Category: Junior Camp West

Ari Z.

Age:7                                                                                                         Tribe of Dan

Interview with S’mores

Today I interviewed S’mores. S’mores favorite color is yellow and she loves to bake. Her favorite thing to do is to spend time with her friends and people she loves. Her favorite person at camp is everyone! S’mores says campers are the best part. Her favorite animal is a goat because they are cuddly. Her favorite food is chicken masala and garlic naan. Her favorite place to go is camp because it’s fun and she get’s closer to God. Her favorite beach to go to is T-street in San Clemente. Her favorite juice is apple juice. S’mores had a lot of fun at camp. She is really fun.

Rhyder G.

Age:9                                                                                                 Tribe of Dan

Skit Night

I had so much fun on skit night. We did the story of David and Goliath. It was so funny. We had a giant sword for Goliath and pool noodles for swords. Our counselor Fajita played Goliath. In the end the Israelites killed Goliath and the Philistines ran scared. When Goliath died, I ran up to the sword and when I grabbed it I said, “I got it,” it was so much fun. In all, skit night was fun.

Azriel S.

Age:9                                                                                                       Tribe of Dan

Flop off your Bunk (FOB)

At flop off your bunk time, I like to flop off my bunk and be crazy! I talk, scream extremely loud, and I keep people from sleeping. Sometimes I hang my head outside my bed and start laughing out loud. I might roll off my bed. I would normally wake up other kids all the time. I really like flop off your bunk time and love that time of camp.

Eitan R.

Age: 13                                                                                    Tribe of  Simeon

Gaga Ball

During free time and before Tabernacle a lot of the time we play Gaga ball. Gaga ball is sometimes a little dangerous and it can cause some injuries, for example Lyrit hurt his knee and his hand while playing Gaga ball. Even though it is dangerous, it is a fairly simple game. The goal of it is to not get hit by the ball below your knees, you can jump over the ball or slap it away, but if you use the wall to boost yourself you are out. Mateus, Lucas, and Isaac are the best players currently, but everyone will get better. Gaga ball is a lot of fun and I enjoyed doing it this year at junior camp and look forward to it for teen camp.

Lev R.

Age:11                                                                                       Tribe of Simeon

Free Time

Do you know what camps all about? Well let me tell you it’s free time! You get to do archery, pool time, shopping, and sometimes the water slide! If you don’t like one of those why be at camp? Like seriously archery you get to shoot arrows at targets and have fun. Pool time you get to cool off from the 100 degrees heat and have fun while doing so. Shopping you get cool stuff from the Gilgal Store and goodies from the snack shack, and the water slide while that was exciting itself. I remember at archery Eitan hit a point on the target and he was happy because it was exciting, and it filled him up to the brim with dopamine. At the pool I remember I was counting from archery to the pool, and it was so hot! And I cooled off and had lots of fun. When I was done with the pool, I wanted to have a little sweet treat, so I got a huge Ice Cream Sandwich, and it was very yummy. One day I even got to go on the water slide, and it was fast, but I still had loads of fun. I may have gone on it 5 or 6 times; it was that fun! I know my brother Eitan said he liked playing Gaga ball because he’s pretty good at it. Gimli says he liked taking photos of us doing archery because he got some good shots. Anyways free time is really fun so go out and have some fun.

Isaac H.

Age:12                                                                                         Tribe of Simeon

What a Mensch Night

Today I’ll be talking about what a Mensch night. What a Mensch night is a dinner theme. This theme is about being a Mensch what that means is that you have to do nice things when you do a nice thing the person that you were being a Mensch to has to say, “what a Mensch.” It is fun being a Mensch and doing nice things for people. This is why what I mentioned night is such a great theme night. This year I was a mensch by taking people’s plates, getting them beverages, or pulling out their chairs for them. The whole time I was looking for ways to be a mensch. Once again what I mention night is a very great night! Thank you for reading my Camp Gilgal event writing.

Isaac H.

Age:12                                                                                         Tribe of Simeon

Wells Fargo

Today I’ll be talking about a fun game at camp called Wells Fargo. This game is played by stealing all the bags of gold each guarded carefully by all of the staff. The group with the most gold bag wins! If a staff member tags you, you must go to where all the stolen bags are and count to 100 and keep playing. Wells Fargo may be my favorite activity at camp. All the staff are dressed up like Cowboys and Cowgirls. They call themselves the faithful and loyal Wells Fargo agents with an accent. Wells Fargo is usually started with the campers and free time than all the Wells Fargo agents surprise us marching towards us and tells us all the instructions. Then we play three rounds of the great game Wells Fargo. Once again Wells Fargo is a very fun and exciting game played at camp it may be my favorite activity at Camp Gilgal.

