn’t fun. I have a saying, “Nature has a beauty that can’t be controlled and it’s true.” So that’s why I found photography so much fun.

The Memoirs of an Experienced Veteran Camper

Shannon O., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

Camp holds some of the greatest memories, from the time when I climbed my first tree, to the time I nearly had a heart attack from a Mission Impossible (M.I.) surprise. But camp in all is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in so many different ways, which I will describe to you. Also, beware of M.I.! At any time it could happen.

Camp Gilgal is so intriguing. There are night games that we sometimes don’t even realize have to do with God.Picture1 Such as M.I. We don’t have to be afraid of the dark, because Jesus is our light. All games (Wells Fargo and Capture the Degel) are fun, yet teach a lesson. That’s not all. There are campfires, stargazing, Hebrew, craft, archery, etc. We all have so much fun. But a really important thing for me is that almost every activity has to do with the Bible.

This place has many good practices, morals, and mysterious game nights, but whatever you’re doing you know it means fun. This place is so memorable in so many ways I can’t even describe. This is a place you’ll be telling your grandkids about. One question: How often do you get to march in a Fourth of July parade?!

One last thing: The most important thing of all . . . family. That’s the one thing you can count on here, family. If you’re homesick, we’re there for you. If you need love or advice, you can count on us. Or come to God. He will never steer you wrong. Remember, once part of the Camp Gilgal family, always part of the Camp Gilgal family. Shalom!

Horseback Riding

Emily H., Age: 10
Tribe of Levi

horseback ridinghorses 2Horseback riding is a fun activity we do at Camp Gilgal. I had a lot of fun horseback riding. There are a lot of different colored horses. You learn how to make the horses go, stop, walk backwards, and turn!

The Petting Zoo

Shoshana S., Age: 10
Tribe of Simeon

Here at Camp Gilgal there’s a petting zoo with all sorts of animals. First, there are the goats. They have three goats in the pen. Their names are Ox, Maverick, and Rosco. Ox is a male goat and he has really big horns. He is very nice and is black and white. He is bigger than the other goats. Maverick is a very light yellowish color. He’s really sweet and loves attention by being groomed and he really loves being pet. Then there is Rosco. He’s a brownish color and also is very sweet. He’ll follow you around the pen, but he likes to chew on clothes. The last animal I’m going to talk about is the donkey, Bandit. He loves attention. His fur is messy because his last owner treated his bad, but he’s a real sweetheart.

Boating

Daniel P.
Age 12

 At Camp Gilgal teen camp there is a new activity. Well, at least for us former junior campers: boating! Boating is a magical activity for free time. There’s paddle boating, and kayaking. Sounds fun, right! Well, not for those of you who get sea sick. When you go boating, you will grab a life vest, get in a boat, and then you’re off! From my experience, my friends and I usually race. My team almost always wins. But, if you don’t like to race you can just time yourself, or maybe have a splash war, but only if you have a kayak.

 Sometimes it’s just nice to kick back and relax, and as we say in Louisiana, “Let the good times roll.” Just be careful that you don’t tip the boat, but you don’t need to worry if you have two people in the paddleboats. Just have a good time paddling around. This is really why I love camp. This is Daniel signing out. Stay classy, Gilgal.

Chill Time

Eden A., Age 13
Tribe of Zebulun

I love chill time because you can hang out with people from any cabin and keep building friendships. Unlike F.O.B, chill time is an activity where campers are allowed to relax, play games and hang out with friends. As I said earlier, we will group shot 5sometimes play games, such as Nukem, soccer and mafia. During this time campers can hang out with other campers from different tribes. Because the small bathroom has few showers, lots of campers use that time to take showers. It’s also a great time for a quick nap. I usually look forward to this part of the day.

Campers and staff are able to bond because of these experiences. Chill time is a great way to relax and bring people closer together. We are able to get to know one another on a more personal level. We talk about friends, movies, family, clothes, etc. Chill time is like a nice break from the other wild activities.

The Game Room

Josiah O., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

group candidThe game room is awesome. There is foosball, air hockey, table tennis, and snack SHACK! I personally think the snack shack is the best so I will tell you about it first. At the snack shack you are able to get candy, ice cream, and soda and even root beer floats! And then we came to foosball. If you are a champion don’t play against Elrond (he’s an assistant tribe leader). Then there’s air hockey where you want to win and table tennis does not appeal to me. Otherwise the game room is AWESOME!

The end.

Dress Like Someone in the Bible Night

Sam S., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

 “It’s Dress Like Someone in the Bible Night!” announced Moose. Whispers surrounded me wondering what they would do. Because it is my first (and last) year at junior camp, I turned to my other cabin mates and said, “What is that?” Although I expected someone to say, “That’s an excellent question,” I was wrong, as I was told, “You’ll see. It’s pretty cool.” So I waited silently with a few more questions until free time. Bible Character NightI soon learned that this amazing theme night has been one of my favorite parts of the camp because of the preparation and performance.

