The Lord Looks at the Heart

“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:

Tribes

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.

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.

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.” Shannon 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.

Persaeus B., Age 9
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!

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.

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.

Talia W., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

 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.

Jonathan P., Age 10
Tribe of Simeon

 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.

Zemeira W., 12
Tribe of Manasseh

I’m in the tribe of Manasseh, as 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!!

Fun Days

Shalom M., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar
Every 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!

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. We 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!

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. I 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!

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.

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.

Talia W., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

My 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.

Night Games

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.

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.

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.

When 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.

Only At Camp

David R., Age 12
Tribe of Dan

Tabernacle 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.

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. They 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!

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.

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, play 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.

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. 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!

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. I 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.

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.

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. The 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 they 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.

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.

Get to Know the Camp Family

Isaiah L., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

I interviewed my tribe leader Stix and asked 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.

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.

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.

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.

Elijah Y., Age 11
Tribe of Dan

My 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.

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 approval, 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.

Claire C., Age 9
Tribe of Reuben

Acorn has one sibling, who is Bazooka. She has two cats, Dodger and Rosie. 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!

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.

Laney P., Age 12
Tribe of Manasseh

 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.

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.

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 favorite 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.

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.

Sarai M., Age 13
Tribe of Asher

Heinz 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.

Nathan B., Age 11
Tribe of Judah

Professor 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.

Zemeira W., Age 12
Tribe of Manasseh

 Moose is the funny, sweet director of Camp Gilgal West, though he loves all of the camps that Jews for Jesus does. We play a lot of games during Camp Gilgal and his favorite is Capture the Degel. He sings a lot of songs when he is in jail to get help and to entertain himself. One year he got poison oak in his eye but it didn’t hurt, it was just uncomfortable.

 He likes sushi, ice water with lemon, and he doesn’t have a favorite ice cream but he likes Moose Tracks. His favorite colors are brown and blue and his favorite dinner theme is Utensil Night. He doesn’t have a favorite song but he really likes “How Great Thou Art.” His favorite candy is dark chocolate with almonds. His favorite cartoon characters are the Roadrunner and the Coyote. His comment on camp names is, “If it fits you, wear it.”

 He made camp for young Jewish people to grow closer to Yeshua (Jesus)as their Messiah and to meet other young Jewish believers.

Sophia M., Age 11
Tribe of Manasseh

Dynamite is our camp nurse. She was once a tribe leader and before that she was a camper. She’s gone to campfires like us, played the same games, and she’s sat at the same tables we’ve sat at we sit at.

She came to Camp Gilgal when she was ten years old. On Feed Your Friend Night, that’s when she fed Squirt and they are friends to this day. One of Dynamite’s favorite night games as a camper was Wells Fargo. And when I asked her what her tribe was her first year as staff, she said Manasseh, too!! One of her favorite parts of camp was making new friends.

Dynamite has an older sister, an older brother, and a twin brother. Her twin brother also went to camp. She met Brickhouse at Camp Gilgal when she was ten years old but they started dating when they were 16. Then they got married and had Norah, a two year old that is the cutest girl in the world. Norah loves Elmo and Frozen.

I’m so glad that Dynamite came to camp again. She’s so sweet and I hope she comes back next year!

Zoe N., Age 11
Tribe of Manasseh

I chose Brickhouse for my article because he is nice and funny. This year he is a part of the CIC. The CIC stands for Cabin Inspection Cheerleaders, and they inspect our cabins. Brickhouse is also our worship leader. His wife’s name is Dynamite and he has one child named Norah.

Brickhouse has been going to Camp Gilgal since 1997. Brickhouse’s name was suggested on his first day of camp and it was his first year. His tribe leader who suggested his name was Sush-Dogg. Brickhouse loves all the night games at camp, especially Capture the Degel. But as staff he likes meeting the campers and seeing them grow in Yeshua. Brickhouse loves to play the electric guitar, and he has been playing the guitar for 13 years.

Brickhouse loves sarsaparilla so much that in his first year he bought a whole case of it. Brickhouse’s sister Snapple first came to camp in 1999. Brickhouse was in the tribe of Judah the year when he first came to camp, and their tribe won Tribe of the Year. Brickhouse came to teen camp in 2001. Brickhouse did go to adventure camp, he went all the way through to 2007. He was also a tribe leader at junior and teen camp.

Madison H., Age 12
Tribe of Manasseh

For my article I decided to write about my tribe leader, T-Rex. I chose to write about her because she has been in my tribe for two years. I also like T-Rex because she is really funny.

Did you know that T-Rex’s favorite color is purple? Well it is! I found out that she likes sarsaparilla more than 1,000,000,000 times that number. T-Rex’s favorite part about camp is Columbia and being with campers. She loves Wells Fargo but playing as staff. And did you know that T-Rex’s favorite song is “One Thing Remains”?

Also T-Rex loves water polo because she is trying out for her college team. You will never believe what T-Rex’s favorite things from the Gilgal store are. They are the wet goods which are sodas, Otter Pops, Mountain Dew and Sour Patch Kids. T-Rex’s brother Stix told me that T-Rex loves ranch dressing so much. One time she put ranch on her blueberry muffin. That is why I chose to write about T-Rex.

Elizabeth R., Age 11
Tribe of Manasseh

Poppins is our camp mom. She helps us when we are sick, homesick or just if we need a hug. She’ll drive us to the doctor’s office if we need to go. She is always there for me when I need her.

When I was talking to Poppins, I found out many different things about her. One of the things I found out was that she’s been coming to camp for eight years. Her favorite part of camp, like Moose, is the campers. She got her camp name by bringing a big bag of supplies for the campers and staff, so they called her Mary Poppins but Poppins stuck. She has no words to describe how much she loves camp.

Her favorite theme night is Super Hero Night because she loves capes. Her favorite colors are any of the colors that the camp shirts have been printed on. I also asked her what her favorite animal was she said, “puppies, oh, and kittens – well, I guess I like all baby animals, even baby skunks. I love cuteness.” And that’s why I love Poppins so much.