Isaac H.

Age:12                                                                                         Tribe of Simeon

Men’s Day

Today I’ll be talking about something called men’s day. Men’s day is a very fun day for all the men where all men have various events and at the end all of the men drink something called men’s brew it is kind of like a Shirley Temple. The most amazing drink in the world. We also make various treats, such as ice cream or filled cones with various sweets. Men’s day is a very amazing day! What we did this year was war with cardboard swords and Shields. We lined up shortest to tallest and counted ones and twos then we made all the ones and twos beyond teams on each side of the field. Then we fight, the first team that all died will lose. We did many rounds once again men’s day is an amazing day! Thank you for reading my Camp Gilgal event writing.

Isaac H.

Age:12                                                                                         Tribe of Simeon

No No Night

Today I will be talking about no no night it’s a night where at dinner time everyone has a pen. If someone makes you say “no” you have to give the pin to the person that made you say it, they get to keep your pin (all of the ones you had). The person that has the most pins at the end wins! This year I won with eight pins. No no night is maybe the best theme at camp. The way I won this year was by making someone say “know”. It might seem mean, but I usually go for the younger tribes. This year was the first time I have won no no night. I am very happy that I won this year. The other highest number of pins was six pins. Even though I won I did not have time to eat. Once again, no no night is maybe the most fun theme night at Camp Gilgal. Thanks for reading my Camp Gilgal event writing.

Eitan R.

Age: 13                                                                                    Tribe of Simeon

Water Balloon Volleyball

Water balloon volleyball this year was a whole lot of fun. We did a double loss bracket system which means when you lose once you are not out, and you move to the loser’s bracket if you lose in the losers bracket you are out but if you win the whole losers bracket you play the winner of the winner’s bracket. This year Judah won the whole thing the final match was Judah and Benjamin it was a very equal game but, in the end, Judah pulled out the victory. The rules for the final match for that each team in order to win they had to win by two points for example if Judah had five points Benjamin would have to have seven to win after the last match of tribes the staff played a game it was a lot of fun to watch the staff play a game of their own. In the end the girl tribe leaders and the out of cabin staff won the game but it was a lot of fun.

Lev R.

Age:11                                                                                       Tribe of Simeon

Lonestar…

Hi! I am writing about Lonestar’s favorite stuff. First, is favorite color is a deep forest Green. His favorite state is Texas because he is from Texas, and his favorite food is Mediterranean food. He also says his favorite dessert is freshly baked boutique cookies. His favorite vacation spot is either somewhere in the mountains or somewhere by the sea. He claims his favorite tree is a palm tree. His favorite poisonous animal is either a black mamba or a blue caped ifrit. He claims his favorite animal is a fennec fox. His favorite place to visit would be Israel. He also claims his favorite beard is his very own. This is when I should mention that he is exceedingly humble (*wink*). Well to conclude Lonestar is very humble and kind.

Eitan R.

Age: 13                                                                                    Tribe of Simeon

Bass Lake

This is one of the first times that we went to bass lake in Jr. Camp. It was a lot of fun there. We did activites like swimming, king of the log, and fol (Flat on log). My favorite activity was fol because you did not have to use very much energy to stay floating and whenever a boat came by you would ride the waves. My second favorite activity was king of the log, it was fun because you got to chuck a ball as hard as you could at the king of the log and if you knocked them down you were the new king. That is why I enjoyed bass lake so much.

Lev R.

Age:11                                                                                       Tribe of Simeon

Gadget

Hi! I’m talking about Gadget and what his favorite stuff is. First off, the list is his favorite state, it is South Carolina! He also lives in South Carolina. His favorite candy is sour gummy worms! Next, his favorite poisonous animal is a platypus. Apparently, his favorite baseball team is none because he does not watch baseball. His favorite color is Lavender. Next his favorite food is chicken cutlet curry from Hurry Curry Tokyo in LA. His favorite dessert is cold stone ice cream. His favorite tree is a walnut tree. His favorite drink is Coca-Cola. His favorite number is 7, and his brand is Lego. Gadget loves camp and is really cool. Thank you for listening about Gadget.

Eitan R.