I know, preparation sounds pretty boring. But the tribe of Asher and I chose to be characters of the Esther story. We all got in our Shabbat dresses (with the exception of Shannon and Heinz, playing men) and put up our hair, put on our makeup, and put on our earrings. The prep time was crazy awesome and it was all worth it.

Secondly, the performance was awesome! We had a fun cheer when we entered the dining hall and when we sat down; we were the sharpest girls in the room. The night was so much fun.

“Dress Like Someone in the Bible Night.” Now if I hear those words, I will be excited to have a wonderful, exciting night at camp.

Full of Fun

Julia K.
Age 15

Everyone shifts in their seats, getting Banana boating 2as comfortable as possible. A nervous shiver runs through the campers as a sharp jerk singles their start. The boat is slow at first; a simple speed everyone is comfortable with. But then they pass the tall buoy that marks that the shoreline is near, and caution flies away with the wind. Screams are snatched away from their owner’s mouths as the wind picks up with the speed of the ski boat. The rudder jerks left, leading the boat right. Far behind, the screams are abruptly cut off as every camper tumbles off the banana and into Bass Lake.

Other than the thrilling adventure of riding the banana, Bass Lake also held exciting rides on jet skis, swimming in the refreshing water, and hanging out at the snack Jet skishop. Those strong of heart tipped their banana again and again, and screamed for higher and higher speeds on the wave-runner. However, those wishing for smoother fun had a great time jumping from the docks and swimming in the cool lake water. And, of course, there were those who simply relaxed and ate french fries and ice cream at the snack shop. Bass Lake was full of fun.

Camping

Juliana C., Age 13
Tribe of Zebulun

The camping trip was so fun. I would love to go camping again. It was warm in the daytime but got very cold in the night. When we first got there, we set up our tents and put four to six people in each tent. We all set up our sleeping bags. Then, we went swimming and the pool felt great. The bugs were very annoying and made me mad. The weather was gorgeous and great for volleyball. After we ate dinner, we had a campfire and then headed to our tents. We put on so many layers because it was so cold. We bundled up and told bedtime stories (as in funny stories). We went to bed.

In the morning we were all freezing and wanted to stay in bed. When we finally got up, we ate an excellent breakfast. The camping was an amazing experience.

Boating

Nena K., Age: 12
Tribe of Issachar

Three girls, Kimchi and I went on a row boat. We got stuck because the current from the lake was pulling us into the lily pad area. It was challenging to paddle back to where we kept the boats. One of the staff named Kimchi was in the boat with us and she kept using her paddle so the boat would turn around. It was very funny because we were going really fast and then we started spinning in circles. We got help from Swank who pulled us back to shore with a rope.

Capture the Degel

Shai K., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

On Monday night we played Capture the Degel!!! In Capture the Degel, you each have a side and you hide both flags (degelim). If you cross onto another person’s side they can tag you and they take you to jail but if they don’t escort you, you can run away. During Capture the Degel 2014, we found a snake and had to stop the game until it left. My team lost both times, but it was still really fun. That night I could not fall asleep because we were talking about it all night. It was the best game of Capture the Degel I have ever played!!

Making Degelim

Sarah M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

 At camp, the first thing we do is make our degel. Degel means “flag” in Hebrew. On the day you get to camp you choose a tribe name. This year, our tribe name was Issachar. The symbol for Issachar is the sun. The person who drew up the degel was Talia. The people in my cabin are Talia, Elie, Lilly, Shalom, Galaxy and Sherlock. Everyone helps with the degel. We did mountains, a sun and our tribe name in Hebrew. Also our tribe mascot is Sven. He’s a bear. Our flag was purple and we used a lot of green and gray, and we used blue for writing “Camp Gilgal.” The Camper of the Year will take the degel home. It was a lot of fun making the degel. I had a lot of paint on me afterwards.

Gilgal Store

Tyler H., Age 8
Tribe of Simeon

My name is Tyler. I am eight years old. I am going to tell you about the goods. First there are dry goods and wet goods. Gilgal bankThe wet goods are candy and foods. Last, the dry goods are toys like pool stuff, sunglasses, books, flags, noodles, goggles, jewelry and more.

More wet goods are gushers, popcorn, soda, gummy worms, Swedish fish and more. There are even more dry goods, but the sunglasses are awesome because Gilgal storethey are the only ones like that in the world.

The best is we have a bank to hold our money and Esquire runs the bank. It is fun. After purchasing you can put money back into the bank. If you don’t have any money you can leave the store. At the end of camp you can leave and take the things you bought with you.

Bug Hunting

Abigail H., Age: 12
Tribe of Issacharcandid ladies 2

Camp is really fun! There are a lot of unique things to do like archery, but what I really enjoyed was bug hunting. It started out as catching little insects, but then we found a few toads. We named them Jumper, Frostin, and Toady Jones. Another day we caught a little frog. It was a couple inches long. We also kept catching junebugs and fireflies. I made a lot of really cool friends that also love bugs. Shout out to Bobo, Goliath, Shoshi, and Emily!

