West Camp 2023
Snack Shack
Azriel S.
11
Zebulun
I love the snack shack because they have good food. I went to the snack shack and in line there was Rafi. I like the snack shack because I like their milkshakes. Gabe said, “the sour strips are the most popular”. Rafi said he likes the ice cream sandwich. Solo said to get the chocolate peanut butter milkshake. I want an ice cream sandwich from the snack shack.
Playing Gaga Ball
Daniel Zion B.
9
Simeon
When you’re in a match in gaga ball it is really intense. If you’re in a match with older people they will be hitting super hard. If they stay defense on the wall run unless you are kinda strong. Hit the ball back at them hard! Then keep doing that the whole game. By the way this is for new players only. Now I am going to tell some of my favorite war stories in gaga ball. One time I was playing against counselors which are very strong. Then at the start they got like a ton of people out. The game kept going until it was me vs. Solo the best counselor. He started hitting super hard. Then I hit the ball super hard back at him. I got him!!! The end.
Lev Interviews Nacho
Watching Stars
Daniel Zion B.
9
Simeon
The first thing that Lonestar told us to do is to go to the gaga pit. After that he told us to get in. so we did then he started showing us stars then planets and constellations. It was really fun. It was also super exciting! At the same time I wanted to keep looking I was freezing because I forgot my jacket. We could also eat a bunch of candy I even had a sugar rush! Even though it was not my favorite activity I still had fun! The end.
Being a Mensch
Daniel Zion B.
9
Simeon
Being a mensch is not that hard. You have to be honest, loyal, caring, kindhearted, and respectful. So you see it really is not that hard. I was being a big mensch during what a mensch night. I mostly held the door and gathered people’s plates, cups, and trash for the whole camp. And I would pull out chairs for campers and counselors. See you can do a lot of stuff to become a mensch. Now, a short war story. One time I saw Nacho with crutches walking to a door then I rushed up to the door. My camp mates came trying to open the door. Then we decided to do an intense rock, paper, scissors match. I won all of them. The end.
Rina Interviews Her Tribe
Water Balloon Volleyball
Ela W.
9
Reuben
I think water balloon volleyball is very fun. So first we set up the tarp sand then Snapple puts a water balloon into our tarp and we toss the balloon over the net and if the balloon lands outside of the boundaries then that team doesn’t get a point. If it lands in the tarp you continue. If it flies over the net and lands inside the boundaries they get a point and continue playing. The balloons are very bright colors. I liked playing water balloon volleyball.
The Hebrew Lesson
Eli K.
8
Simeon
I learned new Hebrew words like go fast, and how to say walk in Hebrew, sit down and speed walk in Hebrew. We’re to go in Hebrew and be quiet and listen. In Hebrew we go back and forth and spin around. I felt happy in Hebrew. Some people were talking during the lesson and we could of got a prize. We didn’t get a prize because people weren’t listening. People were following people because they didn’t know what to do because it was the first Hebrew lesson. Some times it was like 30 or 40 minutes. When it was done we went back to our cabin. Some times we finished early and we play some games then we go back.
Skit Night
Eli K.
8
Simeon
Reuben started first and a soggy man and rich man and a doctor. Then Zebulun went and Lev said to Rhyder “what’s up brother in Christ come home”. Daniel had a mustache and two more eyebrows and I was Goliath. Then Issachar went and there was a person named Job and he had friends and said Jesus can’t swim. Then job wanted to marry a girl and got rejected. Then Jobs friends said sorry and then one day Job wanted to marry the same girl that he got rejected then they got married and I felt happy.
Craft
Elorah M.
11
Reuben
Day 1: This year at Camp Gilgal 2023 we are making leather belts. The first step is to make a design then measure yourself and see how long the belt needs to be.