Age: 13                                                                                    Tribe of Simeon

Interviewing Snapple

Snapple’s favorite poisonous animal is a cone snail, and her favorite tree is an olive tree. Her least favorite pet are hamsters and gerbils. Her favorite year is 2014 because she got to graduate college, took a trip to Israel and Africa, and had a lot of good friends that she was living with. Her favorite song is Stand by Me by Ben King. Her least favorite fish is a catfish because it has weird whiskers. Her favorite movie is also Stand by Me and her favorite TV show is Parenthood. Her favorite color is all kind of green. Her favorite soda brand is Coca-Cola. Her favorite clothing brand is free people. Where she shops most is Target. Her favorite seasoning is garlic salt. Her favorite flower is a dahlia and that concludes the interview. Snapple loves being at camp and has been coming for a long time.

Isaac H.

Age: 12                                                                                        Tribe of Simeon

Sing and Dance for your Mail Night

Today I will be talking about Sing and Dance for your Mail Night. This event is a themed night where if you ever get mail you have to sing or dance. This event is a very fun and joyful event. This year there was a ton of mail because the post workers had Sunday off and an additional day because of the Fourth of July. Many people got mail and I was the spinner. A spinner must do a jump and spin in the air and land low to the floor when a staff get’s mail. I also got mail and I chose to dance with my tribe. The tribe of Simeon. The tribe of Simeon dance was to a song called Moscow. The dance is when all the people put their arms around each other’s shoulders and raise their legs in sync. Many people did the Moscow dance. Anyway, Sing and dance for your mail night is a great and fun night! Thank you for reading my Camp Gilgal event writing.

Eitan Rubinstein Age:13                                                                                    Tribe of Simeon

Interview with Moose

His favorite poisonous animal is a rattle snake. His least favorite food is beets because they taste awful. His dream pet is a cat. His favorite part of Camp Gilgal is the campers because without them there is no camp. His favorite baseball team is the world champions, LA Dodgers. His favorite baseball player is Gin Sully. He likes camp because it helps campers learn about Yeshua. His favorite flower is a California golden poppy, and his favorite soda is Dr. Pepper. His favorite Bible chapter is Romans chapter 8 and that concludes my interview with Moose.

Helena L.

Age:12                                                                                               Tribe of Asher

After Dodgeball Fun

June 30^th was crazy after I hurt my foot we went back to the cabin and we were waiting to see if I was going to go to the doctor. I didn’t really want to go. Then we started to play Taylor Swift we were singing it all high and super loud it was so much fun I loved it. Then we started to eat lots of food and give it to everyone, I am pretty sure the people next door heard everything we were saying we started to sing very loud. Oh yeah how I got hurt. So, in the start of the game (dodgeball) I ran to get the ball and that’s when I got hurt. I guess I was playing the game really hard. It took a couple days before I could walk, but I was so happy I did not have to leave camp because it is really fun. Even though I have a cold now. I think I got it from Dylan, but I am sure I will feel much better in a little bit. I also fell and cut my arm and have some purple on my legs from Capture the Degel. I loved camp even though I got hurt more than once and I had fun playing all the games.

Dylan M. Age:12                                                                                                Tribe of Asher

Ladies’ Day

Ladies’ day was so fun! First, we went swimming which was fun. We went swimming for a while. Then, we bought snacks from the snack shack and ate them while we threw a ball around and got to know each other. They also bought of snow cones from the snack shack. While we were talking and swimming, we played the song “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and it was so great! When we passed around the ball, we asked each other questions like “What’s your favorite color? What’s your favorite food? What’s your favorite movie? What’s your favorite nickname?” etc. We would say someone’s name and ask one of those questions. We had so much fun on ladies’ day and I hope it’s this much fun next year! I have a feeling it will be.

Helena Lawrence Age:12                                                                                   Tribe of Asher

Gimli

Gimli’s favorite seasoning is salt. Gimli’s favorite deadly animal is the snake. Gimli uses “Organix” yes with an “x” for his hair. Gimli’s favorite brand is “Patagonia” I don’t know that one. Gimli’s favorite number is 64. Gimli does not have a favorite fingernail. Gimli does not have a favorite time of day Gimli’s favorite place in the world is Israel. Gimli would shave his beard only for a house. Gimli’s favorite language is Yiddish. Gimli does not have a favorite celebrity. If Gimli could go anywhere in the world he would want to go to Brazil. Gimli’s favorite flower is a rose. Gimli does not like horror movies. Gimli has not seen “It” (Very Sad). Gimli has not shaved his beard since 2015. Gimli has also dyed his hair before. Gimli loves running. Gimli does not have a favorite toe. Gimli came to camp because he wanted to help campers and be closer to God. Gimli’s favorite food is meat. Gimli did not care what age group he got, he wanted to let God pick his group. When Gimli got baptized, he said “I felt like I was washed clean” he felt closer to God. 