The Giant Swing

Dinah N.
Age 13

Giant SwingThe giant swing is probably the best thing ever. It’s 25 feet in the air and you have to jump off. The climb is easy at first, but when you see how high you are, it gets scary and you start shaking. When you get to the top, they harness you in and then you jump. You feel so free with a spark of fear. As you swing back and forth you can do different poses like going upside down or sideways. “It was so scary and I was shaking so hard, but it was worth it,” says LaTanya, a fellow camper. “It was terrifying yet exciting,” says Elias.

My experience was really fun. When you are on top, you look down and the people look so small. The lady helping me get strapped in offered to pray for me. I think her praying for me gave me the courage to slide off the platform. As I look back, I’m really glad that I conquered my fear and I can’t wait until next year to do it again!

Mission Impossible

Daniel C., Age 9
Tribe of Judah

Mission Impossible is fun because the staff try to find you with flashlights and if they spot you, you have to go back to the cabin, and then you start over and you find clues and you have to do all this crazy stuff. PLUS you’re acting like a spy in black clothes and I like how you have to act like an army soldier and you can blend into the dark and that’s why I love Mission Impossible. I can’t wait for Mission Impossible because it is so fun and it’s my favorite thing about Camp Gilgal.

The Decathalon

Jacob A., Age 15
Tribe of Dan

The Decathalon is either one of the funnest activities to do, or one of the worst. In this event we do ten individual games, competing in teams to win. The games consist of eating things and drinking things, all as fast as you can. These events arecampers playing game made up of various physical and mental challenges, which can be bizarre and mind-boggling.

This year, the new events we had to do was that we had to eat saltine crackers and then whistle a tune, a very challenging event. We also had to stand on a tarp and had to flip the tarp, while all standing on it, which our team was not able to do.

The reason it’s one of the worst is due to the fact of having to run, compete, eat donuts as fast as you can, chug soda as fast as you can all after going full from dinner. The people not competing in it will laugh, though, and you’ll be laughing too.

campers playing game 5The Decathalon is announced, usually as a surprise, right after dinner. After a full meal, we begin the competition. This becomes part of the fun, to see just how much a person can eat and drink. One tribe leader drank eight sodas in a matter of minutes. I love this special event and it is one of the biggest highlights of camp, and a very fond memory of camp.

Competing with other teams is a lot of the fun. I was on the team, the Orange Jews. I really liked the donut challenge (we won!). One of the other teams this year was “Chief and the Mollywops.”

Capture the Degel

Eliana W., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

group shot after rain 2Camp Gilgal is so much fun! We play lots of games. My favorite game is Capture the Degel. Capture the Degel is a lot like Capture the Flag. If you don’t know how to play I will tell you. First you have two teams. Next you hide your degel (flag). After that the game begins. The object of the game is to get the other team’s flag without getting tagged. There’s no other camp better than Camp Gilgal!!!

Fairy Magic

Maddie H., Age: 12
Tribe of Simeon

craft timeFairy Magic is where you make fairy wings, pixie dust, and crowns. We also did our makeup. It’s really fun. Fairy Magic is my favorite activity in Camp Gilgal and I know you’ll love it too because it’s so fun. You also get to know people better in Fairy Magic.

Basketball

Noah L., Age 13
Tribe of Naphtali

This year, one of my favorite activities was basketball. I had a great time! I played basketball on Tuesday and Saturday. The staff on Tuesday were Swank and Diamond. On Friday, it was Scooter and Diamond.

On Tuesday, basketball was not easy because there were like thirty people and the floor was really difficult to run on because it was a weird type of hard wood. Diamond’s team won two straight games. Swank’s team won one game.

group shotSaturday was completely different. We played outside, Scooter and Diamond were there and there were only about ten people. There was only one game, but it was very intense and well-played. The loading scorers were Colton with four points and me with twelve.

In my opinion ball-handling is the hardest part, but the best part of basketball. It enables me to look amazing while breaking the ankles of my opponent! (What I mean is, I dribble around their ankles so that they get distracted and trip.)

Basketball at Camp Gilgal is always something to look forward to. I love playing on a team and working together.

Mail Call

Lily H., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

 Mail Call is when Professor and Acorn hand out mail after dinner. They choose one camper to be the spinner. The spinner does a 360 spin and then flutters their arm in the air. They do that when a staff member gets mail. One night you even had to either dance or sing to get your mail. A few people made their whole tribe go up and dance. First they do the letters then they do the packages. I have gotten 16 letters and two packages. Whenever Professor or Acorn get mail, they run out of the door and run around to the other door. Before mail time Acorn and Professor pound on the tables. When all the letters are handed out, then comes the bonus round. In the beginning of bonus round you pound on the tables and when Professor drops his hand you have to neatly stop. Lots of times when your family sends packages they’re full of candy that you share with your cabin. I really love mail call.

Awesome Game

Elliot K.
Age 14

Once upon a time, a knight saved a damsel in distress, but we will not get into that right now. We will partake in the experience of Capture the Degel. This is a game of strategy, adventure, and pure awesomeness.

