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Gilgal Gazette

Volume 18: Teen Camp West, Midwest, and East Coast Edition

The Gilgal Gazette

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do

not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 Insi

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Family and Friends 3

Adventures and Games! 9

Only at Gilgal... 19

Teen Camp

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West Campers: Aaron G., Alex E., Andy K., Annamarie T., Ashley K., Ashley S., Ben L., Ben W., Brighton G., Chris K., Denali G., Dimitri S., Ellie H., Ellis S., Erik G., Greycianne R., Hannah Y., Isaac R., Jason R., Joseph B., Kaleb F., Lucas C., Maya C., Mitch B., Monica G., Moriah J,. Nathan H., Stephy S., Olivia W., Pomai B., Psalm R., Rachael B., Rebekah L., Rozzi K., Tamar P., Tirzah W., Victoria V. West Staff: Bazooka, Cucamonga, Jet, KoKo, Mr. Commissioner, Onyx, Pixie, Poppy, Shoe, Snapple, Yoshi Camp Directors: Moose and Spike

Midwest Campers: Ariel C., Bryan R., Elisa F., Jed F., Josiah M., Kayla P., Marisa T., Michaela S., Noah K., Rachel M., Raveena L., Shoshana Z., Sta-cia B., Trisha T. Midwest Staff: Chai, Katan, Mocha, Summer, Pebbles, Coco Camp Directors: Chiclet and Taz

East Campers: Austin S., Becky P., Chloe N., Cynthia R.,Diana S., David M., Joe A., John C., Jonah G., Josh H., Joy K., Kyle S., Margot L., Noa G., Rachel M., Ravi G., Rena B., Shaina R., Simone P., Violetta M. East Staff: Frond, Madam, Red Sox, Reptar, Shades, Streetlight, Strings, Tauros Camp Director: Twister

Teen Camp Gilgal Family and Staff Writers

Stand Firm Until He Comes James 5:8

Teen Camp Midwest

Teen Camp West

Teen Camp East

The “Gilgal Gazette” is published by Camp Gilgal campers for Camp Gilgal campers.

Gilgal Gazette 3

First Time Camper at Camp Gilgal Lucas C., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) My first Camp Gilgal is nothing short of a never-ending series of awesome surprises. I wasn’t alone in my first experience of Camp Gilgal, however. Brighton, a great friend of mine, was also a first tim-er. “Every day is just so much fun!” Brighton says. I was very nervous when I first arrived. There were so many new faces, it was scary and intimidating. The two people that I first met who made my stay a lot more comfortable were Jason and Monica. With their help, I slowly started to open up to the whole camp. Camp Gilgal is a place to have fun, push your limits, make friends, and grow closer to God. If you’re shy, you can become outgoing; if you’re fragile, you can become strong; and if you’re ignorant, you can become wise. It takes time, but you begin to realize that there are friends in every place you can think of. You have the chance to make friends for life here. That is such a rare blessing. The people I’ve met and the lessons I’ve learned I pray will stay with me always. Once of the lessons I’ve learned at camp is that the camp counselors are always there for a


person to talk to. Commish and Shoe have been so supportive and kind. The friends I made here have been so warm and kind to me. I knew next to nothing about camp, and Jason was very kind and ready to guide me. Monica is one of the kindest

and coolest campers I’ve met. She has a great sense of humor, and the best singing voice I’ve ever heard. Greyci is so funny! She is super sweet and a blast to talk to. Rozzi and Stephi rock! They’re the perfect friends to talk to when you’re feeling random, silly, or crazy. Alex, Brighton and Denali are the best of friends and great friends to me. They’re always awesome to talk to.

Thoughts from Spike Greycianne R., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) I am interviewing Spike. He is so cool and nice. He has been with Camp Gilgal for 17 years. His favorite activity is Mission Impossible. Sushi is his favorite

food! He can eat sushi twice a week. His favorite thing to do is spend time with people he cares about. He doesn’t like magic but his camp friend, Yuck Yuck, does. His college major was film making. He found out about Camp Gilgal when Uncle Bob called his parents! He met Mullet on a trip to Israel with Jews for Jesus. Spike and Mullet got married almost two years ago. He would like to go to Europe. His birthday is May 9. His favorite part of camp is when God meets us. His favorite day of the year is Christmas. His favorite music is acoustic. He likes his eggs poached. If Spike was on a desert-ed island and it flipped over and became a bowl of pasta he said he would want angel hair with vodka sauce. Spike is so cool and funny. I am really glad he’s at teen camp. Bazooka Bubble Gum! Victoria V., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) I’ve known Bazooka for two years and she is awesome. One of Bazooka’s favorite camp theme years is Joshua 1:9. Bazooka’s favorite color is blue. Bazooka’s favorite animals are her cats. Be-

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Inside Story Headline

fore junior camp, Bazooka, Snapple, Jet, and Cucamonga went sky div-ing, and that was fun for them. Ba-zooka was born in San Francisco, and likes to do scrap booking. Ba-zooka likes to hang out with Snap-

ple and Monica, and they go get frozen yogurt. Bazooka likes to go camping with her family. She likes to have fun with her sister, Monica. Bazooka’s favorite food is frozen yogurt, Nutella and banana crepes. When she was a camper, her tribe leaders were Rickashaw and Skittles. Bazooka’s favorite camp is all of them because she can’t choose one. Bazooka’s best friends are Monica and Snapple. Brand New Shoes Jason R., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) So when I was chillin’ with Shoe at Bass Lake I learned a lot about him, like his favorite ice cream and how he came to know Messiah. First, his favorite ice cream is Caramel Pecan. As a junior camper,

he was not considered one of the “cool kids” because he real-ly didn’t care what people thought of him. He knew Maverick (a counselor) before he was a counselor. His most exciting experience at camp was jet skiing, and his favorite counselor was Spike because he is a mellow-headed, nice, intelligent guy. His newest experience was making history playing Mission Impossible at teen camp. His favorite experience at teen camp so far was water polo. He came to Messiah as a child, but he really experienced Him through his entire life. He plays guitar for God as a worship leader at junior camp part time, and at teen camp, where he is doing a great job. Currently he is an undergrad. He doesn’t know what his major will be now, but I’m sure he’ll be great. He is a great tribe leader with Mr. Commissioner, who was also a great counselor. Mr. Commissioner Kaleb F., Age 12 (Teen Camp West)

Mr. Commission-er has been go-ing to Camp Gil-gal for 13 years! That’s intense. Mr. Commish told me his favorite camp game is Wells Fargo. He also told me his

best God encounter at camp was when he was with Moose, Ace, Brickhouse, and Peppy. It was during adventure camp on a house boat. He told me he and everybody there felt God in their presence.

His favorite moment at teen camp was while playing paint-ball. He was playing with Diesel and Nathan. They got out. They were playing fox and hound. They were on the hill, and all of a sudden he sprinted and got Sonic in the head. I chose to do

this article because he is cool, and next year he will be getting married to staff member, KoKo. So I hope them happiness for the rest of their lives. Mr. Fluffers Dimitri S., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) My cabin was really crazy. The leaders of my cabin were Shoe and Mr. Commissioner. The number of campers in there is eight. Many times throughout camp, there have

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been times where everybody would just hang out and talk. Beverage and food was no problem because Jason, Eric, and Isaac bought over $80 worth of delicious snacks and beverages. There were also many

hilarious hijinks. One example is how we got our mascot, Mr. Fluffers. The story behind Mr. Fluffers is quite interesting. It all started one hot morning. Aaron happened to be walking down the hall when Kaleb and Nathan were dragging Ellis in his sleeping bag. Ellis has been Mr. Fluffers ever since. Everybody in my cabin was very cool and they all have an excellent sense of humor. OH SNAP! Monica G., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) Snapple has been going to camp for 11 years. Camp Gilgal has basically built the foundation of her relationship with God and has taught her what it means to live her life for Him. It also has provided her with a family that holds her accountable and encourages her with her relationship with God.