Day 2: Then a counselor cuts it out for you. Once the belts have been cut you wet the leather one time every minute, seven times. When you’ve finished that use the stencils and hammer it on the wet leather then once you take it away you should have an indent of the shape you chose. Once you have finished your pattern stain the leather either red, light brown, or dark brown. Make sure it’s smooth or it won’t look as good. Wait until the first side you did dries then flip it over and do the other side then the edges.
Day 3: Use the dobbers to put on either the cream that makes it shiny or the matte that I think only makes it more smooth.
No-Know Night
Gabe V.
11
Zebulun
No-know night was really fun. How it started out everyone had 1 pin clip. We had to make everyone say no or know and if we did we get all of their clips. At first, I started off good getting one, but I don’t remember who and after that I made Bubbles say know getting myself 2 more pins. But then me and Rafi were talking then I said, ‘I know’ and Rafi didn’t notice, but Hannah did and took my pins. I kept trying to steal everyone’s but no one was budging. Lev had 6 pins and I made a bet. If Lev gives me one of his pins I will get someone and will pay him back after. He accepted, so I grabbed one of his pins. Afterwards, I got Hannah but someone else took it before I could. And the rest of the time I was trying to get more pins but again no one is saying no so I decided to give my pin away. So I gave it to Olivia and for the rest of the time I didn’t get any.
Gethsemane Falls
Hannah W.
12
Issachar
When we first started walking there, Lonestar took us on the wrong path twice due to his amazing leading skills. When we were walking there we saw all sorts of plants and we also saw a lot of streams too. Right before we got there I could already hear the sound of the water fall. When we got there I was so ready to cool off in the water. Lonestar said we could take off our shoes and socks and go in the water. Then Spot yelled “who wants to build a dam?” and an array of people yelled “me!”. Olivia, Rina and I took our shoes off and went into the water, it was freezing. Rina didn’t get out of the water but me and Olivia did until we got used to it. Olivia and Rina went over to the dam to see the progress. Then I started to make my way over until I stepped on a rock then realized how slippery it was then I started to lose my balance so I tried to grab Rina hoping she could catch me, but she was too out of reach then I fell. I was the first one to fall in the water out of all the people. After that Bubbles told me if we went over to Rina and Olivia and told them about how we went over to the waterfall it would be way warmer so we went over their and it was so warm. Rina also got wet and dirty so we washed off in the waterfall. When we got out I grabbed my shoes and socks and sat on a log next to the water and washed my feet off and put my socks and shoes on. Then they said that we were leaving in a few minutes. While I watched, Spot showed me a ladybug him and Curly Fry found. He asked me what her name should be and I said, “how about polka-dot?” and Spot said “yeah and polka for short”. Then we started walking and I got to hold polka for a while and when we were finished a tragic accident happened, Lev killed Polka!!! And said I was his accomplice! It was all Lev I promise. Well anyway that was my short story of Gethsemane Falls.
Tabernacle
Jonah Costea, 8
Simeon
We usually go to tabernacle in the morning after we eat breakfast, and sometimes after dinner. At tabernacle we sing worship songs from a songbook, and Solo rolls on the floor with his guitar a lot. When it gets hot we’re told to bring our water bottles, and that’s good because it does get hot. In tabernacle Marshie is teaching about the life of Moses. This makes me happy because I like learning bible stories and I like to do the memory verse also! I also really like to do the hand motions to the worship songs. I like to sing songs with everyone at camp. This is why I love tabernacle, because we get to worship God.
The Pool War
Micah R.
8
Simeon
Once I went to the pool and I shot Solo with my gun. Solo was breaking the law. So I tried to get him, he shot me. It was a war. I shot him when he jumped off the diving board. In the shallow end we shot at the same time. I fought him as hard as I could. I shot him. He got me in my eyes. Then he ran and then it was a tie. The end.
Meet Curly Fry
Naomi C.
13
Issachar
Today I interviewed Curly Fry. Here’s what I asked her…
Q: How did you get your name?