Capture the Degel 3This game involves strategy because you must plan before you act. For example, Geronimo had to find a suitable area to place his degel. He eventually put it in a place where there is road that no one goes down. There were also many trees. I needed strategy because I needed to plan how to get to the degel and avoid the girls. So I ended up going around near the flume. It required running and thinking on the spot. This is a very strategic game.

Adventure is another part of this game. Isaac, for example, heard Moose howling. Isaac believed it was a real wolf. This shows that even defense players can have adventures. For me, I was snooping around and hiding behind trees. This was partly because of a fear of jail. This is a very adventurous game.Capture the Degel 2

This game had a few pure awesome moments. One of my awesome moments was when Andrew and I were hiding and we sneaked passed a bunch of girls. We were both as silent as possible. We passed them with no trace. Professor’s awesome moment was blocking Elias from the jail break. Professor was blocking a flying camper. He sacrificed his schnoz to protect the jail. There were a few awesome moments. This strategic, awe-inspiring, adventurous game was amazing. This was an awesome game.

Soccer

Naomi W., Age 12
Tribe of Levi

camper smilingSoccer is one of my favorite activities. In soccer, my friends and I play soccer games, World Cup, running activities, passing drills and much more. We even play Nukem sometimes. Soccer is such a fun sport activity and is an awesome way to go play outside and exercise. I love soccer and I’ve played it for several years. I like to play offense and go for the goal but there are a lot of fun positions like defense, goalie, midfield and more. So if you love soccer like I do then you should come to Camp Gilgal.

Tie-Dyeing Shirts

Elias B.
Age 14

Dyeing shirts was fun and an exciting experience. Tie-DyeBefore dyeing we had to tie a bunch of rubber bands around bundles of the shirt in order to make a pattern for the dye. To get the dye on the shirt we had to squirt it onto the shirt (from a bottle) and squeeze/rub it in. Once all of our shirts were done, there was a large abundance of different patterns all over the shirts and it looked like a bunch of hippies had come and sneezed all over countless amounts of white shirts. After I saw the outcome of them I thought, “Wow, that’s cool.” Dyeing shirts was really fun!

Boating

Alex J., Age 13
Tribe of Naphtali

From the peaceful soothing sound of the body of water and the glistening light hitting the water, boating is a great, fun and safe experience that is on the activities list for teen camp.

In my boating experience (and I went twice), both times were so fun and I learned so much about boating and the time you have on the water makes you feel like you are with your friends, and your thoughts and boating is a great activity.

Boating can be very intense. The first day I did canoeing, and we had races against the other boats. It was amazing. After the races, we paddled around the pond, and as we would get close to another canoe, we would get into a water fight. In the words of one of my fellow campers, “the thrill is real.”

It wasn’t all crazy, because it was also very relaxing and beautiful. Along the way to boating, we had to do “road procedure.” This is the thing we do to cross the street at camp, since the pond is on the other side of the road from our cabins. Twister also taught us about the parts of the paddle and how is actually works in the water. I learned a few things.

I picked boating randomly, but had a lot of fun and I am glad that I spent peaceful time on the water.

Fort Building

Nate L., Age: 11
Tribe of Judah

posed lady campers 4Fort Building is awesome. You are able to do a lot of stuff outdoors. Also we have a really strong tribe leader named Goliath that helps us carry logs. I even carried a tree. My friends and I are going to sleep in the fort. Maybe you can build and sleep in one, too!

Stix

Isaiah L., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

I interviewed my tribe leader Stix and Stixasked him questions about his interests. He has been a tribe leader for two years. Also he has been to camp as a camper four times. His favorite food is Asian food. Also his favorite color is blue. He likes to play carpetball. He plays Borderlands 2, Halo Reach, and Rainbow Vegas 2. He has three siblings, two sisters and one brother. He does volleyball and wrestling. His favorite superhero is Superman. He surfs, cooks and hikes. He likes mustard better than ketchup. His favorite soda is Dr. Pepper. His favorite tribe leaders were Sonic and Onyx. He also likes Batman, and the Percy Jackson series.

Streetlight

Lizzy N., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

 Streetlight started as a tribe leader at Camp Gilgal East. Her favorite part of camp on the East Coast was Sunbathing with Streetlight, where she taught campers how to put on sunscreen properly, when to flip, how to build the optimal sunbathing playlist, and how to choose the best head wearing accessory.Streetlight

Her favorite part of being a tribe leader is getting to know the campers, talking about Yeshua (Jesus), and getting to be at camp even though she’s too old for it. Getting to see campers having fun and helping them know the Lord better is her favorite part of camp. Streetlight got her name because her ringtone was “Don’t Stop Believing,” and when she was picking out her name, someone was calling her, and it played, “Streetlight . . . “ And it turns out Moose was calling her! So she decided that was going to be her name. Her friends from Camp Gilgal East are Red Sox, Twister, Chickpea, Reptar, Strings, Madame, Tauros, etc. Her favorite thing about being a spotter in Mission Impossible is being really loud and goofy while other have to be quiet and stealthy. She loves being in camp whether it be in-cabin or out-of-cabin staff.

