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Welcome new staff
Victor Lee, Biblical Counseling Director Pastor Victor has spent much of his life working in the area of communications, writing for various newspapers and Christian publications. He is a veteran foster parent with a strong background in family counseling and pastoral ministry. For almost ten years, Victor was a pastor at First Baptist Concord in Knoxville, TN, with a focus on counseling and equipping young adults and families. His hope is to teach the students at WVR that joy, purpose, and healing are found only by following Christ as instructed in His Word. In addition to providing individual, group, and family counseling, Pastor Victor oversees the entire residential staff. Pastor Victor and his wife Judy have five children and five grandchildren. They have been foster parents to more than 20 children.
John and Kaylyn Petzel, Pleasant Hill Houseparents John and Kaylyn Petzel came to the Ranch from the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan. Before coming to the Ranch, John taught high school history classes at a Christian school, while Kaylyn served at a local hospital. For most of their married life, John and Kaylyn had been traveling to the Smoky Mountains every year to celebrate their anniversary. After such a trip in 2010, God sovereignly led them to "stumble" upon the Ranch via the internet, and they strongly sensed God's call to serve as houseparents. We rejoice that almost a year later, in the Lord's perfect timing, the Petzels are here to lovingly guide and care for the girls of Pleasant Hill.
Kathryn LaMar, Math and Science Tutor
Growing up in nearby Chattanooga, Kathryn, along with the entire LaMar family, has long been a part of Wears Valley Ranch. As a child Kathryn attended and later worked as a counselor for Camp Arrowwood, visited the Ranch during family vacations, and prayed daily for the Lord's blessing upon WVR.
Kathryn received her Bachelor of Science from Union University with a double major in Biology and Music and a minor in Chemistry. After graduation, she remained at the university to teach an anatomy and physiology lab. We are blessed that Kathryn is here now, sharing her love for God and His creation.
Kam Werder, Food Services Director
Kam, along with his wife Josephine, moved to Wears Valley in June of 2011 from Black Mountain, North Carolina. After graduating from Montreat College, Kam remained at the college to work with the food services department. As Food Services Director, Kam serves the main mid-day meal to Ranch staff and students five days a week. He also prepares all meals during our summer camp program and for various retreats and volunteer groups throughout the year. He hopes to share with the students his passion for "healthy food that connects the land to the table with gratitude to the Lord who makes all things grow."
Marvelous Mentors
Every year, we are blessed with the energy, enthusiasm, gifts and dedication of recent college grads who assist the houseparents in providing attention for the children.
 | | 2011/2012 Mentors: Front Row-- David Zimmerman, Chris Recio, Matt Jackson, Grace Ruegsegger, Jackie Grafton. Back Row-- Julie Keyser, Kyndall Blake, Erica Schiller, Anna Murray, Kate Thacker, Miriam Bundick (not pictured: Maria Bober) |
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Greetings!
 There is no better time of year than autumn in the Smoky Mountains. The air is crisp, the sky is blue, the mountains are a riot of color. We wear sweaters and build fires and wonder when the first snow will come. It's a wonderful time for hiking, and come Thanksgiving, my teenage children will startle the tourists by swimming in the frigid river in the Park. Beautiful! But the greatest beauty I see is the power of God's grace changing the lives of children who come to the Ranch. We've admitted a dozen new students since the first of July. The campus is buzzing with excitement as the boys and girls tackle new courses and learn new skills.
In the morning, after I teach a devotional, children take turns reciting the Scriptures they have memorized. Our day is filled with learning and fun but begins and ends with worship. We thank God for His miraculous grace. This Ranch is proof that God is real!
Your prayers and generosity are the means God uses to make all of this possible. The Ranch is founded entirely by donations. And only God can change and heal the hearts of the little ones in our care. Please continue to pray for us and, as you are able, please give generously. 
Jim Wood
Wears Valley Ranch
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Staff Week at WVR
This fall Wears Valley Ranch held its first ever all-staff retreat. Six days and evenings were packed with in-depth training, teambuilding, and fun. The retreat centered around the mission of the Ranch, to promote the spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social, and physical wellbeing of youth in need of a stronger family support system, through Christ-centered home settings. Sessions included Making the Gospel Believable, Cultivating Intimacy with God and Others, Coaching Teachers, and other foundations for ministry to children. As we welcome so many new staff and students this fall, we thank God for the unity, encouragement, and solid teaching received during this time together.
Feedback
I really enjoyed Pastor Victor's talk about intimacy, which challenged me to be more intentional about my relationship with God thus having more to give to the kids.
The retreat really exceeded my expectaions. Worship and training were great. The time of prayer was powerful. The activities were fantastic, especially Titanic and Dixie Stampede. I'm already looking forward to next year's retreat!
Please support our retreat sponsors
Captain Jim's Seafood Buffet
Dixie Stampede
Dollywood
Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies
Titanic Museum Attraction
Trinity Medical Associates
Wonderworks
Watch devotions and excerpts from staff training at wvr.org.
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Do you know the Way?
 | | Andrew with his son Titus |
Last summer, Jim and his son Clayton made a trip to Moldova, the poorest country in Eastern Europe. Their goal was to encourage brothers and sisters there who work with orphans and to assess practical ways to help them. The trip inspired Jim's wife Susan to tackle her first children's book. She wanted to present the gospel in simple terms and to give the orphans the only gift that will last forever.
With help from Andrew Wood, Susan began putting together Do you know the Way?, a book that presents the gospel to children using the words of Scripture. Ministry leaders in Moldova translated the book, and it was first published in Russian and Romanian, the languages of the orphans they work with. To order copies of the beautiful English version for someone you love, visit our website www.wvr.org or call 865-429-5437. As the book costs $20/copy to produce, any gift over $20/copy is fully tax deductible.
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Happy Reformation Day!
We thank God for those who gave their lives so that we can have the Bible in our own language.
 On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther nailed 95 theses to the door of the Wittenberg Church in Saxony. In his theses, he exposed some of the indulgences as a denial of God's grace in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because of the courage of Martin Luther and other reformers, we have the Bible in our own language, and the gospel has been preserved and proclaimed to succeeding generations.
Now that's reason to celebrate! So, at Saint Andrew's School, rather than celebrating the pagan holiday "Halloween," we celebrate God's faithfulness in bringing His church back to His word and back to the gospel. During the month of October, students research the various reformers and write about their contributions to the reformation. On October 31, we gather to share what we have learned.
For those worried about whether the children get candy... yes, they will. But there's more to celebrate than just sugar or goblins. We are thrilled that our students will be celebrating something worth remembering on October 31. Are you? |
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About Us
Wears Valley Ranch provides Christian homes, education, and counseling to children from families in crisis. Our vision is to see every child inspired to follow Christ, healed from the past, and equipped to reach their full potential.Learn more at our website, www.wvr.org, or call us at 865-429-KIDS.
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