Category: Junior Camp West

Theme: Taking Hold of God’s Promises 

Psalm 145:13b “The LORD is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.” 

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

Tribe of Issachar

Rina T.
Myra M.
Zoe A.
Ashlyn C.

Staff: Kit Kat and Teva

Tribe of Benjamin

Rebekah P.
Eliana R.
Rebecca S.
Channah A.
Ahavah M.

Staff: Pippin and Doodles

Tribe of Zebulun

Sivan K.
Elisheva M.
Sarah M.
Talia W.
Lily H.
Shalom M.

Staff: Macaroni and Taxi

Tribe of Levi

Lyrit M.
Isaac H.
Urijah B.
Jonah M.
Ryan H.

Staff: Feedback and Gadget

Tribe of Naphtali                                    

Nile H.
Sam S.
Joshua B. 
Isaac P.
Tyler H.

Staff: Troubadour and Oofnik

Out-of-cabin staff: Streetlight, Poppins, S’mores, Sh-Boom, Snapple, Esquire, Superduck 

Ashlyn C., Age 10
Tribe of Issachar

So, it was Ladies’ Day and we went swimming for about an hour. When it was time we got out, we went through a portal. It was galaxy themed. It was so cool. There were lots of things to do. They made moon sand and almost everything there. There was a room of glow sticks and glow swords. There were also galaxy lava lamps that we made ourselves. There was also candy and snacks. I loved the fruit rocket ship sticks stand. I also loved the face paint.

Doodles did a superhero mask on me. It was so cool when people were doing sword fights with the glow swords. I asked Teva what she like about Ladies’ Day. She said, “I loved being with just the ladies.” Then I asked if she liked the theme and she said, “I loved the theme and getting space buns.”
Lastly, I asked if she got her face painted. Teva said, “I painted other people’s faces.” Then I asked Rina what she like about Ladies’ Day. She said, “My favorite part was making galaxies in a bottle.” She also liked the theme and got her face painted by Teva. It was so much fun! I hope you enjoy your Ladies’ Day at camp!

Rina T., Age 8
Tribe of Issachar

Teva loves Camp Gilgal and the people at Camp Gilgal. Teva loves nature. Teva really enjoys FOB. She also loves to go swimming in the pool and going horseback riding. Teva had so much fun playing MI with her tribe. Teva really liked the waterslide; she found it very fun. Teva loves playing worship and leading the campers to be with God. I love Teva.

Zoe A., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

Hi! My name is Zoe, I’m nine years old and I’m in the Tribe of Issachar. I’m writing about Tabernacle. After the whistle blows, we go to Tabernacle. We start with sword check (we call our Bibles swords, because God’s Word is the Sword of the Spirit). Then we pray and do worship.

We sing songs like “Great Are You Lord” and “One Thing Remains.” Then we pray again. After the Sh’ma, we do our memory verses. If you and your tribe memorize the verse you get 2000 points towards Tribe of the Year. This year we memorized Psalm 46.

After we do the memory verses, Streetlight comes, and we learn about God and our people. We also add to our timeline. If you don’t know what the timeline is, it’s when we read the Bible and put something up to remember what we talked about. Sivan said, “My favorite part of Tabernacle is worship.” Talia’s favorite part is the memory verses and Elie’s favorite is worship also. I think it’s time to go. Bye!

Zoe A., Age 9
Tribe of Isaachar

Hi! I’m Zoe and I’m 9 years old. I am in the Tribe of Issachar. My Gilgal Gazette article is about the pool. We play games like “Marco Polo” and “Sharks and Minnows.” We also do whirlpools. If you don’t know what whirlpools are, it’s when we swim in circles and build up a current. One time I swam maybe a foot.

We usually toss campers with two or three tribe leaders. Now I’m going to see what other people think about the pool. I asked S’mores, Teva, and Rina about the pool. S’mores said, “My favorite part is sharks and minnows.” Teva said, “I love the whirlpool.” Rina said, “I like the whirlpool and being tossed. Wasn’t that fun!

Let me tell you about my favorite part. I love the whirlpool and absolutely love being tossed. I guess that’s the end. Goodbye!

Myra M., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

Whenever Rosie comes to check out teeth we sing the national anthem.

It was so much fun when we had FOB because we send notes to each other and we whisper too.

