You Shall Be My Witnesses

(Acts 1:8)

“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

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

Tribes:

Tribe of Issachar: Aaron M., Gregory V., Henry S., Malkiel A., Misha K., Scooter, Tauros

Tribe of Judah: Anaelle S., Daniela R., Esther C., Hannah D., Liza C., Masha K., Sabrina M., Tova S., Froggy, Chickpea

Tribe of Dan: Daphne N., Devora W., Elizabeth D., Kaylie L., Ketzia B., Leelle S., Lydia C., Sarah M., Baby Carrots, Strings

Out of cabin: Twister, Blewish, RedSox, Flipper

Life at Camp Gilgal

Misha K., Age 13
Tribe of Issachar 

Whether it be socks or even campers, everything was on the floor. Swim suits, tooth brushes, my little ponies, angry birds, shoes, and even a giant Toras, just lying there sadly on the floor. Scooter and Toros were burping, snoring, and filling the cabin air with the smell of decayed bodies. Hats and gloves, and not to mention all the mosquitos and moths, it was horrible, yet fun at the same time.

Esther C., Age 15
Tribe of Judah 

At camp one of the things that I like the most is the food. The food at camp is really good, and I love coming in and eating all the food I want. My favorite breakfast is waffles because we get whipped cream, chocolate, and fruit. My favorite lunch is make your own sandwich day because they have soft bread, good cheese, and good varieties of toppings. My favorite dinner is smiley fries because they are amazing! We didn’t have smiley fries this year but they are my favorite.

Tova S., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

Camp Gilgal is a Jews for Jesus summer camp that runs for a week. During this, we did many diverse and creative activities. We had the opportunity to go play paintball, we went on a camping trip followed by a white water rafting adventure. This camp is not only about the entertaining activities we participated in, but also about a unique spiritual experience.

It gave us a chance to get close to God because of how different it is from normal life and had no worldly distractions. Our leaders and counselors guided us as best they could. They were always open to discuss and help us with any problems. Every year that I come I find myself growing in my faith and my personal relationship with God. Camp Gilgal has been a superlative experience that I would encourage anyone else to have as well.

Devora W., Age 13
Tribe of Dan

Tribe time is when you spend time with your tribe. During tribe time you can do things like playing games, painting your nails, or whatever you and your tribe enjoy doing. Tribe time is fun and it brings you closer with your tribe.

You can hang out outside or hang out in your cabin. For an example, this year during tribe time with my cabin, we went outside in the woods and played Apples to Apples. Another time this year, we all painted our nails. However, it is different for each cabin. It’s up to your leaders what you do for tribe time.

Adventures and Games!

Lydia C., Age 13
Tribe of Dan 

The tribe leaders told us that the Decathlon was today after lunch. But I didn’t know what the Decathlon was. The Decathlon is a really fun race competition thing.

So, later on we had dinner. I ate a LOT!

Then, right after dinner was the Decathlon, and we had to stuff ourselves with crackers. It was hard being so stuffed as I was. Then, we had to chug down sodas and that was even harder. I managed to finish my can of soda then I had to help my friend Devora finish hers. We lost that round. Oops!

My team’s name was Losers to Winners, and the other team’s name was Jewnicorns. Anyway, we won the Decathlon. Thanks for reading!

Daphne N., Age 13
Tribe of Dan 

Scream-o is my most favorite thing at camp. It is my favorite activity because it is an intense game that you play with a partner against other partners. During Scream-o you and your partner have cards numbered from 2-12 all spread out. Then, as you’re playing against another partner, you roll the die and whatever that number is you turn over that numbered card. The goal of the game is to roll the die to get all of yours and your partner’s cards flipped over. Once you do that, you and your partner stand up and yell, “SCREAM-O!” This game involves lots of yelling and math, but even though I hate math and am really bad at it, the game is really is fun and intense.

P.S. I was the first person to get Scream-o—actually, it was me and Blewish.