Snapple’s favorite Bible verse is Psalm 56:3 and 4, because it’s part of one of the biggest lessons that God has taught her throughout her entire walk. The counselors at camp when she was a camper encouraged her to become a camp counselor. When she was a camper the counselors were the people that she really looked up to and were her mentors and really changed her life. She wanted to do the same thing for the generations below her. Earlier this summer she was a tribe leader at Camp Gilgal junior camp, and before that she went sky diving with Bazooka, Jet, and Cucamonga. They jumped out of a plane at thirteen thousand feet. I asked Snapple what her favorite Snapple flavor was, and she re-sponded quickly with, “That is a re-ally hard question. Okay. I have two favorites: One of them is diet peach, but only if it’s not refrigerated, and lemon iced tea has to be refrigerated.”

Overall camp is a huge part of Snapple’s life and testimony. Snapple is also a huge part of my life. I have known her since I was a baby and she is an amazing person all around. She definitely is a

servant of God and a blessing to the camp. I love her. Yoshi’s World Andy K., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) Yoshi has been attending Camp Gilgal for 11 years and is one of our most beloved staff. She enjoys fellowship with other Jewish believers the most about camp. This fellowship and other parts about camp (like Tabernacle and worship) have shaped her spiritual life. She says, “Camp Gilgal gives me an opportunity to retreat and reflect on my spiritual life and what

God wants me to work on.” Besides these important comments, Yoshi also spoke to me about person quirks and preferences. Her favorite hobby, besides consuming massive quantities of ice cream, is “fighting Koopers with my buddy Mario.” She loves going to the

beach and camping, and has a very eclectic taste in music which varies according to her mood. Though she likes to splurge on junk foods like ice cream, brownies, and french fries, she is also a bit of a health

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freak – sprouted wheat bread, tofu, and soymilk are all favorites. Also in the food department is Yoshi’s complex relationship with the tomato, once a bitter enemy, but now becoming a less disgusting vegetable. However, when it comes down to it, if given a lifetime supply of ice cream, Yoshi confidently chooses mint chip, for her “breath would always be minty fresh.” But don’t let the food fool you; Yoshi enjoys many other activities. She adores analyzing the intricacies of Lost and Ace of Cakes. Also, our dear Yoshi has an aesthetic flair for style. Her all-time favorite designer is Dior for his classy, beautiful outfits, but has recently discovered the modern twist on women’s designs with Diane von Frusten-berg. All in all, these hobbies came second to her devotion to God. She finishes with a Bible verse, Philippians 4:13. I encourage you to look it up! Cucamonga Nathan H., Age 13 (Teen Camp West)

In Cedar Lodge, up the stairs, turn right in to room 121, and you will find… Cucamonga! From saying,

“My spoon is too big!” to shooting “poison darts,” Cucamonga is always fun to be around. He is always serious about cabin cleanup, and works with each one of us on our memory verse. He was especially fun during Mission Impossible. I decided to ask Cucamonga some questions for an interview. My first question was, “Why did you first come to Camp

Gilgal as a camper?” The response was, “All of my family was going to Camp Gilgal and was having so much fun, so I went.” My second question was about how long he had been a Camp Gilgal counselor. I learned that he has been

working at camp for three years! Cucamonga’s favorite part of camp is playing water polo at the pool. He loves going banana boating at the lake. His favorite camp memory is white water rafting at adventure camp. It has been a lot of fun writing about Cucamonga and I hope you had as much fun reading it! Until next year, goodbye. My Wonderful Cabin Ellie H., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) The people in my cabin include: Monica, Rachael, Annamarie, Rozzi, Rebekah, Ashley, and I. We can have some crazy times! Ashley loves to talk all the time! Monica is really sweet, a great friend, and

always there to help. Rachael has many of her “blonde moments” and she is funny and straight forward. Annamarie can say the most random things and make every-one laugh.

Rebekah is really sweet and generous. Rozzi can be so funny and not even notice and she is real-ly sweet. Our morning routine is to wake up to Rachael’s alarm “Wannabe” by Spice Girls. Our overall favorite conversations are mostly about how creepy Edward Cullen is! Our cabin has so much fun together and we can have fun even if we have nothing to do! We all have so much fun playing Quelf especially, because it makes us do random stuff! We all love our cabin and have so much fun! In my opinion, we all like each other and have a lot of fun! This has been the best teen camp yet! Interview With a California Pop-py Tamar P., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) Although you think I’m going to

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interview a flower, think again! I’m going to interview the one, the only POPPY! Poppy never went to camp as a camper. Although she never went to camp, she has been a counselor for three years. Her favorite sports are ultimate Frisbee, broom hockey, and paintball. Her hobbies include hiking, reading, traveling, and attempting to learn foreign languages. Poppy has three siblings which are all girls. Her sisters have also never been to camp. Her favorite ice cream is cookies and cream. She was born and raised in California. Her favorite cookie is Oreo. Poppy’s birthday is January 28. Her favorite color is poppy yellow. The PT cruiser is her favorite car. She is a crazy Jet Ski driver. Her favorite clothing store is Kohl’s. Her favorite eye color is green, which makes sense because

she has green eyes. Poppy is the best counselor, and that’s why she’s my favorite. Interview with Katan Taz (Teen Camp Midwest) Favorite Food? Rice Favorite Christian Band? Mutemath (He loves one word answers) Where are you from? Essex, on

the border of East London How has God worked in your life recently? He called me through events leading up to camp to serve at junior camp and then AGAIN at teen camp. Now He’s given me a really good taste of youth ministry. I’m excited to see where He calls me from here - what he leads me to do next. Best part of camp? The reliance on the Lord in prayer and reading the Bible every day. Allowing us to be centered in Him. Also beating Taz utterly comprehensively at Capture the Degel. Tea time with Katan Josiah M., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest) While at camp, there were many things to do. But one thing that I enjoyed was “Tea Time with Taz and Katan”. There we got to just, well, relax-and trust me you’d want to after what weird stuff they have us do! Katan is English and lived in London, so he

knows a lot about tea. We talked about lots of stuff, but mostly tea. Going Crazy Getting There Michaela S., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest)

Mocha, the Tabernacle teacher, picked up some kids from Skokie and brought them to camp. Even though it was a three hour ride, I don’t think I ever got bored. The ride was me, Raveena, Stacia, Rachel, the new counselor Chai, and Mocha. We drilled Mocha with questions about camp activities, learned some new Hebrew words, listen to music, took crazy pictures, and asked Chai get-to-know-you

questions. Despite the fact that I had never met Chai and I hadn’t seen the others in a few months to a year, it felt like a family reunion. It was an awesome introduc-tion to camp while I hadn’t been to it in three years. Thanks to Mocha for driving, and