Hannah W.

Age:11                                                                                                 Tribe of Benjamin

Steal the Gold (Wells Fargo)

We were minding our own business until Wells Fargo agents walked up to us and said that we had to try to steal their gold. All of the rules were that if they tag us, we had to go back to the soccer goal and count to 100, and in the end who got the most bags of gold wins. The first round I was walking and out of nowhere Storm comes and tags me like that for no reason and I got mad. Anyway, after I counted to 100 the game stopped, we counted the gold and they won we did not, whatever. The second round we got a bag right away and then Lonestar was sitting on his gold, what? That not fair! But when he stopped siting on it Mateus got it! He is superfast and I almost got tagged by Smores, but she did not tag me and like that the game ended we had eight bags of gold and they had four bags yay, we won that round! One more round to determine the winners and Lonestar was sitting on his gold again and when he got up Mateus fell off the hill backwards and I am surprised he was fine after that, but that was more time for us to grab that bag of gold and be on our way. Everyone was getting tagged including me I watched as we got so many bags and when the game ended, we counted our bags eight bags again! This means they had four bags, we won yay!

Mateus A.

Age:10                                                                                                Tribe of Judah

Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo is a game where the staff dressed up as Wells Fargo agents. The campers are robbers whose goal is to steal the gold from the Wells Fargo Agents and put the gold in a soccer foal. It is super fun and hard. I had a lot of fun playing. You can get a cool prize like going in the pool. That is what I like about Wells Fargo.

Gabe V.

Age:9                                                                                                        Tribe of Judah

The Basketball Game

One day during camp after cabin cleanup the Tribe of Judah asked our staff if we can play basketball, and they said yes, and we started playing. When we were playing Mateus passes the ball to Gabe and Gabe passes the ball to Augusto and he shot and missed. The other team steals the ball and shoots and made it, so far the score was 0-1. We were losing. We got the ball Mateus shoots and scores, it’s 1-1. They start with duking everyone and shoots and misses. Augusto gets the ball and passes it to Gabe he shoots “swish”. 2-1 team and Judah wins!

Judah Z.

Age:9                                                                                                     Tribe of Judah

Pirate Night

Pirate night is one of my favorite nights of Camp Gilgal! When pirate night happens all the tribes dress up as Pirates in a creative way. My tribe used face-paint for our beards. The tribe of Asher dressed up as gold treasure. The tribe of Dan had really cool pirate costumes with eye patches and vests. The out of cabin staff did the pirates who don’t do anything. For dinner we ate barbeque chicken and salads. The Tribe of Simeon also had some amazing costumes. Overall, I love pirate night.

Micah H.

Age:12                                                                                                   Tribe of Judah

Tribe of Judah

The tribe of Judah (arguably the best tribe) is a mens tribe that includes the wonderful tribe leaders, Mufasa and All-Star. We also have 5 campers, Micah, Gabriel, Augusto, Judah, and Mateus. Some of their notable achievements include the great water balloon volleyball victory and over 5 different pets; all named Bob Jr. or something similar, which included, two flies, a baby praying mantis, several balloons, and a stick with a face carved on it. The tribe has made many Gazette articles and has produced an interesting four-star skit about greed and redemption. Our tribe members enjoy basketball, water balloon volleyball, and many other exciting adventures. In conclusion, the Tribe of Judah is a wonderful tribe, they are currently trying to get the tribe of the year and are doing exceptional. They recently received a micahrates.com, 100/101. Overall, they are great tribe I would love to see in the future.

Mateus A.

Age:10 

Tribe Of Judah                                                                                                         

This is Mission Impossible

MI was so much fun. We ran a lot and crouched down. We dropped a note and Mufasa had to run back and get it. It took so long so we got caught, but we had a lot of fun and that is all that matters. We also saw a deer during the game. Gadget was the hardest spotter he was listening to music and swinging his flashlight near us. We were on our way back and Waldo walked around the corner and caught us, so we went back to the cabin then we ran to the dining hall, but we got there second. We had 20/10 amount of fun.

Lyrit M.