Her favorite night at camp is Sing and Dance for Your Mail Night, because she loves dance parties and it’s like a big dance party.

Scout

Bailey H., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Scout is an assistant tribe leader (ATL) at Camp Gilgal, and this is what she says about her camp years. Scout was ten years old when she started camp. Her first tribe leader was Bazooka. Her favorite camp was junior camp because there is more time. In junior camp you get two weeks and in teen camp you only get one. What she used to look forward to when she was in junior camp was the night games. Her favorite night game was Capture the Degel.

Some other camps that Scout has been to include Girl Scouts and church camps. At camp, Scout really likes the sarsaparilla at Columbia. Also, some care packages she got at junior camp were some Girl Scout cookies and Fritos. Scout has never had her birthday during camp. Scout has been in the cabin Fiddletown the most. Yadi, Toto and Sherlock were in her cabin when she was a camper. Acorn was Scout’s ATL her last year of junior camp.

 The End.

Paintballing

Daniel C., Age 14
Tribe of Dan

paintballing 4From the intense firefights to the long-range stand-offs, paintball was a great way to build friendships, strengthen communication skills and just flat out have an unbeatable time. Located across the road leading up to camp, the wooded course was very ideal for everything from team death match, to Blackhawk Down. Besides the range in game types the course had adequate cover. Paintball is also a great way to relieve unwanted stress. All in all, I would consider this time well spent!

Even though paintball seems extremely intense it is suitable for most people who are just looking to have a great time.

Although I was very unnervedpaintballing during my first round, I very quickly overcame it and was able to enjoy my time to the fullest. When I look back on that day I am so happy I took part in this fun and adventurous activity. Through the pre-game attack strategy, we had great teambuilding discussion and during the game, there was vital communication while moving to cover, so that I wouldn’t be caught in the cross-fire.

Wells Fargo

Isaac H.
Age 13

 At Camp Gilgal, there is a staple game that must be played to complete the camp experience. We always have to play Wells Fargo. The basis of the game is stealing bags of gold from the tribe leaders, who are the faithful and loyal Wells Fargo agents. Each bag is hidden by an agent and defended by them. We campers have to run up and steal the bags without getting tagged. If you get tagged, you must return to the hideout for the campers, who are nicknamed “outlaws,” for 100 seconds. When the whistle blows, you run out and search for the bags. The second time the whistle blows, you return to the outlaw hideout to count the stolen gold bags. If the outlaws have more bags, they win. The amount of rounds we play depends on how late we start the game.Wells Fargo

This year at teen camp, we played two rounds of Wells Fargo in the woods. The staff took advantage of the dark woods and prepared some jump-scares. I sadly fell for them a couple of times, but overall, it was still an enjoyable game.

Wells Fargo is a great time for running and awesomeness. I can’t wait for next year to steal those bags of gold!

Heimlich

Elijah Y., Age 11
Tribe of Dan

HeimlichMy interview was on Heimlich. He is the assistant tribe leader (ATL) for the tribe of Dan. He first came to camp in the year 2007. He said the reason he became an ATL was because he enjoyed camp so much that he had to come back. His favorite activity is cabin cleanup. His reasoning behind this is that it gives competition to regular cleanup. His favorite year of junior camp was his first year because everything was so new.

There are other new things I learned about Heimlich. His favorite color is green. His favorite thing to do outside of camp is hang out with his friends. He named himself after the caterpillar in “A Bug’s Life.”

This is everything I learned in my interview. Some was new and some I knew but it overall increased my knowledge of Heimlich.

Mad Science

Adelaide M., Age: 11
Tribe of Simeon

candid activityMy favorite activity at camp was Mad Science. It was fun because I got to make something called Gooblek. That was awesome! Each day of Mad Science we did a different project. The staff will always help if you need it. Some of my favorite projects were making gigantic bubbles with hula hoops. We put cornstarch in a large container and added soap and water. Then we mixed it around. Finally we dipped the entire hula hoop in and held it by the sides. We pulled it out slowly and blew lightly to make a bubble. The bubbles were huge! To make the gooblek was very easy. We used a lot of cornstarch with a little bit of water and mixed it around till it felt hard. When you pick it up it melts in your hands. That was my favorite activity.

Toto

Monique L., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

 This year I decided to interview a tribe leader, so I thought, “Who better than one of my own tribe leaders, Toto?” So once I got Totoapproval, I started interviewing her.

The first question I asked was, “What is your favorite part of camp?” Her answer surprised me a little bit: “When the campers arrive! Because I like all the excitement, the patting on the windows of the cars, meeting new campers, greeting old ones, and seeing who’s going to be in my cabin.” She has been going to Camp Gilgal for seven years. After further prying I found out that for her first year she was in the tribe of Asher and had Bazooka and Hoops as her tribe leaders.