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Summer for making some awesome playlists. I had an amazing time, and even though I’m going to miss it a lot, I’m excited to ride home. Interview with Madam Violetta M., Age 13 (Teen Camp East) Q: What is your favorite part of camp? A: Two things: 1. The first day when everyone comes with a lot of love and 2. White water rafting. Q: What is your favorite thing to

do? A: Listen to music and work on cars Q: Who is the funnest camper? (2009 Teen Camp) A: Violetta, David, Joe Q: What do you like to do when there are no campers around? A: Sleep!! Q: Who is your best buddy out of the staff? A: Reptar Q: Why would you say Reptar is your favorite? A: Because she is like my sister Q: What is your favorite animal? A: Penguin Q: What is one of your favorite lullaby stories? A: “Goodnight Moon”

Q: What’s your favorite number? A: 99 Q: If you would dye your hair, what color would it be? A: Black with green highlights Q: What’s your favorite type

of cereal? A: Rice crispy treats Q: What’s your favorite juice? A: Orange mango Q: What’s your favorite type of so-da? A: Dr. Pepper

My First Time at Camp Kyle S., Age 13 (Teen Camp East) Hi, my name is Kyle and this is my first time at camp. I kinda had a rough start. When I got there I was a little nervous about staying for a week. Throughout the week all of

the activities were really fun. I think this is the best camp ever! Some of the activities we did are ultimate Frisbee, bocce ball, and archery. An Interview with Tauros Chloe N., Age 13 (Teen Camp East)

Q: When did you become staff? A: 2007 Q: What is your favorite food? A: Pasta with homemade tomato sauce (made by mom) with meatballs. Q: Why are you obsessed with your beten*? A: I’m proud of it *Beten is Hebrew for belly Q: What do you do for fun? A: Hang out with friends, play video games, etc. Q: Who is your favorite camper to annoy? A: Simone! Q: Who is your favorite staff member to annoy? A: Red Sox Q: Why did you name yourself Tau-ros? A: I’m a bull. Q: Do you enjoy grossing out the people around you? A: Occasionally Q: When you’re not at camp, what do you do? A: Work, school, and fun things. Q: Have you ever had an issue with God?

A: Yes, when my family moved from North Carolina to NJ, it was hard and I was upset. Q: How did you get over it? A: Met new friends – now I love where I live! Q: What is your favorite Bible verse? A: Philippians 4:13

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hot shades and willing kindness he is one of the best counselors. Even though he told me to write this I was more than happy to. He is always sleepy looking but whenever you’re cold he’ll warm you up. My friend Rachel had just gone swimming and we were walking back and she was so cold she was shaking. I asked Shades if I could borrow his jacket then he took it off and said, “Sure you need it.” In

addition to that, he doesn’t really shave that much and always wears shades and a hat. Shades is basically the most awesomest counselor ever. Ask anyone on the east coast! Banana Boating Bass Lake

Rozzi K., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) The ride on the banana boat was very fun, I rode on it twice. Some of the people I went with the first time were Stephy, Mitch, and Nathan. We went on the extreme ride and we tipped over a few times. It was fun, but kind of shorter than the second time. But it was still fun. The second time I went on the

Interview with Shades Austin S., Age 13 (Teen Camp East) I interviewed Shades. I asked him how long he was a counselor and he said five years. His favorite Tabernacle song is Barchu. His favorite thing he’s ever done at Camp Gilgal was surfing at adventure camp. He thinks his most influential staff member was Mad-am’s older brother, Spike.

Shades is also a recent college graduate. His favorite book in the Bible is James. He thinks the counselor with the most interesting personality is himself. (I think that too). If he had to go to any country, he would go to Israel. His favorite

sport is footballs and his favorite team is the Philadelphia Eagles. Shades’ favorite holiday is Christmas. If he could learn any language he would learn Russian. His favorite movie is the “Muppets Christmas Carol.” When I asked him if he wanted the interview to be over, he said, “Yes!” First Feeling of Camp Diana S., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) Hey guys! My name is Diana. I’m almost 15 years old and this is my first time in camp. When I first found out I was going to camp I was really excited to meet new people and have a good time. Wanna hear something funny? Me too. I only found out I was going to camp two days before it started!! Surprising? Yes, I know. I first found out about this camp from my two cousins, Vi-oletta and Arthur. They both spent really great times here. My camp days were amazing. The best part of this place is that everyone under-stands you and no one judges you. I met a lot of new friends and had a lot of fun. I hope you’re time at Camp Gilgal will be there same. Shades Noa G., Age 12 (Teen Camp East) Shades is awesome. Between his

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banana boat was a lot more fun. This time I was sitting on the very back and Rachael was sitting in front of me. Moose was driving the boat. While driving, Moose made a lot of u-turns and I kept flying off the banana boat backwards. Also Rachael pushed me off a couple of times. It was funny. When we were done and on our way back, we decided to jump off except Jason. Moose didn’t realize at first, but when he did, he stopped. We had to swim all the way to the banana boat and it made me very tired. It was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to go to Bass Lake and go banana boating again. This was my second year going banana boating and I had a lot more fun this year. I interviewed some people about the experience with the banana boat. Ben said it was his first time going on the banana boat. He also said it was fun. Spike found it to be very nerve racking for him and Erik

said it was really fun. Bridalveil Falls Isaac R., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) Around one hour into the drive on the way to Yosemite, we pulled off at a rest stop to go to the bathroom, and then we ate lunch. After lunch, we made a detour to a place called Bridalveil Falls. After a five minute walk we came to a spot where you leave the main trail to get to see the falls. We walked on the rocks and over small water flows. When we got to where we could see the falls, we were far above the trail. The falls themselves fell in an interesting fashion. The water went in a mist over the side, and it looked like a bride’s veil, hence the name. It almost looked fake, like something off a computer generated desktop. It was definitely worth the ride up. Some of us wanted to drink the water, but Cucamonga said it was bad for you. It was a quick trip, but it showed how creative God was when he made the world. Wall Climbing AKA Rock Climbing Aaron G., Age 16

(Teen Camp West) Wall climbing! When we got to the wall, it didn’t

disappoint. It had three difficulty levels, easy, medium, and hard. The “I’ll Go First’s” couldn’t wait, and so our bravest camper, Aaron, was first in the middle wall, and even though he wasn’t at his prime he nailed it in 36 seconds. A couple of the

bravest campers ventured themselves onto the wall and even they struggled a little bit. They were able to climb it with a little support from our staff member, Yoshi. Mr. Commissioner (one of the most agile members of the staff) made it in 37 seconds, which is pretty good. So our previously mentioned staff member Yoshi finally got the chance and she went directly to the hard wall, and she climbed it like Spider Man.

We asked our rookie camper, Brighton, about his experience on the wall, and he couldn’t wait to tell us. “It Was AWESOME. I Can’t Wait to do it again!” His wish, however, was turned into reality when everyone was able to do it a



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confident that I wouldn’t fall. Everyone was so encouraging and that helped me finish the course. Alex, who also did the ropes course said, “Even though it was scary, I still enjoyed it because every-

one cheered me on the entire time and made me feel confident about myself.” I am so glad that I did it because after I had finished, I was very proud of myself for doing something that I wouldn’t normally do, and conquering one of my fears.

A Trip to Heaven on Earth Erik G., Age 13

(Teen Camp West) Vons… wonderful, glorious and great. So great, I spent $80 ($79.18, and split the cost with Isaac Russell.) It

was actually going to be $100. But a girl named Rebecca had a Von’s card, and we got a $20 discount. Well we bought an 18 pack of Mountain Dew, 12 pack of Mountain Dew Code Red, Lays Classic and CANDY!! We approximately arrived at 11:30 a.m. in three white vans. My van was pretty chatty but arrived there first. I was ready to go as soon as we got out of the van. So when we could go I ran. In the store, the obsession

second, third and EVEN fourth time. In the end, we all had tons of fun, and as we like to say, “Once part of the Camp Gilgal family, always part of the Camp Gilgal family.”