Rina said, “I like MI and the water slide.”

When we do devotions, we are always praying to God and reading the Bible which is so fun!

Rina and I are best friends. What she likes to do with me is to play carpetball.

MI was so much fun this year. We got out a couple times, but it was still fun.

At Ladies’ Day, there was moon sand and face paint, a little snack booth that was tasty. I loved Men’s Day even though it wasn’t about girls because we got to ride beautiful horses.

Skit night was awesome! We acted out 12 spies of Israel. I loved my tribe this year!

Isaac H., Age 9
Tribe of Levi

The Gilgal Store is a store at Camp Gilgal. It is very cheap. You can buy snacks and sodas, like root beer and Twizzlers. There are even gummy hot dogs. Outside of the store, there are toys that you can play with. Ryan even says, “It’s the cheapest candy shop I’ve ever been to.”

If you pay 25 cents, you get a few toys. If you pay 50 cents, you get half a bag of toys. If you pay one dollar, you get a whole bag of toys. The old toys cost a lot of money. You could buy nets and fake eye patches or you could buy flip flops and more. Gilgal store is awesome. I love Camp Gilgal. I like the snacks and toys. They are both very cool! 

Jonah M., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

Have you ever wanted to learn the amazing ancient language of Hebrew? Great! At Camp Gilgal Hebrew class, you cut out pages to make Hebrew class books and fill it out to get enough stamps to earn prizes. “It’s fun because you get to learn new words” says Urijah. Sometimes we get to make shrinky dinks. Shrinky dinks are like necklaces where you take a thin piece of plastic and sand it so that it becomes rough. That way you can write on it with colored pencils. Then we put them in the oven and they shrink!

So, let’s dig a little deeper into Hebrew. “What do you mean by prizes?” you might ask. Well you have to earn prizes by learning Hebrew words like ahk-bar mean which means mouse and ah-yeet which means eagle. These are only small parts of all the fun things we do at Camp Gilgal.

Lyrit M., Age 8
Tribe of Levi

The people in my tribe are Ryan, Jonah, Isaac, Urijah, Feedback, and Gadget. At tribe time we read the Bible, and we pray at night before we go to bed. We also do devotions. 

On Men’s Day we had FOB, then played Silent Football and messed around with paper airplanes. In the morning we wake up to a shofar and then go to breakfast. After breakfast, we do cabin clean up. Ryan said, “My least favorite job is sweeping because it takes too long and everyone tracks in dust.”

During tribe time, we hangout and we work on our memory verses. We mess around a lot. Sometimes, we read books during FOB. We also write letters to other people. We eat a bunch of candy and have a lot of fun. One time, we made a ball of socks at FOB. I had a good time in this tribe.

Urijah B., Age 9
Tribe of Levi

Feedback was born at the very young age of 0… but for this report I would like to focus on his years here at camp.

Feedback started coming to camp when he was eight years old. Feedback really enjoyed his first year of camp. His tribe leaders were Ace and Diesel. He was in the tribe of Judah. My other tribe leader, Gadget, was in his cabin every year at junior camp.

One of Feedback’s favorite night games was and is “Wells Fargo.” His second favorite game is Capture the Degel. His favorite cabin was Dry Gulch. He enjoyed mail call as a camper. Feedback’s favorite free time is swimming in the pool. Feedback said, “I loved making new friends at junior camp and I am still friends with many of them today.”

Ryan H., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

The campfire had a series of things. The first thing we did is sing camp songs and dance with hand motions. It’s fun because most of the songs speed up the hand motions and words until we’re at our top speed! The next thing we did was listen to S’mores share her testimony with everyone and she was very brave to do that. The third thing we did was pray about how thankful we are for camp and how Jesus died for our sins so he could forgive everyone. It was amazing to feel God’s presence so strong around me and the other campers!

The fourth we did was worship and praise God for forgiving our sins. We also sung this song about how powerful he is and how his love is unconditional for us! The final thing we did was roast marshmallows because what is a campfire without s’mores. Urijah said, “The s’mores were my most favorite part!” We were allowed to roast marshmallows. That is a lot of fun, right?

After we finished we went back to brush our teeth and take a shower so we wouldn’t smell nasty and have dirt all over. That’s a campfire at Camp Gilgal.

