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Mentors
2012-2013 School Year
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2012-2013 Mentors-- Front row: Abi Pastor, Erica Schiller, Britton Cowles, David Zimmerman. Back row: Julia Montany, Grace Ruegsegger, Lissy McClanahan, Maria Bober, Julie Zimmerman
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This fall we are thrilled to welcome both new and returning mentors. Mentoring at Wears Valley Ranch is an outstanding year-long ministry opportunity for college students and recent graduates. Mentors live alongside students in the homes, discipling and tutoring them daily. Along the way, the Mentors themselves gain valuable experience in tutorial education, counseling,and the Bible. Please pray for our Mentors as they help shape the lives of children at the Ranch.
If you or someone you know may be interested in serving as a mentor, please contact Lorie Wolfe at lwolfe@wvr.org or 865-429-0372.
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Mike & Barb Cox
Laurel Ridge Houseparents
Mike and Barb joined the Wears Valley Ranch family this August and are houseparents to eight girls. Before moving from Indiana, they both left successful careers in the steel industry and education to serve at the Ranch.
Mike and Barb have always had a heart to work with children. While serving on a mission trip to an orphange in Jamaica, they expressed a desire to work full-time with children from difficult situations. It was there, 1600 miles from home, that they learned about Wears Valley Ranch from the directors of the orphanage.
Between them, Mike and Barb have nine grown children and seven grandchildren. "After raising nine children we are now in a position to make a long-term commitment to the children at the Ranch. We are very willing and eager to get started serving God in this way."
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James Price
Biblical Counseling Director
Though their family has grown, this couple may look familiar to many of you! James and his wife Jenny first met at Wears Valley Ranch in 1998 when he was a mentor at Christopher House and she oversaw the equestrian program. In 2000, not long after they were married, they became the very first houseparents at Oak Rise, providing love and guidance to the boys in their care for nearly three years. Their oldest son Daniel was born while they were houseparents. Eventually, the Lord led them away from the Ranch. During their time away, James, who already had an undergraduate degree in elementary education, earned a Master of Divinity degree at Southern Seminary in Louisvile, KY. Over several years, God has graciously led James on a path that would prepare him to serve as Biblical Counseling Director at WVR. Having served in multiple roles at the Ranch, James brings a unique perspective to counseling with boys and residential staff. James and Jenny now have four children.
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Greetings!
 Here at the Ranch, one of the advantages of our individualized approach to education is that we can admit children year round, placing them in courses based on their current achievement and ability. Still, each September when the new school term begins, it feels like a new start. A new group of mentors is welcomed, trained, and integrated into the fabric of Ranch life. This year we also welcome Mike and Barb Cox, new houseparents at Laurel Ridge, and Wayne Eberhardt who will be tutoring high school students in math and science. Our new Biblical Counseling director is James Price, returning to the Ranch after completing his Master's degree. We are delighted to have him in the role and regard his arrival as a special kindness from God. James met his bride Jenny while they were both serving here at the Ranch. I was blessed to watch their love ignite and grow. I performed their wedding and appreciated the fine job they did as newlywed houseparents. This year feels like a new beginning in many ways!
My work with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association is also off to a good start. We now have a team of wonderful coordinators around the nation who are working to mobilize the Body of Christ to pray and labor toward an evangelistic harvest in November 2013. I am honored that God has given me the privilege of being the Director of Mobilization for this effort, the largest in the history of that organization. I could not do this without the support of the Board and Staff of the Ranch as well as my Board and supporters at Jim Wood Ministries/Abiding in Christ. The required time and travel involved are likely to increase steadily from now through the end of 2013. Assuming I survive, 2014 will be another new beginning! Meanwhile, I desperately need your prayers for my stamina, health, and wisdom. Please pray for my family and for all the wonderful folks here at the Ranch, especially my son Andrew who is starting his first year as Headmaster, overseeing the Residential, Academic, and Counseling programs of the Ranch. Andrew reports to Brian McDonnell who has served magnificently for fourteen years and is Chief Operating Officer. Please pray for Brian and his family as well.
"Unless the Lord builds the house they labor in vain that build it." We are keenly aware that the Ranch has been built by the Lord. He is the only One Who could have accomplished all that has already been done. As we survey the current need for houseparents and the ongoing need for finances, we are clinging to the fact that God is "working all things together for the good of those who love Him..." We also know that God works through His people. Please pray fervently, and please do whatever He tells you!
Jim Wood
Wears Valley Ranch
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Second Annual Staff Training Have you ever thought, "I wish I had known that sooner."? Maybe you have even said it. Over the years, we have often heard that phrase from staff as they learned new lessons in how to care for children from difficult situations. God has blessed us with a tremendously talented staff, devoted to serving the Lord and called to help children. Yet over the years we have learned, as Solomon told his son in Proverbs, that even the wise can add to their learning. This September Ranch staff participated in our second annual all-staff training week. For newcomers, it was an eye-opening introduction to how to care for children from difficult circumstances. For others, it was a refreshing reminder of things we hold most dear. For all of us, it was a time to draw close to the Lord and renew our vision as we begin a new year. While some of the material is specific to Wears Valley Ranch, much of it would be helpful to Christian parents, teachers, and others. Several of these sessions will be available online at our website, www.wvr.org/resources or on DVD. If you would like to have a copy of the staff training sessions on DVD, please contact Marybeth Tynik at mtynik@wvr.org or 865-429-5437.  Here are some highlights: Discerning the Difference: Five Key Battlefields in Spiritual War Drawing on the content from his book by the same title, Pastor Wood highlighted five areas that Christians commonly misunderstand and how our adversary uses those misunderstandings to keep many from experiencing the true spiritual victory that should be theirs in Christ.  Living in Community at WVR No matter where we live, there are rules to follow. Some rules are given by God and are to be obeyed at all times; others are community standards that we voluntarily adopt for our own good and the good of others. We get into trouble when we treat God's commands like voluntary standards or when we treat our voluntary standards as if they are God's commands. In this session, Pastor Wood explores the difference between the two and some practical ways that we work them out at Wears Valley Ranch. Devotions Pastor Wood's devotionals each day centered on key truths for gospel-centered ministry. |
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Please support these friends who made our staff training fun and informative!
New for 2013-- The Children of Titanic and the mothers and fathers who loved and protected them
VitalSigns Wellness, developed by the physicians of Trinity Medical Associates, aims to promote health through healthy lifestyle instead of prescription drugs.
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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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