So moving on to more personal, less camp-related topics, I asked her if she had any pets, and her answer was quite lengthy: horses, chickens, dogs, a guinea pig, a bunny (her word usage, not mine), a cockatiel, and a fish. That’s eight different kinds of pets! When I asked her what her favorite genre of movies/TV shows was, she answered “Romantic comedies and action.” Also her favorite piece of clothing is her prom dress. Her hobbies are singing, harp, cheerleading, shopping (hardcore), going to museums, and working with kids.

In conclusion Toto is a pretty awesome, kind, and fun-loving tribe leader that loves to work with kids. Everyone seems to love Toto and I personally hope she continues to be a staff member at Camp Gilgal.

Acorn

Claire C., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Acorn has one sibling, who is Bazooka. She has two cats, Dodger and AcornRosie. Acorn enjoyed being a camper, then being a tribe leader most about camp. She is very adventurous, joyful, spontaneous, loving and fun at her home in San Francisco.

Acorn’s favorite color is the wonderful sea foam blue. Her first year of camp as a camper was 2002. Acorn was born July 9th. She was raised all her life in San Francisco.

Acorn is not allergic to anything. And finally, Acorn’s favorite candy is York Peppermints. Acorn is very pretty and much fun to be around all the time. She makes you happy, and helps if you are hurting.

The End!

Yamaha

Jonathan P., Age 10
Tribe of Simeon

My name is Jonathan; I’m interviewing Yamaha in the tribe of Simeon. Yamaha attended camp for four years. His favorite camp game is Capture the Degel and he is best at Mission Impossible. His favorite color is blue. His favorite thing from the store is popcorn, and he started playing piano in kindergarten. The first tribe he was in was Simeon. He won first place in M.I. in his first year at camp! His favorite free time activity is music. His favorite subject in school is math, and his favorite sport is high diving. Yamaha’s very favorite lanyard is a one that can change shape. And his favorite home activity is sleeping. He’s an interesting person.

Yadi

Laney P., Age 12
Tribe of ManassehYadi

 Yadi is my ATL (Assistant Tribe Leader) and I chose to interview her because she is funny and very understanding. This is her first year as staff so together we are learning new things about camp.

 Yadi has been going to camp for nine years. She first heard of camp from friends who have been a part of Jews for Jesus all their lives. The first tribe that she was in was Judah, then Asher, then Manasseh, then Naphtali and last Simeon. She has one younger brother and one older sister who have both gone to camp.

 Her favorite activity is going to Columbia and her favorite game is Wells Fargo. She first learned about sarsaparilla at Columbia during camp. She now loves sarsaparilla and will get some this year too. These are some of the reasons why I love Yadi.

Polaroid

Danny G., Age 12
Tribe of Dan

This year at Camp Gilgal there is a visitor that we have never seen before. Let’s start out with her name—her name is Polaroid. She is a professional photographer and videographer. Her favorite things to film are people and what they like to do and where they come from. She has been working for Jews for Jesus for about one year.

If you are looking for her you would usually find her behind a tree or just out of the blue. She came to Camp Gilgal to make a promotional video. She also is really fun to talk to. Her favorite kind of camera to film or take pictures with is Canon. She made a video of the cheerleading crew with the song “Eye of the Tiger.” It is so funny and awesome. If you were to see it you would get a laugh out of it. Trust and believe me.

Galaxy

Erica B., Age 10
Tribe of Reuben

 Hello! My name is Erica and this is an article about Galaxy. My first question I asked her was how she got her name. She responded in an excited and cheerful way, that she loved the idea of space. Her life and family time will be in this article. Her opinions and facts will be answered here. Galaxy doesn’t have a favorite color but she says she really likes pink. Her favorite snack is hot cheetos, and her fGalaxyavorite candy is Sour Patch Kids. Galaxy’s favorite activity here at Camp Gilgal is the pool.

Here are the facts about Galaxy. Galaxy has four dogs named Mezzy, Shelby, Trent and Choo-choo. She has four siblings, two sisters and two brothers. I asked her what her favorite camp was, and her choices were Wonderful Winter Weekend or Camp Gilgal summer camp. And she said summer camp! She started Camp Gilgal at the age of twelve and that changed the perspective in her life…in a good way.

These are her facts and opinions:

Galaxy’s favorite food is stir fry because it’s healthy. Her favorite dessert is chocolate chip ice cream. Galaxy’s favorite sport is basketball, because she’s very good at dribbling. Her favorite animals are dogs and horses. She loves the movie Sound of Music because she loves the characters’ beautiful voices. Her goal in life is to have a deeper walk with God so she can have strong faith in Him. Galaxy’s hardest question she was ever asked was, what her favorite role model was. She couldn’t answer that question. Her favorite Disney character is Christoph, because he’s funny. And, her best memory of her childhood was vacations with her family.

