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!

Tribe of Simeon: Ava G., Aylo L., Halye G., Vivian K., Sneezy, 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-Cabin Staff: RedSox, Beardo, Strings, Sitruce, Jalapeno

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

Special Guests: Noodle, Hiccup

Levi W., Age 9
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.

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 numbers (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!

Eliana 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.

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 love 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!

Eliana 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.

Ephraim L., Age 11
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 Chai” so 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.

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. The 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.

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 at 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 how 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.

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. The 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!

Halye 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!

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 risk 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.

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 friends. 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!

Matthew 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.

Ezra 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.]

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 water 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.

Noah 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!

Ava 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.

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 against 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!

Faith 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.

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!