The Extraordinary Ride Hannah Y., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) Like a smooth glass mirror Bass Lake twinkles and glimmers. The ripples gently reflect the images of boats zipping by. The cool water gently beckons us. We are a group of grimy campers intoxicated with ideas of banana boating and gliding across dark waters on jet skies. Firmly planted on jet skies I brace myself against the impact of wave and wind. Screaming dramatically my hair flips like a fish out of water. Soon I find myself flung into the water. Tirzah motions to me, but Jet drives on. Once his attention is gained he laughs and comes to my

rescue. Unavoidably competition begins to tug at us as Yoshi flies by. We begin to race. But Jet cannot resist a sudden impulse to flip us over and Tirzah and I flip into the water as limp as rag dolls. A pattern starts to emerge, as we sped up and then were flipped several times. Our mouths became dry from bouts of screaming. Content and terrified we drive into the dock. Laughing we step onto the platform. We noticed a group of swimmers so we pencil dive in. Soon our story becomes a legend of epic proportions in our imagina-tive minds. The truth? It was the ride of a lifetime. My Adventure on the Ropes Course Denali G., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) At Camp Gilgal there is a 20 foot high ropes course. It looks really easy from the ground, but once you are up there, it is a lot harder than it looks. At first it was pretty easy, but then I had to walk across a log without holding onto anything. It was very scary because I was scared of falling, but the instructor told everyone before that the harness we were using could hold a Hummer, so I just thought about that fact when I crossed the log. Throughout the course I got more



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started. I was shopping with Isaac and Jason, and Jason was just throwing candy in the cart. Just random candy, which some was not that good. I’m going to name just some of the brands. Lifesavers, Charleston Chews, Lem-onheads and five gum packs. Then we got so-da, an 18 pack of Moun-tain Dew and 12 pack of Mountain Dew Code Red, and a four pack of Rock Stars. We should’ve got more so-da. Then chips, a family pack of Lays Classic. We should’ve got more chips, too. Well, Vons truly is one of the best stores ever and heaven on earth. The Hike to Inspiration Point Psalm R., Age 12 (Teen Camp West) When we first got out of the van and stepped up to the beginning of the long trail, I’m sure we were all saying to ourselves, “No way. I’m gonna die on this.” By the fifth step I was thinking, “Okay, that was a

nice hike. Time to go back.” But we all kept on trooping up the tall windy mountain for at least two hours, talking, singing, and trying to forget our aching feet and legs. When we finally reached the beautiful peak, approximately 1.3 miles up, I was dog tired. I sat down on the first rock I saw and about a minute after, I noticed the

view. The vantage point of Inspiration Peak looks out over the breath-taking half dome, sheared in half by a huge glacier that thundered through the valley time out of mind, stood sentinel, almost blue in the shadow of El Capitan, an enormous cliff facing into the valley. When it was time to pack up and leave I was sad to leave but the hike seemed totally worth it when we got back down. Then we took our

amazing camp photo. The End Pool’s Water Polo – The Most Intense Game EVER!!!! Ben L., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) A pool is… well, let’s just say that if you don’t know what a pool is, check the local gym. Anyway,

when we went to the pool at Gilgal, it was one word: Crazy! When I say crazy, I mean fun, explosive, awesome, and more fun!!! We hit a ball around for starters, it was fun, but then we did water po-lo! (Iron Man music) In this game, I played the right wing. Commish would pass to me and I would get tackled. From my point of view, it would be the ball flying into my face while I get tackled. On the other team, Aa-ron would be splashing right towards me at about 299.5 mph.

But enough about me. I would like to say something about the teams. They were pretty fair and in this case fair means my side had nine and the other team had four. Some of the good players were

Commish (the goalie), Aaron (the guy who tackled me), Onyx (another guy who tackled me), and Monica (the person who scored lots



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A: The feeling of being so high up, and falling, then thinking that nothing is going to catch you. The Giant Swing is amazing. The War of Paint Mitchell B., Age 13 (Teen Camp West)

Paintball is one of the funnest games ever. This is about a game of paintball, one that I won. This game took place in a Camp Oakhurst. I was with a group of awesome people who share my beliefs and thought. It was the third day of camp and after lunch our leader (Spike) announced that we were going to spend the afternoon playing paintball. Of course we all erupted in cheer, because we all love paintball. So as soon as we could we all immediately left for paintball. I’m not going to go into detail because it was a dangerous,

bloody war, one that all did not survive. I myself was shot several times. I sacrificed my body for my team because one had lost her shoe. She was a brave soldier but I told her to stay back because I didn’t want her to be hurt. And then, boom boom, I

was hit twice in quick succession.

of the other team’s goals). It was a blast!!!! (Iron Man music ends) Oh, and if you don’t know what water polo is… Just check the nearest internet. Jet Skiing With Jet Tirzah W., Age 13 (Teen Camp West)

Today we had the time of our lives. All was quiet on Lake Bass until Jet, Hannah and I sat down on the jet ski, hitting every wake. I splashed into the water six times. Hannah hit the water seven times and Jet once, screaming and laughing all the way. One of the times before we fell in we got lots of air, then plummeted into the water. My face went numb, but it was worth it. I asked Jet some questions, and these are his answers: Tirzah: What was your favorite part of jet skiing? Jet: Definitely falling off. Tirzah: Were you ever scared while we were on it? Jet: Never, ever, ever, always confident. Tirzah: What was the funniest part? Jet: When Yoshi cut in front of us and splashed me in the face. Tirzah: Thanks, Jet.

The Swing of Giant-ness Stephy S., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) One of the adventure activities at teen camp is the Giant Swing. The giant swing is a 40 ft fall. It’s made up of four

cables. They are connected to five trees at various angles. You put on a harness and the staff that works there attaches your harness to a cable. Some people get really nervous and/or scared, so the staff distracts you by telling you to sing them a song, or tell a joke. As soon as you begin

telling the joke or singing they drop you unexpectedly. In my opinion the scariest part of the swing is the first few seconds after you drop. Last year I went on the Giant Swing for the first time. I was really hesitant and nervous. I kept refusing, but Yoshi made me go on it. I’m happy she did. It was completely worth it. I decided to interview Rebekah about it. Q: What is your favorite part of the Giant Swing? A: Taunting the staff there and the fall (of course). Q: What made you decide to go on the Giant Swing? A: Definitely the thrill and free falling, and just the rush that you get. Q: What do you find scariest about the Giant Swing?