Horseback with Taco and Strider

Trent F., Age 1
Tribe of Benjamin

horseback riding 5

When I was told to go to the minivan I was confused, because I didn’t know where we were going and I was running late. We were going horseback riding! Arriving at the ranch, I got excited yet frightened, but it was fun. The horse was so nice! I rode Aspen. We went on a trail ride and Taco and Strider were the staff that came with us. At the end of the ride we saw a spectacular view. This is one of my favorite activities and I know you will enjoy it when you come to camp.

horseback riding

Paint Egg Toss

Avi T., Age: 12
Tribe of Benjamin

posed lady campersCamp Gilgal is really fun! One of the things I like about Camp Gilgal is that we made a big mess. First we put a tiny hole on each side of a bunch of eggs. We drained the yolk from all of the eggs. Next, we rinsed the eggs in water. Then we put them on a rock so they could dry. Last but not least we filled them with paint. Then we threw them at a banner to make our camp flag.

Fort Building

Alyssa C., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

Fort building is a fun activity where you build a fort out of mattresses and a tarp. We first started out by taking mattresses out of our cabins and took them out by the field. By the field we have a circle of picnic tables and flipped them over for the walls of the fort. Then, we laid out all of the mattresses on the ground as the floor. The last step was to put a bit white tarp over the whole fort.

group shot 6As soon as the fort was finished, all of the campers piled into the fort and relaxed (including Longshanks who took up most of the fort!). Everyone hung out inside the fort as we talked about the fun memories we had at camp over the past years. One of the memories that we talked about was from 2012 when Eden, Sierra, Abby, Sivan, Yael and I were in the tribe of Judah. That was one of the best years for everyone in that tribe because we were the best tribe ever! This was because all of us got along so well and we were really crazy. Also, we had the best tribe times and had awesome staff – Chickpea and Bologna! It was great to remember and see how we’ve grown together.

Fort building was a very fun and relaxing second activity.

Par-Par

Mekerah P., Age 12
Tribe of Asher

 Par-Par chose her name because she knew that parpar is a butterfly in Hebrew, and butterflies are important to her so she wanted to incorporate it. Par-Par discovered camp when she met Brickhouse and Dynamite. Her dad is a believer in Jesus and her mom is not. Dynamite wanted Par-Par to come to camp to be a nanny for Norah and that is why she came. She is out-of-cabin staff because she is with Norah. On Mission Impossible night Par-Par was having fun with the ladies and she didn’t want them to figure out that it was M.I night.

Tie-Dying

Simona B., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

camperOne day, during tribe time, we had an activity where we tie-dyed plain white T-shirts. There were many different designs to do and many different colored dyes. It was so much fun!

The design I chose was stripes. All you do is fold the shirt back and forth like you would make a fan. Then you tie it off in sections and use different colored dye in the sections. Mine did not turn out so well because I did not use enough dye, but the spiral shirts that other people did turned out really well.

Everyone’s shirt was different; there were no two of the same. Everyone used different colors, designs, etc. Some of the designs include spiral, stripes and bullseyes. They all turned out super cool and super colorful! The reason they were all different is because every camper is different. We all like different colors, designs, techniques, etc. One reminder: wear gloves! Some people forgot this step and they had rainbow colored hands for three days.

Horses

Gavin R., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

horseback riding 6 Using horses is an old way, but more fun way to get around. Yom sussim is Hebrew for Horse Riding Day. It happened on Shabbat. We can ride them fast or slow. Horses are my second favorite animal. Yom horseback riding 2sussim is my favorite day of Camp Gilgal because I love horses. The horse I rode was named Arie, and she was female. We went riding them around Camp Pinnacle. Older kids ride on a trail in the forest, but younger kids are in a corral. Horse Day was a lot of fun and a great experience.

Cabin Inspection

Emeth P.
Age 15

Cabin cleanup is often a time where campers can demonstrate their cleaning skills. Most campers will usually spend a portion of their time between breakfast and lunch cleaning their cabins. After the cabin is cleaned the cabin inspector will seek out possible problems with the cleanliness of the cabins. Often the cabin will not be completely clean and the inspector will proceed to give the cabin infractions. Cabins are required to average a score of 85 on cabin cleanup to go to a party towards the end of camp.

Occasionally a cabin will attempt to bribe the inspector. Very often, the inspector will come across a carefully placed note and candy trying to sway the inspector to get them a score of 100. Our inspector says that the closest cabin with the most successful bribe involved a moose novelty. Although the inspector “Moose” would have liked to take the bribe, he had to remain fair. Cabin cleanup is a great way for campers to experience responsibility and clean their cabins.

Tribe Time and Devotions

Taliah S.
Age 13

My name is Taliah and I am in the cabin of Sprout and Bazooka. Tribe time and devotions are a couple of the most important things at camp; everybody at camp always says that once you come to camp you are a member of the camp family. This time is what really makes that true. I have been going to camp since before I was born, but this my first year of teen camp. So far I am loving it!

tribe timeI think that at teen camp, tribe time is more important because we have less time together. During my tribe’s devotion time we always start with looking in the tin. The tin is a huge coffee can that the people in my cabin can put questions or subjects in. When we have devotions, we try to answer the questions or just talk about the subject that was put in the tin. One night we got to talk a lot about one of the questions that was put in the tin before doing our devotion. We all added to the subject and talked about God’s perspective on the subject. I really think that this conversation helped the person who asked the question. In all, tribe time and devotions are the most fun and most significant time that a tribe at camp will share together.