Her mom craved curly fries when she was pregnant and dropped a few on the floor. When she started crawling, she found a curly fry on the floor and picked it up. Her parents yelled, “No! Not the curly fry!”. And that’s how she became Curly Fry.
How does your hair just happen to match your name?
All in God’s plan.
Are curly fries your favorite food?
They aren’t her absolute favorite food, but they’re in her top 5.
What is your absolute favorite food?
Fresh raspberries are her favorite fruit, and her favorite food is souffles. Her favorite dessert is cookie dough ice cream.
What is your favorite activity?
Making jewelry. She owns a jewelry business called Liana Faith Boutique.
What’s your favorite part about being a counselor?
Getting to know her campers and having fun conversations with them.
Mandy Interviews S’mores
Skit Prepping
Olivia W.
13
Issachar
We started to prep by first finding what story we were going to do. We decided on Job. Hannah came up with the idea of making it camp gilgal themed. Next we started on the script, it took us so long because we wanted to make it funny but still make it known that it is the story of Job, so it took us about 2 days to finish. Our costumes were camp gilgal shirts with shorts, our hair in baseball hats and drawn on mustaches because we were Job’s friends. We practiced and went to the skit. All our practice paid off because we won.
The Cool Cleaners
Owen G.
8
Simeon
Loyd and Fllllllllllllllllloydd are the cleaners. They check how many points you get for cleaning your cabin. We usually get 85 which sounds like a lot but it actually isn’t. a lot is 100 that’s a lot compared to 85. Today we got 75… but somehow we are still beating the older boys cabin! Anyway Fllllllllllllllllloydd and Loyd are the best, 5/5 cleaners you should hire them yourself. They have really good eyes to check for mistakes in your house, mansion, cabin or castle. Its like they can see through walls. Also they dance like professionals. Maybe they are? Anyways they I think can do the worm, I forgot. But they can definitely boogie really good way better than me and my brother.
The War
Owen G.
8
Simeon
It was the first match and I ran straight to the flag. I tried to outrun five people but I got tagged! But then Rafi got the jailbreak and we got to the center! But we got cornered then my brother AKA Rhyder ran and got the first point! At the second match I sneaked around the edge cone to get a jailbreak! Gabe also ran into the circle and brought it back to get the second point! The third match I stayed out for the next two matches because I was out of breath. But I saw the other matches. In the third match Rafi got the third point. But the last point we lost but we still won 3-1.
Moon Ball FOB
Owen G.
8
Simeon
At the start of FOB we play Moon Ball. It’s basically there’s a ball you throw around and if you talk you’re out, if you throw a bad pass you’re out, and if you miss a good pass you’re out. And the last one standing wins! If you win you get Oreos! You need at least two people to play. Anyway I started with the ball and I passed it to Jonah. And he passed it to Eli but it was a bad pass so Jonah got out. Eli threw it to Rocco then he passed it and Daniel caught it. Then he passed the ball to me but I missed and I was out! After that Micah caught it and Daniel missed the ball and now they had to use left hand in the final. In the end Micah won!
Ela Interviews Lonestar
Store
Owen Gutierrez
8
Simeon
The Gilgal store is a store run by the camp. You can buy stuff like hats, shirts, bags, ect. It’s like the snack shack but it’s not candy. Today it was at the craft center. My friend Eli spent over $10. I bought McDonald’s toys for my sister. Eli got a hat and other stuff. I also got glasses and a red floaty. Also my other friend Jonah got a popit and I think that’s it. And Azriel got four glasses and seven bumper stickers. Nachoooo got nothing because there was no nachos. Micah got a tambourine and candle holder and he also got a camp hat.
The Battle of the Degel
Rafi T.
10
Zebulun
Have you ever made a diegel? Well if you haven’t you need to know about the decision making, teamwork, and be artistic. So in my gazette I’m going to explain these three things that happened to me in my 2023 Camp Gilgal year.