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The point of this true tale is that you should never play paintball unless you want to go up above. Mission Impossible Ellis S., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) Mission Impossible is usually played at junior camp. One night we were all playing charades in the lodge when the music started and the lights turned off. We ran to our cabins and read our first clue. There were numbers on a paper with a decoder. Each group got a different location to get their next clue. My group went to the ropes course, we read our clue and decoded it reading ARCHERY. We immediately got caught by a spotter, then ran to the lodge. We ran up a hill straight to archery, then we saw Moose spotting people and we crouched

not to get caught. We read our clue and it read SWIMMING POOL. We got caught and had to leave our clue! We got back to the lodge and ran back up, got our clue, then

started to run back down the hill. Then we realized that we had left our camp-er. Cucamonga ran to get the camper. After we got him we needed to go to the pool, so we got our clue and it read ROCK WALL. We ran to the rock

wall and two of our campers need-ed a break, so we left them on a hill and got to the wall. Read our clue and ran to the lodge. As we got closer we realized Moose was down with his flashlight. He was keeping his flashlight in the same spot. We ran around, got in the lodge, and finished the first ever teen camp Mission Impossible. The Ride Back from Yosemite Rachael B., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) So, the people in my van were Monica, Ellie, Andy, Annamarie, Spike, Onyx, Aaron, Ellis, Nathan, Ben, Victoria, Kaleb, Rebekah, and Ashley. I can honestly say that it was the funniest, most ridiculous van ride ever. Monica and I were in the front row the whole time so we didn’t get car sick. At the beginning of the ride, Andy and I were doing a duet to “Summer Nights” from Grease. We are terrible singers, but Yoshi found our voices comforting. All three of us were burping and

blowing them in each others’ faces. The best parts happened after the Pizza Factory. Monica, Onyx, and I were making farm animal noises, while Andy, Annamarie, and Ellie sang “The Climb” by Miley Cyrus. Everybody was so freezing because we had to have the AC on full blast for the people who get car sick (Monica and I). People were complaining the whole time. Mon-ica and I were singing “Shape Up” from Grease because the beginning says, “I got chills.” It was definitely the funniest, most entertaining van ride.

The Most Amazing Place on the Planet Rebekah L., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) Imagine, camp food for DAYS and you’re starving for some junk food. You think that you’ll have to survive off of that for the rest of the week… ew, right? Imagine the complete opposite of that. What comes to mind? Paradise, right? Wrong. The word you’re looking for is… VONS! Yes. Vons. Vons is the most amazing thing I’ve ever been to. Similar to Safeway, it’s the highlight of Camp Gilgal. As we pulled into



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the platform for some prayer. I definitely felt that I was brought closer to God and I hope that everyone else did too. Overcoming the Wall Rachel M., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest) The second to last day of camp we went wall climbing. I have absolutely no upper body strength, so this is a really hard thing for me

to do. I tried to climb the first time and couldn’t even make it half way up the wall. Then Summer (one of the counselors) asked if I wanted to climb the same time as her. I said yes but we both had to wait a long time because the zip line kept getting full. The zip line is a fun way to get off the top of the wall. Anyway, finally there were two openings so we both got hooked up. I made it about ¼ of the way up and I thought I couldn’t go any further. But Summer never gave up on me. She and everyone else at the top of the wall kept

the parking lot of, everyone was talking about what they were going to buy and how much money they were going to spend. Personally, I

was just intending to get a Triple Strength Rockstar, but… Shoe killed that plan. I had a sudden impulse to buy some Fruit-Roll-Ups and ALMOST put them back but Shoe told me to “kill my conscience,” which were the wrong words to say. Fruit-Roll-Ups led to Cheez-Its led to Jerky. Jerky led to M&M’s. In other words, $3 turned into $30. Pretty ridiculous, right? But, hey, it’s VONS. Some campers decided to go absolutely nuts. For example, Eric, Jason, Mitch and Isaac bought tons of stuff. Mountain Dew, chips, M&M’s, and their cart looked like a MOUNTAIN of junk food. It was great. That just goes to show how amazingly incredible VONS really is.

A Walk with God Bryan R., Age 15 (Teen Camp Midwest) After a long and tiring day, the boy cabin was fast asleep. Suddenly, our counselors had us woken up. We got on our shoes and socks and started heading up to the beach where we had gone canoeing. Katan, one of our counselors had announced that we would be performing a faith walk. He then asked for volunteers and Jed immediately raised his hand. He took Jed into the woods while the rest of us waited. About two minutes later, Katan walked back and asked for another volunteer. I raised my hand and was taken a little ways off to a distant path. Katan told me, that basically, I was supposed to walk on the path in front of me for 10-15 minutes where we would stop at the tree that looked like a cross. He told me that while I walked, I was supposed to think about my faith in God and to pray to Him. It was very intimidating but I finally made it and found Jed and Taz waiting at

the tree shaped like a cross. There we wait-ed for Noah followed by Josiah and then Mocha and Katan at last. There we talked for a while about our experiences while walking and how the walk could be applied to our everyday life. After talking, we headed to



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encouraging me. Then Summer prayed for me and after a very long time, I finally made it to the top. All this happened yesterday and I’m still sore. But, I’m happy because I accomplished something I never thought I could. God helped me and I got so much encouragement from everyone at camp. The whole camp really becomes your family by the time you leave. Masks Elisa F., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest) For our art project, we made masks. We each picked partners. My brother, Jed, and I were partners. Jed went first. I had to put loads and loads of Vaseline on his face and hair line. Then we got strips of plaster, dipped them into water and put them on our faces. We had to make layer after layer. We put the plaster over your nose and mouth, so to breathe they gave you straws to breathe through. Everyone was drooling through the straw. Taz, instead of putting it in his mouth, put two straws in his nose. Once you were done putting the plaster on the person with the mask, we would go into the sun. Once it was dry, we carefully pulled it off. Afterwards, we all had a lot of vaseline that wouldn’t come out of our hair. We had to wash our faces

because there was plaster on our faces. All the masks ended up really good. The next day we all painted it. Mine was half black

and half silver outlined in dark blue. Some painted theirs like clowns. Chiclet and Taz spray painted theirs gold. Everyone did an awesome job on their masks!

Eat That Food Ariel C., Age 13 (Teen Camp Midwest) Each day before reading the Bible, we all did a game called EAT THAT FOOD. Some people had to eat sardines! It was so awesome! I love it. Josiah had spicy sardines. And also Marisa and Noah drank coke and mentos. Noah won – but he had a head start and Marisa was right behind him! Rachel and Stacia

had a race on eating ice cream cones and drinking the bottled water fastest – RACHEL won! I had a great and wonderful time there at Teen Camp.

First Day at Camp Noah K., Age 13 (Teen Camp Midwest) This is my first year at camp. I rode to camp with Taz, one of the directors. In the car I met Bryan and Jed. Bryan was 15 years old and Jed was 12. It wasn’t that hard to make friends with them because usually I get along with everyone. I thought camp was going to be really boring but it ended out being fun. The first activities we did were meet and greet games. In one of the games, all of us had to pick a vegetable and close our lips over our teeth. We were to say that vegetable we had picked. The goal is not to let our teeth show. We ended the day by singing songs and eating popcorn at the campfire.

Activities at Camp Jed F., Age 12 (Teen Camp Midwest) On the first day we did some get to know each other games like the vegetable game and “I Never”. On the second day we got to choose from three activities such as football or painting and one spiritual one. After we were done



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played a game for an hour or two. It was really fun. We all went back to our cabins and had to go to sleep right away. That night was really fun.

