God Will Gather Us and Bring Us Home
“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., R
ocky, 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., Bl
ueberry R., Joshua “Yoda” H., Judah Z., and Bubbles
ariam G., Age 12
assistant 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!
Deborah S., Age 13
. 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.
d 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.
Mishkan 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.
is 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.
Hannah H., Age 10
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.
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.
Talyn L., Age 10
There 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.
ith 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.
Maddie H., Age 13
of 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.
Aaron S., Age 12
et 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!
We 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!
Matthew M., Age 12
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.
Benjamin A., Age 10
oats. 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 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!
Anna A., Age 13
olate 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!
ere 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.
ming! 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.
Seth M., Age 11
I 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!
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!