First decision making, when making our decisions on what the tribe name should be and diegel color we already had an idea of what we should be. So first we picked a tribe name and we wanted Zebulon and we got it because surprisingly no one wanted the same name. Anyway next we had to debate on who want which color diegel and I thought we would be able to get what we wanted but when colors dropped and people didn’t want them I knew we were gonna have to challenge someone else for the same color. So then it came down to us and another tribe that also wanted the same color purple. Then as normal when someone wants the same color we do rock, paper, scissors. Then we started, “rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” and we won so now its 1-1. Finally the last round “rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” and we lost so they got purple and we chose again and got a red diegel.
Next teamwork, you need teamwork to find the best possible decision. So our tribe did well when we needed team work because we all shared our opinions and helped as best as we could to get an amazing diegel.
Finally artistic, you have to be artistic to make a good diegel other wise you might as we;; can give up. So on my diegel we were really creative considering we had red also what we were drawing was a boat. Plus blue goes really well with red so making a sea was really easy. Anyway after a whole twenty minutes of dedication we made a beautiful piece of art.
In conclusion making a diegel is fun, and exciting but you need decision making, teamwork, artistic skills. So now that you have read this maybe you can try to make a diegel.
Devotional Time
Rafi T.
10
Zebulun
Hello I’m Rafi and today I’m going to write about devotions. First we get on the floor with our bibles and we start to read verses. Then after a while of reading we eventually go over what we read and our counselors ask us what we learned. After this week we were talking about how God has grace for us wherever we go. In addition this week we read about the parable of the lost son, some parts of Ephesians, and the memory verse. Now that you read this I hope that you read your Bible too.
Tribe
Rafi T.
10
Zebulun
The best tribe ever
Campers counselors
Are cool
I love camp so much
Gilgal’s Picnic
Rhyder G.
10
Zebulun
We grab our packed lunches when I see my Oreos missing?? Oh wait, they were under my chips oops. Anyway we eat our sandwiches and someone asks “if you could shoot any drink out of your fingers what would it be?”. I never answered welp. My friend starts screaming and I freak out and run back. And he was screaming because he ran out of soda and there wasn’t any more. Also if I could shoot any 5 drinks from my fingers it would be sprite, lemonade, orange juice, strawberry lemonade, and prime. Then the picnic ended and overall I enjoyed it.
The Apocalypse
Rocco Trank
8
Simeon
I got to the field and I was all ready. I hid and loaded my bow. I shot and I missed. I did it again I missed again. At the end I hit someone. Some of the rules are if you get hit in the head no one is out. But if you get hit below the neck you have to get off the field and take off your stuff and you are out! Even though I did not win I still had an awesome time. I am looking forward to next year!
The Epic Adventure of Wells Fargo
Rhyder Gutierrez
10
Zebulun
I’m walking through the woods and suddenly I see an opening, I run for it. Hi I’m Rhyder and today I’ll be telling you the epic tale of my adventure of Wells Fargo. I hear the whistle and I sneak around with one of my friends Azriel. We sneak around Spot and make it to S’mores’ bag of gold AKA the target. We sneak past but Sherriff Solo catches us and then I had to count for one hundred seconds.
Round two when we hear the whistle me and a new friend named Lev sneak past Spot again and make it to Bubbles. But then she saw us so I ran to the fields where I saw an open bag and when Sherriff Nacho wasn’t looking I went for it. Then Nacho saw me and tagged me. But alas the round was over (also I forgot we were playing and walked right up to Sherriff Spot and said, “Well seems like you’ve never been tagged” and that was the end of the round).
Round three the final round. This time when we heard the whistle everyone charged at the same time. We got a bag easily because they were outnumbered. Me and Lev again were sneaking to Bubbles but she didn’t see us. I’m walking through the woods and suddenly see an opening and go for it, grab the bag and run. I doge Spot and Solo and make it to home base.
And in total it was 2-1 so we knew we won and the game was over