Camping Trip Jonah G., Age 14 (Teen Camp East) Every year at teen camp we always go on a camping trip. We go to a campsite and hang out for a day. It has a game building, a playground, a campfire, and a volleyball net. We also sleep outside in tents. It start-ed raining outside during the night so all the sides of the tents were wet. Personally, I had the worst time here because the door to my tent was broken, so bugs got in and I could not fall asleep. A lot of other people however, had fun because we roasted marshmallows and went on the slide. We also made s’mores and sang campfire songs around the campfire.

with one of the three we would choose two different activities for the rest of the morning. One of my

favorites was soccer with Katan (but in England they call that Football). Another was one session on evangelism with Summer. These were just a few of the awesome activities. Bowling Raveena L., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest) On the third afternoon of camp, we traveled to a bowling alley. My team, which was a group of four, played three games. My three friends who were on my team were Michaela, Elisa, Marisa, and me. It was really exciting when Michaela made her two strikes and ELISA her five!! We also had special shoes. The first pair I got were too big, so I had to get another pair. Mocha, a counselor threw his ball behind him! We all were able to get some

type of drink. I got Sierra Mist. CAMP IS SO FUN! Canoe Trip Shoshana Z., Age 13 (Teen Camp Midwest) The canoe trip is when we canoe across a lake to a beach. It’s hard and fun because steering the canoe can be difficult. I love the beach because you can hang out with friends and swim and just have a good time. We ate and two counselors shared their testimonies. They were great! I learned to always listen to God when He is talking to you. I also learned that God gives you signs and you should listen. The Coffee Shop Marisa T., Age 13 (Teen Camp Midwest) On Thursday, we went on a field trip to the Goshen Original Coffee Shop. At first, nobody knew where we were going. Since we were leaving at night, we thought that we were going to another Decathalon, but when we got there, we were so surprised. We each were able to spend $6 to buy a treat and a drink. I got a caramel mocha with a hot brownie. Rachel got a Mexican

decaf coffee. My sister got a hot cocoa and Josiah got a whole coffee that he didn’t even like. Coco got a hot cocoa and Chai got a chai tea. Mocha of course, got a mocha. After all of us were finished with the coffees and deserts, we all



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using pronouns. If a player is awarded three penalties, the rest of the players must choose that play-er’s punishment. This year, not one, but three players were awarded three penalties. So Becky, Austin and David each had Sharpie uni-

brows and moustaches. Becky was given a pencil-line moustache (which she kept wiping off), David had a “Hulk Hogan” moustache (which he was constantly stroking), and Austin was given a curly “Hook” moustache (which, of course, earned him the nickname Hook). So, if you ever decide to

play Silent Football, remember: Never, EVER refer to Ms. Comissioner as pale, and ALWAYS have fun.

Silent Football Becky P., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) This year at teen camp, they decided to play a “fun” game of silent football. Now in this game many things happen, such as thwakas, zoomas, schmotums, shrugs and a lack of pronouns. Ms. Comissioner is the head of the game. She governs over the peanut gallery. The peanut gallery is the group of players who tattle on those who make mistakes during the game. I was in the peanut gallery and was unfamiliar with the game, so I messed up a lot. In this game you cannot afford

to have a lot of mistakes because mistakes lead to penalties. And three penalties gets you severe punishment. Ms. Comissioner decides your fate. After getting three penalties myself, I, as well as

David and Austin, due to their penalties, had to sit in the middle of the circle of the peanut gallery as they decided our fate. After much debate and suspense everyone finally decided to have David, Austin and myself wear permanent marker mustaches and uni-brows. Did I mention permanent? I kept trying to wipe it off, but it was always reapplied. After 24 hours though, it was finally allowed to melt away. When I tried to take it off, it did not come off right away, so two days later, it came off… yeh, yeh. A Tale of White Water Rafting Josh H., Age 14 (Teen Camp East) I went white water rafting and Shai-na fell off the raft. She went down a large waterfall, but she was still smiling. So a bear ate her and while inside the bear, her smile burned through the bear and she fell into the river again. And Ravioli was pulling her leg. (Just like I am to you!)

Silent Football: Pronouns & Mustaches Joy K., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) One advantage of Teen Camp is Silent Football. In Silent Football, the players can

accumulate penalties by either: performing an incorrect move, speaking out of turn, not addressing Ms. Comissioner correctly, or



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The Difference of Junior and Teen Camp Brighton G., Age 12 (Teen Camp West) Many junior campers wonder how teen camp will be different than junior camp and might be a little bit nervous, so I’m going to interview some people who have

been to both camps and see what they think is different. Ashley K., a camp veteran, loved junior camp and was sad to leave. But when she arrived at teen camp, she had the time of her life. She missed the water slide and horse-back riding, but she had extremely enjoyed the adventure activities and jet-skiing. She has a lot of fun memories from both camps. Rachael B. said, “Junior camp and teen camp are really different.

had to trust that the equipment was going to keep us from falling. Just like you have to trust God and his decisions. I would say that Gilgal has made my relationship with God a lot closer. And they made it fun! All the cool games

and campfires. It’s been a blast. For the final main event we went to Bass Lake. They had a banana boat and skis. The last time I went on the banana boat I fell 14 times! Moose was the driver… It was so much fun, I’ll never forget it. Camp Gilgal has been such a blessing. It has impacted my life greatly. Teen Camp’s Delicacies Joseph B., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) Usually camp food is pretty gross. It’s usually some random slop, at

least at the camps I’ve gone to. However, at this camp, the food is really good. For breakfast, we’ve gone from French toast to quiche to pancakes, my

favorite. I personally love anything that goes with syrup. The only bad

Junior camp is a lot of fun and where I met my best friends, but teen camp is a lot more mature and I feel a lot closer to God there. I can’t say which one is better because they’re both really amazing!”

Jason R. said, “Junior camp’s a lot more mellow and it’s a lot more about your own cabin instead of a group effort. Junior camp is longer, but teen camp has a lot more interaction with God.” I haven’t been to junior camp

myself, so there isn’t much I can say. But teen camp is a lot of fun, everyone is so nice, and it’s a place that really makes you closer to God and shows me how much God really loves me. My First Year Ashley S., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) My first year at Gilgal has been great! I have so many wonderful and loving friends, not to mention the amazing counselors.

Camp Gilgal has definitely helped me to push myself. For example, the ropes course. At one point on the ropes course you had to walk over this log without using your hands. We

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thing about breakfast the entire week was when I spilled my plate of French toast on my lap and my Camp Gilgal ’09 shirt got covered in syrup. Crusty T shirt…bleh. Lunch was also quite exceptional. Hamburgers and curly fries = awesome. We also got chicken, sal-ad, fish, and fruit, but nothing com-pares to the raw awesomeness of hamburgers and curly fries. Dinner wasn’t the best part of the epicness that we call Camp Gilgal, but wasn’t the worst either. Pasta, one of my favorite foods, was on the menu, so I was happy. I combined corn and croutons every night as well. I think I probably ate more than three thousand calories worth of food every day with all the desserts and having seconds with eve-ry meal. Oh well, I probably lost most of those calories in all of the activities we did. I hope it’s just as good next year, if not better.

Eighth Time’s a Charm Ashley K., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) My heart was beating so fast I could hear it pounding perfectly. The asphalt felt hot underneath my shaking body. Never was Capture the Degel so intense as this game, when I finally decided to go on offense and as a result, found myself stuck in enemy

territory by myself. My racing mind thought frantically that I had to call a jailbreak because Cucamonga and half my team were caught with Jet, Andy, Ben Wright, Lucas, and Ben L. guarding them. My nervous body, however, wanted to just go back to the tranquility of defense. During our first attack, Cucamonga yelled jailbreak and chaos followed with all the girls and all the boys chasing them. I couldn’t think and somehow found myself on the main road, alone. For some reason I wasn’t caught and so I crouched on the road and prayed that Andy wouldn’t see me.