Masha K., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

This year at camp we had an activity about bugs. We had to catch as many bugs as we could. It was boys against girls, and we went into the bathroom and just outside and put the bugs in the cups. We mostly found moths. Then we put all the bugs into one cup thinking they’d eat each other. Instead they just went crazy trying to get out. The people that were there were Tova, Greg, Malkiel, Leelle, and Misha. And the tribe leaders were Baby Carrots and Froggy. I really liked it because the bugs were pretty and they were doing funny stuff in the cup.

Liza C., Age 15
Tribe of Judah

The Adirondacks is an amazingly awesome place. While there, you can swim, camp, and white water raft, as we did. You can also climb mountains, fish, ski (in the winter), and do many other activities that passers-by see on road signs.

We first camped out at the Schroon River campsite in Warrensburg, New York. We set up our tent, then unpacked our backpacks out of the vans. A few minutes later, we walked to the pool. I was surprised; it was a saltwater pool. When I just found out, I thought it was an imitation of the ocean. Truly, it was only replacing the chlorine. After a while (we had no clocks), we went back for a dinner of burgers and veggies, s’mores, and a campfire. 

The next day we went white water rafting. I was in a boat with four other girls and two tribe leaders: Scooter and Baby Carrots. We rafted on two rivers, the thinner Indian for four and half miles, and the great, mighty Hudson for countless miles. It was more fun, yet scarier, than I expected; in fact, I got a face full of wave and liked it! All in all, the Adirondacks is an amazing place for a camping trip.

Kaylie L. and Leelle S., Ages 12 and 13
Tribe of Dan 

White water rafting was so exciting!  At every twist and turn a new experience had begun. It was exhilarating when a drop came out of nowhere. White water rafting was an awesome experience. 

Paddling was a challenge: whenever the rapids became harsh more strength was needed. Rapids called Bust Stop, Rattle Mountain, and Jiffy Pop were terrifying and thrilling. On different rapids different people got to sit on the bow of the boat and ride it like a bull through the rapids. Attempting to surf which tips the boat while everyone shifts to the front to get a mouthful of water was difficult. The amount of strength needed was overwhelming. And try as we might, we couldn’t succeed getting to the point. 

The whole experience was a blast! Surfing, paddling, and rocking through the rapids was an experience of a lifetime. 

Aaron M., Age 14
Tribe of Issachar

At camp we had the Decathlon. At the Decathlon we had ten different games. The first event was the alphabet game. What we would do is take the first letter on a sign, and we would find those letters in alphabetical order while we were driving. The next event was the eating saltines and whistle game. Each team had to east a box of saltines and then whistle to Sox or Blewish.

One of my favorite events was the spinning in circles event. It was a test of endurance and balance, and we spun around for close to 20 minutes. The team with the most people standing at the end won. Another event was to build a flower basket out of duct tape. Another event was the catching fireflies event. Each team had to show three fireflies. The team that won showed the same fireflies three times. One of the other events was to write a team haiku. Our teams had to write and present a haiku to the judges.

The Decathlon was a lot of fun and I can’t wait to do it again next year.

Gregory V., Age 13
Tribe of Issachar 

In Camp Gilgal-Jews for Jesus, we go on a camping trip. It is so much fun. We go pack our stuff and go to our camping spot. We could go swimming or go to the game room. And the best thing is when we go make s’mores. When we go to bed we see so many stars and sometimes we see some constellations. So if you’re going to teen camp get ready for the time of your life.

Sabrina M., Age 15
Tribe of Judah 

At camp every year we do Decathlon. We drive around and buy food and drinks. Then we have two teams that compete for who eats or drinks faster. We had a pickle competition to see which team can throw pickles farther. We also had to make a flower basket out of duct tape. We made a haiku, too. There was a soda drinking contest, cracker eating, and house building out of marshmallows and grahams. There were ten events in all. It was really fun and teams had a tie. One person from each team had to stand on one leg as a tiebreaker. My favorite part was the pickle one. It was original and funny.