Elie M., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Come along with me and see what a day in the life of camp is like. Today, July 16, 2018, we woke up at 7:30 am. We dressed and ran down the ladies’ hill to line up for breakfast.

Today we had eggs, turkey sausage, cinnamon rolls, fruit, and oatmeal. Then we cleaned up our cabin for inspection and played carpetball before Tabernacle. Tabernacle was about God’s promises to Abraham. We then went to craft. This year we are making drums. Then we were off to Hebrew. Then after lunch we had FOB.

FOB means “flat on bunk.” It is the time where we try to be quiet. When the whistle blows it is free time. During free time, you can go in the pool or play carpet ball. And do not forget the Gilgal store. Then we had to dress up as Bible story for Bible Story Night. Then we had a campfire and went to bed. Lily said, “It was a fun day.”

Talia W., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

My tribe is Zebulun. There are eight people in my tribe including the two tribe leaders, Taxi and Macaroni. My favorite quote is by Sarah, “Buckets for days.” We have a lot of fun in our cabin. We play games during FOB and free time together.

We were the first tribe to nail our verse, we swim together, we play together, we do everything together. Our flag is a boat for Zebulun. The boat is brown with blue water underneath. We are all friends and we are always there for each other in any situation.

Sivan K., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Columbia was such a cute little town. All of the store owners were kind and welcoming. I live in Dallas, Texas, and we don’t have many little towns or local stores. In Columbia, it’s like you’re back in time. There are horse carriages, candy stores, and ice cream parlors. Many of the store owners are dressed like pioneers.

I am in the Tribe of Zebulun and this is my first year at Camp Gilgal. We went to the Fallon Ice Cream Parlor, candle dipping, shops with home-made things, and candy stores. I loved candle dipping. I made a rose for my mom and Shabbat candles for my grandma.

We also went into the gift shop near the gold panning and I got to see so many different types of gems and some gold. I asked Shalom what her favorite thing to do in Columbia was and she said, “I liked eating the ice cream at the ice cream parlor.”

I noticed that a lot of shops had animals in them such as dogs and cats. All of the shops had such interesting things that were special to Columbia. I tried sarsaparilla for the first time; it was good, but really sweet. The shaved ice at Brown’s was great!

I loved the small town of Columbia. It was such a privilege to be able to go with camp friends!

Lily H., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Carpetball is one of the most popular games at junior camp. The game is played on a long table, covered in carpet material with a ditch on each side. To win, you have to roll a ball down the carpet and hit your opponent’s balls, which are set up on their side of the table.

In a regular game of carpetball, five balls are set up on each side of the table, and the que ball is used to knock down the other balls. Carpetballs can be set up in any fashion, as long as they are within your sides boundaries. The balls are either striped or solid, signifying a team, but at camp, all the balls are mixed.

Many set ups and strategies can be used and created in carpetball in order to win. I asked my friends and tribe-mate, Talia, what her strategy for carpetball is. She responded, “I set up two balls together on one side then three balls together on the other side. Then, I try to hit the opponent’s balls first on the right side, then the left.”

All in all, carpetball is an extremely fun game that everyone can enjoy.

Shalom M., Age 13
Tribe of Zebulun

One day at Camp Gilgal we went to the water slide. Once were done with the exciting slide, we went down to the Gaga Ball pit. We gathered people to play.

Some of the basic rules of Gaga Ball are that the ball can’t touch from your knees down, that you have the hit the ball with a closed fist, and you can’t hit it outside of the pit. It got really intense really fast. I asked Macaroni if she had won any rounds. She said, “I won two rounds in a row.”

However, a lot of people accidentally got hurt by scraping their hands and feet on the ground when hitting the ball. All the people who got hurt said they still had fun. It was my first time playing Gaga Ball and I hope to get to play it at teen camp next year.

Sarah M., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Cabin Decoration Day is one of the most exciting parts of camp. Throughout the two weeks of camp, every tribe has to decorate their cabin with a Bible verse theme. This year, I am in the Tribe of Zebulun.

My tribe came up with the theme of Moses parting the Red Sea. We began by making Mount Sinai. We created Mount Sinai with brown and white construction paper and stuck it onto one of our bunks. To finish that, we made lightning bolts and thunder clouds and put them around the top of the Mount. After that, we built pyramids out of construction paper and put it on another bunk. Following the pyramids, our tribe made blue pebbles around brown butcher paper which represented the dry land that the Israelites walked on when Moses parted the sea.