Age: 11                                                                                                       Tribe of Simeon

Tribe of Simeon

I am going to be writing about the Tribe of Simeon. The people are me, Isaac, Lev, and Eitan. Our counselors name is Gimli. We all really like to play gaga ball. We won MI and our favorite game was Capture the Degel. Our tribe is full of veteran campers. Our tribe made an inside joke of the song Moscow and loved to dance to it. We also made the Tribe of Suda which is the tribe of Simeon and Juda because we lived next to each other and did a lot together. We are always looking for ways to have fun and we all like to joke and have fun. Our skit was one of the best parts. We did Phineas and Ferb. Once again, I am so happy to be in the Tribe of Simeon. Thank you for reading my event writing experience at Camp Gilgal.

Judah Z.

Age:9                                                                                                     Tribe of Judah

Water Balloon-Volleyball

There they were the Tribe of Judah and Benjamin. They were playing a game called water balloon-volleyball. This is how you play, there are some tarps and a bin full of water balloons. And you are trying to catch a water balloon on your tarp without it popping. Back to the game. The Tribe of Judah tosses the balloon, but Benjamin caught the balloon! It was Benjamin’s turn to throw the balloon. The balloon soared through the air! And landed in the tribe of Judah’s tarp. The tribe of Judah tossed the balloon and guess what? The tribe of Benjamin didn’t catch the balloon. And Judah WON!!

Micah H.

Age:12                                                                                               Tribe of Judah

Dodgeball

Dodgeball is an intense sport. Anything but child’s play. Gameplay is simple, get hit, you are out. Catch a ball? The thrower is out and one of your eliminated teammates get back in. Any hits in the head will result in elimination of the thrower. One day, the camp dared the challenge of ye ol’ dodgeball. I was there; it was horrific. I have been hit several times, and I have been forced to strike others. Fortunately, my soldiers and I were capable of winning most games. Though I still feel a scar in my heart. I have been on the battlefield many times, but I have never witnessed death this brutal. Please, if you or a loved one have been affected by dodgeball, please contact 1-800-DODGEBALL. You could receive up to $100,000 in compensation.

Olivia W.

Age:10                                                                                        Tribe of Benjamin

Tribe of Benjamin

The tribe of Benjamin always stays together for example at MI we always stay together. My tribe had 6 campers and 2 counselors. The 6 campers were me, Hannah, Elorah, Norah, Aviva, and Sofia. Our counselors are Storm and Noodles. They are both really cool and grew up going to camp. Benjamin always works together in cleaning our cabin and we have a lot of fun in the pool. It is fun to be in the Tribe of Benjamin.

Elorah M.

Age:9.5

Tribe of Benjamin                                                                                               

Craft

This year craft was making tzedakah boxes. Gadget was our craft teacher this year. So, to start we sanded down the wood that we would be using to build the tzedakah box. On day two, we stained the wood with a special type of paint. After a few seconds we had to wipe as much of it as we coated and it made it a different color of wood. On day three, the stain was dry, and we began to assemble the tzedakah box with screws. It took some people two days, but they managed to get it done. On day four almost everyone was working to put their designs that they had drawn on paper before sanding down the wood. Then we painted and wood burned until our boxes were done.

Norah B.

Age:9                                                                                         Tribe of Benjamin

Water in Yo Face! (Waterslide)

This is the story of the water slide, it was the funnest day of my life. This is how it goes: It took place at Camp Gilgal, as you all know, Camp Gilgal is the funnest camp on earth! You get to do all sorts of cool stuff, and the water slide is one of them. I have gone to a water slide before. First, before you go, you need to remember to bring a bathing suit, a towel, water bottle, and sunscreen. Before you go on, you have to wait in line patiently. When it’s your turn to go on, there is a giant floaty that you have to sit on. Then the person pushes you and down, down, down the water slide you go! You go as fast as lightning! There are spins and swirls, I screamed my first time. But after that, I wanted to go again and again. At the end of the slide, you are going to land in a bath of soapy water, then you walk up the trail with the floaty and do it again! I had a friend who kept going behind the other people in line because she was so afraid. It took her a very long time to go on. After she did it, she wanted to be the first one to do it again. Do it once, never leave it.

Lucas A.

Age:8                                                                                         Tribe of Dan

Interview with Whammy

For my article I am writing about my counselor Whammy. Whammy is 20 years old and favorite color is turquoise. His favorite food is fried chicken sandwiches with sauce. He loves to skateboard and push his limits going really fast. Whammy wanted to be a counselor because he wanted to help contribute to Camp Gilgal. He wanted to repay camp for the relationships, friends, and experiences he had when he was a camper. At the same time, he wanted to relive what it was like to be a junior camper and add to camp culture. Whammy’s favorite counselor buddies were here this year too. Whammy is a really cool counselor.