Finally I decided to attempt a jailbreak, but while I was crawling on the dead branches Jet heard me and in a panic I stumbled down the hill onto the soccer field and then to my flag,

where I informed Shoe and Mr. Commissioner of the situation. For the rest of the game, I stayed on defense and relaxed my panting body. This was my eighth time playing Capture the Degel, and I finally realized why people loved it so much. After the game ended, I told my war story and was satisfied with my exciting game of Capture the Degel, which was thrilling from start to the historic stalemate. Inside the Cover Ben W., Age 13 (Teen Camp West)

In Tabernacle we studied the book of James. The book of James, sometimes referred to the Proverbs of the New Testament, is one that speaks with meaning and really is strong worded. James, the author of this biblical book, is known as the possible brother of Jesus. I like this book for many reasons of being written. The purpose is to expose unethical practices and to teach right Christian practices. The idea of James is that life can’t be without God and we can’t trust God unless we believe and we can’t believe unless we listen. Imagine this. You are reading the Bible and

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knees and down. Once we played three rounds, the winners from all three entered the pen to play the championship. It was intense but in the end Aaron came out on top. Israeli dodge ball is the most unique game. You’ll love it! Lessons Learned Pomai B., Age 13 (Teen Camp West)

My favorite part about Tabernacle is praising God. The song I like the most is “Light of the World.” The verse we learned is “but whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Messiah. What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Messiah Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I’ve lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Messiah, and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Messiah’s righteousness that comes through God and is by faith.” Philippians 3:7-9. Also we have learned about the book of James. Many believe

worshipping and then you get mad and hurt someone; is this what you should do? Please understand this is a comment report of this biblical book. I know this is not the most interesting thing, but think I know it counts. Now campers should read this book of the Bible to sustain their lives with Y’shua. Different people like different verses in James but my favorite is James 3:1-18. “Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Can you pick olives from a fig tree or figs from a grape vine?” No, you can’t draw fresh water from a salty pool. If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good things you do, then you will be truly wise! But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambitions in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealous and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the devil. For whenever there is jealousy and selfish ambition there you will find disorder and every kind of evil. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace bringing, gentle at all times and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy

and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peace-makers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest

of goodness. This biblical book is very important to us and is very im-portant all together. Please feel free to read this book and learn your course of behavior. Thank you.

Dodge Ball Olivia W., Age 12

(Teen Camp West) The gaga pit is known as Israeli dodge ball. Where we play is in a waist-high

octagon shaped pen. We (the whole camp) walk in the pen and put one hand against the wood walls and Mr. Commissioner drops the ball in the center of the pit. Once the ball hits the ground for the third time, you run off the wall toward the ball. You hit it toward anyone on the wall to get them out. It isn’t supposed to go out and it only counts if you hit them from the

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that James was the half brother of Jesus. We learned that tempting is not from God, only trials. Learning and worshiping in Tabernacle has really helped me to be more open about my faith in God. Our Fabulous F.O.B. Annamarie T., Age 15 (Teen Camp West) Hearing Spike announce it was “nap time” brought back my junior camp years when we had FOB every day. The only people in our cabin who actually slept were Rozzi and Pop-py. The rest of us just partied. Everything was going normal until the fire alarm started to chirp. “Shut your mouth,” Rebekah yelled as she leaped onto Poppy’s bed to turn it off. Shortly after we heard pounding on our roof. “Let’s do Morse code to tell them to be qui-et,” I said, banging on the roof. Soon everyone joined in. After about five minutes of banging back and forth we heard a knock on our door. It was Mr. Commissioner telling us to stop. After that KoKo

fell asleep and Ellie, Rachael, and I started a game of B.S. (Bible Study) as we like to call it. As soon as we started getting into our game the whistle blew and it was time for lunch.

Campfires Maya C., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) Imagine: a warm fire, inspiring and heart- warming worship music, surrounded by friends and God’s gift of nature… or you could just go to

Camp Gilgal teen camp’s evening campfires. Some people like them, and others find them boring. I really enjoy watching the fire, and singing and listening to the music and testimonies. Fire is so mesmerizing! It always finds a way to hypnotize me as its quick paced flames flash back and forth. It is sooo warm and comforting and it helps you cook s’mores! I must admit that it oftentimes distracts me from anything else going on, though. It really makes me think of how God created earth to be so detailed and skillful.

Worship music at Camp Gilgal is my favorite! It is so uplifting and inspiring! Shoe plays the guitar, Aaron plays the drum, and Pixie sings. They’re such good songs that I don’t have a favorite! I really like “God of

Wonders,” “Blessed Be Your Name,” “Lord of All Creation,” and more! I also really like testimo-nies because fellow Messianic Jews who are older and wiser tell you about their experiences and lessons learned. These are really beneficial to me! Overall, although campfires can sometimes be boring, I really enjoy them and find them very beneficial!

The Important Discussion of the Panel Chris K., Age 13 (Teen Camp West) The panel discussion was asking Spike, Mr. Commissioner, KoKo, Onyx, and Moose questions about God, the Bible, believers, and other Jewish people. The first question somebody asked is how you walk with God after camp. One of the

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by the time naptime came around. While Bazooka, Snapple and Ashley slept, we partied! We shared snacks, and did chemistry. Tirzah mixed four flavors of Pixie Stix (which turned out blue), and I shook up a bottle of soda and opened it. It didn’t come spraying out; it was such a disappointment! We traded Monster energy drinks for jerky, Red Vines for Pixie Stix, and plenty of other things. By far the coolest part was when Pixie and someone else from her cabin came to “wake” us up. Me and a few others slammed down against our

pillows and pretended to be just waking up. We all knew what we had been up to, and we blew it by cracking up. We were so obviously faking it that we were laughing

hysterically! I don’t want camp to end, but I know that once it’s over, I will hardly be able to wait until next year. Capture the Degel Stacia B., Age 12 (Teen Camp Midwest) On the second night of camp, we played Capture the Degel. We had no idea what we were doing but our counselors told us to get on tennis shoes and bug spray. After each team was told the game we were playing, we all strategized how we were going to try to win. My team decided to play defensively. After seven of the opposite team was in jail, I saw an opening and made a dash towards

answers was reading your Bible and praying. The second question was what you should do if a non-Messianic Jew accuses you of being a traitor. One of the answers was to pray for them. The third question was about dating. One of the answers was that you just have to follow what the Bible says, honor your parents, and trust in the Lord. That is three questions that were asked and answered during the panel discussion on Thursday during Tabernacle. Crazy Cabin Inspectors Alex E., Age 12 (Teen Camp West) All right, well, at Camp Gilgal the cabin inspections were really funny. The people in my cabin were De-nali, Gracie, Snapple, Bazooka, Tamar, Tirzah, Ashley, Moriah, and me. Denali and I shared a bunk bed

and we cleaned our whole section of the room. At lunch, Spike and Jet told us about our cabin. Jet was like, “Okay, so I walked into the cabin and tripped over a Chapstick land mine.” He also said that there was a Gatorade bottle in the

middle of our room. Then Spike was telling us about a green bag about to fall off of two suitcases. It seemed to be that everything that they were talking about was Denali and mine. But they also told us about the bathroom showers. Spike and Jet both said that it was like an explosion of shampoo bottles everywhere. De-nali and I had to shove our shampoo bottles in our bags. Other than that whole scenario, the cabin inspections were

fun and exciting. Cabin Life Moriah J., Age 14 (Teen Camp West) Where do I start? Cabin life is crowded. It’s noisy.

But it’s fun! It’s like a big constant sleepover. I met new friends, and overall had a great time. But one of my favorite cabin experiences was during our naptime on Thursday. We had been playing Mission Impossible the night before, so we didn’t get to bed until a while after midnight. However tired we were that morning, many of us weren’t

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the flag. I got the flag back to my team. We won! Yeah! Decathalon Kayla P., Age 14 (Teen Camp Midwest) It was Tuesday night. The counselors told us to put closed-toed shoes on. I did not know what we were going to do but we all got in the car. First we went to a parking lot in the middle of nowhere. There were 10 games. The first game was “Rock-Paper-Scissors”. The two team names were the “Crispy Lemons” and “Quackers”. They each picked a member from their team. My team (which was Crispy Lemons) picked me and the other team picked Ariel C. We played a round of “Rock-

Paper-Scissors” and I lost. The score was 1-0 (Quackers). The next game was a relay race.