Elizabeth D., Age 13
Tribe of Dan 

Scream-O is an intense game played with cardboard numbers and dice. You and a partner sit diagonal to each other and the other team does too. To begin, both teams will roll the dice to see who goes first; the team with the highest number starts. It was so fun during the game with everyone racing against each other. So, you have numbers from two to twelve and when you roll the dice, and say you get a nine, you flip over the nine in the cardboard numbers. You keep rolling until you get another nine. So your partner will flip over her/his nine. But the next time you get a nine, the other team gets to start rolling. Scream-O is my most favorite game because it’s very intense and you get to yell a lot. The goal of the game is to get to the first table and stay there. If you’re the first team to flip over all of your cards, you stand up and yell “SCREAM-O!” It’s so fun and super intense.

Dani R., Age 14
Tribe of Judah

Every year, the Gilgal teen camp packs up and leaves the cabins. We go to a different campsite. This year, the weather was perfect, so we were able to swim, sit outside instead of in the tents, and do other activities. Also, there is a general store where we could buy food, drinks, and supplies. We ate delicious burgers and cooked s’mores. After getting ready for bed, we sat on a tarp and watched the stars. Some of us even saw shooting stars. Later, we went to bed. The tents were nice and cozy, so it felt good to snuggle up in our sleeping bags.

In the morning, we packed up the semi-wet tents and ate a breakfast of fruit, yogurt, and bagels. After, we got in the vans to go white water rafting and had an awesome, and tiring, rest of the day.

Our Camp Gilgal Family

Sarah M., Age 14
Tribe of Dan

Chickpea has really cool hair. Whether she decides to straighten it or to leave it curly it is always beautiful and luscious. It also has a whole back story to it. Even though she was born with blonde hair, it turned brown so she dyes it blonde. Whenever Chickpea’s hair gets wet and she lets it dry naturally, she can make it look like a lion’s mane, which is pretty awesome.

When I asked Chickpea her favorite color she said purple, or more specifically, royal purple. She wants to become a neurologist or a pediatrician. She decided on the name Chickpea because one day her sister Paisley and Dude took her to a restaurant called Chickpea and she really liked it there (good food). If Chickpea had a superpower she would want to be a shape shifter. Her birthstone is a sapphire. Her favorite song is something by the Beatles and her favorite band is Pink Floyd. When asked which three campers she would choose to be stuck on an island with, she answered Reptar, Jazz (with a guitar), and Cyclops. Her favorite superhero is Xavier and Wolverine. She loves Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups and she likes chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream. Chickpea’s favorite lip balm is Blistex Silk & Shine. Her favorite book of the Bible is James. She is serious, fun, hilarious, and amazing. To sum this up Chickpea is a great tribe leader.

Ketzia B., Age 13
Tribe of Dan

Camp is a great place to be in fellowship with other believers in Jesus. At home, I don’t have a lot of friends who are Messianic Jews, so at camp I feel like I can relate to people! It’s just awesome to have community and fellowship with other believers!

Friends are close to the best thing that you can have at camp. First of all, they have the same beliefs as you, so you can talk about your faith with each other. Also, they are really crazy and fun and joking around is AWESOME! They are always there for you through the happy times and the “emotional” times.

I really love my friends at camp and LOVE the community and fellowship with other believers in Y’shua!

Anaelle S., Age 15
Tribe of Judah 

Scooter is very funny. He likes to sleep a lot. He wanted to be a tribe leader because he loves God and loves kids and he loves camp. Scooter’s favorite thing in camp was the Movie Night. He liked it because the food was good and so was the movie. 

His favorite food is Chinese food and his favorite country is Israel because the Bible’s story happened there.

Scooter loves to play extreme checkers and his favorite activity is lunch. Scooter is not as fat as he sounds. The end!

Henry S., Age 13
Tribe of Issachar

Campers: weird, funny, intelligent, with God. They know what to say and know how to express their faith. I couldn’t ask for better friends. They laugh at my silliness and they listen to what I have to say. I made friends, good friends, or maybe even best friends at Gilgal. I’m glad I came to this—can’t wait for next year.