Heinz

Sarai M., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

HeinzHeinz got her name because she really likes ketchup. Her favorite things to do are hike, watch funny TV shows, and read. I really like to read, too! Heinz is from the East Coast. Her favorite game as a camper was Cap’n, Sailor, Gunner. Her favorite comic strips are Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County and her favorite book is Everything is Illuminated. Her favorite part of being a tribe leader is telling the campers what to do. Just kidding! Her favorite part is leading us in devotions. Heinz has been a tribe leader for four years, and she prefers being a faithful and loyal Wells Fargo agent to being an outlaw. I think I would, too.

She got Camper of the Year every year. At Camp Gilgal East every time someone gets a package they have to sing for it! On the East Coast instead of Tribe of the Year they have a certain amount of points that you want to reach and it you do, your cabin gets to go to a party. Heinz is very funny and I like her a lot. A couple of days ago Heinz made up a song to the tune of “Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow” except it was about ketchup! I love you, Heinz.

The Day that Changed Me in Swimming

Erik A., Age 10
Tribe of Judah

On July 2, after lunch we were about to enter a moment of my life that changed my life. We were entering the “pool of edge.” As I entered the pool it was freezing. Even so I couldn’t resist it. Then Baby Carrots came out of nowhere and asked me if I wanted to learn to swim. I said yes. At first I thought I couldn’t do it. It was sort of awkward. But actually my thoughts were wrong and my body was right. In 20 minutes or less I learned many things. I felt perfect. I felt so proud of myself. Today I want to do it more and more! But most of all, I want to thank Baby Carrots because she helped me. THANK YOU, Baby Carrots!!

Rockwall

Naomi W., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Rockwall at Camp Gilgal is so much fun. It’s in the gymnasium so there’s lots of awesome activities to do like basketball, soccer, volleyball, Nukem and more,  but that’s if you have a basketball, soccer ball, or volleyball. The rockwall is split into three parts, the easy, the medium and the hard. The easy wall is easy because it has a lot of rocks to grab. The middle level wall is actually higher than the first and has fewer rocks. The hard wall has the least number of handholds out of all of them. I’ve climbed the different rockwalls and they are so much fun and my favorite is the hardest one. Rockwall shows how strong and smart you are. So, if you’re like me and you love climbing things then come to rockwall at Camp Gilgal.

Gaga Ball

Ali H., Age: 9
Tribe of Levi

posed male camper 2When I got to camp I was taught a game called gaga ball. I had never played it before, but I tried it anyways. The first time I played everyone was out except for me and a tribe leader. He beat me, but I kept playing and got really good at it. I encourage anyone to go to Camp Gilgal. You will learn a lot about God here, and it’s fun. I hope you are able to make it to this awesome

Professor

Nathan B., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

ProfessorProfessor loves camp. He likes carpetball but he’s a little rusty. Also he loves his tribe, which is Dan. He likes Yale University (where he studies) but it is far away. He also reads for fun, and only plays basketball at camp but likes it.

He loves to swim and he is a good driver. He drives a Honda Odyssey. He does like food at camp. He loves chicken fingers; he is not a big fan of Dr. Pepper. The reason he picked the name Professor is because he likes school.

He loves God a lot since he was eight years old. He loves swimming; he was eight when he started going to Camp Gilgal. He loves soup.

Movie Night

Ephraim L., Age
|Tribe of Judah

Movie Night is when we bring our sleeping bags into the mishkan and then we watch the movie. During the movie they will pause the movie and we will get snacks. The movie we watched this year is “How to Train your Dragon.” Now I want to watch number two. My favorite snacks are gold fish, Doritos, toffee, and Fanta. It was a great movie. We always have Tabernacle before movie night. We talked about the kings of Israel and I liked it.

Fireless Campfires

Jacob S.
Age 14

Due to dry conditions we have fireless campfires. Fireless campfires have a special place in my heart. I love the worship and the testimonies from the Camp Gilgal staff. CampfireProfessor said, “It makes me sad that there is no smoke in my eyes while we are worshiping. It also saddens me because I miss the smell and warmth of the fire on my body. I also miss the sweet taste of marshmallows.” Elias explains, “I love the campfires. They remind me of camp!”

One of the testimonies that stood out to me was Speedy’s. Speedy’s testimony was about how he was alone for a portion of his life, then he met God and his loneliness went away. To me, that is amazing that as soon as he met Jesus, he wasn’t lonely anymore. That is why I love going to fireless campfires.

Hebrew Class

Olivia T., Age: 8
Tribe of Levi

My favorite activity at camp was Hebrew class. We got to sing songs and learn the Hebrew alphabet. It was so much fun! Scooby Jones was nice, funny, and gave us snacks!

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