Each member of the teams had to do it. It was a course which we had to run through the jungle gym, jump over the teeter-totter, run up the slide, slide down (but you had to say “whoo-hoo” when you slid down) run and touch the grill, go around the merry-go-round, touch the garbage can and tag your teammate after the race. The Crispy Lemons won! It was timed. Our team got 7

minutes 19 seconds while the Quackers finished in 8min. Next up we stopped at Wal-Mart and had to create a cheer for our team. Quackers won with their creativity with a dance and song. Next, each team had an orange soda chugging stack race. In this, each team had to finish a box of pop and make the tallest tower. Crispy Lemons won

that race. The next event was difficult – each team had to split two sleeves of saltine crackers between their teammates. The Quackers took that victory win. Next

we had a donut eating race – our team won that. Then we drove to another parking lot where each team had to create the best mummy by wrapping a teammate in three rolls of toilet paper. Our team won that event also! We wrapped Michaela and put her arms up and put on sun glasses and a name tag on her. Then each team went against each other in a game of

Mafia. We won that also! The second to last event we were in, each team had to make Chiclet and Taz laugh. The Quackers won that. The score was now 5-4 – we were in the lead! Our last event was making a cup out of duct tape that could hold water. Our team made a stylish tea cup and the Crispy Lemons won!! 6-4! Go Team!

Watchyou Know! Trisha T., Age 13 (Teen Camp Midwest) “Watchyou Know” has now become a commonly used phrase at Camp Gilgal Midwest. One of the head directors, named Taz, made it up with some friends of his. He started saying it during junior camp ‘09 and all of us caught on. Everyone says it for laughs and now it is a phrase that no one can forget.

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spray in hand she did her job well. Also Weezer, who sneezes on villains and delivers inhalers to asthmatic Jewish boys and girls. Ducky Woman who could do everything; she wore a duck shower cap and did her share of crime fighting as well. The Dot had the power to control all things round and annoying – from ticks to pesky little brothers. Distracts wom-anananan… was a super hero with the power to distract evil villains. There was also Superma’am who would stop time with his “good looks.” Last, there was Trendy Wendy whose cape matched her shorts, shirt and shoes. She was fashion coordinator. All together we were the Justice Jews!!

Being Part of the Worship Team David M., Age 13 (Teen Camp East) This year I had a chance to be part of the worship team as one of the two guitar players. Ever since 2004 (my first year) I would watch all the worship team members play. And I would always tell myself how I wish I could be up there playing guitar. Now I am 13 years old and have

Worship Mocha (Teen Camp Midwest) “Behold how good and pleasant it is when brethren dwell together!” (Psalm 133). There is nothing I love more at camp than praising God together in Tabernacle, campfires, and any time we get to sing and praise our King! Campers and counselors all praising God together in unity is a beautiful thing! We serve an incredible God! Let’s keep praising Him together until He comes!! Tabernacle Ravi G., Age 13 (Teen Camp East) Twister has been teaching on the Book of James. One evening she taught on the difference between temptation and testing. The fruit of temptation can be sin, while the result of testing is to help us cor-rect ourselves from sin. We also learned about hierarchies. Regardless of our place (with the

jocks, nerds, drama club, band, etc.) we need to serve God. She also taught us to be aware of what we say (including sarcasm), the tongue can kill.

Teen Camp vs Junior Camp

John C., Age 14 (Teen Camp East)

The difference between teen and junior camp is that junior camp is much more energetic. Teen camp is

more chill and doesn’t involve many insane kids running around. The teens go on better field trips, while juniors linger on with trips. Next, you can actually relate to the counselors in teen camp. Junior camp you’re too young to actually relate to the counselors. Lastly teens are more fun because I am one. All in all they’re both fun!

Justice Jews – How to Be a Superhero Margot L., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) During breakfast one day, we all had to choose our daily activities. A few of us were excited to have “how to be a superhero” offered. Streetlight and Madam were the “instructors” and helped each of us discover our inner hero. There was Deet who was the destroyer of bugs; with a red cape and bug

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been playing guitar for four years. And I was asked if I wanted to play this year. And I, of course, said yes of course I would. So this teen camp, when it is time for Tabernacle and the worship team is playing – it is such an amazing experience strumming my guitar away to the Word of God. When I would play in my old bands it was pretty fun because I would get into the music, but here at camp, I’m playing guitar for the greatest reason I could ever play for and that’s God. The best part of it is that I was able to play with Shades,

Streetlight and Strings. So I recommend you get your singing skills or if you play an instrument, you do it for your worship team! The Mighty, Mighty Moustaches! Rachel M., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) This year, we had the annual Camp Gilgal Decathalon, but this year it was a “neuftathalon.” (There were nine events). The camp was divided into two teams, and the opposing team was the Pink Pandas. My team, which was the cooliest team, was the Mighty,

Mighty Moustaches! Our team had the most fun, determined people, like Simone, Joy, Di-ana, Strings, Tauros, Streetlight, Joe, Josh, John, Austin, Kyle, Frond, and Shaina… that’s pretty much the whole team. We stuffed our faces with powdered donuts and won, we made a duct tape pair of sunglasses (with nose and a moustache!) and won. We created “Twister Towers” for Twister and won, we even created a theme song, and we didn’t need it to win! It kind of was with the “We are the Tigers” theme song, like this: Hey! You! What’s that on your face? We are the moustaches, Mighty, Mighty Moustaches! Every where we go, oh! People wanna know! The Mighty Mighty Moustaches were victorious! Camp Memories Joe A., Age 14 (Teen Camp East) This was my first year of teen camp at Camp Gilgal. Here’s a list of why it was such an experience (in chron-

ological order): 1. Being stranded for hours in a Trader Joe’s market. 2. The first time I 3. showered in the boys bathroom I found an earwig on my towel and a spider on my clothes. 4. Spinning until we got

crazy dizzy on the playground. 5. Drawing monobrows and

moustaches on Dave, Becky and Austin with Sharpies as punishment for lacking common sense in Silent Football.

6. Going to Wal-Mart and seeing Tauros wear pink water shoes. 7. Watching people fail at Mow, or is it Mau? 8. Getting eaten alive by mosquitoes. 9. Feeling like a ninja. 10. Watching dragon flies on Shades’ hands and then Josh killing them. 11. Becky getting hit in the face with random food items. 12. Being part of the donut eating – soda chugging – candy building – Canadian province knowing – Mighty Mighty Moustaches! 13. Being a ninja in paintball. 14. Hearing John talk in his sleep. 15. Successfully wearing my shades during the entire week!

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Asher Shaina R., Age 15 (Teen Camp East) Camp Gilgal is fun every year. But this year was spectacular! The counselors were fun and so were the campers. There was much joy and fun and awesomeness! From “Tea with Old Jewish Women” to Ultimate Mau. Every moment was completely super fantabulous. But camp isn’t all fun and games. We also have time to get closer to God, which to some is fun indeed. I learned a lot about works with faith in the book of James this year. That is the real purpose and joy of Camp Gilgal – growing closer to God with a group of believers. That’s why I want to continue with Camp Gilgal Jews for Jesus for as long as I can. And seeing as I am going to be 16, I can do that by being an assistant tribe leader for junior camp next year.

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