Two verses we used in our cabin were Exodus 12:21 and 14:21. Next, we used table clothes and streamers to represent the Red Sea. We stuck table cloths on the sides of the air conditioner to part the sea when it turned on. My cabin mate Elie said, “It was stressful but worth it in the end.” In all, Cabin Decoration Day was a smashing success, and we nailed it.

Tyler H., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

Here at camp we have many fun activities and fun things to do. In this article, I’m going to tell you about Archery. If you want to do archery, you have to wait until it is free time. Free time is after FOB and before line up. Free time is about three hours long.

While you are playing, you will hear a megaphone announcing that archery is that day. You will need close-toed shoes, sunscreen, a hat, and a water bottle. Once you and everyone who is coming is ready, you will start walking to the range. It is about a ten-minute walk. When you arrive, you learn what you need to know how to shoot a bow and arrow. If you don’t understand, the Silver Spur staff will help you. Simply raise your hand and ask your question and it will be explained to you.

After you know what you need to know, you shoot at the targets. When shooting, keep your feet at a 90-degree angle so you can get the most accurate shot possible. Remember to pull the string all the way back to your cheek and have the colored feather pointing towards your body. Sometimes, when using a blunt arrow, they will bounce off the target. When I was shooting, the arrow came all the way back to me. If your arrow happens to fall right in front of the no cross, it is considered a dead arrow. If this happens, under no circumstances are you to pick up the arrow.

Nile says, “This is probably the funnest thing I have ever done.” I recommend doing this activity and I hope this article helped you.

Joshua B., Age 11
Tribe of Naphtali

“What is your favorite color?” “Yellow”
“What is your favorite movie?” “Finding Nemo”
“What is your favorite show?” “Boy Meets World and Life in Pieces”
“What is your favorite pet?” “I really like cats.”
“What is your favorite food?” “I love mac and cheese, but I’m dairy free now.”
“Do you like ice cream?” “Yes, dairy free mint chocolate chip”
“Are you allergic to any pets?” “Maybe cats”
“Do you live in a house or apartment?” “I live at college.”
“Do you like to cook your own food?” “Yes”
“Do you like to go to the park?” “Yes”
“How long have you been at camp?” “12 years”
“Do you have any brothers or sisters?” “A brother and a sister”
“Have you ever been at another camp?” “No”
“Who were your first tribe leaders at camp?” “Dynamite and Bazooka”

Nile H., Age 10
Tribe of Naphtali

One day it was Ladies’ Day, so the boys went horseback riding. Then we ate lunch. I was scared and I was crying. Then I had the time of my life and it was so much fun!

We crossed over the creek and we had so much fun. And we went up a mountain. It was so much fun. My horse’s name was 4-12. He was brown with black hair and black eyes. Tyler’s horse’s name was Modoc, Troubadour’s was Roger, Isaac’s was Bob, and Sam’s was Mindy. The end.

Isaac P., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

“One, two, three, dodgeball!” yelled Snapple. A little dodgeball tradition at Camp Gilgal. Dodgeball is my favorite sport. This year a bunch of people were enthusiastic, and some weren’t. We had a lot of fun playing.

To play dodgeball you need close-toed shoes and sunscreen. It is about a minute walk to dodgeball. Once you get there you are divided into two separate teams. You then line up and then… you play! This year we played five games.

The first three were normal, but the next two were tribe leaders vs. campers and guess what? The campers won both times! Overall this year we had a very good time playing dodgeball!

Tyler H., Age 12
Tribe of Naphtali

Here at wonderful Camp Gilgal, we are separated into Men’s and Ladies’ tribes. This year, I’m in the tribe of Naphtali and I’m going to tell you a little about us.

The members of my tribe this year are Nile, Isaac P., Josh, Sam, and me. On the first day of camp were told to pick our tribe name. My tribe picked Naphtali which means deer. Nile says, “Naphtali is the best tribe ever!” Our cabin’s name is Peddler Point. 

This year, the Tribe of Naphtali’s tribe leaders are Oofnik and Troubadour. Oofnik is 93 and I’m guessing Troubadour is 20. We have lots of fun in this cabin. In my cabin, I’m 12, Nile is 10, Isaac is 12, Josh is 11, and Sam is 10. The biggest shopper in our cabin is definitely Nile.

He spent all his money when there was still five days left of camp. Normally, we have 14 days of camp, but this year we had 13. This year has been amazing in this cabin and whoever is reading this, I think, that as a veteran, Troubadour and Oofnik are great tribe leaders. I hope you have a cabin just as great as mine! If you come to camp, you’ll love it. Hope to see you at camp!

Ryan H., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

In Wells Fargo you steal money from camp staff. They have bags of fake money and we have to steal it! They guard it securely and if they tag us as we’re stealing the money we have to count to 100 slowly until we get back in the game. It takes so long that it feels like forever.
Wells Fargo is my favorite part of camp. Jonah says, “I love Wells Fargo! I would do it every day at camp if I could.” I made the record of the campers this year, but two years ago we lost for the first time in camp history! All the other years, we won! Anyways, it’s hard to get the bags because they’re at the top of the hill! If it’s your first year and you’re reading this, never rush to the top of the hill. It doesn’t end well.

I hope you have a great time at camp if it’s your first year at Camp Gilgal.

Ellie R., Age 10
Tribe of Benjamin

Gal-bat and Bat-dude come onto the scene and started to explain how to play Capture the Degel. There is offense and defense. You cannot line-dance. Line-dancing is when you got back and forth trying to tag the other player.

If you get tagged by the opposite team then you go to their jail and scream your loudest to let your team know where the Degel Circle is. The jail is a spot where you get captured and you cannot leave there until there is a jail break. A jail break is when someone on your team yells “Jail Break!” rushing into the jail circle without getting caught.

The point of capture the Degel is to bring the enemy flag to your side. Not only is there a jail, but there is a Degel Circle. If you reach the Degel Circle without getting caught, you can wait until you are ready and leave to get your side of the camp.

First me, Gadget, Rebekah, and Shalom went down to the jail circle area to see where the Degel Circle area was. Afterwards, we got caught in order to lead our team to the Degel Circle by screaming to them to come.

Then after a while she called a jail break and everybody ran into the Degel Circle with Shalom. I stayed behind and didn’t get tagged. Then I went into the Degel Circle. Rebekah said, “It was the funnest game of Capture the Degel I have ever played in my three years of camp.”

Ryan H., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

Urijah B., Age 9
Tribe of LeviJonah M., Age 10
Tribe of Levi

Talia W., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Isaac H., Age 9
Tribe of Levi

Zoe A., Age 9
Tribe of Issachar

Sivan K., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Elie M., Age 12
Tribe of Zebulun

Channah A., Age 11
Tribe of Benjamin

Horseback riding is so much fun! My horse’s name was 4-12. Despite being four times my size, he was so gentle. I’m afraid of heights, but even when we rode right by a cliff I felt nothing but safety on his back.

Every horse has their own personality and provides a different experience. Streetlight’s horse, Bullwinkle, was a committed snacker. Pippin’s horse was slow and steady. He could have won a race.

It takes courage and strength to ride a horse, but you’ll have the time of your life.

Rebekah P. agrees, stating: “At first it’s scary, but once you’re on, it’s awesome!”

I had such a great time at the end of the day. I felt as if I would travel to the end of the earth to get my own horse.

Rebekah P., Age 10
Tribe of Benjamin

MI is one of my favorite night games. Why? Easy! You get to sneak around the whole camp and find clues together as a team. To be descriptive, o.c.s (out of cabin staff) are who we’re sneaking past. They are trying to catch us while we are finding clues, as they act out funny characters.

I think this was my best year, and it is not just because Benjamin won. It’s because no one got badly hurt, and it was much more interesting than the previous years.

This is my tribe’s story for 2018.

My friend Ellie and I whispered back and forth about MI toward the end of the Shabbat service. Soon, the music turned on and we rushed to get ready. We ran down the ladies’ hill, passing Poppins, who was making comments to me about the movie Coco. Trying not to laugh at S’mores bad-dad jokes, we went to the ladies’ sunset spot, behind the pool where we received our first clue: carpet all.

Our third and fourth were dodgeball and volleyball. After those two we ran to the pool and then finally the dining hall. Benjamin won!

So that’s how MI works and how it’s played. Ellie says, “The best part of MI is to spies and work together and always be ready!”